Motorcycle Repair: Restore Honda, brake caliper piston, 1975 honda cb360t

Question
Mr Silver,
I have a 1975 Honda CB360T: VIN CB360 210177 or Eng CB360E 2101784 Bike was kept in a shed and has 9500 actual miles. It does need alot of tlc. Inside of tank has no rust!! Mufflers need replaced, disk brake resivoir is dry, front axle has oil/dirt build up etc. Front forks, handle bars has all of the rust. This is the first time I have ever done anything like this. I want to get it running before being worried about the outside look. How would you suggest to begin? Were does one find parts? Are ther recalls? Any help in getting me started is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time! D Wilkening

Answer
Not sure we have space here to "restore a motorcycle" with full instructions!  

Anytime you are buying a project like this, take time to ensure that the paperwork matches the bike, that the engine actually still turns over, and there isn't other hidden damage.

Basically, you will have to: Change the oil, buy a new battery, remove and clean the carburetors (kits are about $40-50 each), clean the fuel tank and petcock screens. You will need a master cylinder overhaul kit, some snazzy snap ring tools to get it apart, then a new seal ring for the brake caliper piston. Buy a few cans of brake cleaner and then new brake fluid.

The points will need to be cleaned, adjusted to a .016"-ish gap, then set up so that they open a the F and LF marks on the rotor (underneath the left crankshaft cover (there will be oil inside, when you remove the cover), new spark plugs installed, Valves adjusted and a compression check would be a good idea. If the air filters are rotted, then those will require replacing. The mufflers are NLA and die early due to vibration and condensation. You will probably need to remove the rear wheel to inspect the brake drum and shoes. A new drive chain will be necessary. After that, the fork seals will probably start leaking, if they haven't already. If fork oil goes down into the front brake, then you will need new brake pads.

A Clymer's or factory shop manual is a good investment. Exploded parts views and part numbers are available on-line at sites like:
www.cmsnl.com and www.houseofmotorcycles.com in the US.

If the fork tubes are too rusty, then the seals won't last long. All the cables will need to be checked, cleaned, lubed or replaced. Ebay is a good source of a lot of parts, including cheaper aftermarket items.

That should get you started....

Bill Silver