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This month we are looking at restoring a vintage mini; a 1971 Honda
Trail 70 CT70H KO. The "CT" stands for Honda's trail Bike line, the "70" is the engine size.
"H" is the 4-speed model, and "KO" is the series. In this case, we have a first series bike.
It's important to do your homework when approaching a restoration on any bike. Certain details can get mixed up along
the way, which translate into an inaccurate project. Not good if you expect top dollar for your efforts. We trust
factory manuals, and experienced suppliers to ensure accuracy. Let's look at our project!
Stripped Body Parts |
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"Powder or Paint"? A controversial question...) |
With Powdercoat technology well imbedded in our system these days, comes the question; "Should an authentic
restoration include powdercoating, or should my parts be oainted as they were originally?" Tough call. I
believe it is up to the individual. Personally, I love powdercoat for several reasons: 1. It comes out glass-smooth
and has a beatiful wet look to it. 2. You do little if NO prep work. The powdercoater will strip the parts for
you as part of the process. 3. Powder is EXTREMELY durable and chip resistant. 4. By the time you strip,
fill, sand, primer, and paint... you spend at least twice as much on paintwork vs powder. 5. Powder can be touched
up if needed using touch up paint, just like a painted part. The downside to powder? 1. Powder is quite thick, requiring
careful assembly techniques. You may need to re-tap threads, and/or scrape some powder away to obtain a perfect parts
fit. Also, stamped VIN numbers may become blurred or nearly invisible if coated over. 2. As far as I know, there
is no rubbing out or buffing of powder if small scratches appear from use. This product is pretty sensitive to light
scratches due to the high gloss level. 3. Custom colors may be hard to match if a part needs to be re-coated, or additional
parts are done at another time. The plus side of "painting"? Paint is paint. Nobody can argue
authenticity of the finish if it is painted!
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