I found the 1979 IT175F on Facebook Marketplace from gentleman in Vermont, it was not running but all the major parts were there. Having had the same bike as a kid and really beat on it, I was pretty sure these bikes could hold up over time as well as a Honda. I have rebuilt several late 70's and early 80's Hondas. After seeing the bike in person and verifying the frame was straight and the engine turned over, but did not run, I agreed on a reasonable price for both of us and after paying, began the three hour drive back to Maine.
When I got home and looked more closely I began to notice a number of interesting hacks, and some more serious issues. While the severely decomposing filter was not surprising, the mismatched kickstart was, as was the creative way it was pinned (hole drilled through kickstart lever into the shaft with roll pin) to the shaft which had had all the splines long ago worn flat. But the most interesting, hack was what looked like a shut off valve for an oil tank as a secondary fuel line shut off since the petcock was stuck open.
