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So with the covid restrictions in place I have been doing my spring cleaning early. I came across my collection of snow shoes. the first ones are a small pair of antique emergency snow shoes given to me by a friend who used to be a bush pilot. The second pair is a set of full size snow shoes given to me by a friend who used to do some winter trapping in the north country. Now the last pair I am not quite convinced are snow shoe but according to @Marcarlwho gave them to me insists they are dutch snow shoes. Notice the color indicators on the tail ends this was apparently done so Marcarl knew which was for the left foot and which was for the right. I have actually seen something like this before but never in pairs, Usually as a single item used by mother as a disciplinary aid. But Marcarl insists they are Dutch snow shoes so who am I to argue

Berryman B-12 Don't leave it too long, it is fairly aggressive. Just follow the MFGs directions.

Can't let that go!!!! Reason you found those is that your mother probably had to use them a time or two,,, yah you made them look fancy and all with the wooden shoes,, but really they were called 'mattekloppers', used for cleaning floor mats and such, even the old style mattresses come spring. But the most use for them was when father wasn't available and mother had to threaten with the matteklopper, and I'm sure if you search back in your memory bank you will find the results.

I'm focused this Winter on turning some of the old projects I've laying around into functioning machines again. Got my old Polaris 4 wheeler sorted out and ready for action...been sitting for 3 or 4 years. Got a 10k generator back up and running after (someone else) left it sitting for about 5 years. Now I'm working on getting my old Honda Nighthawk 700s back up and running. It's been sitting about 6 years. I had Seafoam in the gas back then, and now, with a tank leak, had no gas in it. I loosened the bowl drain screws on the outer carbs and it appears the bowls are dry as well. I'd like to fill the bowls and let them soak for a day or three, but don't know what I should use. I don't think Seafoam is meant for actual cleaning....I know some carb cleaner is not friendly to rubber parts. SO...What should I fill the bowls with to dissolve any varnish that won't damage anything.....???

Hi Unc!! @uncledj , those Nighthawks were fine scoots - you got yourself a worthy project there of which I implore you to work thru it step by step and end up getting to experience the breeds real/full potential. Because of that Honda's vintage and also the demand for them back in the day I ended up refurbishing more than one of them. From that I divulge my amature knowledge of such. They did have some particulars you might want to be aware of: The Nighthawks real achilles heel from my experience can be found in Honda choosing to use hydraulic lifters in them. All of the ones I brought back to life had to have those lifters addressed. The lifters are tiny, about the size of your pinky finger from the 1st joint forward. The tiny feed holes that feed the lifters love to plug up causing lifter collapse and ending up destroying the top end, especially found with bikes that have not been run for a while. Another issue therein also has to do with cam saddles being dry from sitting and ending up smudging at first start up after a long sitting time. The answer to both is not trying to start the bike but to pull the covers and make sure the lifters are cleaned, cams prelubed before cranking her up. I ALWAYS also double check the fuel tank to make sure no rust is in there. If you find rust, a product called Red Kote will become your best friend. BAR NONE (and I have experimented with many), Red Kote is the best of the best. As far as the carbs go you can always safely use spray carb cleaner as sold at Menards or Auto Zone iinjected into the carbs with a syringe like I have mentioned on the site many times if you dont want to pull the carbs and/or do the full tear down of the top covers on the valves like I mention. Simply remove the throttle slide from an outside carb so you can look inside of the carb body and watch the amount of fluid you are injecting. Now open the drain, fill the syringe (large horse syringe like found at Farm/Fleet) with the spray, fill up but note on the syringe where you are starting the injection. Hook up with hose, inject and watch the emulsion tube where the metering rod attached to the slide slips into the emulsion tube (that metering rod controls the amount of fuel entering the carb thru the main jet). Keep pushing cleaner in until you see cleaner coming out of the emulsion tube hole. When you see the fluid coming out of the emulsion tube hole STOP - close the drain and note how much fluid you have used from the syringe. Now do all the other carbs with the same amount of cleaner. You can let that spray cleaner set for days,, wont hurt a thing. I have tested numerous cleaners and found Seafoam useless for active cleaning, as mentioned - Berrymans B-12 works great but you gotta not leave the stuff for extended times or it will effect rubber parts - I have used B-12 successfully for years. The very very best cleaner I have ever used is Chem-Dip but that stuff is real active,, any more than 1/2 hour soak without a good thurough cleaning/flushing and stuff inside will be wrecked. I have successfully used Chem-Dip though - just gotta work fast and beware that you eventually may be rebuilding carb Unc, I know you have been inside of our V-4 carbs,, remember those 700's carbs are only 1/2 the size of our V-4's. The idle circuitry in their will be hair size in spots BUT if those hair sized passages are not open and clean the bike will never run right. Looking at what I see in your post, if it were mine I would just go ahead, pull the top down, prelube, put a teaspoon of Mystery Oil in each jug, spin the motor with drill motor with the plugs out, drop a compression guage on it to make sure it had good compression, pull the carbs if it does, and do a real good thorough cleaning of the carbs with a CHEM-DIP soak of the disasembled carbs. Seal the tank if needed. Put it all back together, put a 1/2 teaspoon of raw fuel in each pot and screw in new plugs each gapped correctly so it pops right off at first push of the button. Beware when ya go to riding her ya lop eared varmint.. Those little 700's were big twin slayers!! Been a long time since I saddled one but I am thinking your looking at 80/90 horse at the wheel there and on that light little sucker,, FUN!!!

@RDawson @saddlebum @Squidley Thanks so much for the help. I got her put back together all seems good. Test drive was relatively short but she's quieter and shifts better than she ever did. Squidley had the output shaft brake off at the nut that holds the U-joint on at 27,000. Wasn't real noisey but she would still go for about 3,000 then the seal started leaking. replaced. Saddlebum I did check that. My harbor freight stethoscope sure helped isolate the noise. Not sure of the best way to put the drive shaft back in but my rubber boot is extremely difficult to put back on. So I thought I would pass along a trick. I take a long screw diver stick it in the drive shaft housing lift the output shaft up were it comes out of the u-joint then I slide a large zip tie (3/8" wide that's long enough to reach) under the output shaft then pull the screw driver out. That holds the output shaft up just enough that with just a mild amount of profanity applied you can wiggle the driveshaft in then slide the zip tie out while holding the driveshaft in place so it doesn't drag out with the zip tie. Once again thanks so much for the help. With out this wonderful site and the great people that belong my venture would have been long gone.

In addition to that, when you change your oil, be sure to catch it all in a container, that way it's easier to save, to use next time around. You only need to have 2 lots of oil that way, rather than having to go buy new stuff every time.

I may have one. I will need to check. If I do its yours. you may have to pay some postage. On another note most of us replace the box with one of these. https://www.amazon.ca/Electop-Negative-Waterproof-Protection-Automotive/dp/B0838TZ2Z2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2KKCQQSMX9XLL&dchild=1&keywords=mini+fuse+block&qid=1608593946&sprefix=mini+fuse+block%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-7