1984 cr80 restomod

z71will
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z71will
Edited Date/Time 10/3/2017 5:16pm
Bought this 1984 cr80. It's missing a few parts and a lot more need to be replaced. Normally I wouldn't buy something this rough but it was just asking to be saved because if I didn't then it would just end up parted out and never live again. It's missing the complete front wheel assembly, front brake assembly, handlebars (and everything associated with the handlebars), carburetor, carb boot, reed valves, atac valve, and exhaust. Luckily for me I would be replacing most of those parts with better ones anyways. The crank is in good shape and has no play and the cylinder is is smooth.

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z71will
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z71will 6/19/2017 9:32am
6/19/2017 9:32am
Also I've had this bike for about a month now and that first pic is when I first got it. I haven't did anything to it except strip the bike apart completely and tore the engine apart so I can have a list of everything that needs to be replaced. I just had shoulder surgery so I can't work on it anymore for a few more weeks so until then I've been searching around and buying parts I need. With the time I have I've been waiting on only the really good deals. So far I'm way under budget on this build! I've already bought the atac valve, FMF gold series fatty pipe, FMF silencer, a carburetor, and a new airbox since the old one had cracks in it. I also bought everything for the engine rebuild. OEM crank bearings and seals, EBC heavy duty clutch kit, cylinder head bolts, all brand new gaskets, and circlips for the piston. Everything else in the engine surprisingly looked spotless. No signs of wear on any gears or anything and it all looked brand new. The only thing that was bad were the crank bearings, which were seized with rust! They wouldn't spin AT ALL. The clutch looked good too but I figured I might as well get all new stronger clutch pads while I'm at it. I'll keep y'all updated on the build. I got a lot more big plans for this bike. It's going to be better than when it was new.


kott0n
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3769th
kott0n 6/19/2017 1:04pm
6/19/2017 1:04pm
This is the bike that introduced me to motorcycles. I was 8 years old and it was a rocket compared to my '77 90cc 3 wheeler.

In for this.

The Shop

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JohnnyRed
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Atlanta, GA US
JohnnyRed 6/22/2017 5:31am
6/22/2017 5:31am
Got it. If my garage was not full of bikes, I would pick up the CR80 in Tn myself. Good luck with the build.
z71will
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z71will 6/29/2017 7:10pm
6/29/2017 7:10pm Edited Date/Time 6/29/2017 7:13pm
Still unable to work on the bike but I've been collecting tons of new parts. So far I've spent over $700 on parts alone. Still got a few more parts to buy. All I know is that this is going to be the best 80's cr80 around. I think tomorrow I'm going to strip the bike of all its engine paint. Do you guys think I should leave the engine bare metal and silver or should I repaint it back to black like the factory? Let me know!! Also I would give y'all a list of the parts I bought so far but I wanna keep it as a surprise until I start working on it. I've spent everyday searching for rare parts online.
Rockinar
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Rockinar 6/30/2017 1:03am
6/30/2017 1:03am
z71will wrote:
Still unable to work on the bike but I've been collecting tons of new parts. So far I've spent over $700 on parts alone. Still got...
Still unable to work on the bike but I've been collecting tons of new parts. So far I've spent over $700 on parts alone. Still got a few more parts to buy. All I know is that this is going to be the best 80's cr80 around. I think tomorrow I'm going to strip the bike of all its engine paint. Do you guys think I should leave the engine bare metal and silver or should I repaint it back to black like the factory? Let me know!! Also I would give y'all a list of the parts I bought so far but I wanna keep it as a surprise until I start working on it. I've spent everyday searching for rare parts online.
Paint it.
NorCal 50+
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NorCal 50+ 6/30/2017 11:33am
6/30/2017 11:33am
That's not a rebuild- that's a resurrection.
I would vote for black engine to give you that first impression of nostalgia when you see the bike, like I feel when I see a 1979 XR80 ( my first bike..hmmmmm) Little things make a big difference.
z71will
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z71will 9/28/2017 11:32am
9/28/2017 11:32am
Just finished reupholstering the seat! I bought new/used seat foam as well since my seat foam was damaged beyond repair. This seat cover looks much better than the original in my opinion. A much deeper blue that will really make a big difference in the looks.








z71will
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z71will 9/29/2017 1:00pm
9/29/2017 1:00pm
I finally finished restoring the gas tank. It took weeks of sanding, buffing, and polishing but it looks amazing now. Now I gotta repeat the process all over again for each of my plastics....

Before:


After:






