Who doesn't love a good restoration video—especially one that's super in-depth and presented in an easy-to-watch timelapse format? This is exactly what we see in Autumn Car Playing's latest, as she tackles the restoration of a Honda CB1300.
We've talked about ACP's work in the past, and a quick visit to her YouTube channel reveals that she's quite the skilled mechanic when it comes to all things two wheels. Though she seems to be pretty new to YouTube (her earliest video was uploaded in May 2023), since her debut, she's amassed quite a following of 71,000 subs.
She's restored pretty much everything—from a tiny Honda CG125 all the way to this massive CB1300.
Speaking of which, this bike was acquired for the amount of "a month's worth of pocket money," as ACP explains in the video. And though it isn't quite the 500 kilograms she says it to be (it has a dry weight of about 234 kilos, or 515 pounds), it is still quite the honker, and in dire need of some TLC, as after sitting unused for god knows how long, the thing didn't even want to start.
But after a few tweaks to the carburetor, the motor sprang to life, albeit in a smoky and raspy manner.
And so it was clear that a ground-up restoration was in order, and ACP wasted no time in stripping it down to the bare frame. In just a matter of minutes, the bike transformed from a barely-running motorcycle into a slew of parts spread on the workshop floor—indeed, the magic of time-lapse.
After what probably took a few weeks at the very least, we're shown a wide assortment of brand-new and refurbished parts ready to be installed, all in a bid to breathe new life into this heavyweight UJM. We're treated to extremely in-depth footage of ACP rebuilding the engine and all the mechanical components. In fact, the footage is so well-detailed that using it as a reference for tackling DIY projects of your own might not be too bad an idea.
With the engine reassembled, it was ready to go back into the frame, along with all the other new and refurbished parts. And just as quickly as the bike was taken apart, ACP put everything back together in a matter of minutes. Again, thanks to the magic of time lapse.
With everything put back together, the bike is nearly unrecognizable from its previous state. So much so that you might even think that it's a whole new bike.
Who knows? Maybe it actually is.
Restoration videos like these are super cool—both if you're into restoring bikes yourself, or if you just want a nice, satisfying video playing in the background. It's obvious that Autumn Car Playing's been working on bikes for quite some time now, as she seems to be working out of a completely decked out garage with all the specialist tools you could ever dream of, and not to mention, has the skills to dismantle and rebuild bikes like this.
And as someone who recreationally repairs and works on bikes, I wish I had that much space and all those tools at my disposal.
