1967 CD175 Sloper

A few months ago I picked up this 1967 CD175 Sloper. (I'm in Canada, best I can tell this model wasn't available in the US but for reference purposes for our American cousins, it was introduced there in '68 as the CA175. Feel free to correct me if need be.)

I've got a Triumph Bonneville as my daily rider and a couple of other old Hondas in the garage that I goof around with. This bike was bought with my girlfriend in mind. She comes out with me on the Triumph occasionally and has said things like, "maybe I would enjoy this more if I was riding my own bike" & "I would love it if you would buy me something shiny". When I saw this for sale it seemed like a perfect fit. It's small enough that she can touch the ground with both feet, classy enough that it will get more attention than anything I'm riding and if she doesn't take to it, then I've got a cool old bike to run to the grocery store with.

The story that I've been able to piece together is that this was stored indoors for 30 years. Somebody bought it and started work. I've seen some receipts from a machine shop and have been told that a top end rebuild was done...cylinders honed, new pistons and rings. He also put new tires on it. Then he lost interest and moved onto another project and I bought it.

I've replaced solenoid, points and condensor and purchased a new battery...have spark now.

Most of the wiring was in reasonably good shape. I'm new to 6 volt systems but from the research I've done the electrical systems on these bikes aren't really up to the task. I plan to replace all lighting and associated components with new, modern stuff from Pardue Brothers. (Feedback welcomed here) I'm just waiting for Jon to have his new LED headlight ready to ship and then I'll get the whole 9 yards from him. I've changed loom materials where needed and dismantled and cleaned the handlebar switches (sure are lots of tiny odds and ends inside of there!)

Yesterday I spent about 4 hours dismantling and cleaning the carburetor. There was some pretty stubborn debris inside all of the jets and passages but seems to be good now.

I've also got my hands on new brake shoes, grips, mirrors, foot peg rubbers, chain and will replace all as I go along.

I have some more specific comments and question but I'll try to break those down into other posts as I go along. For now here are a few pics.

Cheers

Good project for you, great bike for her......

Looks great, love the tank with the big logo and knee pads! The CD175 is more of a touring model than the CB and CL175s?

I think that was true, as well as it was yet another version for a different market (Canada and the UK at least, possibly elsewhere too)

In the UK, the upright CD175 was a ride to work commuter bike. Big mudguards and fully enclosed chain, very reliable. And boring …..

My mate soon traded his in for a CB175 when he saw my new CB175.

I think the bike was mainly sold in the UK and Canada beginning in '67. In '68 it was sold in the US as the CA175. Many parts are shared with the CB/CL series. I've actually got my hands on engine parts from a couple of salvaged CL's that I'm hoping to use as time goes along. The following is pulled from the CMSNL site...

"The Honda CA175 was introduced by Honda in 1967 for the north American market, and was almost identical to the CD175 launched at the same time into the European markets. The main difference been the inclusion for the USA model of an electric start and different colour options.
The single carburettor engine was actually a little scorcher, the inclined twin been considerably faster then the later K3 models with upright engines. Power was claimed at 15bhp, but the mid range torque made them feel more powerful.
Colour options of this the USA model were black, candy red, and candy blue. The traditional chrome tank side panels and rubber knee grips were used, and the tank badge stated ‘Honda 175’. Deep valance mudguards and an enclosed made these a popular commuting machine both in the USA and Europe, especially with enough performance for highway use, being able to hold 70mph when required."

Thanks for that info. While we did get the CA175 in the US, here in Florida we didn't see many of them, at least in my general area and I do not recall ever working on one at the dealerships. By the time I got to Honda shops starting at age 15 (1970) there were hardly any 160s, 250s and 305s coming in either.

Pretty cool. I'd dance with her.

This bike has been staring at me from a corner of the garage for a year or two so it's time to get serious.

I goofed around with it quite a bit before my Black Bomber project captivated all of my attention but never managed to get it finished. Lots of the work is already done. The plans for the winter are:

-Build one engine from the 2 I have. The engine on the bike has a bunch of damage to the cases in the front sprocket region presumably from a thrown chain. I don't see this necessarily affecting the function of the bike too much but it just seems like the right thing to do. I'll put up some pictures in the days to come. If I go down this path, I'm sure to be leaning hard on the expertise around here.

-Electrical. There are a few electrical gremlins in the lighting system that I recall from the last time I worked on the bike. I'm pretty convinced that all the wiring work I did in the past is acceptable and I wonder if it might be as simple as converting to 12v so I will dig a little deeper into that subject and maybe make the switch. More on that later.

-Body. The bike sat for decades indoors and the body is in great shape, except the beautiful flared mudguards must have been damaged and a PO shortened them. I've been on the hunt for a set of these forever. About a year ago I tracked down an NOS rear mudguard in the UK, and by some divine intervention I just found an NOS front mudguard just a couple of provinces over in Winnipeg. As much as was surprised to find this, I think the seller might have been more surprised to find somebody looking for one!! Both mudgaurds are the wrong colour so paint is needed. I was originally contemplating leaving the original patina on the tank, etc but if I'm to have new paint on the mudguards I will probably need to paint the rest of the bike, but we'll see where that leads.

Pictures and play by play to follow as I get busy.

There’s a member on the CVMG site in Edmonton looking for a sloper motor, so if you have a spare it maybe a source of income to fund the project. I can PM the details if your interested in doing a deal.