Mop Head

He sure is - check this out. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.158857780849694&type=3 Haven't been in touch yet but I will soon.

Yes! I do enjoy the story behind them. A literal bone-zone mobile. The purpose built shaggin' wagon. I was looking at picking up an S-MX long before this came into my life as I'd always wanted a 4WD version but life decided to make me experience the 2WD VTEC version instead and I'm not complaining. Epic thank you! I've trawled through the S-MX owners group on FB to see the old owners posts and see if I can drum up any more info. Not a huge amount more but did find it's running a P72 ECU - had originally been running a chipped P28 but that wouldn't shift the auto box. I look forward to getting deeper into things soon.

My lord this is a large rabbit hole to go down. So, the head says PR3-1. Date stamping says '95. Looks like the -1 denotes where the head was cast as there are PR3-1, -2, -3 and -4. I've spent 15 minutes reading the internet and I either definitely have a B16 head or it's an ITR head which supposedly was a factory ported head. Depending on where I read I definitely have the first one or definitely have the second. I'm a bit too smooth brain with Honda's to really know otherwise yet and searching through 14 year old forum posts gets tedious. I did find a picture of the cams that went into it. This post has been open for another 25 minutes since I wrote the last bit and from what I can tell one of the main differences between B16 and ITR is dual valve springs on the exhaust side, which from another potato 00's photo (bare in mind I haven't ever been inside one of these engines) it seems to have. At the end of the day it runs and is staying in there so I'm not sure it matters entirely but either way it's always nice to be sure of things when it's not a build you watched happen. Official summary is it's definitely not the head it came with from the factory and it makes the car nang hard. Anyway - time to finish sorting the wheels out so it can get back on it's own feet again and some basic maintenance can begin.

Was trying to add this but it didn't like the link and told me I have emojis so I reuploaded it. Complete with flat bottom cannon and edaboc sticker.

Yeah thats the ones! It runs and drives after replacing the fuel pump and plugs - I drove it to the current hoisting spot. So thats a positive. I've been given the above codes to cypher through and will hunt on the car in the next couple of days as it's not with me right now. Appreciate the heads up!

When I had finished school, was studying Radio broadcasting and volunteering at a local radio station - this car was the coolest thing around and was owned by a local DJ. Fast Forward to 2023 and I'm still in touch with that person, he's lived overseas for a decade and it turns out the car needs to be rescued from its existing resting spot. I got the opportunity to do such a thing and it's now in my posession. Also what a pest image hosting is these days. Imgur wouldn't let me login no matter what and everything else sucks so I shall try uploading here (for the second time after initially creating this whole thing in the project discussion thread before realising last minute and throwing it here) So why am I excited about a sex toaster? Because it used to look like this: bebo.com represent! Before it was parked up owner did some schmancy engine work. Standard, these come with a B20B. Non vtec, non exciting. But that can be rectified, and rectified it was: Supposedly a B18C top end. I say supposedly because I'll elaborate further soon. That ended up in the car, and this was how it looked when it was done: So it's now a 2.0 Vtec. Still a column change automatic but that suits me fine as it's got my favourite seating arrangement - front bench seating. Anyway - After talking for about 6 months I finally got the opportunity to pick it up and see it in person for the first time in 10 years. Turns out it had been sitting almost entirely outside for the last decade. RIP. But I was still excited. Upon arrival with @Threeonthetree closely in tow we discovered the fuel pump was dead, tank smelt horrible and the alarm wanted to go off almost non stop. We winched it onto a trailer and I made the long trek home. Nice wet Neal. So it's been in my posession for over half a year. Fuel tank came out and the pump was replaced. Spark plugs swapped out - and it ran mint. All the drive belts are old and need replacing. The tyres are cooked and thanks to it's nearly full decade outside, of which 3-4 years were in wave hearing distance of a west Auckland beach we have the dreaded R word come into play. I knew it might have a bit of rust when I got it. When we picked it up I ignored nearly everything in that respect because I didn't want dreams dashed right there and then. I did get under it and find a few spots while it was in the shed. Mainly under the front end where the rad sits and the rear end in behind the bumper - plus anywhere the bodykit was tek screwed in place has caused rust to appear and spread. Here's a few snaps: So there is an idea of it's exciting rust problem. There is more than I've shown above but it's all similar spec patches so to save time and photo bombardment I've just shared the above. I'm currently blasting and refinishing the wheels for some new rubber. Then I'll do basic fluids so I can get it off this hoist I have temporary access too. Then it's time to make a decision about what next. Thankfully I have next to nothing invested into this. The unique shape plus the unique engine makes me want to continue the battle and see it through to a happy driving state. It's certed for all current mods which are wheels, adjustables, bodykit, engine and the rego is on hold - so the fire is still burning in me bright enough to give it a good hot go. My skills only go so far and the main issue is the one that will eat $$$. Basic mechanical stuff just takes time and knuckle skin so with that I'm happy to persevere. Oh - about the supposedly B18C top end thing. I've yarned with 4 or 5 proper Honda nuts and each one has said different things. Some agree that the owners recollection is right. One swore up and down it's a B16. Either way it reminded me of lifan top speed arguments from the small bike world so I've bowed out of that yarn and now have a stamping on the head to locate which will determine what it really is. It was built by Lin Chen supposedly who used to be one of the dudes at Speed Factor down here. I should really track him down and have a yarn to find out more. Oh, before I forget: here's that fancy engine bay after sitting for so many years Feel free to add opinions and comments below. I've got a lot of bits for it that came with the car such as a mint rear subframe, new radiator, even got full monsoon kit for the windows. It'll need new rotors and a brake refurb - which is okay but all the parts for these seem to have been hoarded or produced by one guy in the UK so I'll need to figure out everything required and order bulk in one go. Anyway thats my first 4 wheel post on OS after many years of membership. Stay tuned, I may eventually update this but progress will be slow.

