31/E66

[Wayne]

Bo’s original 31/E66. 

[bojje]

Hi!
This bike was purchased last year. It was stored at a Honda-dealer in 1973 in a heated room. It has been there until last year when I purchased it. It was delivered to me 5 weeks ago and then I have done following:
New caliperseal, new seals in mastercylinder, new brakefluid, new tyres front and rear, changed the K2 rearwheel to a twohole sandcastwheel (will be changed to a nonhole sandcastwhell later), new forkears since old were too damaged, changed gauges from K0 to correct refurbished early gauges, mounted 11 mm mirror stems and doublestamped mirrors, new rubber grips, mounted 28 carbtops short slides and 5 mm throttlecable, mounted new parts in shortnecked petcock, cleanded inside of 19-litre fueltank, checked valves, new oilfilter, new oil, new breakerpoints, checked oilpump and it was in shape like new, mounted missing band on the later 17-hole seat to keep it in used shape, mounted new Lotus-Root exhaust and finally washed and polished the bike. I am going to keep it as original as possible and will use it for our year-meeting in Classic Honda Club Sweden the weekend 10-12/8. It will bring another 500 km on the bike.
Kind Regards, Bo from Sweden

[bojje]

More Pictures.
Bo.

[Sam]

Wow, a fantastic bike you have there Bo! Red survivors are rare as you know.

What can you tell us about the ultra-early sandcasts that makes them challenging to restore?

[bojje]

Hi!
Thank you! It is faded on fueltank, headlightshell and sidecovers. I mean it is important at a non-restored bike to save as much as possible as it is. In fact, the bike is probably produced second day after productionstart, it means 16/3 1969.
To restore such a bike as I have done with #24/43 takes a lot of time with ”detectivework”. If you do not have the 19-litre fueltank used on first 450 bikes,  carbs with straight venturipipes used on first 300 (at least 302) bikes, first kind of gauges used at first 450 bikes and first kind of alternatorcover used at first 580 bikes it is almost impossible to reach a full success.
Bo

[Steve Swan]

Hi!
Thank you! It is faded on fueltank, headlightshell and sidecovers. I mean it is important at a non-restored bike to save as much as possible as it is. In fact, the bike is probably produced second day after productionstart, it means 16/3 1969.
To restore such a bike as I have done with #24/43 takes a lot of time with ”detectivework”. If you do not have the 19-litre fueltank used on first 450 bikes,  carbs with straight venturipipes used on first 300 (at least 302) bikes, first kind of gauges used at first 450 bikes and first kind of alternatorcover used at first 580 bikes it is almost impossible to reach a full success.
Bo

Bo, thank you for sharing what your early machines are revealing.

[bojje]

Hi Stewe!
Please try to look at ignitioncables, they have white clips with number for each cylinder instead of  numbered plasticbands. I did not know until I found it on #31/66, number 1 missing, so I checked with Kerry and he also has them on #28/132. Interesting since it looks as we will never reach the end of knowledge what Honda did at the beginning of production.
Bo

[acruz]

Great Find Bo!  What plans do you have for the bike?  Are you keeping it as a survivor or are you planning to restore it? 
Thanks for sharing
Arnold

[bojje]

Hi Arnold!
I will definitely keep it as survivor. To me such a bike is more interesting than f i my fully restored #24/43. Unfortunately are most sandcasts these days either too rusted to keep as survivor or has someone started a restore but lost interest and then you also need to make a full restore. I will never forget the impression Andy Dixons survivor #175/265 made on me in Ohio 2009. Today I am. Ery happy to have something like #31/66.
Kind Regards, Bo

[acruz]

Bo,  Glad to hear that.  I think your bike looks great as is - Original paint and patina!

[bojje]

Hi!
Last weekend we had our yearly meeting in Sweden. I used #31/66 for the trip to the meeting and when I left it was wonderful sunny weather. Also second day we had wonderful weather, but on the trip back again on Sunday it was rain all the time. #31/66 is a very reliable bike, made 412 miles without any problems and is absolut tight, I mean it does not leak any oil at all. The Pictures shows the bike dirty after the trip but now it is washed and shiny again. The luggage rack is also dismounted again. The speedoface shows km/h but ODO still shows miles.
Kind Regards, Bo from Sweden.