New project comes home!

Hey there friends of the blog. I hope your last few weeks have had a measure of calm and relaxation. A few weeks ago, I talked about my trip to Shonan Junkyard to see what treasures they had. This last weekend I had a few extra days off to celebrate American Independence so I went back. This time I didn't leave empty handed. For a few hundred dollars U.S. I picked up a little project that should be fun and educational. Read on to see what followed me home!

 One of my first thoughts was this Honda TLR200 Reflex (I think). It is definitely a project bike. It was missing a bunch of pieces, but parts are very plentiful online here in Japan. It was cheap. It was parked in the ¥3,000 ($30 U.S.) area. I have been watching a bunch of X Trials competitions online recently. This could be a nice commuter/trials/dual sport/flat track candidate. I was actually really set on getting it, but when I tried to see if it would kick over, I was met with a stuck lever. The rust was pretty extensive also. I decided to forgo this one in search of something a bit less of a "project".

 I showed off this little gem in my last post. I did some research between trips and believe that this is a BSA C15. It is a 250cc air cooled, single. It looked complete and in pretty good condition for a bike roughly 60 years old. I believe this one was going for around ¥100,000. There was rust and other corrosion. I didn't pull it out to see if it would kick over, but judging by the condition and relative simplicity of the design, I don't imagine that it would be too hard to see it run. It was modified for Japanese road laws to have turn signals and a kill switch. I also discovered that these are not ultra rare bikes and parts seem to be readily available. In the end I decided to pass on it as restoring a British bike as an American living in Japan was taking a big gamble. Like the TLR above, it will probably be sitting there the next time I go to the junkyard to tempt me yet again.

 My third candidate was this Honda FTR223. It was also there the last time I visited. I think they sold off the side panels it was pictured with the last time. This one was really tempting as it was what I originally came to see the first time I was here. I want to get back into flat track and these are the most popular bikes used in the Japanese flat track circles. This one was also right around ¥100,000 and the engine cranked over just fine. It was complete minus the side panels and stock exhaust. I know I could get it back to street tracker shape and have it ready for the occasional flat track weekend. I also decided against this bike for the main reason that I am not allowed to go to the flat track. It is outside the allowed area thanks to the pandemic situation and military guidelines. Aside from this Honda, they had several other Suzuki Grasstrackers hanging around that would be just as nice once fitted out for left handed ovals. I can always come back and see if there is another one available.

 Enough of the teasing, here she is! That's right, I finally picked up a Honda Super Cub! 49cc of pure power in a bicycle sized package. If you follow my Instagram, you'll see that ever since coming to Japan, I've been smitten by these goofy little motorcycles. And don't call them scooters! They are full fledged motorcycles in their own right in a vaguely scooter shaped package. There were three of them in the low price area and this one was in the best shape. Don't let the beige and black fool you, it is actually Yellow. This one was owned by someone that had a desire to paint and ready access to some house paint and a brush. The beige was sloppily applied to every yellow part of the bike that they could reach. Hoses, plastic, chrome it didn't matter. The artist in questions went to town to lay a thick coat of latex paint all over the bike. Luckily the paint underneath is sound and thanks to the latex coating, the body is rust free. I was able to thin out an area of the beige and the original yellow looks to be intact and in good shape. I foresee several hours of paint removal and polishing in my future.

 I did a once-over of the bike and even got it to start on the first kick. All the lights worked and the engine ran without any strange or unexpected noises. I told the attendant to get it ready and consider it sold! A quick bit of paperwork and a Visa swipe for $839.45 American later and I was on my way. It fit easily in my trusty Honda Stepwagon. They even threw in a key tag. I'm a sucker for free key tags. This place is so nice, they let you come back and pick up the bikes later if needed. They even had loaner ramps for people that brought their own hauling vehicle like I did.

I have already started doing the normal new-used bike things to get the little Cub road ready. I made a list of projects and parts needed and placed a few internet orders. I need to get the carb cleaned up so it will idle, I suspect a clogged idle jet. I need to go over the bike in more detail and check the major fasteners for proper torque. I also have to jump through all of the various base licensing and registration procedures and pay some taxes at the local city hall to get my plates. I should have this baby back on the road in a couple of weeks and when I do, you can be sure I'll keep you up to speed along the way. Take care and ride safe friends!

Mat