Hi Guys & Girls,

Hope you are safe and well, I am toying with the idea of having all the original fasteners ie nuts bolts, spindle,pinch bolts rear wheel nut etc coated in a silver finish maybe zinc or nickle has anybody any experiance of this I have all totally original fasteners and want to keep it that way.

With a silver factory finish i think the bike will look a bit sharper and it will give something to do on those approaching dark cold winter nights.

anybody done this kind of thing...

My Yamaha project had some pretty manky fasteners, bolts, nuts, spindles etc. I sent the lot off for zinc-plating and I'm very pleased with the way they turned out. They don't look brand-spanking new, like stainless would, but look like original fittings in good nick. Can't remember who I sent them too but there are several platers in the bike mags. If you don't know how it works, they price the job by weight. I laid everything out on a sheet of paper, wrote the name of each bit next to it, made a few notes to remind me of the order that spindle parts went together, then photographed them. When they came back it was easy to identify each part. I wanted something a bit more 'silvery', which is why I chose zinc over nickel, which is slightly golden.

Hi Foxy, thanks i think i will go the silvery zinc route i wonder how corrosion resistant it makes them good i hope.

thanks again.

None of the fasteners have suffered from corrosion since I had them done. Just been thinking about your original post. You talk about keeping the original nuts & bolts etc. and having them plated. Are you sure you want to lose their patina? If you get them plated there's no going back. With my NC's 29&35 I cleaned up most of the fasteners and replaced any really scabby ones with genuine Honda fittings from CMSNL. A few years ago I started swopping original nuts and bolts on my NC35 with stainless items because I thought it looked sharper. Fortunately I kept all the originals in labelled bags. I have since ditched the stainless and refitted the originals and that includes the fittings for the screen, which nearly everyone swops for nice shiny replacements.
The value of these bikes is all in their originality. If I was to buy another I would want the genuine fasteners. So think carefully before you get them plated.

Hi Foxy,

That has gave me something to have a think about, my bike is used every now and again it's not a collectors thing but i do like to keep it nice in my mind atleast, other things have came and gone but I plan to be putting my leg over it when I am 70 plus hopefully god willing...

cheers.

When I got my NC35 in 2013 I didn't know much about them, except they looked fab and had great reviews in the bike mags. I soon discovered which parts had been replaced by previous owners with (in my opinion) tat such as dark screen, coloured bar-ends, red/blue anodised fittings, stuck on 'carbon' bits, stickers etc. I quickly replaced the easy parts with originals (I even found an original screen with label) and it looks sooo much better. Initially I thought the body work was fine but on closer inspection some of it had been messed about with, so the lot came off and was replaced with the full Tyga kit (except tank cover). I gradually sorted each panel, replacing a few, and they've been professionally resprayed. The bike is still wearing the Tyga kit with the original stuff stashed away. It gets used regularly and cleaned after pretty much each trip (I like doing it!), so it's always looking good. It's got 25,000 kms/miles on it. I've had people offering to buy it but it would take a lot to prise it away. It easily 'owes' me £5000+ but so what? So I guess what I'm saying is you can have a bike in good condition and still use it. Look after it and it will keep it's value.
By the way there are a couple of parts I'm still looking for. An uncut undertray, with it's reflector still attached (many of them were butchered to make fitting a UK number plate easier) and the two air ducts that sit on the tank (I've got carbon Tyga ones atm, my originals are just too scruffy). So if anyone reading this can help I have the cash waiting.

Hi Foxy,

I am on the exact same page standard is the only way like a fool I threw out my original mirrors in 2003/4 because i could not see out of them, my bike has a maxton sport shock supplied by rick along with uprated internals on the forks, braded lines all round & 17" rear for the choice of rubber but i have all the original parts it was built with, its tidy but used when i get the urge like i did this year in lock down the clearances got done etc etc.

Cheers mate.

Shame you ditched the mirrors, you'll have noticed that decent ones, that aren't scuffed and scratched to buggery, are near impossible to find. I bought a repro pair a couple of years ago but they were shit. Luckily CMSNL still had a few so I got a pair. No chance now. I splashed out on a replacement OEM clock case to switch with the chipped original. I wish I'd bought the air ducts they had at the time. My bike's got a Nitron shock (fitted by Graeme France when he fettled it) and braided lines. I came across a spare top yoke, which I had polished and brushed to match the frame. The original's on the shelf. GF also had a few of the smaller OEM bits&pieces, which I gladly took off his hands. He supplied correct bar-ends, which he 3D prints. I try to use it at least every fortnight, although during the colder months that can get tricky but on a crisp, bright (& dry!), December day getting it on the road really it lifts the spirits.