REBUILDING CHEAP HONDA BLACKBIRD ENCOUNTERS SETBACK 

Don't forget swinging arm and headstock bearings ✊️

That rear shock is a Hagon unit. Might be worth asking a price for them to refurb.

Nice one man, glad to see you're taking this on properly and giving the bird a new lease of life. I'll admit after seeing the first installment, I was a tad dubious..😂 it's no small feat! Big respect for not giving in, I'm invested in your efforts! Keep it up my guyy. It'll be worth all the blood, sweat and headaches by the time you're done 🙂

Thant cheap Blackbird sounds like it is turning into quite an expensive refurb. As well as being an entertaining watch there is a strong lesson he re for those of us who think we are getting a bargain when we buy cheap. Thanks for posting

Great to see an update, keep on keeping on, this is great viewing.

I’ve rebuilt a blackbird and as your going to the trouble of refurbishing the front forks I’d definitely change the headstock bearings as with the reasonably high ish miles they’ll be past there best,good to watch so keep up the good work 👍

Thanks for the update! I was thinking about you this morning and was wondering whether you were struggling. Hats off to you mate. Amazing project you're undertaking.

Can’t wait to see the final results 👍

JUST HAVE TO MAKE ONE MORE COMMENT !!!! To do this without a garage and any work shop kit I take my hat off to you sir I honestly do I have spent more time under cars and bikes in the F...kn rain ice and snow than I wanted or needed to. Gravel drives where nuts and bolts go missing suden rain showers or snow etc etc etc Then you read the Haynes mannual with their clean bikes and nuts/bolts that always come un done See where I am going here ??? I honestly wish you well and I hope this turns out to be a Jem which with your enthusiasm it most certainly will GOOD LUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!

good update and progress - will look forward to the next instalment

You’re doing great and will have a real sense of pride when you’re done 👍

Glad your still getting it sorted..many many new shiny parts 👏👍🫡

You’re doing a great job can’t wait to see more!

been searching each day waiting for this vid to be released!

This is my favourite kind of bike content now, great series. I good tip I got from a really good mech was once you've finished a job, think about what you have just done and go back over it all checking you've tightened every thing up.

I must admire your persistence I would have lost it a long time ago.😁

Top marks for taking this in with so little experience, a steep learning curve. Amazing there haven’t been more seized bolts, probably down to Honda build quality

So awesome getting your dad’s help, that whole segment had me smiling ear-to-ear. Very good. Maybe you said something about replacing or refurbishing the shock, I might’ve missed it. Would you consider upgrading it? Anyway great update. Your other uploads of deferent content in the meantime has sustained just fine. You must feed the masses with constant entertainment, lol. You’re doing great with it, keep up the good work Rye👏

Tell you what fella I thought you were a clean cut Jym going tart who never got his hands dirty "I NOW EAT MY WORDS" Well done I would not have taken this on and I love oily hands "TRUST ME I DO" Keep going you are there well in mind set you are !! Plenty pit falls yet to come but whatever you do from this moment on I am impressed !! AND ON YOUR SIDE !!!!!!!!!!

Great to see you are getting this wonderful bike (I owned three Birds myself between 1999 and 2018) back on the road. I think you are very brave to take the bike apart and reassamble it. I am looking forward to your new video's, no need to rush, take your time to do the job right. These machines are life-threatening fast so safety first!

Coming together nicely now,she'll be a beautiful Blackbird

Thanks for the video Rye. Really looking forward to seeing the finished product👍🏻

Really love this series. It's awesome to see the bike slowly come together any clue on what colour it's going to be

As someone who has stripped and rebuilt many a bike back in the day, I am drawn to your challenge. You are 100% right to farm out anything you are not sure of and I look forward to seeing the results of your labour.

I’m glad you’re unlinking the brakes, I’m thinking of doing it on my BB , there’s not any videos on RU-vid showing this process, so I’ll be watching and following your footsteps, good luck fella.

love it, talk about throwing yourself in at the deep end! more! I want more!

Great work buddy and stay committed! It’ll be a great achievement once the bike is finished 👍🏽

Good to see movement, Eagerly awaiting your uploads

Mad watching someone so local to me! Just picked my bike up from FeelThatNosie! Great guys!

I rebuild a bike every winter and the best part is getting all of the new trick parts in the mail. And installing it and taking pride in your work. Just don't ever go back and add up the total cost, I've made that mistake before. 😆 That bikes going to be sweet when you're done, can't wait to see it!

