Is that with Pepperoni, Sir?

1983 Honda C 50 LAC

    This latest acquisition was donated by my good friends Robin and Barbara Hoole.  Barbara had mentioned that Robin really ought to get rid of this little bike, as it had been languishing in the back of the garage ever since they had moved into this house.  It is a 3 speed fully automatic version of this much sought after model (who told you that, then?)  Another good friend and first class Engineer, Brian Barrow has also just had a C90 given, so the 'Gauntlet' was thrown down - 'How about we restore them both to a reasonable standard and have a trip to Germany on them next year?'  His Wife Eileen thinks we have really lost our marbles and it was She who commented about Pizza Bikes and Pepperoni.  Although I have all sorts of other bikes to use, including a 1500 Wing, I still occasionally allow my minimalist streak to surface, so this seems like another 'Topper idea'.

    In actual fact it's not that bad under the layer of builders dust and general grime

    The last Tax disc shows a sleep of almost 14 years

 

    As usual, the first thing to do was photograph it, then give it a quick wash.  Then I removed the leg-shield and took the carb off.  This was full of varnish and gum, but cleaned up a treat with acetone and a small brush.  I swilled out the 'less than a gallon' tank and filled it with some fresh fuel, connected another battery to the flat one and after a few kicks, it roared into life again - well, you know what I mean.  I have now ridden it around the garden and will probably go over it mechanically and take it for an MOT soon.

    Here are a few shots after the initial clean and a bit of Solvol applied to the chromium plating 

     Just over 16000 miles - heck, that's a long way on one of these!

 

More to follow

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

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