NC 24....project (EDIT..new pics)

[gissmo50]

they are good little bikes mine isnt mine its my other halfs which was from my dad for nothing as the colector was falling clean off it, rcv's colectors are stainless so may pitt up abit but they never goin to rot out so yeah ht paint in a few years would freshen it up but so would a buffing wheel and some polish bring it back to what you have now

[Neosophist]

We're up in scotland, near edinburgh. I originally thought that I'd paint the collector box in HT paint, just to give it extra protection from corrosion, but after seeing how cool it is I'm going to hold off on doing that for a couple of years.

Choosing the nc24 was just luck really. I was keen on vfr400's since i saw they were voted into the top ten bikes of all time by mcn. The nc24 came up locally, for a good price, with a LOT of stuff already powder coated and ready to be reassembled. that was what made us go for it anyway.

Wasn't that the NC30?

It'd be cool if the 24 was in there. but there really different

[gissmo50]

it was the vfr400 in the top ten they didnt specify a model but as the nc30 was the oficial import they probably meant it as that, but that doesnt take anything away from the nc24 its a very capable little bike

[Neosophist]

I didn't say that it wasn't capable, just that its really different to an NC30.

The 24 rides more like an early 80's Honda, the 30 / 35 ride more like early 90's bikes. Which is why some people don't get on with it very well.

Main differences

NC24

Crossply tyres (18" / 16" setup)
37mm 'soft' forks with 2 piston sliding calipers.
180 firing orde
Frame design
Riding Position

NC30
Raidial Tyres (18"/17" setup)
41mm 'stiff' forks with 4 piston fixed calipers
360 firing order
improved frame design
more agressive riding position.

I've ridden about 40,000km on NC24's, I have a soft-spot for old bikes, plus there not valuable at all in todays market thanks to the NC30 / 35 so you can pick them up for pennies, besides the reg-rec there bullet proof and are easy to commute with, albeit a bit small for carrying things.

I did toy with the idea of buying an NC30 but went for the ZXR instead as it was cheaper, easier to work on and dare I say more fun than the NC30 (build quality / overall bike isn't half as good though)

I'll probably get a 30 when I have space.

But anyway, having ridden both quite agressivley on track and road there really differnet, the suspension, frame, brakes of the 30 are really sweet, the stopping power is miles better than the 24. The gearing is a bit odd and the 360 firing sound is really unique.

But for a mint NC30 your looking circa 2000.

But for a mint NC24 your only looking 500 - 600 at a push if you look in the right places. (i.e not ebay over-inflated pipe-dreamers wanting £1500 for a nc24!)

If your wanting to do track-day fun you can do it for a bargin with a 24 but you'd have better laptimes by using a 30, but the cost is much more, for general commuting and having a bit of a blast the nc24 is cheap fun and being Honda will run forever providing it's not been owned by a complete retard.

BT45 crossply's still give enough grip to grind away the footpegs and side-stands if you really want to do that..

BT39 are even sportier if you can get them.

[cosgrove1982]

hi

I've finally managed to get some pictures taken so you can see what we've been up to.

The collector box has been fitted along with all the pipes.






As you can see it's looking pretty good so far!

The front forks kept leaking at the damper bolt so we had to get a tool made up to hold the damper rod in place while we torqued up the bottom bolt. They were then fitted and hand tightened for now.





Here are a couple of pics the now mounted restored controls.

[cosgrove1982]

We managed to get the engine started last weekend too. It seems to be running ok, but we'll get the carbs balanced at a later date. The whole bike is sitting precariously on a bench so we didn't want to rev the engine too much in case it started moving under the vibration. the throttle does work though, so things are looking good.

[cosgrove1982]

The electrics seem to be working too. The horn indicators etc. there was a bit of a problem at first but my dad eventually traced it back to the light bulb socket inside the rear light section.





Things seem to be going well but we're now at a point where a bit more money needs to be spent. Next will be the front wheel: bearings seals etc, and getting it fitted. Then it's time for a rear sprocket and a pair of tyres. After that we can mount the wheels and get the bike "rolling". Then brakes and fairings

Hope you enjoy looking at the pictures and thanks to everyone here who's helped us so far with advice and answering questions. I'm sure we'll have a lot more as the build progresses!

[cosgrove1982]

ok, time for a question.

We're looking at getting the NC24 fuel tank powder coated and have been ringing round local powder coaters. I'd like to know if it would be ok to coat the tank with the fuel tap still attached or whether it would have to be removed? Masking isn't the problem, I'm just worried that there are o rings or bits in there that wouldn't survive the oven.

If we have to remove it, are there going to be any problems putting it back like gaskets that are no longer available, high probability of fuel leaks in the future or other problems?

Thanks again for your help

[Neosophist]

You can use a standard O-ring on it.

[cosgrove1982]

So you think it would be ok to remove the tap and internal filter then, so long as we replace the o-ring when it's put back? It would mean we wouldn't have any worries about powder coating thats for sure.