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C200, a push rod 90

ballbearian

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2021
Total Posts
5,604
Total likes
1,392
Location
Hagerstown MD USA
This was my first resto-rodeo. Bought in "09 on an ebay auction and hadn't run in 30 years. I still have the leaky float with gas in it that probably started it's long nap. Never got into the motor, just paint, repack the bearings and tidy up the electricals and of course clean the whole fuel system. Finally got it on the road in 2019 (only 10 years) and have put another 500 miles on it, except last year, it only got 50. As it was warming up, I got distracted and it fell over from the soft ground under the center stand. Well, it idled away, kind of, and when I found it and stood it up it died. No soup on restarting.
Here is the plan:
Clean carb
Change oil and clean filter
Ditch the 60 year old OEM tyres (they are still good!)
Adjust the valves and points/timing (no timing chain here)
Fix the cheap skate header to muffler repair with a better cheap skate repair (end of header rusted through where original packing was, so I made a sleeve from bicycle frame tube and used a wrap of silicone sheeting as a thinner packing). New repair is a second steel sleeve of 1 3/8 OD fencing rail, so no packing at all.

Wr1f6mD.jpg


May as well polish the elegant, if I say so myself, intake and clean and clear coat the ever rusting choke lever. Finally found some Viton Orings that fit the intake on amazon. Supposedly good to 212 degrees F. A Viton bowl gasket would be nice if I could find sheet thin enough some day.

VaqN0uP.jpg


Also, may as well rebuild the OEM petcock (weird, sits sideways) because I got some new packing and the replacement is getting loose and a bit leaky through the valve. No drain on the carb bowl, so it gets used every ride to run it dry, except it's not dry, and a little ethanol doesn't have to sit long to start corrupting those jets.

dO2l7Tm.jpg


Big bonus! Those new Orings seem to fit the petcock mounting groove too.
 
Nice. I had the CT200 version with that engine, my 3rd bike and it was very durable. And such a simple top end to work on, copper ring head gasket. As a 14-15 year old kid I loved my CT but always felt like it and the CA102 I had before it looked like "girl's" bikes with the stepthrough design. My Dad and I found a C110 with a blown engine (not sure how anyone could have accomplished that) at a junkyard and swapped the engine from my CA102 into it before I moved up to the 90cc ranks. Wish I'd had the C200 for the sporty street bike looks then, but the dual overlay sprockets on the CT had their merits too.
 
Yeah the step through thing just wasn't cool enough. It's weird that I got 3 CA's now (90,150,305) and I always thought they looked dorky too, I guess they grow on you (look at my garage). I just love this little 90 and ride it hard (55+ mph on those old tyres has to stop).
One thing that irks me is the 4 down shifting, I'm always forgetting. Hey, it's got a clutch at least.
 
Yep, both of my early bikes were the automatic clutch with manual override, which takes a little getting used to for shifting (and I'd forgotten all about the shift pattern). At the time I couldn't wait to get a real manual clutch model as well, and my S90 after the CT200 gave me that part plus it ran better than the pushrod engine too. The old stuff does grow on you, though I've never been much of a Dream fan since my only one ('64 CA72 I had after the S90). I even gave the whole windshield and bags thing a try for a while on the Dream, decided it wasn't for me. Went in the "enduro" direction for a while after that starting with the SL175
 
Back in the day, my best friend upgraded from the C100 50's we both owned, to a C200, which we felt was a proper motorbike. Another lad had an S90, which was even better, proper front forks and more powerful OHC engine.

Can't find my photo of my friend on his C200, cranked over on a downhill bend, downhill being the only place that it really felt fast ...

But then my friend and I saw the light, and bought Yamaha YG1 73cc two strokes, which were quicker than both of the Honda 90s.

uxHfpjU.png
 
But then my friend and I saw the light, and bought Yamaha YG1 73cc two strokes, which were quicker than both of the Honda 90s.

Them's some scary fast flying chainsaws. God knew better and kept me from the smokers till the late seventies when our bicycle shop became a PUCH moped dealer.

Here is my start as a Cushman copilot.

WCn5JwK.jpg


That's my Uncle Bobbie who is double boostered and now has stage 4 cancer. I'm praying we get in another ride someday.
Anyway, here is me on my avatar launch vehicle. All the green 1970 CT70H were 4 spd w/ clutch.

