Bought this NC50 via fb mktplace... lots missing but priced well below going level for these and might be passed on easily. Ad below... Although I think I definitely overpaid... I didnt pay that much! Im houng yo attempt to get this going and sell it on as a working bike but I wont be beautifying it... thats down to the next owner. Please search for posts on any of the bikes systems to see how I tackled them.
I got this for less than advertised but it has some obvious problems. Firstly several parts are missing... mainly covers and lights.
I noticed the airfilter and carb cover, exhaust cover, front light and indicators, rear light, number plate mount and indicators. I since discovered that the footrest fairings and post trim below saddle and speedo nacelle were missing too.
The head had been removed and the barrel separated from the siezed piston. I got the barrel (seemed badly scored) but the piston was missing. Good news was that there was no play in big end bearing.
Steering head bearings incredibly loose, I tjink the whole front was carelessy stripped in order to remove the front rack lights and indicators for parting out. Inside the fuel tank was very rusty.
Overall it seemed to me that someone had started to part this out and what I'd got was the rump of unusable parts which had been only loosely reassembled. Those parts that were there didn't seem too bad so I thought I'd be able to replace the missing parts. This proved harder than expected.
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| Front mudguard all present |
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| Carb looks complex, but all tubes are there. Cover and air filter missing |
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| small hole in saddle shoukd be fixable |
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| Frame number ok for dating cert |
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| This separate instrument nacelle reminds me of a washing machine. Its so ungainly I find it fascinating. Lots of cables to sort out and steering bearings v loose |
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| Cylinder and head removed.. I have both but piston missing. Engine no visible |
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| Conrod free to move and has no play in big end |
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| Carb is a mess but Ill strip it and clean eventually. Im hoping the controller thT bolts to the head is still there on the end of the oil tubes but Ive not checked that yet. Oil pump present. |
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| exhaust present but heatshield missing. |
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| Tanks and caps present |
rear carrier and site window, v rusty inside fuel tank
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| Kickstart present, rear wheel and damper seem fine. |
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| Air filter and cover absent, throttle cable conne ted to carb |
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| Kickstart not spring winder |
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| footrest sl bent... cover plates missing |
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| Front rack headlight and indicators missing |
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| Front wheel and brakes look fine |
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| washing machine nacelle... ign switch loose and no key. |
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| Twistgrips look fine |
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| Clearly rhis midel had indicators on e but now all missing |
The Quest!
Well looking for all these parts was complicated as I was unable to date the bike (sold as a 1981 for no apparent reason) or identify the model. Honda call practically all of their small bikes "Express" I think more in hope than expectation! The term is therefore meaningless. There seem to have been 3 versions. Indicators were added fron v2 (KII) onwards but mounted in a variety of ways at both front and rear. I think its an Express mk III as it has the separate instrument pod and kickstart. There is no sign of a legshield so maybe it wasnt the deluxe?? There is a shortage of new parts as these bikes were sold mainly in the USA and were quickly discontinued. Many of the used parts on sale out there are misidentified by model and some people have a vastly inflated idea of what they are worth. One was greatly offended by a offer of £40 for a cylinder needing a rebore!
However I tracked quite a few down at reasonable prices, many via a cache from a collector in Norwich that included the rear light, number plate mount, indicators and mounts (mark II) and 2 exhaust covers. Amazingly it also included a good cylinder and piston, AND a new piston Sadly, I only got this barrel after I'd sent mine to see if it could be rescued... typical! In fact my original was restored by only a 0.5mm oversize rebore- which greatly surprised me. Got a new piston too.
I also tracked down a pair of front indicators (which are clearly not right for the bike (and may not even be from an NC50!), footrest cover plates and the front of the steering post cover. I got some new repro front indicators that look like theyll bolt directly onto the front luggage tray although the lower mounting of the tray is a bit of a mystery at present. Its going to be a challenge but Im hoping I've got enough now to start a rebuild. Im only aiming to get it back together and running before selling it on.
In my quest fo spares I bought several "job lots" and between them soon had more than I needed. Thats when as second bike caught my eye so I bought it! Its a 1982 blue NC50II model and also lacks piston and barrel. I have these parts in my spares pile so although this on is in worse condition, I hope to do both at little extra cost. I'm using both bikes in the restoration sections so pictures may wander between blue and orange bikes.
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