After a nice talk a week or so ago with Oldct I started to think about how to actually get a pair of K3 fork ears. I will be asking a local fabrication shop for help. Pat and I talked about welding newly fabricated ears on a nice set of tubes and re chrome. I tend to overthink mods and move at a snails pace. I started to think about the possibility of sourcing a nice K1/K2 set which are more common and having a bushing for the signal and rear cover made then chrome or paint. I know I don’t have a lot of detail here but if you can see this in your mind let me know what your opinion is.
Building Fork Ears
- Thread starter Deoodles
- Start date
Enginedoctor
Well-Known Member
I think the difficulty will be with the construction of the ear. If im not mistaken, the bushing for the turn signal mount is "sandwiched" between two other pieces. If using a k1 or k2 ear, its really just the outside piece of metal thats stamped steel spot welded to the tube. You could make it work, but it might be a little thinner than you want. In my experience, the 78 fork ears, while painted, were constructed in a similar fashion to the k3 ears, just painted black.
If you just want the ears to hold the signals and be chrome, the k1/2 idea will work. If you want them to appear original, maybe go with a later ear.
Just $.02
If you just want the ears to hold the signals and be chrome, the k1/2 idea will work. If you want them to appear original, maybe go with a later ear.
Just $.02
kirrbby
Well-Known Member
Subscribed. I love it.
Did you talk with CHP? About repops?
K1 fork ears are well different... shorter... they won't work. You'd need K2 up and they are all rare and expensive.
This project will be a challenge for sure if your goal is to make them look stock, or close to stock.
I have a near perfect set, if you want to borrow them to measure from.
Depending on your goal, wouldn't restoring a bent and rusty set be a better/easier proposition?
Did you talk with CHP? About repops?
K1 fork ears are well different... shorter... they won't work. You'd need K2 up and they are all rare and expensive.
This project will be a challenge for sure if your goal is to make them look stock, or close to stock.
I have a near perfect set, if you want to borrow them to measure from.
Depending on your goal, wouldn't restoring a bent and rusty set be a better/easier proposition?
I'm as guilty of over-thinking projects as anyone. That said, it'd be difficult to do with K3-`79 HL ears and those original turn signal stalks.
Gil is right, strength will be an issue...that's clearly why Honda went to an inner-outer shell design. Worse yet, K2 HL ears are the rarest, since they are specific to that model only. From the OEM perspective, adding two pieces and a few spotwelds was a cheap & dirty solution. Cheap, because $50K is sofa cushion change for an OEM, to crank these things out for the next 7 years of production models. Dirty, imho, because it's a nightmare for owners of these models...difficult to keep from being mangled and even tougher to repair when it happens. There are no easy options.
If you want to maintain originality, the options are NOS, repairing/restoring damaged originals, or painstakingly fabricating exact replacements. Replicating all of the original stamping and welding details/artifacts isn't going to happen; it's just too costly
OTOH, if you don't need strict originality that opens-up a number of options. But...doing so also kicks the proverbial slats out from under your reason for delaying and "overthinking" this whole (bike) project. Make no mistake, I am not taunting you. This is one helluva tough problem for K3-`79 owners, have to start with the reasons why before trying to deal with them.
Gil is right, strength will be an issue...that's clearly why Honda went to an inner-outer shell design. Worse yet, K2 HL ears are the rarest, since they are specific to that model only. From the OEM perspective, adding two pieces and a few spotwelds was a cheap & dirty solution. Cheap, because $50K is sofa cushion change for an OEM, to crank these things out for the next 7 years of production models. Dirty, imho, because it's a nightmare for owners of these models...difficult to keep from being mangled and even tougher to repair when it happens. There are no easy options.
If you want to maintain originality, the options are NOS, repairing/restoring damaged originals, or painstakingly fabricating exact replacements. Replicating all of the original stamping and welding details/artifacts isn't going to happen; it's just too costly
OTOH, if you don't need strict originality that opens-up a number of options. But...doing so also kicks the proverbial slats out from under your reason for delaying and "overthinking" this whole (bike) project. Make no mistake, I am not taunting you. This is one helluva tough problem for K3-`79 owners, have to start with the reasons why before trying to deal with them.
That’s kind of my thoughts Kirrbby. I haven’t seen a nice set in a few years. Not saying they aren’t out there just saying I doubt I’ll find a set anytime soon. As most here know I am not a purist. I would like very close though. Also, I’m not willing to go upwards of a few hundred so where does that leave me? In this case I suspect close enough is going to have to cut it. Still gathering my options and weighing what to do to end up with the closest I can to oem.
So a spacer that protrudes out on both sides of a boxed ear and a welded bead all around on both sides then chrome looks close IMO. I am just thinking out loud.
So a spacer that protrudes out on both sides of a boxed ear and a welded bead all around on both sides then chrome looks close IMO. I am just thinking out loud.
Nope, not even close. The inner stamping is very different. Only things they have in-common are the holes for the signal tube and HL bolt.
Replicating all of the compound bends of either stamping is a nightmare's nightmare.
What is easily done with stamping dies and molds is virtually impossible to replicate by hand, let alone with a reasonable budget.For what you're talking about in #7 above, best bets would be repairing the originals or fabbing replacements from 0.125" plate steel.
