In 1979 I saw an advert in the Surrey Comet for the bike, at the time I had a 1976 Suzuki GT500 that I had bought new from Comerfords in Thames Ditton and had couriered around London for two years before moving on to driving vans.The Suzuki looked ok but was past its best engine wise but the guy needed money to pay his rent and needed a bike to get to work so a deal was struck.
At that time I had a company van and didn't need a bike so it was ridden to my Dad's house and put in his garage, he eventually got it registered in his name and occasionally rode it to work and got it motd and serviced etc, even paying out for a new 4 into 4 exhaust system from Honda that cost a fortune and you just can't get anymore, it was only when I came to tax it recently that I found out he hadn't taxed it since 1983! Naughty!
He stopped riding it around 2002 and it was then just left in the garage, I started it occasionally until one day it wouldn't start and petrol poured out all over the engine, then it was left for a few more years until his death in 2012 when I brought it back to my place and parked it under cover in the garden, it was now in a sorry state.
In early 2016 I decided I was going to get the bike restored, I remembered seeing a series some years earlier on a satellite channel presented by Henry Cole restoring a CB550 of around the same vintage, the mechanic on that series was a guy called Peter Thorne who Cole raved about and seemed to know his stuff, "just the man" I thought.
I arranged to get the bike up to Kidlington in Oxfordshire to Thorne's company, Aspire Classic Restorations, AliG of this parish brought his bike trailer over and we loaded up the Honda and my 900 to get home on. We went and met Thorne and he agreed to take the bike on for a full restoration, I said I wasn't in a great hurry but definitely wanted it back for my 60th birthday, jokingly saying "two years, can you manage it?" Thinking it would take him a few months.
I told him that I wasn't that bothered about originality so if he could change the cross head engine screws for allen bolts and put electronic ignition on it and generally make it more reliable with modern parts then that would be fine,I had previously removed the carbs to clean but told him they would need to be completely renovated. I gave him some money to start him off and Ali and I left.
Fast forward a couple of years and I eventually managed to get him to answer the phone and found out the bike was not quite ready yet, "But it will be ready by April as agreed?" "Yes should be" he replied."But I'm moving the business and moving house so things are a bit up in the air at the moment"
After that it became a game of trying to get hold of him, he wouldn't pick up the phone and wouldn't answer e-mails, my 60th came and went and it seemed for a long time that he, my bike and my money had disappeared.
Cue plenty of jokes and "Got your Honda back yet?" quips from my Carpe friends! They went on a long time.........
When he finally answered the phone I had to listen to half an hour of excuses as to why the bike wasn't done, problems with his back, problems with his hand, problems finding new premises, problems with his house move etc etc, eventually I stopped him and said, "That's all very interesting, but when am I getting my bike back?" "Oh it probably needs a couple of more weeks spent on it, I'm waiting for the paintwork (tank and side panels) and a few other bits and then it'll be done" "So another month should be plenty then?" "yes"
Another two months went by, still nothing, and then the same thing, no answers to e-mails, no answering the phone.
Eventually got hold of him again, more excuses, more waiting for the paintwork, more lies.
E-mails then sent regularly asking for progress reports and ignored.
Finally, in June this year, an e-mail "Your bike is up and running, I'm having a bit of trouble getting it to run on all cylinders but when I fix that it'll be ready, I'll deliver it, when will be convenient?"
After picking myself up I asked that he get it motd before he brought it back, even though it's now old enough not to need one, he agreed and a date for delivery was arranged.
I'm going to have a coffee now, part two, when it really gets interesting, to follow.
6F4993F6-FBF8-4587-AFFD-43E9ABFFC518.jpeg 160.53KB 2 downloads
The bike before restoration
Edited by chrisr, 18 June 2020 - 11:06 am.