Honda CELA Reloaded

As it so often happens with me, I again got the "restauration-bug". I really wanted to find a small and old classic bike and bring it back to it's original splendor or even make a cool custom out of it. Well, due to short funds I opted to restore my wife's little Honda instead. I've written a short blog entry about it a few months back. You can find it HERE.

After promising my wife to keep the original colours and reassuring her that I knew what I was doing (yeah, right) I started stripping it down, sanding like a madman and finally bringing it back to life.  It took me 1 week from beginning to end and the result is not too bad, considering it's a spray can job and my very first paint project.
Also new are the rear shocks and the seat.

I really wanted to add some "racing" stripes at the back or even paint some "hot rod" flames coming out of the cooling fins above the motor, but my wife was getting very impatient and wanted her bike back. 

Ok, enough with the excuses....here it is....

BEFORE

DURING

  

AFTER

Ode to Ms. Cela

I just came back from the paint shop and surprise surprise,...he has barely started scratching off the old paint. I guess this weekend's ride is out of question.

I would therefore like to take the opportunity to praise an often undervalued member of our family: our trusted Ms. Cela. My wife got her from her dad and she is about 20+ years old now, but still going strong. All I know is that she's a 2-stroke. In fact, not even the almighty google could offer me any more info about her. It's the John Doe of motorcycles, I guess.

I often looked at her with envy. When my other bikes came up with the weirdest problems, Ms Cela always started on the first kick, her idle was annoyingly stable and she would run for months on a tank of gasohol. Quite the opposite of my rides.

I never really liked Hondas....they're too perfect for my taste, but I have to (reluctantly) admit that their bikes could withstand the coming apocalypse. Cockroaches won't be the last survivors....Hondas will!