The Backstory of My Beater Bike
So I found this old Honda CB200 rotting behind Hank’s garage. Looked like death warmed over – covered in dust, tires flat, engine seized solid. Hank practically gave it away, just wanted it gone. I figured, what the heck? Worst case, part it out.
Getting My Hands Dirty
First thing I did? Not try to crank it. That’s how you snap stuff. Pulled the spark plugs, squirted a bunch of penetrating oil down the holes. Let it soak for two whole days, praying it worked. Had to tap the kickstart lever loose with a rubber mallet. Felt real sketchy.
Next up, stripped the carburetors. They were nasty inside. Gunked up like maple syrup in January. Didn’t buy a rebuild kit though. Nope. Just:
- Dumped the whole mess in a coffee can filled with carb cleaner overnight.
- Used fine wire to poke through every tiny hole and jet.
- Scraped old gasket junk off carefully with a dull screwdriver blade.
- Reused the old float valve seals after soaking them in brake fluid to soften ’em up.
Saved myself fifty bucks right there.
The Junkyard Shuffle & Scraping By
Needed new points for the ignition. Dealer wanted eighty bucks for a genuine part. Forget that. Hit Doug’s Auto Salvage on Thursday – senior discount day. Found a points set for a 1970’s Yamaha in a rusty parts bin. Five bucks. Had to file the mounting plate hole a smidge bigger to fit, but it works perfect.
Rear shocks were shot. Instead of fancy new ones, I scrounged:
- Two decent old shocks off a dead Suzuki dirt bike at the dump (free!).
- Sprayed them with black enamel Krylon after a wire brush scrub.
- Made little adapter plates from scrap steel behind the shed.
Not showroom, but they hold the rear end up fine.
Making It Shine (Sort Of)
Paint was trashed. Professional respray? Hundreds. My cheap method?
- Sanded rough spots smooth-ish with 60-grit.
- Wiped everything down with lacquer thinner.
- Bombed it with five cans of Rustoleum gloss black from Walmart. Slow coats, tried not to run it.
- After it dried hard for a week, wet-sanded with 1000 grit.
- Rubbed it out with polishing compound using an old t-shirt.
Looks ten times better from ten feet away. Close up? Meh. But it cost me twenty bucks.
Bolting It All Back Together
Getting it running took some patience. Carb sync was fiddly. Used a length of clear vinyl tubing and some ATF fluid to make a DIY manometer. Adjusted the idle screws til the fluid wobbled level-ish. Adjusted points gap with a feeler gauge I borrowed from Bill down the street.
First start… coughed, spat, smoked like crazy for five minutes burning off crap. Then smoothed out rough. Tweaked the timing with a test light clipped to the points wire. Took three tries.
Was It Worth It?
Total spend? Less than $300 including Hank’s “price.” Put in probably eighty hours of sweat. Learned a ton. Rode it yesterday – shakes a bit above fifty, needs wheel balancing. But man, pulling into town on that $300 bike I saved from the scrapyard? Pure satisfaction. It ain’t perfect, but it lives. And my wallet ain’t screaming.
