22 SHOW US YOURS

WIN S-doc cleaning kit and Tamiya kits!

Here are some pictures of the fruits of my labours over the past couple of years. My first venture was a Honda CB550F that was in fair condition when I bought it. The previous owner had fitted a new Motad exhaust and downpipes and the wheels were in very good nick. Unfortunately, the rest looked a bit shabby, but the bike did run so I spent the best part of the next year stripping down, cleaning and polishing. I had very little experience or knowledge of how to go about restoring or repairing a motorbike but I did have a lot of passion, patience and an internet connection that could get me on Youtube. The internet also got me access to the SOHC forum which was a massive help during all the head-scratching times. It was around this time I found your mag and what an inspiration that was. I did everything on the CB550, even the paintwork. I had only ever painted the living room wall and ceiling before so this was a trial and error job but it turned out great. So, a year later the bike was finished and I got offered a pile of ‘something’, I couldn’t tell what. It turned out to be a 1980 Honda CB125T in bits that had been on a pallet on someone’s drive since it had been stripped 20 years before. I loaded the scrap into the boot of the car and set about that day on my first full restoration. As you can see from the pictures I’ve used a bit of artistic licence but again, I wanted to do everything myself. Because of this, there is no powdercoating, everything is rubbed down, treated or replaced, then repainted. I must give a shout out to my mate Mark Hawkins who did the paint. Love the magazine so keep up the good work!