If you are going to use a jack under the sump it’s a good idea to use a decent bit of wood to spread the load otherwise you might crack the aluminium casting 👍

Nice! Yes normally both front callipers off. Also I find an Abba stand invaluable for this type of work and you can get adapters for the footrest bolts so you can pull the swingarm etc

can't wait👍

loving the vids , and this update, im doing the exact same project except i am fortunate to have a small workshop, im sure it make all the difference to the difficulty level. also i got mine for 500 quid as a non runner, turned out to be a rotted ignition wire, so be gentle with the loom. look forward to your next update

good luck with this! keep the content coming 🙂

Another great video... shes taking shape already ❤

I have several Blackbirds and have done what you are doing, that is, completely stripped and rebuilt a 1997 carby bike. One part I haven't seen is the radiator 'shroud' for want of a better word. It fits above the radiator and if not there the bike will struggle to rev out. They are like rocking-horse droppings to find but I have two so if you need one let me know. I also have access to all other parts including fairings and lots of other bits through a friend who runs a Blackbird forum. Nice to see another Blackbird being returned to service. Good luck with the rest of the build.

More! Love it

take your time... and at the end it will be a star!!

You seem to be at the very similar stage as me with my blackbird project 🤔. Keep in mind that if you have already went for second hand engine, it's always a good idea to replace cam chain tensioner on them 😉

Good update. Have a google for the service manual for the bike. That is bike specific and has all the things like torque settings etc. It will also be free so send that Haynes manual back!

Really enjoying this series of videos. I cant help but wonder how you are keeping track of all those bolts though! 🤯

Nice update

A manual would of been my 1st buy . Best of luck with your project. 👍👍👍

Good update keep it up! :D

Not for the faint hearted, massive undertaking, Something that I wouldn’t even consider

Excellent content this 👌 first class

you gotta go polished front forks looks awesome and EBC HH pads work really well on the BB, great work

Luvly jubbly 👍 Hagon will service that shock no problems, they will even fit a new spring, probably cost less than £150

Looks good, getting there!

Thanks!

try Dave silver spares for old stock honda spares

It's all progress, even if not as fast as you would like.👍

You need a headstock stand. It'll be much safer than the balancing act on the jack. Hats off to you for having a go, it'll be awesome when finished.

Great stuff mate. Progress being made 😁👍 I'm the same as in I have to do any maintenence outdoors. After spending eight hours (Including cock up time) Replacing both Fork seals on my Bandit last month in - 2 degrees I feel your pain brother 😲 😂 Well done, keep going. Thanks for sharing every detail of your journey, even the mistakes. We can all learn from this refreshing, honest content mate cheers 👌

Think the bike will look mint when you've finished it , so glad to see a cracking bike like the black bird getting a new lease of life, they are a cracking bike and I still miss my one even after many years,I'm seriously considering getting rid of my mto9 and getting ether a black bird or a VFR 800 v-tech ,anyway mate really enjoyed the video and looking forward to the next one.

Keep going mate ,the end result will be worth it

You could work on getting the engine running whilst waiting for the wheels and suspension...

Good video dude

So nice you come back to the Procject. I have the same tires on my bike but they are 8-9Years old when i Buy it last year. This year need to buy new one even they looks like new becouse bike was standing years in garage. Cheers M8 Don't give up 😊👍

Well done Jawes motorcycles do a spacer that goes under the rear shock thing its 10mm makes the bike turn into corners much better they also do a spacer kit for the front forks

Sup mate 👍🏻 you’re doing great buddy many would have thrown in the towel already keep going you’ll reap your rewards 💯

Man all the cool guys are far away would love to help you fixing that bike

I hope you've got a lot of little bags and boxes, all meticulously labelled. :D I don't want the final episode to be you holding up a handful of bits and pieces with the title "Where do these go?!" + RU-vid face. 🤣 I'm enjoying these videos. 👍🏽Even little updates like thsese are welcome.

If you are ever looking for inspiration and a moral booster. Have a watch of Matt Armstrong restoring his super cars. Man alive that guy has had to overcome some difficulties and still comes out the other side laughing in the face of adversity

I’d be firing up the new engine up first to see if it actually runs , but I’d say top effort , with no tools , workshop , and also limited mechanical prowess , 🏍🏍👍👍

Mate, I love that you're having a go for yourself. We all had to start somewhere, and we've all done stuff that we've looked back on and realised it was janky as f*dge and that there are better tools for the task at hand, but for your own safety *please* watch a few how-to videos on the stuff you're doing before attempting it yourself. At about 5 minutes in you've got the bike jacked up really precariously on a trolly jack and are trying to shake loose the front wheel without having removed the brake calipers first. Someone has mentioned an Abba stand here in the comments and that would be perfect in this situation, but even if your budget can't stretch to that a trolley jack and the bike's own centre-stand alone just isn't safe and you're asking for the bike to topple over (it nearly does at 4.49). Best case scenario is that you damage something on the bike. Worst case scenario is that the bike lands on you and injures you. No-one wants to see you get hurt by a project you're clearly enthusiastic about, so please, take a step back, research each stage (even if it's just a matter of buying a Haynes manual... it's not sexy, but it makes life so much easier), and I wish you the best of luck.

