Restoring Vintage Japanese Motorcycles Part 2:

In this article I will talk about the equipment you will need and some of the choices you will have to make when approaching a Restoration Project.
The first and most important decision you will have to make is just how authentic you want to rebuild the bike and to what level do you want to restore the bike. Then I totally 'insist' That you buy a workshop manual, I have had no trouble sourcing these either new or second hand on the Internet.
If you wish to restore the bike to original factory specifications you will need to be ready to shell out big dollars. For instance, a rusty frame will have to be stripped, sandblasted and powder coated. The seat recovered with an original cover. The indicators, electrics and trim will have to be sourced as either new or very good second hand condition.
But what if you don't have the money for that like me? Well there are alternatives. For instance I wanted a certain 'look' for my Honda Elsinore, I did not like the original Honda tail light, indicators or Speedo. I purchased brand new after market items that I liked by visiting a great supplier called  'Virtual Village' on eBay and purchased these items new for a fraction of the cost of the original items.  I also purchased a flasher can, some switches and mirrors from the same place. I found a perfect seat in as new condition from a 1980 Kawasaki KDX, not only was it in as new condition, but it was easy to modify to fit my elsinore and looked extremely like the original.
When it came to the rusty frame, I firstly literally soaked the bike in WD40. Every nut and bolt that needed to be removed  got attention. Clutch, Brake and Speedo cables also got the soaking of their life. After a good day of soaking I then set about stripping down the bike. PUT ALL THE BITS IN BOXES AND NAME THEM. I used colored stickers. I needed to get the angle grinder and drill onto some of the nuts, because they were so badly corroded they had seized up. After removing the seat, tank, guards, lights etc I could finally attack the frame with a wire brush and sand paper. After that I painted the frame with Rust converter to seal up any bits of rust that I missed. I then gave it a spray of undercoat, followed by a spray of good heatproof black paint. This takes a bit of time, but not a lot of money. The same goes for the body work, each item was stripped down and then sealed, sanded and undercoated. I used body filler to smooth out any dints and then (after a lot of careful sanding with gradually finer grades of sandpaper) I painted the parts. Note: Its's easier to start the sanding process on body filler with a good File first before getting out the sandpaper.
Next because I am a printer I printed the decals myself, but it is easy to find the ones for your bike on eBay. I also purchased some pin striping very cheaply. I gave the paintwork a final coat of Clear Coat to seal in the decals and the pin striping.
Next I attacked the wheels, repacking the bearings with grease, changing the Tubes and tyres for new ones and also cleaning the brakes, which on my bike were still serviceable.
You will probably have to replace the Front Fork seals, but they are cheap and easy to find. I also found some front Fork Gator's (protectors) and have just fitted them
Lastly came the most difficult job...the wiring. You will need a multi meter, they are cheap as chips and easy to use...I am no electronics wizz. Note: As I said in my first article, I am talking about vintage bikes pre electronic ignition..please be very careful working on bikes with electronic ignition, you can easily blow the circuit and they are expensive.  I literally threw away the old wiring loom because it was so bad. I purchased new rolls of different colored wire and day by day slowly replaced the wires. Try and do one thing at a time. Start with the engine stator (generator, alternator) Kick over the motor and see if its producing current. Then check that the voltage regulator is working. After that I checked the coil and mounted a 'Kill' switch a really good idea for old bikes, which never came with them. I used all the original handle bar switches, carefully cleaning them. I easily found diagrams showing me how to wire up the flasher can. The rest was fairly easy and logical. You would be amazed what you can work out, I was also lucky to have a few mates who knew a bit about wiring...I bet you do too.
I was lucky that the motor still had plenty of life in my bike all up I spent about (Australian Dollars) $100.00 on all the electronic bits. $200.00 on tyres and $150.00 on paint putty, sandpaper, wire and Rust proofing, oh and $35.00 for the seat. The bike looks like fantastic and is ready to register on the road.
Oh by the way you will have to hunt a bit for 6volt bulbs and a battery, but I found them ok.
All together I have Restored at least 10 bikes, three within the last few months. I love doing it and get a great deal of satisfaction looking at the original photos and then the final result. I intend to keep these bikes. It is a really good time to pick up early 70's bikes, they are a good investment and will climb in price quite significantly over the next 10 years. I only wish I had kept some of the bikes I had when I was younger........but all aging Bikers say that.
Be patient, don't rush things, Good Luck and may the force be with you (you may need it).