Honda QA50 Beast

[alexbrown64]

The K0 Honda QA50 came out about circa 1970.  Two speed fun bike that was bullet proof.
Nearly 50 years on and they are quite rare and expensive.

This one popped up on Gumtree and was screaming for me to take it home.  Its hammered, but runs OK, and its for the daughter to put around on, while the boy zooms around on his bikes..

I do already have a nice restored sprout green QA in the mancave, but its too good and rare to ride.  This one is going to be perfect for a bush basher.



A lot of guys on here would of cut their teeth on one of these back in the day.  Me and my brother did.  Dad got two for $400 and we spent all summer bashing around on these.  We even raced them at the local club against a couple of other bad dudes on QA's...

Those were the days.... I had ski goggles, and my brother had to wear a beanie under his helmet because it was too big.  But we were kings of the bush....



I remember dad taking this pic of me when i was 12....



Eventually both QA's died and wouldnt run.  Dad took them to the shop to get fixed.  When we picked them up, the service guy said "do you guys know about cleaning air filters??"  We all nodded no..... Bikes ran great again once they could breath..

Now, years later, this one is for the daughter to enjoy.  She used to ride the other one a few years back and really enjoyed it.. this is her enjoying a ride on the bike before i did the rebuild and changed the colour from gypsy yellow to sprout green...



A recond one looks great and make a great pit type bike.
The one below is in Sprout Green and has been lovingly restored...



I hope we can have a few fun years out of this old girl..

Cheers,

[matcho mick]

theres a coincidence,just in from my young blokes shed next door,been 'tuning' the QA's shift drum/everything bloody else,was/is jumping out of 2nd,heavier detent spring,chamfer on the selecter dog after reversing it,apparently gears bit of a problem when not looked after enginewise ,

[80-85 husky]

two laps on the bloke up the roads QA and i was gone...71 or 72...maybe a bit later...

[alexbrown64]

I had all the kids at school following me home just so they could have a go...

This QA doesn't have the second gear problem. I have a YouTube video up, which i made years ago, which helps solve the problem.

Couldn't help but go over the bike this arvo.  Only a few parts being ordered from Re-Mx so that it can be a comfortable runner.  New seat cover and foam, carby kit, points, airbox and filter, right grip, both peg rubbers. I had a brand new fuel tank cap and gasket, spark plug and gearshift lever rubber.

The bars are being soaked in oxalic acid to remove the rust. I will soak all the cables in oil to lubricate them. 
I will do an oil change, check tappets, lube wheel bearings and just generally spend a day getting her in serviceable condition.



Cheers,

[alexbrown64]

Does anyone else have the problem, whereby you start stripping a bike down, just to regrease and check everything over..... and then spend a fortune!!

I pulled the QA down today just to check it over. A few seals were knackered.. no problem.. $5 each.. sprockets.. jeez.. knackered.. plastics.. brittle and just fell apart when i touched them... peg rubbers, grips.. knackered..

Carby... needs a kit,   Brakes.. needs new pads,  Seat cover and foam... replace, 

I could of spent more, but i came away from Re-Mx with a grand hit to the wallet.  GST and post is really starting to hit with my projects.

But.. i want this QA to be a great bush bike for the daughter and spending some dosh on a collectors item, having some fun making it look and ride better and making it safer is worth it to me.  And it only adds some value.

Having a good night... kids gone to bed, spending money on Fleabay, Corona on the side table and AMA motocross on the TV.. heaven..

Cheers,

[skypig]

Great bikes/pics/stories!

[alexbrown64]

Thanks skypig,

The little minis bring back a lot of good memories.  Me and my little bro used to go out bush for ages until mum wouldn't buy us any more petrol. I still remember the smell of the burning oil in the QA, and the hot West Australian summer days with the smell of bush fire around....



All these parts are being junked.. Once i got into it, i decided to pull it right down and start from scratch.  Its a quick and easy rebuild.  Should have her back up and running and out in the bush in a few weeks.  I am going to follow some of the old bush tracks i used to ride 44 years ago.....

[alexbrown64]

So, the old girl is going back together quickly after needing a bit of tlc.
Picked up the re-chromed handlebars today, as well as two 4.00 x 5 tubes from a mobility centre.  Yes, it takes the same tubes as those buggies that our senior citizens are burning around on.

I painted the rims white and then clear coated them.  During the first assembly, the valve stem split from the tube.  I disassembled the split rim and the paint chipped and cracked. Cheap arse Bunnings paint.  I have now had to strip the paint and redo it in 2K.  Will be as hard as nails.

New paint on frame and forks.. new mudguards, new seat, new brake pads and polished backing plates.

Daughter is looking forward to going for a spin...



Cheers,

[80-85 husky]

amazing...take 2

[FAT-TOY]

  Spotted this on ebay UK.  I think I might have sold mine to cheap.

I found this on eBay and thought you might like it! Check it out now!  Honda CZ100 1964 Restored  Monkey bike Z50A AU CZ100 Z50M Z50A 48CC http://r.ebay.com/dZiZVH

  I picked mine up for $300 and sold it about 12 months later for $9000.

        Zane

[alexbrown64]

$20,000 U.S for a monkey bike!  Also, the size of the tank on that 64 model... you could ride it around Australia without having to fill up.
The QA50 is also getting rarer and doesnt show up often for sale.  They are a great fun little bike to ride and will pull and adult around the bush no problem. 
The bike is for the daughter to ride, but i am taking it to the old salt lakes and bush areas where i rode one as a kid 40 years ago.

Cheers,

[Mick D]

Like reading about your builds Alex,
You seem to have the makings of a great dad too. 

Hey mate have you thought about putting a handle bar pad on that cross bar,,,
just saying,,,

[80-85 husky]

Handle bar pad?? what could possibly go wrong???

[alexbrown64]

Well Husky and Mick,
I pulled the pin on a bar pad and dropped 8 big ones on a Honda pad out of China.  Had to pay 80c GST!! but got free delivery.  Should be here sometime around 2019.

Had the music playing and i was darting from job to job.  Undercoat here, top coat there, CRC on this, grease on that....got myself confused and ended up spraying my hand and a bolt i had just buffed up with black paint.

As i am a single dad, i am allowed to take liberty's.  I had the oven cranked up to 200c and baked an engine case and an exhaust pipe.  Had to have a ceiling  fan on and the back door open as it ponged a bit. 
Cooking the kids chicken Kiev in the oven tonight.... very versatile bit of equipment ;-)

Got the bars on and took a bit of head scratching to get the throttle assembly and kill switch back together through the inside of the bars.

I didn't rebuild the donk, but rather just fitted some new gaskets, all new oil seals, new plug, countershaft sprocket and new screw kit.  Also gave everything a good scrub and some fresh paint. I have refitted the engine using most of the original bolts.  New washers and a few new nuts have been used here and there.

The carb is soaking in cleaner overnight.  It ran great before i tore it down, but the choke had to be on a bit. Sounds like blocked jets and tubes.  I had the use the E string from a guitar to clean some of the tubes and jets out.  I have a keyster carb kit to fit and an all new filter box and filter to fit up.



On the home straight now.....

Cheers,

[alexbrown64]

Here's a pic of the old girl a few weeks ago when i picked her up.

That poor old seat was cactus.  The tank is in primer now, after the dings were pulled out and everything was straightened up.

She definitely needed a birthday!!



Cheers,