Another Toy Running

[kz1000st]

I bought a Honda to play with and get running. The guy who sold it to me was an "Expert" and said the carb just needed to be put back on. He had monkeyed the carb to death and it needed a starter motor. $300 in parts and this is the result.



It still needs work but at least it runs, shifts and rolls.

[wheelbender6]

Nicely done, KZ. The smallest Nighthawk is much better lookin to me than the Rebel. Has the cool front drum brake too.

[rks]

Way to go......sounds good.

You must be about ready to put an addition on the stable.....your herd sure is growing. Wouldn't want to have to leave one of them out in the pasture all winter.

[novaraptor]

Sweet deal, KZ. And Yeah, "experts".

[Irish]

"You meet the nicest people on a Honda Bike!" Irish

[kz1000st]

I have actually ridden the bike but with zero rear brakes it was attention getting. I ordered shoes and springs for the rear but I tremble to think about what I might find in there. The guy I bought it from made huge claims about being a restorer of old bikes but couldn't answer basic questions about this one. This is why there so many basket cases on Craigslist. The "Experts" take them apart and then claim they don't have the time to put them back together. They probably have no clue where anything goes.

[Irish]

When I had my customizing & repair shops (up north) at least 1/2 of the bikes in my shop , were to fix bikes that the "experts" had worked on! Irish
P.S. Hopefully the "experts" hadn't done to much "expert" work!

[kz1000st]

When I got the bike the rear brakes weren't working. Today I found out why. Some "Expert" shifted the brake actuating arm a few clicks on the splined shaft that expanded the shoes so it was totally out of adjustment. I put the arm in the right place, installed new shoes and Voila, the brakes are operating just fine. I wish more people took their bikes to a shop. Fixing their "Custom Adjustments" takes a lot of time to diagnose and repair.

[kz1000st]

The tail light on the 250 Nighthawk hasn't worked since I got it. Headlight-yes, horn-yes, directional signals-No. I was getting set to attack it with my multimeter when I had a moment of total clarity. "Maybe it's just the bulb" a little voice said. I had a spare 1157 bulb squirreled away so I pulled the socket out of the tail section and removed the bulb. Sure enough the filament was gone. New bulb in and I have the tail light glowing. I'm going to see if the directionals even have bulbs in the sockets. It's amazing how stupid some former owners can be.

[wheelbender6]

I'm glad you got the tail light running with a bulb change before trying to run "Hot wires" and other pseudo fixes. I probably use my multi-meter for checking bulbs more than anything else.

[kz1000st]

I've probably used my multimeter more in the last year tracking continuity and voltage more than any other year. When I got the Honda running with the new carb I did a cursory check to see if it was charging the battery. No worries there.

I've been a Kawasaki owner for most of my riding life and regarded Hondas the same way I regard refrigerators. Solid, dependable and boring. I have to say that this bike has made me appreciate those attributes and actually look forward to riding it more. It's probably old age creeping in.