1965 Honda CB72 Project build

In amongst the Honda CB72s (also known as the Honda Hawk) that made up the bulk of our "barn find" was a complete, but rough, 1965 model. This bike had spent a few weeks in the showroom with a price tag hanging around its neck waiting patiently for someone to give it a new home. Some time after it was first advertised, the phone rang and on the other end was Dennis Mannering of Bendigo, Victoria. He had decided that he would like to be the new owner of this rough, original beauty, but wanted it restored to its original glory.

Under Dennis's instructions, I set about completely stripping the bike back to its bare bones. Having done my apprenticeship at Gowanloch Motorcycles, I was no stranger to full restorations and eagerly set about the task of transforming this old bird back into its sharp-looking glory. First step was to put the bike up on the bench and undress it of its faded and well-loved body work. With the tank, seat and side covers removed, I could see that humans weren't the only lovers of CB72s - rats like them too! Rodents had made themselves a cosy little dwelling inside the tool box, so after ridding the CB72 of its rats nest, the strip down continued. After the tinware, all the electrics, lights and wiring were the next to go, followed by the motor, carbs, wheels, swing arm and centre stand. As mentioned, virtually everything was on this particular bike, but a bunch of replacement parts were needed to replace the tired originals.

With the strip-down done, the parts of the tatty CB72 filled several boxes. At this point, I farmed out the various parts to companies we at Campbell Classic rely upon for specialist services. The paintwork was entrusted to Mototech 91 at Smithfield, parts that needed cad and chrome plating were sent to Pioneer Plating in Kingsgrove, while the wheels were sent to Chivo's in Granville to be relaced. The rest was up to us!

My first step was to completely strip the motor down and then hydrablast the cases, head, barrel and side covers. With the engine stripped, it was time to check for and replace any worn or broken components. In the case of this bike, a new pair of pistons, new gasket kit and a cylinder hone were all that was needed - good news for Dennis! From here the motor was rebuilt and set aside to be later installed in the rolling chassis.

With the engine sorted, the next step was hydrablasting all the other components, like the wheel hubs, triple clamps and foot peg hangers. It's amazing the difference this process makes, turning scabby and corroded metal into something that looks like it's just been cast at the factory. Hydrablasting gives a high-sheen finish that's fingerprint-resistant, too. For the repair and restoration side of our business, it's been one of the best investments we've ever made.

Brakes and carbs were the next items on the list. 1965 CB72s feature 8-inch drum brakes front and rear, with twin leading shoes on both. Poorly maintained brakes can spell trouble on restorations like this, but these were in good nick. Hydrablasting showed the hubs to be in good order, so all that was needed were new shoes. With a carb kit to rebuild the Honda's twin 22mm Keihin carbs, we were well on the way to getting this bike completed.

By the time I'd completed all the engine, brake and carb work, the painted and plated parts we'd farmed out earlier had come back, so it was time to reassemble. Starting off with the frame, we bolted the necessary components back on and in no time had a rolling chassis before us. With each re-beautified part going back onto the old bird, you could see the years wind back. Rebuilding the switchblocks was a challenge, as all the components are tiny, but that was really the only bump we hit on this restoration road. After more careful fitting of restored, replated, repainted and many new old stock (NOS) parts, we had a spring chicken in front of us instead of an old chook!

The as-new appearance we were able to achieve on Dennis's bike was due in no small part to the amount of NOS items we were able to source for the restoration. These included obvious appearance and garnish items like the mirrors, rear mud flap, speedo/tacho and tank badges. Other NOS items included all the cables, perches and levers, fork seals, rear shocks, pistons and rings, air filters, gaskets, engine seals and even things like the sprockets and chain. Believe it or not, the seat is also an NOS item, fresh out of the box, although it's actually for a 1966 model. A friend's stock of NOS goodies came in handy for the paint. He had a new old stock 1965 fuel tank, so we were able to loan that to Mototech 91 for an exact colour match on Dennis's tank. Blue and silver is the scheme these bikes wore when new and looks 'right' on this example.

After starting in June, we finished restoring this CB72 in late October. There's a lot of time and work in the build, but seeing the once tatty old Honda in its freshly-restored glory has made it worthwhile. With its freshly chromed tank panels, low bars and silver/blue paint, this bike defines for me the 250 class in the mid-Sixties. With its clean lines, good performance, great braking power and even better handling, this is a bike well worth restoring! To me the term "café racer" was coined by Honda in its creation of the CB72: a well-balanced, sexy looking little bike that often outran its larger capacity competitors.

With the restoration process now complete, all that's left to do is hand the bike over to Dennis, where I'm sure he will "meet the nicest people" on this Honda!

Jake Campbell, Campbell Classic Motorcycles