mfro's German Z50 J1

[mfro]

Hi all,

just thought when Tietgen was so kind to let me post the invitation to our German Honda minibike forum yesterday (https://lilhonda.com/webboard/thread/13/5229/#post30387), I might as well try and give something back. Here is the photo story of my German Z50 J1 resto.
If this also serves as a teaser for others to step by at the international section of our German forum, this might be a very welcome side effect

This is what I started with two years ago (basically, I forgot to take photos in the very early stages when I uncovered the bike from storage and it still had the original engine). My German Z50 J1 which I bought when I was 16. Nearly 30 years ago. I drove it for several years and it got buried in the barn when I was old enough to get the license for bigger bikes.
There it rusted the last 25 years until I got it out two years ago.

Note: these are old pictures. The resto is already finished and the bike is on the road again since about a year.



Next stage: frame powdercoated, bought a cheap 120cc China engine and also forks from a Chinese Monkey replica.


Since the original taillight was missing, I first fitted another Honda light

 

[mfro]

While tank, side cover and headlight brackets were at the painters, I completed the frame, electrics (new Lifan harness) and modified the tank rear mount.



In order to fit a larger carburator, I moved the tank petcock in front and lifted the rear tank end with a spacer to make room.


Freshly painted parts arrived. Yelling orange. Not original, but I like it :3:

 

[mfro]

Headlight mounting brackets cut from the original forks


Side cover. Stickers under clear paint



Tank

 

[mfro]

 

[mfro]

Late night, back from the authorities: this is now an official, road-registered motorbike :1:

I did not really like the exhaust after a while and changed to a Daytona product. Great sound, but also loud

Changed the chinese rims to Takegawa ones

 

[mfro]

The German J1 never had a battery. Strapped one to the top of the frame under the seat. The hooks are cut from a China bike's battery brackets

 

[mfro]

Made CDI brackets from the remains of that battery brackets

Original toolset still fits under the side cover

 

[mfro]

It turned out after a few month the Chinese engine was cheap crap. Althoug just slightly tuned (ported and changed the cam), the gears could not handle the power and jumped out. I rebuilt the engine and adjusted gear clearances which fixed that, but I never was confident with the engine.

and I wanted a true Honda engine again

Honda ZN110E motor transplanted. I built up this motor from a reconditioned engine imported from Thailand, tuned to 146cc (58mm bore) with a Takegawa Superhead +R.
This engine is a beast for the small bike and a lot of fun to drive

 

[mfro]

This is how it looks today (nearly, except for a few small details, I had to add indicators to get it road-legal again because of the large displacement engine).

 

[MSZ]

Why didn't you just install a battery box in the stock location for a cleaner install so all the wiring is hidden?

This is what I did.

 

[mfro]

Why didn't you just install a battery box in the stock location for a cleaner install so all the wiring is hidden?

This is what I did.

I just wanted to preserve the original toolset behind the side cover which wouldn't fit together with the battery. Battery and wires are next to invisible under the seat.

 

[ghunt]

That's a sweet bike I like the color and the way you made it back to all Honda again. It really makes me want to get a Honda 50 and a ZN 110 motor. racerx swears by those motors.

 

[mfro]

That's a sweet bike I like the color and the way you made it back to all Honda again. It really makes me want to get a Honda 50 and a ZN 110 motor. racerx swears by those motors.

Thanks, Greg. The color, by the way, is the same most German garbage trucks and road service vehicles have :5:.

Racerx is definitely right: the "Nice" engine is expensive but an ideal tuning base because most parts are reinforced compared to the normal Z50's. Nothing but problems with the China motor for just 500km, the ZN110 (with more than twice the power) now reliably made 2000km without a single problem yet, obviously happy with 5-digit rpm ranges and is a lot more fun to drive.

 

[mfro]

@MSZ: Very nice bike, btw. Alloy gastank? May I ask where you purchased it and how much?

The exhaust looks loud :3:. Did you get your bike road registered?

 

[ghunt]

The exhaust looks loud :3:. Did you get your bike road registered?

I bet there's some kind of baffle to quiet it down. Hey mfro what time is it in Germany right now ,It's 12:30 pm here.

 

[mfro]

I bet there's some kind of baffle to quiet it down. Hey mfro what time is it in Germany right now ,It's 12:30 pm here.

Hi Greg,

we're six hours ahead currently (changes with daylight savings).

 

[69ST]

Thanks, Greg. The color, by the way, is the same most German garbage trucks and road service vehicles have :5:.

Racerx is definitely right: the "Nice" engine is expensive but an ideal tuning base because most parts are reinforced compared to the normal Z50's. Nothing but problems with the China motor for just 500km, the ZN110 (with more than twice the power) now reliably made 2000km without a single problem yet, obviously happy with 5-digit rpm ranges and is a lot more fun to drive.

Somehow, I doubt that anyone would ever confuse your biike for a garbage hauler. If garbage trucks resembled your Z50, there'd probably be a 20-year waiting list for job applicants:24:

 

[MSZ]

@MSZ: Very nice bike, btw. Alloy gastank? May I ask where you purchased it and how much?

The exhaust looks loud :3:. Did you get your bike road registered?

Tank courtesy of Big Cedar in Japan. I purchased it 4 years ago before Big Cedar raised their prices.

The exhaust is not as loud as my Ohnishi, my TI Mizumoto, and my Over Racing GP Performance Dax exhaust. It has an internal baffle. Was made by Samnbai in Japan before they quit making pipes Ti header and silencer. It's pretty quiet in comparison to other aftermarket exhausts.

I have a road registered title for the bike.

Keep up the good work. Nice build!

Dan

 

[mfro]

Tank courtesy of Big Cedar in Japan. I purchased it 4 years ago before Big Cedar raised their prices.

The exhaust is not as loud as my Ohnishi, my TI Mizumoto, and my Over Racing GP Performance Dax exhaust. It has an internal baffle. Was made by Samnbai in Japan before they quit making pipes Ti header and silencer. It's pretty quiet in comparison to other aftermarket exhausts.

I have a road registered title for the bike.

Keep up the good work. Nice build!

Dan

Thank You, Dan!

 

[HymieP]

Mfro,
Nice bike, love the custom look and in my opinion, you picked the best engine available. Way to go!