I've ridden a few goldwings and at one point got to spend a decent amount of time with a Goldwing Trike. Whilst it was dead stock I still would take that thing for a blat every chance I could. Blitzing the throttle in a full lock turn lit up the wheels with ease and I would proceed to piss a large amount of cheese. Can't even imagine how cool it will feel to drive this thing when it's together! You make magic happen mate. Seriously impressive.

Interesting yarn and can't wait to read the next bits. Conscious of not spamming up a good thread in the making but I've had a bit of experience with bike auctions from Japan and have the same experience with grades. Always tried to bid on bikes in the 4-4.5 range. Sometimes they would be amazing, sometimes utter shit and obviously graded by someone thats legally blind. Then again I've had 3.5's turn up in amazing condition. There was no rhyme or reason in the 2-3 years I was involved with it - as you have we just had to hope and pray based on photos. Just reading that had me excited a couple of times and deflated an equal amount, I can only imagine how it must have felt for you. Thanks for taking the time to write about the process so far.

Similar but kinda not. The dude that posted it makes tonnes of custom displays for the digital dash he uses.

I have ridden one of these a fair bit. Don't be scared of changing gears 82 times per kilometre. Especially into/out of corners and up hills. When I was at the bike shop we had a guy bring back the big brother (RZ50) after owning it a day because it 'wouldn't accelerate properly'. Turns out he would slow for roundabouts or corners and leave in 4th or 5th then wonder why it wouldn't accelerate out of them. +1 on the tidying it up as is - Cafe racers are just discomfort disguised as 'cool factor'. But it's your bike at the end of the day.

Some haven't ridden long distances on Small Bikes and it shows. The fellas organising this trip have aced it more than once now - and as someone whos also organised long trips, people saying hey lets do this and this and this and this is annoying. Whilst it might be fun to do extra stuff, wrangling a group of excitable men on small bikes is a mission in itself without people disappearing to see random stuff along the way. Just get an NBC110 and go do some mountain skids with cool people. Turn up with a bike, book some accommodation - they'll have the rest sorted.

Barry thread is over that way ---------------->

I thought those were gonna be XRM49 cc's.

Keen for an indepth update of this suitably adventurous adventure.