Painting inc steering lock removal (no key!)

This bike was well beyond a rat resto, and without steps to halt  the corrosion it will undoubtedly deteriorate further.  I think its original colours were akonas grey and white, both are still available in original formulation from Germany - but at a hell of a price. I've opted for Honda Grey (Canbus) and Ford van white (Hycote). Both are easy to get in the UK and cheap, the white is actually a very good match, the grey isn't bad but the original had a bluer tinge. Still, Honda have made millions of bikes in this grey and so its well established as a  "small bike colour" and so looks "right" in this application. A note here gleaned from sad experience- make sure the primer you use is compatible with the colour coats- I found etch primer could react with the white although not with the grey. I moved to acrylic primer to prevent this complication. Should add I have a lot of trouble getting paint-primer compatibility and always recommend using combinations from the same manutacturer. I have yet to find a way of using primer-filler successfully

Mudguard as stripped... Before...

Forks as stripped- before...

Painted the shock absorber fork mounts with silver hammerite.

... and removed all paint from the parts with paint stripper. Note the new stuff sold nowadays isn't as quick as the old formulations but it does work. It just needs plenty of time- 2 days to a week with reapplications daily. It does produce a sludgy sticky mess, but its a lot less effort than sanding if you have the time.

Front components stripped to bare metal.

Tank masked and in processing

Removing the frame cladding was tricky- I'd removed all the screws but it still wouldn't come off. Pictures here to note wire routing to aid rebuilding.

&

Three wires exit below the panel

As for the frame cladding- this was the culprit- a dealers plaque rivetted on and through the frame underneath. A nice touch of originality but I couldn't remove it non-destructively... which I regret. I may see about restoring the original (now crumpled) mess.

Remove the carburettor and rubber connection to get room to remove the panel. Lift it up and pull it forwards, remember to detach this wire from its clip on the rhs panel.

I hadn't noticed before but the frame is actually black and only the parts that show have been painted grey; the join here beneath the fuel tank is obvious once cleaned up. I will preserve this in the repaint.

Removing the steering lock

If you have the key this is simple- rotate the lock and withdraw it from the fork tube. Naturally when I got this bike I didn't get a key so its going to be more problematic. The NSU quickly lock is similar if not identical and that can be removed by hammering it through because the lock detents are softer than the frame. That's a fairly brutal method that I certainly wouldn't want to try more than once in case of cumulative damage- but in fact that route isn't open to you here because access to the lock is blocked even after removing the horn.

First step is to remove the escutcheon which I did by gently tapping a wedge (screwdriver) into the join to ease out the rivet.

The escutcheon pin came out cleanly and should be reusable

Since access is limited I was forced to drill the lock out. I found a twist head drill was necessary as a conventional drill doesn't fit. Using a 6mm and then an 8mm bit I was able to drill into the lock starting at the key hole. Take care that the drill matches the angle of the lock holder. You will probably need to re-sharpen the drill several times. Its a slow and surprisingly messy process.

Its a long and brutal job but the idea is to weaken the top of the lock so that it can compress to release the detents.

Then by careful tapping from behind I was able to start the lock slipping out

The lock as removed has clearly been opened up by the drill- the upper ball detent is still in place

I returned to painting the frame by wire-brushing the surface rust and treating it with Kurust followed by an alcohol wash (not water!).  I masked up the motor

... and I could then prime the area that was originally grey...

Followed by Canbus Honda Grey topcoat

I could also mask up the frame panel cladding (now primed) and spray the white sections using folded masking tape to give a soft edge.

Invert the masking and spray the grey sections...

Footrests

Footrests are held on by one bolt screwed into rear sw arm

The rubbers are held on by a screwed retaining plate. Rusty but unscrewed easily

... which allowed the rubbers to be pulled off.

There is an inboard thrust washer and a retention plate into which the end cap screws

The retention clip is visible looking inside the footrest tube.

It just drops out through the wider slot.

Footrests were cleaned, de-rusted and repainted in silver Hammerite prior to reassembly.

Chainguard

The chainguard is in 2 sections- upper and lower, each held by 2 bolts- the design does appear a little odd but its solid and effective. Each part has one fwd bolt- the upper on top ...

Upper chainguard forward bolt above chainguard

 

... and the lower beneath the guard.

Lower chainguard forward bolt beneath chainguard

Both sections are attached at their rear by a second bolt above or below the chain tension adjuster.

Rear chainguard bolts above and below the axle nuts

I removed the chainguard and cleaned it as best I could- its a filthy job and I recommend Green biodegradable Gunk.  I painted over the existing paint which was in pretty good condition- probably because it had been protected by the chain and engine grease swimming about here.

I stored the repainted items safely and moved on to stripping the rear of the bike in order to renovate and repaint that (see rear end strip).