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Cables for CB160

Jwormy

Well-known Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2020
Total Posts
81
Total likes
1
Location
San Diego, CA
Hi folks! I recently acquired a CB160 ('68 I think) with only 3000 miles. It started when I got it, but would stumble and die very quickly. Gas tank was completely rusted out and petcock and carbs were completely clogged shut.
Anyway, I stripped and Kreamed the tank, it looks really good now. Cleaned out carbs, rebuilt petcock and replaced all fuel lines and filters. I replaced the throttle cables since they were original and crumbling, but what I'm realizing now is that the cable seem just a tad too short as they don't allow the throttle vale to drop all the way down into the carb chamber. It was starting and idling really high, and I couldn't adjusting anything on the carb to bring the idle speed down. It eventually stopped starting and I noticed that the plugs are soaked in gas. So I replaced the left plug, popped it back in and pulled the right plug to see if it was still getting spark and that thing started and ran so hard on one cylinder that I thought it was going to explode. This baby wants to run!

So I guess my question is, assuming the issue is indeed the throttle cable length, where can I find some reliable OEM parts that are truly for this bike and not the CB175? A lot of websites don't even list the CB/CL160 as an option.
Here's the details of the current setup:

  • Original Keihin PM20 Carbs with velocity stacks (no airbox)
  • Open CL160 headers
  • Charlies Place electronic ignition (no points)
  • High Output Dyna Coil

Screenshot 2023-06-24 at 7.44.40 PM.jpg Screenshot 2023-06-24 at 7.45.01 PM.jpg

Meanwhile....I turned the petcock off and left the spark plugs out to dry out all the fuel.
 
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Looks like a 65 CB, steel fork legs, CB foot bar, handlebars and CB front fender. 65-67 production. Check the wiring harness white label under your tank.

You must have a leaky float valve, with all that gas.

Make sure you didn't mix the slides or get one backwards. Get some pods or try to find original air filters.

Those petcocks are impossible to find, be gentle.

Cables are very hard to find. Keep the original. You may have to have them made. I went back to my old throttle cable as the replacement was too long. You can try the FB groups too.

They are great bikes but spares are pretty spotty.
 
Thanks @ballbearian I think you may be right about the leaky float valve, but both plugs had fuel on them. Is there a decent rebuild kit out that that someone would recommend?Jetsrus? What do you mean by don't mix the slides? Are they unique to the left and right carb in some way?
 
Yes, right and left slides, also possible to put them in backwards but they will not close and super high idle results. The bottom cut out edge of the slide faces front IIRC.

Don't use a kit. Your OEM jets are to be kept, cleaned properly, not replaced. Replacement jets are often not accurately made. If the floats don't leak (shake them, you can hear fluid if leaks) re-use them. Get the bowl gasket part numbers and get them. That's it. And no, repop Chinese carbs are inferior to the OEM.

Perhaps you did not catch my drift here, there are no (or not much) reproduction parts available. These were a limited model for a limited time and thus not well supported by the aftermarket world.

I hope your rear brake cable is usable, they are NLA.
 
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You might have dirt in both float valves. You said it was bad. Drop the float needles and blow out the inlets passages.
 
ballbearian said:
You might have dirt in both float valves. You said it was bad. Drop the float needles and blow out the inlets passages.
Click to expand...

Yeah I plan on taking both carbs off again and rechecking them. They were filled with old dried gas which is nearly impossible to get out. Carb cleaner does nothing. It probably sat unused for 30 years. Wasn’t planning to replace any jets, just the gaskets. What do you recommend if floats have fluid in them?
 
I've soaked them in gas for a few days to soften the goop. Carb dip , ultrasonic tanks, compressed air and patience. Some (not me) have soldered leaks in floats but maybe they might be replaced with ones from a different model. Get the parts numbers and just search. Others here may have a better answer that would benefit us both.