0INY2EZ.jpg


I soon failed my first class in human ballistics and trajectory.

ktLFkP1.jpg
 
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Yep, both of my early bikes were the automatic clutch with manual override, which takes a little getting used to for shifting (and I'd forgotten all about the shift pattern). At the time I couldn't wait to get a real manual clutch model as well, and my S90 after the CT200 gave me that part plus it ran better than the pushrod engine too. The old stuff does grow on you, though I've never been much of a Dream fan since my only one ('64 CA72 I had after the S90). I even gave the whole windshield and bags thing a try for a while on the Dream, decided it wasn't for me. Went in the "enduro" direction for a while after that starting with the SL175

So glad you caught and rode that wave. I drooled over my Uncle Bobbies later Suzi 250 Savage at the time, but...life. Bell bottom bikes (Dreams, Benlys and this 90) have a strange but comforting allure to me now, but I could and would squeeze in a S90 or CL90 in the garage as I'm already certifiable.
 
That is a clean machine Honda C200 (y) I hope you get her running good and ride it around before the snow comes. :)

Did you get your green CT70H front end replaced when you were a kid ?
 
That is a clean machine Honda C200 (y) I hope you get her running good and ride it around before the snow comes. :)

Did you get your green CT70H front end replaced when you were a kid ?

Thanks. The new Mich City Extras should be tested even if cold out.

Yeah, new forks and handlebars but never did fix the tail light.
 
So glad you caught and rode that wave. I drooled over my Uncle Bobbies later Suzi 250 Savage at the time, but...life. Bell bottom bikes (Dreams, Benlys and this 90) have a strange but comforting allure to me now, but I could and would squeeze in a S90 or CL90 in the garage as I'm already certifiable.

I feel like I grew up during the best time in Honda's development. I got to enjoy riding all these bikes when they were new models and still very affordable while also being lucky enough to work at dealerships and be around all of them during that major growth period for Honda. I started small and it let me learn to ride each one to its fullest without getting maimed or killed in the process. And as you said about 2 strokes, my exposure to them was one of dislike and a healthy pinch of fear because my 4 stroke Hondas were so much easier to ride and behaved as expected like the friendly water faucet that you could easily control. It made sticking with Honda a no-brainer for me when all the other brands then were 2 stroke, oily goo at the back of the exhaust, bottle of 2 stroke oil with you at all times a prerequisite when you rode to school (before autolube) and hair trigger powerbands on many of them that ran really well. I was envious of a neighbor kid who had a Cushman though, but after going riding with him in the woods near our house back then I quickly realized how much better my little Japanese beater was when we stopped for a break and it took him 20 minutes to get the Cushman running again with that crappy design kickstarter it had. I just pushed the button on my CA102 and it was running before you could hear the starter motor turn. He said "I hate you" :lol:

Here's my CT200 along with mama's laundry on the line, 1969

zXe84XA.jpg
 
ancientdad said:
"I hate you" :lol:

That's hilarious!

Cushmans had nice chrome though. Nice old shot of your Honda tractor there. Did you ever swap it into that granny gear?
 
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Did you ever swap it into that granny gear?

Oh yeah, many times. My Dad and I used to ride around the rural Lutz area where we lived, lots more open wooded land back then. The new (at the time) Interstate 75 "overpass to nowhere" at County Line Rd between Hillsborough and Pasco counties (built to connect tracts of a cattle owner's land when eminent domain ran the path of I-75 across some of his property) was like a ghost town, the only vehicles that crossed over I-75 were his and at the far side of it was a locked gate. We used it as a hill climb on that far side. It was about 3 or 4 miles from our house and we'd ride over there, get out the toolkit, unbolt the overlay sprocket from the drive flange of the hub, bolt it to the road sprocket and add the 5 or so links of chain I kept in the toolkit and off we'd go. First gear was about 8 feet long, you better be ready to shift in a hurry. It would wheelie over a lot more easily though, you had to be really careful and ready to drag the front brake back down the side of the overpass grass if you couldn't make it to the top. The flip-switch output drive of the OHC CT90 later made things so simple, I was envious. But I'd moved on to an S90 and a CA72 not too long after anyway...

