About Us
WHAT WE DO
At Classic Honda Restoration, we strive to be the go-to source for Honda enthusiasts by offering a wide variety of parts and services:
- New replacement parts, many of which are no longer available from Honda – Classic Honda Restoration is now re-manufacturing many hard-to-find parts
- Used and NOS parts
- Project bikes – everything you need to get started on a restoration project
- Engine rebuilds
- Cycle sales from our unique collection
OUR HISTORY
Classic Honda Restoration evolved from a life-long love affair with motorcycles. Let me introduce myself – I’m Tim McDowell, the owner. Here are some of the highlights of my personal motorcycle history:
- When I was 13, I built a mini-bike using a Clinton upright mower engine.
- In 1965, my brother and I bought Honda Super 90’s – mine was black & silver; his was red & silver.
- The next year, we saw “Easy Rider.” We went out and bought a white CB77 Superhawk and customized it!
- By 1967, I was working at a local Honda dealer in the parts department. That year, I bought a Triumph TT Special. I made it street-ready by installing lights and gauges.
- At the end of that year, I travelled from the East Coast to California where I bought a 1966 BSA Thunderbolt. After 9 months living in L.A., I came back to Maryland and worked in Parts & Sales for several Honda dealers, seeing the introduction of the Honda CB750 in early 1969.
- Later in 1976, I owned a 1966 Triumph Thunderbird, one of my favorite bikes outside the world of Hondas.
Throughout the 70's, I saw the growth of Honda and other brands. Manufacturers were pioneering significant innovation and the motorcycle world was improving by leaps and bounds. In the 70’s, Honda introduced the CR250 Elsinore, CB400F, XR75, and CB550F. In 1979 came the double-overhead cam motors and the mighty CBX.
As the years passed, my career took me away from motorcycles as my day-to-day occupation, but I never lost my enthusiasm for the hobby. The love of riding evolved to a love for restoration, beginning with a Honda 305 Scrambler CL77 that I built in my basement. I began to actively attend swap meets and search out “finds” in garages and barns throughout the East Coast. My personal collection quickly grewand I decided to make this hobby into my next career. As new or decent-quality used parts for the 60s vintage Hondas became harder to find, I started to find excellent remanufacturers, using parts from my collection as their template. I source from numerous vendors in the U.S. and abroad, and also have an extensive collection of used parts to sell. My customers are also worldwide. Check out some of their fabulous projects on our “Customer Restorations” page.
The photos shown on this site (Photo Collections) are just some of the bikes I’ve owned over the years. Like many of you, motorcycles have been a wonderful sport and hobby for me over the years. I still love the sound and smell of these great old machines and I know they keep me young! I hope that my business can help you enjoy your hobby and keep these great bikes on the road.
VINTAGE JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE CLUB
We encourage enthusiasts to join the VJMC. It’s a great resource for Honda information and you get to meet interesting folks who share your hobby. Check them out on the web atwww.vjmc.org.
