Well, I’ve been a bit busy lately, blowing some cash on bits for the bike. And even if I say so myself, I’m quite pleased actually. Let’s recap what I’m trying to achieve; My 1996 Honda CB500 is looking a bit tired and rusty, and I’m planning to do a bit of DIY restauration and custom paint work on it to make it look good again.

My wishlist before starting the project was as follows:

1. Replacement footpeg rubbers - CHECK
2. Replacement body panels in order to do a full DIY respray, without the risk of permanent damage to original paint! - CHECK (just require front mudguard, but I’ve got my eye on one already…)
3. Possibly replacement headlight cover
4. Respray of engine & gear box
5. New levers to go with the new handlebar
6. New, more modern looking indicators - CHECK
7. Respray of exhaust, or new one depending on how difficult it would be to get a good finish on the old one.
8. Respray of grab rails and other bits and pieces.

So as you can see, there is definitely some progress there already! Last weekend when the body panels I have purchased got delivered, I did see that I’ve got a long way to go in order to achieve what I want.. The tank I purchased needs a bit of care - some rust removal and dents & scratches to be filled. So I’ve stocked up on Hammerite Rust Remover and also a tube of Body Filler from Halfords. And after giving sanding a shot for a while on Saturday, I’ve decided there’s another thing I’m going to have to invest in. An electric sander.

I’m not yet entirely sure what type I should go for, but at the moment it’s between a regular el-cheapo detail sander or a Black & Decker Mouse. The latter seems to be quite good, as far as I could tell from some online reviews I found. But it’s going to take a bit more time researching before I actually buy one.

So here goes, my updated wishlist:

1. Replacement front mudguard, perhaps a fairing as well
2. Possibly replacement headlight cover
3. Respray of engine & gear box
4. New levers to go with the new handlebar
5. Respray of exhaust, or new one depending on how difficult it would be to get a good finish on the old one.
6. Respray of grab rails and other bits and pieces.
7. Electric Sander

Well as I’ve already mentioned in the About page, I’ve recently started riding around town on the ‘96 Honda CB500 my husband bought over a year ago. Since he’s bought another bike in the meanwhile, plus we also have got a car, the Honda had been lying idle for a while, but this is no longer the case!

I’m now taking it to office almost every day, and with summer approaching, my use of the bike is only set to increase.

So now that I’m using it full time, I can’t be satisfied with the state it’s in at the moment. It’s like an old work horse, which has collected scars over the years, never kept dry and safe, developing rust and generally looking a bit tattered. But I’m going to change all that and in the process individualise the bike to suit my taste.

Over the weekend, I started on this journey - I bought a tube of Autosol Metal Polish, and went to work, cleaning the metalwork of the bike. After finishing the following can be said:

Good bits:

Bodywork in fair order, requiring a respray though

Seat in good condition,

Good tires & wheels

New handlebar & end weights

but that’s about it - bad bits:

Rusty chrome; headlight, shockers

Flaking paint on engine

Torn footpeg rubbers

Faded black plastic (mudguard, meters, indicators, etc.)

Rusty exhaust & downpipes

Scuffed clutch/brake levers

So my wishlist is as follows:

1. Replacement footpeg rubbers
2. Replacement body panels in order to do a full DIY respray, without the risk of permanent damage to original paint!
3. Possibly replacement headlight cover
4. Respray of engine & gear box
5. New levers to go with the new handlebar
6. New, more modern looking indicators
7. Respray of exhaust, or new one depending on how difficult it would be to get a good finish on the old one.
8. Respray of grab rails and other bits and pieces.