Restoring the Rebel

My first motorcycle was a Honda CMX250 Rebel. After months of awesome riding, it began leaking oil from the crankcase. Multiple repair attempts were unsuccessful, and finally one day in February, while I was riding back from Florida, the oil leak returned and the crankcase oil level decreased to the point that the cylinders overheated and the pistons began slapping. After several months it was determined that that kind of thing is, as far as Honda's warranty is concerned, my fault. So the bike went to some friends in Florida to use for parts while I bought my next love, a Kawasaki EN500LTD Vulcan, which hasn't spewed any precious fluids all over I-75 yet.

But I like the Rebel. It's a fun little bike, having backup transportation around is a plus, and I have friends who are interested in learning motorcycling; what better way than on something light and easy to handle? So, I've decided to have some fun and try my hand at doing a restoration on an almost new, but very neglected machine.

Anna, seen below next to our spiffy rental truck, also likes the Rebel. It's good to have a friend to prod and encourage you in an endeavor like this. And it's also nice to have someone to call 911 were I to, say, accidentally inhale too much carb cleaner vapor.

What follows is a step-by-step journal of this project, from hauling the sad carcass back from Middle of Nowhere, Florida, through, hopefully, many fufilling rides to come. I will be updating this at the same frequency the bike gets attention, also documenting some of the more interesting side projects, like turning half of my room into a motorcycle shop.

Sunday, October 25, 2009 - A Pleasant and Successful Trip

Sometime during the week preceeding October 25, it occurred to me to rent a truck, load up the motorcycle and finally take it back to Atlanta with me. I enlisted the help of Anna, and we were off on the 5+ hour drive across most of the north-south width of Georgia. When we got there, this is what my sad eyes beheld:

As we delivered it to Atlanta, the Rebel currently has the fuel tank, ignition coils, heads, cylinders, wheels, fork tubes, swingarm, brake caliper, and seats all removed. The seats had been exposed to rain and were dingy and brittle; since the delivery, I've been gradually applying oil to the leather to get it to its original pliability. A good leather dressing should bring them back to a nice shine. The fork tubes were a bit spotted with rust formed around places where gnats had been stuck. Light sanding and oiling is doing wonders for these, but more on this next time. The next major tasks are getting a workbench built and removing the engine from the frame.