Mr. Sandman
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Mr. Sandman 9/29/2017 10:33pm
9/29/2017 10:33pm
Tell me more about the sanding process and grits used. Did you also finish it off with a plastic polish? I’ve got an old RM tank that needs the same kind attention.
z71will
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z71will 9/30/2017 9:44am
9/30/2017 9:44am
Mr. Sandman wrote:
Tell me more about the sanding process and grits used. Did you also finish it off with a plastic polish? I’ve got an old RM tank...
Tell me more about the sanding process and grits used. Did you also finish it off with a plastic polish? I’ve got an old RM tank that needs the same kind attention.
I sanded all the oxidation off with 320 until the whole tank was red and really smooth. There were some parts that had some deep grooves in it, and that's when I would get my palm sander and smooth it out until the groove or gouge was gone. You need to sand with the 320 until the tank is completely one color and the only scratches left are the 320 scratches. Follow up with 400 grit and I like to go all in one direction on the tank with one sand paper, then do the opposite with the next grit. For example, on 320 I did the entire tank going left to right and right to left. That way all the scratches went the same direction. The for 400 I go up and down all over and I keep sanding until every scratch is up and down. That way I'll know if I got rid of all the abrasions left by the 320. Next I switched to a 600, then 1000, and ending with a 1500 grit. By the way every grit is wet sanded. You should not dry sand the tank at all. After this get a wool buff pad and hook it to a drill and use Novus plastic polish number 3 and do the whole tank. It will make it shiny and smooth. You can either stop with that or you can finish up with Novis polish number 2 and then wipe it down with the number 1 and a cloth. Tank will look brand new when you're done but it's a lot of work.
Squidward
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Squidward 9/30/2017 12:56pm
9/30/2017 12:56pm
Man, I appreciate the time your putting into this. Taking all the time to sand and polish the plastics instead of buying new stuff, I'm super stoked to see how this project turns out.
z71will
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z71will 9/30/2017 1:33pm
9/30/2017 1:33pm
Squidward wrote:
Man, I appreciate the time your putting into this. Taking all the time to sand and polish the plastics instead of buying new stuff, I'm super...
Man, I appreciate the time your putting into this. Taking all the time to sand and polish the plastics instead of buying new stuff, I'm super stoked to see how this project turns out.
It's a lot of work. If I didn't have to restore these plastics the bike would be 100x easier to build.
Mr. Sandman
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Mr. Sandman 9/30/2017 9:37pm
9/30/2017 9:37pm
z71will wrote:
I sanded all the oxidation off with 320 until the whole tank was red and really smooth. There were some parts that had some deep grooves...
I sanded all the oxidation off with 320 until the whole tank was red and really smooth. There were some parts that had some deep grooves in it, and that's when I would get my palm sander and smooth it out until the groove or gouge was gone. You need to sand with the 320 until the tank is completely one color and the only scratches left are the 320 scratches. Follow up with 400 grit and I like to go all in one direction on the tank with one sand paper, then do the opposite with the next grit. For example, on 320 I did the entire tank going left to right and right to left. That way all the scratches went the same direction. The for 400 I go up and down all over and I keep sanding until every scratch is up and down. That way I'll know if I got rid of all the abrasions left by the 320. Next I switched to a 600, then 1000, and ending with a 1500 grit. By the way every grit is wet sanded. You should not dry sand the tank at all. After this get a wool buff pad and hook it to a drill and use Novus plastic polish number 3 and do the whole tank. It will make it shiny and smooth. You can either stop with that or you can finish up with Novis polish number 2 and then wipe it down with the number 1 and a cloth. Tank will look brand new when you're done but it's a lot of work.
Thanks for the details. Very similar to other processes I've read on the interweb but good to hear first hand from someone and see their results. Thankfully I only have a tank to do. All my other plastic components were too far gone and were replaced with new. I'm looking forward to seeing your finished CR.

Pit Row

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brichards95 10/3/2017 4:55pm
10/3/2017 4:55pm
Beautiful work on the tank!
About to start one myself.
Did you have to clean out the inside of the tank and if so what was your process on that?
The tank i'm about to restore has had fuel sitting in it for years sadly.
I know with metal tanks there are chemicals on the market to do the job but not real sure with plastic ones.
Thanks in advance.
z71will
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z71will 10/3/2017 5:15pm
10/3/2017 5:15pm
brichards95 wrote:
Beautiful work on the tank! About to start one myself. Did you have to clean out the inside of the tank and if so what was...
Beautiful work on the tank!
About to start one myself.
Did you have to clean out the inside of the tank and if so what was your process on that?
The tank i'm about to restore has had fuel sitting in it for years sadly.
I know with metal tanks there are chemicals on the market to do the job but not real sure with plastic ones.
Thanks in advance.
The inside of the tank was dirty and all I did was turn my house nozzle to jet and blast the inside multiple times until it was spotless.
riv187
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riv187 10/3/2017 6:11pm
10/3/2017 6:11pm
Great work! I wish more 80s would be saved. Our Sunshine State Vintage Motocross Club will be running a few races for older 80s like yours. You’re invited. Just think,,, you can put it in back of mini van!
z71will
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z71will 10/3/2017 6:47pm
10/3/2017 6:47pm
riv187 wrote:
Great work! I wish more 80s would be saved. Our Sunshine State Vintage Motocross Club will be running a few races for older 80s like yours...
Great work! I wish more 80s would be saved. Our Sunshine State Vintage Motocross Club will be running a few races for older 80s like yours. You’re invited. Just think,,, you can put it in back of mini van!
Wish I could but I don't think I'll be leaving my state anytime soon!
z71will
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z71will 10/6/2017 2:08pm
10/6/2017 2:08pm Edited Date/Time 10/6/2017 2:13pm
Got my crank back in the mail today! I sent it out to Gilomen Innovations to get rebuilt and it looks brand new! Has brand new rod, crank pin, bearings, and washers and everything seems to have been cleaned up real good. It was really dull and dark grey when I sent it but now it looks bright and shiny. The crank was in good useable condition before but I decided to get it rebuilt anyways for good insurance. Might as well have a brand new crank if your gonna replace everything else though.

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