Added one to the herd...and it's NOT a Yamaha

[~JM~]

I bought a pair of IRC NR53 Zap 2.50-18 tires for our MB5.

Probably off of Amazon.

[SoCal250]

Progress made! Yesterday I mounted some new sticky Mitas (Sava) MC11 tires. They went on really easily. It's so nice to get rid of those aged-out off-road Cheng Chins!
Also replaced the axle pulls with new OEM parts as the ones on the bike were crusty and one side had been modified with a welder by a previous owner. All new now...and shiny!
And installed the bead blasted and refinished OEM rear sprocket.

Next up is:
- Shorten the new chain and install
- Service and bleed the front brake system
- Install the new mini SLA battery
- Bleed the oil pump and adjust the cable/pulley
And lastly...let the terrorizing of the neighborhood commence!

[SoCal250]

Foiled again by friggen USPS again! My special order part was apparently "Delivered to Mailbox" last Saturday when it was supposed to be delivered to the store by Mon so I could pick it up. No one knows what mailbox it was delivered to because the store doesn't have one, although the delivery zip code and the store do match. I figured "store pick-up" was the safe way to go to assure I would receive my part on time. Boy, was I wrong!
So they've sent another one and the ETA is now 05/16, however now it appears that I'm going to miss the vintage show on Sun 05/14 that I had targeted.

[JBeasty]

Progress made! Yesterday I mounted some new sticky Mitas (Sava) MC11 tires. They went on really easily. It's so nice to get rid of those aged-out off-road Cheng Chins!
Also replaced the axle pulls with new OEM parts as the ones on the bike were crusty and one side had been modified with a welder by a previous owner. All new now...and shiny!
And installed the bead blasted and refinished OEM rear sprocket.

Next up is:
- Shorten the new chain and install
- Service and bleed the front brake system
- Install the new mini SLA battery
- Bleed the oil pump and adjust the cable/pulley
And lastly...let the terrorizing of the neighborhood commence!

I see you used rim strips. I just ordered tires & tubes but figured I didn't need them because I have the mags on the 400. Should I have ordered them?

[SoCal250]

I see you used rim strips. I just ordered tires & tubes but figured I didn't need them because I have the mags on the 400. Should I have ordered them?

They are a stock part on the MB5. The Comstar wheels have a weld bead down the center channel of the wheel. I'm glad I bought new ones because one was torn at the stem hole and in pretty bad shape.
I don't recall if the RD400 had them from the factory on cast wheels. I'd throw a set in there. They're cheap and will protect the tubes from any casting burrs and from rubbing. You may have some already in there and they can be reused if they're not damaged. A common substitute for the rubber strips is duct tape.

[msr]

The only thing you're missing now is this sweet MB5 t-shirt that m in sc and I saw at the Eastern 2-stroke Rally this week: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/MB5-The-Supersport-Single-by-RodolfoPrice/72787300.IJ6L0.XYZ

[Evans Ward]

^ that's a cool shirt!  Matt- always good seeing you and still a large turnout here at DG.

Here's pics of the 2 MB5's I rescued and then sent them on to new homes. Both colors issued here in the US.

[SoCal250]

The only thing you're missing now is this sweet MB5 t-shirt that m in sc and I saw at the Eastern 2-stroke Rally this week: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/MB5-The-Supersport-Single-by-RodolfoPrice/72787300.IJ6L0.XYZ

Thanks! (bookmarked)

[SoCal250]

Here's pics of the 2 MB5's I rescued and then sent them on to new homes. Both colors issued here in the US.

Cool!  (and of course, it's common knowledge the red ones are faster!)

[Evans Ward]

Here's pics of the 2 MB5's I rescued and then sent them on to new homes. Both colors issued here in the US.

Cool!  (and of course, it's common knowledge the red ones are faster!)

Thanks!  :thumbs:And both sold to college students to ride on campus and keep the knowledge of 2 Strokes alive. 

[SoCal250]

Foiled again by friggen USPS again! My special order part was apparently "Delivered to Mailbox" last Saturday when it was supposed to be delivered to the store by Mon so I could pick it up. No one knows what mailbox it was delivered to because the store doesn't have one, although the delivery zip code and the store do match. I figured "store pick-up" was the safe way to go to assure I would receive my part on time. Boy, was I wrong!
So they've sent another one and the ETA is now 05/16, however now it appears that I'm going to miss the vintage show on Sun 05/14 that I had targeted.

My special order battery has arrived...FINALLY. Looks like it should do the trick. It's about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the current MotoBatt OEM-replacement unit.

Slowly plugging away at the remaining tasks. Still have these items left:
- Shorten the new chain and install
- Service and bleed the front brake system
- Install the new mini SLA battery
- Bleed the oil pump and adjust the cable/pulley
- Correct front tank mounting bolt issue (re-tap frame holes?)
- Replace license plate mounting hardware (M6 Allen button head)

[SoCal250]

Got a little more accomplished today. Every step of the way reveals new issues and results in further disassembly and labor time.
- Service and bleed the front brake system
- Install the new mini SLA battery
- Install inline fuse holder (OEM one is missing in harness)
- Replace oil supply hose from tank to pump and install new clamps
- Bleed the oil pump and adjust the cable/pulley
- Correct front tank mounting bolt issue (chase frame hole threads with a M8x1.25 tap)
- Replace license plate mounting hardware (M6 Allen button head)

[SoCal250]

A little more progress, but uncovered another little issue along the way. Found out that the oil tank sight glass leaks. Of course this was discovered after pouring 1/2 liter of oil into tank and bleeding the pump. And to top it off...the sight glass is discontinued and unavailable. Of course it is!

Task list and progress:
 - Service and bleed the front brake system
 - Install the new mini SLA battery
 - Install inline fuse holder
 - Bleed the oil pump
 - Fix or replace leaking oil level sight and replace OEM clamp
 - Replace license plate mounting hardware (M6 Allen button head)

During the pump bleed process it became clear that Honda engineers should have paid attention to how Yamaha designed their 2T pumps with respect to bleeding and maintenance access. I don't think Honda could have made it any more difficult to access the bleed bolt and to reinstall it. What a HUGE PITA! And the oil just runs down all over the pump, the top of the engine under the carb, and then down to the center stand. The service manual says to put a rag under it but there's not enough room for a rag big enough to soak up much oil. Not a very good design to say the least. Glad it's not a frequent task. (Knock on wood, at least I hope it doesn't become something regular.)

[1976RD400C]

One came up for sale near me. Any opinions?

https://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/d/earlton-1982-honda-mb5/7626085924.html

[SoCal250]

One came up for sale near me. Any opinions?

https://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/d/earlton-1982-honda-mb5/7626085924.html

Oh man, that's a nice one! And the price is a steal!  BUY IT!
Super low miles, and from what I can tell in the photos it looks to be in excellent condition.
It looks 100% complete. Still has the ultra rare (and commonly lost) plastic battery cover. And it's still got the front reflectors on the forks that are impossible to find because they are NLA. And the mirrors and signals are all intact and OE. Paint and seat look to be in perfect condition (except for one scratch on the right side of the tank). All the stickers and warning labels are still in place too.

If that was near me I would be in my truck right now driving over to get it!