I bought a RD250 , thought just get it going , three years later total utter rebuild , every nut bolt and bearing lol

There is a lad in work Has a blackbird and he drives it 12 months of the year, there a great bike and realistically you don’t need anything else, they are reliable comfortable and blisteringly quick, and most importantly they are cheap

Use a block of wood when using the trolley jack. It’s softer than the metal that it’s touching and won’t punch a hole or anything if it hits it. Also if you’re going to the effort of servicing the suspension. Check the condition of the bearings in the rear linkage as well as the swingarm. I guaranteed they’ve never been serviced or repacked with grease in the bikes life. Kind of a waste if you put in a new rear shock and the bearings are shot, will make the bike handle like pudding.

Eu vi seu vídeo, é ótimo, trabalhador e ousado

Great work dude project bikes are such a great way to learn new skills and dry the bank account out 😅 all worth it tho 😂😂

Being a hagon shock. You can send them back to hagon and have them rebuilt

I like ya, Babes. You've got a good vibe. I do hope you have a workshop and site radio though!

next time your removing or fitting an engine to these types of bikes if you remove the forks to begin with you can just lower the frame on to the engine and bolt it up just makes life little easier 👍

Good to have dad. :) If I'm up for alike job, I will have to rely on my better half. :D

You should replace the power band while you've got access to the head and might as well fit a turbo while you're in there

Hi rye stick with it find some older bikers like me,we are happy to pass on advice and skills to other bikers good luck regards Gary

What a Girl You have mate! Congratz :) Btw, if You have managed to remove the front forks, maybe it would be a good idea to replace the springs. I've bougt öhlins springs in my Bird, and IMO this mod worths that hundred quid

Shame your getting rid of the linked braking system, it works so well. PS I loved my Black Bird, I should of kept it

Hate to be bearer of bad news. Had a set of them discs on my bike bought new. They have a on off affect at low speed so much so I changed them for round with out the wave. Think they would be ok on track but not slowing up to junctions. Just my experience, yours may be different.

If you've not planned for it yet, while the rear shock is off, get the swing arm off. Get it cleaned (or better yet, powder coated or paknted) and replace the bearings and seals.

Touching those disks without gloves just gives be the creeps. The transfer of oils onto them can make them squeak like a pig! Love your work though, great to see someone, not mechanically minded, have a crack at it.

your original nose cone can be repaired, have a look at plastic welding, its easy to do you only need a soldering iron and some zip ties

Judging by all the gear around you in that office you have done a bit? Why would you think you can remove the front wheel without touching the callipers? Or is it someone else's office? I do enjoy the uploads by the way.

The Honda is coming along very nicely. I would not have powder-coated the rims, however. Can you get the ECU flashed? I had that done on my 'busa and ZZR-1400 and they are really potent now. There is a Blackbird being worked on at my local bike shop and I have been looking it over. It is bright red and has a Micron 4 into 1 header. Those brake rotors you bought look great!

Well done dude, I hope you can remember how to get the bike back together.👍

Keep it up it’s a journey and there will be more set backs but as with the engine. Walk away have a cuppa or a rest then try again.

Breaker bars are cheap and invaluable, it stops you wrestling with tough bolts taking some of the labour out of a job. Soon you will want an impact gun😉 Also buy some handle bar risers

As others have said, it's a Hagon rear shock. That's not the original so it hasn't done 70k miles. It does look tired, however, and can be refurbished.

Good vid, thanks for the update. Maybe I missed it. What's the delay? Are you waiting for the forks and wheels to be done? What's the turnround on those?

Thanks for the update, did you remove the wheel bearings before they went off for coating? if not they'll be shagged. It's going along nicely now, btw if the company lets you down and Hagon suspension are only over the water in Essex and I notice that rear shock is a Hagon too. How old is your dad ? I don't like "the old man/woman" thing, very disrespectful but I suspect it's just banter , looking forward to the next one.

The trolley jack under the engine is a bit dodgy in my opinion, would be better using the jack to initially lift it but then I'd have used some bits of old timber joist or bricks/blocks formed into a mini pillar with something soft covering the latter (wood or a few layers of old material) to maintain the bike in that position and state for a period of time.

"I think I'm pretty much there with the bike". Love your optimism mate but you're a very long way from that,pulling stuff apart is the easy part but good on you for what you're attempting. Given your admitted lack of mechanical skills please get someone who knows what they're doing to do your brakes at least, dodgy brakes are potentially lethal at any speed,not just the heroic stuff.

The Hagon shock is not standard, so assuming it was fitted when the original failed it probably hasn't done 70,000 miles as stated.

You should have done the suspension before putting the engine back in, that way you would have had a bare frame making it easier to fit the motor. Make sure to fit new swing arm, head stock & wheel bearings for peace of mind

Muito bom

For parts!

Try using ratchet straps to install the engine on bikes in future thats what ive done

Might be worth while rebuilding the brake callipers while you’ve got them off the bike