I haven't even tried to clean the original ones on my bike and am trying to get the aftermarket replacements (OEMSTD brand) to run smooth.
 
ballbearian said:
Yes, right and left slides, also possible to put them in backwards but they will not close and super high idle results. The bottom cut out edge of the slide faces front IIRC.
.
Click to expand...

The bold, italic statement quoted is incorrect....The cut-aways face the air cleaners (rearward)
 
Nice little article. Not sure about Honda putting out the CL160D just for electric start, as there was so much demand for the CL's they couldn't keep up and dealers were converting CB's to CL tanks and high pipes, it's been speculated that production lines got diverted in Japan to ship more CL's, so they stamped the D's for those extra bikes.

I remembered now that the lower segment of the throttle cable was too short to allow the slides to fully bottom out (idle screws full out) so I took a couple mm off the female threaded portion of the upper carb plate, where the threaded cable barrels screw in.
 
ballbearian said:
I remembered now that the lower segment of the throttle cable was too short to allow the slides to fully bottom out (idle screws full out) so I took a couple mm off the female threaded portion of the upper carb plate, where the threaded cable barrels screw in.
Click to expand...

That a great idea, and there's usually plenty there to work with. The lower halves of Honda throttle cables are usually interchangeable, I just did it with an upper half of one cable and the lower half of another to swap 350/450 carb connections to 175-style slide connections for my drag bike project.
 
CL160"D"s were regular CB160s with a dealer-installed "beauty kit", consisting of scrambler bars, seat. tank and exhaust. The frame/engine numbers stayed the same, we never altered any numbers on the ones we converted. As I recall, that kit was a bit of a bargain, dealer cost was less than $100.
 
This is exactly what I was planning to do when putting the carbs back together. Cable seems fine other than that lower portion just being about an 1/8” too short!
 
Jwormy said:
This is exactly what I was planning to do when putting the carbs back together. Cable seems fine other than that lower portion just being about an 1/8” too short!
Click to expand...

If you're referring to what I mentioned in post #12, if you use the "Reply With Quote" button it would look like this post does (and I wouldn't be guessing :lol: )
 
mike in idaho said:
CL160"D"s were regular CB160s with a dealer-installed "beauty kit", consisting of scrambler bars, seat. tank and exhaust. The frame/engine numbers stayed the same, we never altered any numbers on the ones we converted. As I recall, that kit was a bit of a bargain, dealer cost was less than $100.
Click to expand...

Wow a $100. The 'D' must be for Demand, as in supply and demand.

Would love to find a pile of NOS take-off mufflers, headers and tanks.
 
ballbearian said:
Wow a $100. The 'D' must be for Demand, as in supply and demand.

Would love to find a pile of NOS take-off mufflers, headers and tanks.
Click to expand...

Well that was then and this is now, inflation and greedflation and all. And sadly, those dumpsters were emptied long, long ago. Or the back shelves of the former Honda dealerships now closed.
 
ancientdad said:
That a great idea, and there's usually plenty there to work with. The lower halves of Honda throttle cables are usually interchangeable, I just did it with an upper half of one cable and the lower half of another to swap 350/450 carb connections to 175-style slide connections for my drag bike project.
Click to expand...

That was the only solution I could come up with. I looked at the little yoke thing in the splitter to see if I could drill the wire end pockets a bit deeper but there wasn't much meat there and a replacement cable I got wasn't any better and , worse, the splitter was all plastic and kind of cheesy. If I could figure a way to shorten cable housing without hurting the wire inside, I could be a brain surgeon. Re- soldering those tiny barrel ends on the cables might be OK inside the splitter but I wouldn't trust one in the slide end. If anyone so desires this kind of thing, bicycle derailleur replacement cables for Simplex components had very small barrels which might be made to fit.
 
ballbearian said:
That was the only solution I could come up with. I looked at the little yoke thing in the splitter to see if I could drill the wire end pockets a bit deeper but there wasn't much meat there and a replacement cable I got wasn't any better and , worse, the splitter was all plastic and kind of cheesy. If I could figure a way to shorten cable housing without hurting the wire inside, I could be a brain surgeon. Re- soldering those tiny barrel ends on the cables might be OK inside the splitter but I wouldn't trust one in the slide end. If anyone so desires this kind of thing, bicycle derailleur replacement cables for Simplex components had very small barrels which might be made to fit.
Click to expand...

