Motorcycle Restoration - 1974 Honda Z50 J
Description of Work:
As my other motorcycle restoration began to wind down, I found myself at a yard sale eying up this tiny lump of metal and paint. Usually I would wait, but having a bit of knowledge in the 1970s line of Honda motorcycles, I knew I couldn't pass up this bike. The Z50 is one of the more famous Honda bikes and they are becoming ever more scarse with each passing day. In addition, this bike still had all of the Compliance plates, the serial number was extremely low, and it is an uncommon import from Japan with all writing and labels in Japanese.
After much negotiating due to the massive amount of missing components, and the remaining ones being in disrepair, I decided to purchase the bike for $65. After bringing it home, I tore all of the damaged parts off of it and fixed the cracked and leaking gas tank with a fresh weld. I rebuilt the engine fixing the oil and fuel leaks, compression issues, broken kick starter, and slipping clutch. All of this was done before repairing anything cosmetic, and I built a laundry list of components that I needed to get for the restore.
To this day I am still on the hunt for the remaining three to four dozen rare OEM parts but have completely restored what I was able to salvage from the original purchase. As you will see in the image gallery, this bike still has a lot of work to complete. More than likely this will span a decade of hunting for parts before it is complete and in showroom condition, but the hunt and connections you gain along the way are just as fun and rewarding as the actual build itself! I will update this page as more progress is made on the bike.
Below, I have included a chronological display of images from the purchase of the bike to its current state. Keep in mind, the project is still in its early stages; authentic parts are virtually impossible to find and there are a lot missing at this time.