Someone willing to take the time to do a little metal finessing, light welding of the hairline cracks and then have them re chromed.I have a right one that is mangled, and I tend to agree with the others. It's possible, but will be painful. It's a lot more complicated than it appears. The outside ear plate has 5 spot welds and the inner section has 3 (to main body). On top of that, the spacer, which is sandwiched between the 2 halves, is welded on both sides. Also, what looks like a washer on the inside (headlight mount) appears to be spot welded as well.
In other words, getting it off the body is the easy part. Then one must separate the 2 sections........
Honestly, I am even hesitant to hack on the one I have to learn more because I could use it in a pinch
If you find a someone who has the skill and is reasonable on the repair, count me in. This repair goes beyond my skill level....and patience. I was fortunate to find a nice replacement. Will keep eyes open for ya.
FYI - Back in May/June timeframe, CHP was expecting their first prototype. Not sure where it stands today.
In other words, getting it off the body is the easy part. Then one must separate the 2 sections........
Honestly, I am even hesitant to hack on the one I have to learn more because I could use it in a pinch
If you find a someone who has the skill and is reasonable on the repair, count me in. This repair goes beyond my skill level....and patience. I was fortunate to find a nice replacement. Will keep eyes open for ya.
FYI - Back in May/June timeframe, CHP was expecting their first prototype. Not sure where it stands today.
Attachments
I restored a pair that went back on a `77. They weren't quite right but...they looked right and when "push comes to shove" that's what counts. There was no way to preserve all of the compound curves. Fortunately, the signal stalks hid the subtle detail loss quite convincingly. Most of the big changes were on the reverse sides, hardly visible. "Shiny Orange" is also forgiving enough to help mask the small curves. Had they been K3-`76, there's no &%#$ing way this set could have been saved. Paint, OTOH, makes body lead and epoxy scratch fillers an option. FYI, the HL ears took more work than the rest of the entire frameset, combined...that is not an exaggeration. Most painstaking body repair I've ever faced on a CT70. And the frame was tweaked, aft of the gas tank...it had to be wrestled back into alignment, the shock mount replaced.
Wow. That is some sweet work on that 77. I also really like how you revived the fork ears. For sure, the method/procedure you used had never crossed my mind. I believe my thought process would have taken me down a bumpy and dead end road. Impressive.
Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but I assume you re-chromed the speedo housing?
Don't want to hi-jack the thread, but I assume you re-chromed the speedo housing?
It took years to work out a process for re-chroming those speedometer housings. It's complicated, nearly as much art as science, and more than most are willing to spend. Having chrome shop experience comes in handy, once in a while. Time & money considerations aside, the results speak for themselves.
Funny thing about that `77. At first I didn't take it all that seriously...you know, just one of those forgotten, ugly duckling/red-haired stepchild, models. But, I figured WTF, a solid color for a change, and the owner wasn't too concerned about the HL ears being "perfect"...should be a cakewalk, right? That one deserves listing in the book of famous last words, right after "it's a small iceberg, just go through the censored thing"
It took a ton of work, custom-mixed paint and primer (read:"pricey"), more specialty plating processes than imagined, at first blush. And yet, it turned out to be one of the most satisfying restoration projects. That primer & paint, both flowed-out like liquid glass. Believe it, or not, this one is 100% straight from the gun. Air that free of dust, lint and kamikaze bugs doesn't normally exist. No de-nibbing required, I'll take it!!...what's not to like? In the end, I came away with a newfound appreciation for "Shiny Orange". Not only was it actually a pleasure to spray out, the finished bike was absolutely stunning.
As for the HL ears...that was a lesson squared.
Funny thing about that `77. At first I didn't take it all that seriously...you know, just one of those forgotten, ugly duckling/red-haired stepchild, models. But, I figured WTF, a solid color for a change, and the owner wasn't too concerned about the HL ears being "perfect"...should be a cakewalk, right? That one deserves listing in the book of famous last words, right after "it's a small iceberg, just go through the censored thing"
It took a ton of work, custom-mixed paint and primer (read:"pricey"), more specialty plating processes than imagined, at first blush. And yet, it turned out to be one of the most satisfying restoration projects. That primer & paint, both flowed-out like liquid glass. Believe it, or not, this one is 100% straight from the gun. Air that free of dust, lint and kamikaze bugs doesn't normally exist. No de-nibbing required, I'll take it!!...what's not to like? In the end, I came away with a newfound appreciation for "Shiny Orange". Not only was it actually a pleasure to spray out, the finished bike was absolutely stunning. As for the HL ears...that was a lesson squared.
That is a nice set too. I'm working on a set as we speak, and can only hope they turn out 1/2 as nice as either of these 2. This may sound crazy, but I'm looking for a mangled lefty to match a spare mangled right I have. I really want to add the turn signals, but don't want to take a chance of having another mangled set....so I'm thinking about using a rider set from the get go.
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yellowbullet
Member
Great job! Are you and racerx pros or super knowledgeable versions of Mr. Patton ? ("Mr. Patton" was a guy from my childhood days that lived in an old farmhouse on the edge of town, with a crusty garage and a knack for fixing what ailed the neighborhood kids' motorcycles and 3-wheelers.)
Also didn't hurt that he had a cute daughter.
kirrbby
Well-Known Member
I had a guy like that in my hood too. Except he only had a ugly son.Great job! Are you and racerx pros or super knowledgeable versions of Mr. Patton ? ("Mr. Patton" was a guy from my childhood days that lived in an old farmhouse on the edge of town, with a crusty garage and a knack for fixing what ailed the neighborhood kids' motorcycles and 3-wheelers.)
Also didn't hurt that he had a cute daughter.