1982 HONDA CB650SC NIGHTHAWK

Q:

I have owned this Nighthawk since 1985. Due to my carbs being sto en, my pride and joy was stored in my shed for over 15 years because the 1982 version of the Nighthawk was only made for a year and spares are very rare. Some 1983 spares fit, but not carbs or caliper (27mm on this version.)

In February I managed to obtain a donor bike for the carbs for £750 and started to restore my bike. It now has road tax, MOT and Insurance. My problem is that the brakes were impossible to bleed or stop weeping from the seals. I managed to sort it on the second MOT, but I am unhappy with the weeping. Although it was originally both calipers (27mm), it is now just the nearside caliper. I have used 12 litres of brake fluid, 10 sets of seals, two original and one generic master cylinder and brake levers, three sets of original and one set of new brake pipes, three sets of original calipers and new Brembo pads.

I am not a mechanic, just a 68-year-old biker who passed his test in 1967 at 16 years old on a 250cc BSA C15. For over 50 years I have always done my own spannering on my bikes, including my newer bike, a 1995 Pan European with 102,000 miles on the clock.

My question: Is there a set of calipers, brake pipes, master cylinder (everything neededdd tto replacel my brakebk sett up)) that th t will fit my bike, as I think the ones I have are never going to work correctly again. As always it would have to be a secondhand purchase as my only income is my pension of £173.03, which doesn't go far at all. Next summer could be my last for bike riding as time catches up with us all. Paul Berry

A:

The original price for a genuine new Honda caliper was nearly £1100 (each) and you cannot get one anyway as it has been discontinued. The trouble with Q this case is that, as you say, that caliper was apparently only fitted to that one l particular bike: 1982 model CB650SC. ebay shows some refurbished (all in the USA, of course). The best thing must be to refurbish what you have. I assume you have been using genuine Honda parts? There is no reason to not do so, as amazingly the seal (45209-460-841) and dust seal (45109-460-841) are available for £5.22 and £12.35 respectively, which is very reasonable for Honda parts. I think the problem must be caused by the condition of the bores in the calipers, which are perhaps a bit corroded. You could try using a special hone, which you can search for online, though I have had more success using plain old fine wet & dry. And yes, I know some say that you should NEVER use an abrasive on brake cylinders, but it has never failed me. An alternative approach is to insert a special thin stainless steel sleeve, which effectively gives you a shiny new corrosion-resistant surface. This would have to be done by an expert and you could contact Contract Auto Engineering on 01299 828117, who usually deal with classic cars, but do have the capability to deal with a very wide range of bore sizes.

By the way, I don’t think you will need to give up with bikes so soon – if you get something slightly smaller than your Pan!