Honda Motorcycles - FireBlades.org banner

1994 893 Restoration - Updated

39K views 207 replies 22 participants last post by  Gunk 
#1 · (Edited)
I've always wanted an Urban Tiger and inspired by Practical Superbikes magazine, I've bought this a couple of weeks ago.



underneath the rattle can matt black knackered fairings, it's really sound and mechanically very good, it would pass an MOT now, the chap I bought it off owned it since 1996 and there's reams of service history with it, It also came with a spare pair of forks (now sold) and spare set of wheels.

The plan is to get busy over the winter and turn it back in to this, and enjoy it in the spring as a second bike.

 
See less See more
2
#2 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Picked up my front paddock stand today £15 brand new off Gumtree and decided to spend a couple of hours in the garage this afternoon, luckily the bike came with a spare set of wheels so first job was to swap them over so I can get a set re-painted.


I also removed the lower fairings, the engine is really clean just needs a scrub and the down pipes re-painting with stove paint, only damage is to the generator cover which I'll swap when I service and change the oil. The slightly grazed clutch cover, I'll leave as it's not that bad.

The fairings are a real mess, I'll keep them storage, but I've ordered a full set from China already finished in the Urban Tiger colour scheme with decals which is the most economic option, I just need to get the tank painted to match when they arrive.



So my first bit of progress, off for a couple of cheeky beers now!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

A little bit more progress, this evening I carefully stripped off the rear seat cowl, making sure I didn't lose any fastenings. I also had a close look at the pillion seat which was refusing to sit straight, for some reason it seems to be twisted, I've checked the subframe and that's completely true, so I came up with a solution using a numberplate screw and cap on one of the rear corners and that seems to have done the trick, once the new body work is fitted I can add extra shims to get the gap the same all round.

Underneath as you can see it's all pretty clean and corrosion free, looks like it's always been garaged, I'll clean and detail the whole bike before I re-fit the new fairings, next job is to strip the nose fairing off.





 
#8 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Stripped the nose this morning, I knew when I bought it that it had suffered a whack on the nose, but the clocks are scrap, all the mountings are broken and they're cable tied to the mounting frame so I'll have to source a decent second hand set, the side light is also scrap which is a shame as they're an expensive used part. But some good progress, I just need to make sure I remember how it all goes back together!

A good tip is to put all the bolts back in to the frame or on the old fairings rather than bag them up, so you know where everything goes.

 
#9 ·
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

coming along nicely... I sure am glad you decided to go with the Tiger :thumb:

it'll surely be nice to have a "spare" set of plastics when you're done too, eh? I've always wanted to have multiple sets for multiple reasons (track day, different mood) :D Plus, there's no rush on repairing the "spare" set if the weather is nice :shades:

can't wait to see your progress!
 
#11 ·
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Looks worse than it is, £100 should source new clocks and a side light, the mounting bracket should straighten out.

What motivated me this morning was hooking up a battery, everything working and the bike firing up first prod of the button and sounding fantastic, I have a long way to go but my target is to have it 100% finished and ride it by March 1st which is more than achievable even though I'm just managing to grab an hour here and there at the moment.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Whilst I'm waiting for parts to arrive I'm starting on some small detailed jobs, one was to convert the tail trim to Urban Tiger spec, originally mine was all black with a white Honda logo but the previous owner spayed it matt black.

I've re-painted it satin black, used some self adhesive silver vinyl and a cheap eBay Honda logo, for a couple of quid it looks pretty good.

Doesn't take much to keep this old man happy!

the mini indicators are next to go!

 
#21 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Freezing here today so I decided to remove the smashed instruments and have a closer look, I carefully removed the speedo and was going to buy a complete used set, but on closer investigation it's just the rear case that's damaged so I've taken lots of photos and drawn a crude wiring diagram and ordered a new OEM rear case and a missing nut bolt and washer via David Silver, none of it cheap but about half the price of a good complete used set, and at least I retain the original clocks with the correct mileage.





I also cleaned the scratched rear light lens with Silvo wadding, always works!

 
#22 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Some good progress today, put on some thermals braved the cold and repainted the down pipes and collector box, which was a fiddle doing it in situ but has come out really well, the stove paint I used is a bit like Hammerite and drys nice and smooth, so looks very good.

Other job was to paint the clutch cover with anthracite stove paint which I sprayed on, it's not quite the right colour, but looks pretty good and I'm pleased with the results, so a productive afternoon.

 
#24 · (Edited)
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Rolled it out today to have a closer look and to touch in one or two bits I missed on the exhaust, but I'm pleased with the results even though most of it will be covered by the bodywork it looks so much better. As you can see, under the fairings it's in really good condition, it's clearly been garaged all its life, there's no corrosion anywhere. I will clean it up but I don't want to over restore it, I want it looking like a good original 20 year old bike and I intend to ride it, lots!





 
#27 ·
Re: 1994 893 Restoration

Nice paint job! What brand of paint did you use, or did you grab some stove paint off the walmart shelf? I think the darker silver really gives it a nice contrast

Seeing this I might consider doing a similiar paint job to my entire bike as well... after I've fixed the mechanicals xD
It's Stovax High Temperature Anthracite Spray Pain, basically paint for wood burning stoves
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top