I decided to look at the airbox next. Whatever sealer was used where the rubber boots (Honda calls them tubes and ducts) contact the airbox was not doing much sealing. I decided to replace the 4 tubes, since the rubber feels brittle, and has started to disintegrate where it contacts the velocity stack on the carbs. The rubber ducts looked good once I peeled/crumbled off the old sealer and gave them a Simple Green bath. One of the small filters inside the housing had a pretty good sized hole in it. New parts on the way...

 

^ Yep, that's typical.

 

What have people used as a sealer that works? I'm planning to use VersaChem Mega Black high-temp silicone (similar to Permatex Ultra Black silicone) to seal the new tubes and ducts to the airbox...is there something better, or will this do the trick?

 

^ That should work fine.

 

This thread is getting stale...time for an update!

Dragged the family out to Wisconsin to attend my sister's wedding, so the last couple weeks haven't been as productive as they could have been, however...

The Race Tech re-worked forks are installed. I've "reconditioned" the airbox with new rubber boots that go over the velocity stacks on the carbs, sealed the boots, installed new foam filters, installed a K&N filter, and painted the rusty clamps. It looks much better!

Also in my Honda parts order was a new fuel filter, which I installed today. Watch out for the nasty barbs on the bracket that keep the rubber piece around the fuel filter in place...I drove one of them into my finger trying to get the old filter off, and it did not feel good.

 

Nice work. I know you're glad to have that out of the way. :-)

 

Made some minor progress today before the guilt took over and I had to mow the knee-high grass. Man, I hate yard work...what a supreme waste of time.

Re-attached the newly shiny powder coated kickstand, along with its new spring. I painted the rod on the shift linkage as well, as it was ugly and discolored. Not quite as durable as powder coating, but with it primed and a few coats of enamel, it should hold up pretty well.

Also got the front wheel and calipers on. I've got the right brake line running behind the lower clamp, and the left one running in front...anyone know offhand if it matters? Obviously, the key is that the lines aren't stretched or binding, which they aren't.

The Super Brace I have positioned on the fork lowers...haven't torqued it down yet, as I have a feeling it may be better to get the fender mounted first. One thing to note is that if you do get the Super Brace, the "'optional" metal fork protectors for an additional $25 aren't really optional if you want your forks to be protected. Even though I ordered them with the brace, I thought maybe I'd use the stock plastic protectors, since they were still in good shape, and I had already mounted the fork; I didn't want to take them back off to remove the protectors. Well, the brace mounts directly where the plastic band of the protectors sits, so they HAVE to come off. I used a cutting wheel on my Dremel to cut the plastic so that I didn't need to take off the forks. The metal fork protectors for the Super Brace are just screwed on the front of the brace. You can see the screws in the picture of the brace, but I haven't mounted them yet.

 

Nice attention to detail.

You ans your own question. ;-)

Interesting.

 

Bro the bike is looking amazing! I've enjoyed following your thread and can't wait to see final product!

 

Thanks, glad you are enjoying the thread!

I haven't been getting out to work on the bike as much as I'd like to lately, so I don't have many exciting pictures. I'm also realizing one of the frustrating things about working on an "old" bike is that the dealers around me don't seem to keep many of the parts I find that I need in stock. They charge full retail, so I'd rather buy from an online source anyway, but it's a pain when I just need a bolt, rubber washer, etc. I did luck out earlier this week when I went to install the headers and had forgotten to get exhaust gaskets with my last online order. My local dealer had 4 in stock, so I grabbed them all. I had previously cleaned up the headers, which appear to be stainless from a full Micron system, and coated them with VHT flat black high temp paint. They are now bolted on, and I replaced a broken rubber heat shield between the headers and reserve coolant tank. New NGK Iridium spark plugs have replaced the old stock plugs. I've mounted the radiator, although I think I need to order another bolt and washer or two...they may have been missing when I got the bike. As I remove bolts and small parts, I put them in plastic Ziploc bags and write on them with a black Sharpie so that they stay together and I know what they are, but I can't locate a bag for the radiator. Finally, I installed the front cowl/fairing stay, which was previously bent and rusty, and is now straight and powder coated Wet Black.

One disappointing thing I discovered was that the Leo Vince SBK high mount titanium slip-on that I bought a while back has a small but highly visible scratch on the muffler. It was something that was clearly done before the muffler was packed, as it was received directly from the factory, brand new, and it was well boxed and wrapped. I'm not sure at this point what I'm going to do about that, since I bought it months ago...too late to return it. I may look for a different slip on...anyone have a good recommendation? I like the look of the high mount, but I'm not dead set on it.