So I got this old 1981 Honda CB900F sitting in my buddy’s shed for like, ten years probably. Looked sad covered in dust and bird poop. Figured why not bring it back to life? Here’s exactly what I did, step by messy step.
The “Oh God What Did I Get Into” Phase
First thing? Pulled it out into the daylight. Bad idea. Sunlight shows EVERYTHING wrong. Paint was trashed, rusty pipes, tires flat as pancakes, and the seat? Mice thought it was a luxury hotel. Smelled awful inside the tank – old gas turned into varnish soup. Stuck my finger in the oil tank… like cold molasses. Gross.
Step 1: Stop Panicking, Make a Plan
- Towed it home to my tiny garage. Barely fit. Took pictures before touching anything.
- Drained the nasty fluids. Oil, coolant (what was left of it), brake fluid… all went into the hazmat bucket. Smell lingered.
- Took the battery out. Totally dead. Like, doorstop dead. Straight to recycling.
Getting Dirty: The Teardown
Started stripping it down. Needed to see the guts.
- Wrestled the tank off. Dumped the sludge inside, rinsed it a million times with some cleaner stuff. Rust flakes kept coming out.
- Pulled the carbs. Stuck like glue. Jets were totally clogged with gunk. Soaked the whole mess in carb cleaner overnight. Needed a stiff wire to poke through the tiny holes.
- Airbox was full of mouse nest fluff. Vacuumed that disaster out.
- Took the spark plugs out. Electrodes were crusty white. Looked terrible. Threw ’em away.
- Brakes? Seized solid. Calipers wouldn’t budge. Master cylinders gummed up. Needed rebuild kits, obviously.
- Chain? More rust than metal. Rust belt special.
Bringing Parts Back from the Dead
Not replacing much unless absolutely necessary. Budget is king!
- Electrics: Checked wires under the seat. Mice had chewed a couple. Fixed ’em with solder and heat shrink. Used contact cleaner on all the switchgear. Fiddly work, took ages.
- Carbs: After soaking, blasted everything with compressed air. Replaced the float bowl gaskets and the pilot jets – they were cheap and beyond cleaning. Diaphragms were luckily okay.
- Brakes: Bought rebuild kits online. Painstakingly took apart the master cylinders and calipers. Cleaned every groove and hole. New seals, new brake lines.
- Cosmetics: Rubbed down the side covers with really fine sandpaper and polished the hell out of them with plastic polish. Came out surprisingly good. Frame got touched up with matching paint from a can where the rust was bad. Tank had one small dent – pulled it out best I could. Left the original paint mostly.
- Wheels: Pulled the old tires off myself. Hard work! Cleaned the rims, polished the hubs, new bearings. Mounted fresh rubber.
Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together
This is where the puzzle gets fun… and frustrating.
- New spark plugs first.
- Carefully put the carbs back on, connected all the cables and hoses. Hoped I got it right.
- Filled the tank with fresh gas. Put a little directly in the carbs to prime it.
- Fresh oil and filter in the engine.
- New battery installed. Crossed my fingers.
The Moment of Truth
Kicked the kickstarter… nothing. Tried again. Coughed once. Okay… Choked it, full throttle. Kicked hard. BRAAAAAP! Cough, splutter, died. Tried again. BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! Held the throttle, engine kept running, rough as sandpaper! Clouds of white smoke poured out the pipes – burning off whatever cleaner was left inside. Let it warm up, adjusted the idle screws a bit. Smoothed out eventually!
The Payoff
Took it for a slow, careful spin around the block. Brakes worked! Stopped without issue. Clutch felt sticky but freed up after a few shifts. Engine sounded strong after all that neglect. Needs tuning for sure, but it RUNS! Rides! It’s a rider, not a show queen. Feels amazing to wrench on something this old and hear it roar back to life. Mostly cheap fixes, just lots of sweat and cleaner spray.