On my red 450 I pulled the caps off the lower cables at the carb end and peel back the plastic and a few coils of outer cable, then slip the cap back on. It's tedious because you can't nick the inner cable, but it works to create some slack.
 
ancientdad said:
On my red 450 I pulled the caps off the lower cables at the carb end and peel back the plastic and a few coils of outer cable, then slip the cap back on. It's tedious because you can't nick the inner cable, but it works to create some slack.
Click to expand...

Besides awesome wheelies, that's another thing about you to appreciate.
 
ancientdad said:
On my red 450 I pulled the caps off the lower cables at the carb end and peel back the plastic and a few coils of outer cable, then slip the cap back on. It's tedious because you can't nick the inner cable, but it works to create some slack.
Click to expand...

Actually my bicycle experience and habits would stop me, because when fitting any new cable housing I'd cut the coil then file or grind the end perpendicular flat so that when under tension the cable housing would stay straight and have a much more positive feel, even with the Ferrel caps, it deflects and creates slop in the function. Trying to do that with the wire in place, I'd nick one or more of the wire strands for sure.

I'm just a chicken, but that's a cool trick.
 
ballbearian said:
Actually my bicycle experience and habits would stop me, because when fitting any new cable housing I'd cut the coil then file or grind the end perpendicular flat so that when under tension the cable housing would stay straight and have a much more positive feel, even with the Ferrel caps, it deflects and creates slop in the function. Trying to do that with the wire in place, I'd nick one or more of the wire strands for sure.

I'm just a chicken, but that's a cool trick.
Click to expand...

Well, at the time the throttle cables were the only thing between me getting it running or waiting for the right cable which was out of stock (CB77 was what I wanted at the time IIRC, still don't know if it would have worked without mods too). So, I took a shot at it and it was definitely tedious and chancy. I did take the cables completely out of the splitter. I did my best to cut the ends as squarely as possible since I didn't want to attempt to re-solder the skinny parallel barrel ends on and not have them fit the slides or worse yet, one come loose later on during a ride (I had enough trouble early on with the engine's intermittent oil flow due to my dumbass). I think I took 3 or 4 coils off the ends of the outer cable and it works pretty well. I can finally feel a slight difference in sync when the slides lift but they haven't been re-adjusted since the bike was fully reassembled in 2018 after the frame repairs, so I guess I can't complain.

And now, back to the regularly scheduled CB160 program already in progress. :)
 
quote_icon.png
Originally Posted by 66Sprint
The bold, italic statement quoted is incorrect....The cut-aways face the air cleaners (rearward)



Not jumping on, or changing tack, but just been in my CD carb. Check out a PO’s attempt at filing the cutout! Looks like they used a hammer not a file…. And probably didn’t need to.
 

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Windmill John said:
quote_icon.png
Originally Posted by 66Sprint
The bold, italic statement quoted is incorrect....The cut-aways face the air cleaners (rearward)



Not jumping on, or changing tack, but just been in my CD carb. Check out a PO’s attempt at filing the cutout! Looks like they used a hammer not a file…. And probably didn’t need to.
Click to expand...

Just lovely... looks like an animal chewed on it.
 
Cycleranger said:
I've seen that before. I'd say the slide was stuck and a screwdriver was used to pry it out.
I've dressed slight damage of that type with a file but that one looks pretty mangled..
Click to expand...

Good point, as something less than cro-magnon man, it never crossed my mind the damage would be from that but I believe you're probably right. :lol:
 
Nah… it’s probably one of those people who insist on running a carb with no filter, mesh or anything. It probably sucked a bolt through :)

Still, bike runs well.
 
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