Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Hi there howdy and hello!

I just got a mint condition, 1985 Spree with only 66 miles on it from my fiance as a birthday present.

I know it's going to need new everything and am looking forward to the restoration project. Any pointers will be greatly appreciated!

Pics to come!

Greetings:

Congratulations and Welcome. Was it stored with the fuel tank empty and carb drained? You can get some idea HERE.

Thank you, and unfortunately, no.

My first task is draining everything. I'm reading through the Wikispreedia to put together my task list, LOL.

Greetings:

See edited post or HERE.

Oh yikes! It's not quite that bad. It was stored indoors in a climate-controlled environment. Surprisingly, both the gas and the oil are still quite fluid.

Pics!

Very nice. I'd start with replacing anything and everything that is rubber. Rubber naturally deteriorates no matter how well the bike is stored.So your talking, tires, O-ring for the oil pump, vacuum lines, fuel lines, oil lines. Only 66 miles but you can see rust on the rims, guessing frame has it too. Might make a great project to completely tear down and powder coat the frame and wheels. For sure a great candidate for a restoration project.

I pulled both tanks and they're sludge-free, so that's a good start! I agree with all the rubber bits, that's the next step while it's all taken apart.

Greetings:

Got mirrors somewhere?
You have a Time Capsule there. I'm jealous... GREAT score!
Not so sure I'd bother stripping the frame unless you find Ugliness, which would surprise me. But while you're peeling off tires, it's a great chance to address the rims.

The rims look totally clean on the outside, the tires don't even have cracks! I'm still replacing them though just to be safe. The frame is totally clean too. It really is a time capsule! I ordered mirrors on eBay before I even got it home so they should be here soon. I can't wait to get it on the road!

Greetings:

Just for grins, find the 4-digit date code in an oval stamped somewhere on the tire sidewalls. 1584 means the tires were minted in the 15th week of 1984~

Ha! That's one of the first things I looked for. There's a couple oval stampings on the tires, but none of them end with "84" or "85". "003" on one side and "362" on the other. Not sure what that means but I plan on doing some Googling. Any ideas?

From what I can find it's a three digit number on tires before 2000. The number is 434, so the 43rd week of '84, so sometime around the end of October. So that's 36 years old! LOL yeah time for some replacements...

Finally, some pics of her! I've been struggling with a name so I keep referring to her as "Lil' Red"... And I think it's stuck.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sMR1s59CiSQsUEsi7

I've got a battery, air filter, spark plug, a new carb and LED bulbs all ordered as well as a fresh bottle of Honda GN2 oil. Hopefully she'll be up and running this weekend!

I'll post more pics once she's all put back together.

Greetings:

I've not heard of a 3-digit tire date code, but glad you found out. Only how do we know it was 1984, '74, '94...?
That Spree is a Gem! No one will see the cast-iron cylinder rust 'neath the shroud. It'll be our secret.
I for one am rootin' for you!