I found this picture from 1966, it's not the same overpass at County Line Rd but one just north of it that is very similar. On the right (east) side the road dead-ended at a cattle crossing and gates. The north side of the overpass was easily accessible off the side of the pavement where it ended and we rode there many times. It was also fun to just park on the top of the overpass and watch the traffic, which is 1000 times more these days.

uN8avwg.jpg


and if it works, you can zoom in on this one

I-75 overpass2.jpg
 
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The pic didn't stick in your post.
Great story. Brought back memories old and even newer (Charles and I actually kicked up dirt at a development construction site on his Dream and the C200 a couple years ago :biggrin:). An abrupt family move, to Denver, and the sale of the Minitrail in 73, only gave me 2 glorious riding seasons on the CT70. My little brother and his buddies found an overpass project in Denver for the new 470 beltway, but I never made it there. I missed out on a lot of off roading at the Deckers, Co. area in the foothills, it was a legendary dirt circus, I'm told.

The hollow tube in the swing arm is where everyone kept their extra chain on those CT200's. I found some in the tube on the Frankenbike (half C200, half CT200) derelict that came home when I got my Dream. I still have the 3spd push-rod motor from it. The CT200 were from 64-66, then the CT90K0 from 67-68 and they look a lot alike except w/o the sawmill sprocket.
I got one of those too. Still barn fresh but the PO got running. I couldn't, it needs a top end bad. I'd like to get it up while there is still so many construction sites around here :lol:. As you well know, I got more than I can chew, if you weren't so far, I'd send it to you so you could get in trouble. And, it's got the high/low sub tranny.



11lrrn9.jpg
 
I never did jump it over any sharp inclines or hills for fear that the 'girl's bike frame' would fold-up.
(I wasn't able to load the rest of the message earlier,this was all from earlier,so it looks backwards)

I used to take/borrow my dad's 71' CT90 by removing the plastic cover over the 'girl's bike' (that's what neighbor kids thought of it)lower frame tube,then connect the two ign. switch wires together.
I used it to drag-race the neighbor with his CT70H on the street and was able to pull away from him every time :rolleyes: I thought that was a real big deal back then;we both were laying flat for the least wind resistance,felt like a test of machines.
Then he traded his CT70H in on a CL100 and would slowly pull away from me.
I never ran the bike in trails for fear that my dad would see all the mud and catch-on to how I was borrowing his Honda.I never got caught by the police or my family riding it;only had it out like that about 6 times.. :rolleyes:

Three years down the road and we moved to an island in Cape Cod,Ma.
I purchased a CL77 305 when I first got my learner's permit (y) THAT was a REAL motorcycle,with the fuel tank up front (y).
 
That's a sweet little bike, really nice survivor. Never thought to use that hollow tube in the swingarm, hindsight tells me I could have gotten into more trouble if I'd thought of it. When I got the CT200 the extra chain section was already in the toolkit so there it stayed. I happily rode mine 12 miles or so to high school my sophomore year, probably went all week on a tank of gas. When our family started going camping we rode with a group of old guys who all had CT200s and CT90s, must have been 5 or 6 of them. The family we camped with had a CT90, it's in this converted Super 8 video below with the father (co-worker of my father, the guy on the S65 at the 1:40 mark), the big man, on it and his then 8 or 9 year old son on it otherwise. I'm riding a junker put together out of a Sachs frame (originally with a small 2 stroke engine), Ducati 250 street bike front forks (my Dad's idea, chopped off at the steering head and welded on) and a tired CT200 engine in it that took relentless pounding from you know who. At the time of this video my new SL175 was apart at the Honda shop for a wristpin knock getting the crankshaft replaced under warranty, so I got to ride my Dad's Candy Orange SL175 sometimes during the weekend (when he wasn't wheelieing over at the top of a hill and cracking his nads on the taillight in the second video from that camping weekend)


Front yard picture of the bikes we had at the time, Mom sitting on Dad's SL90 before getting her CT70 and with "sparkplug" (the nickname my Dad gave the CT200 junker) leaning on a block with the Sachs engine still in place to the left. Oh, and the only picture I have of my S90 hiding in the background with the lime green CA72 behind it.

hp4PtkY.png
 
I know, right? They only look good hanging off a Winnibago with a milk crate on the back for sedate winnie runs at the KOA camps. Truth is, they are tough little customers. I've never heard of one breaking. They did even fold on purpose, there were many that got turned into folders for back country bush pilots.
Then there is the outrageous street mod ones that got a 190cc Chinese clone motor stuffed in. Now that's scary.
 
That's a sweet little bike, really nice survivor. Never thought to use that hollow tube in the swingarm, hindsight tells me I could have gotten into more trouble if I'd thought of it. When I got the CT200 the extra chain section was already in the toolkit so there it stayed. I happily rode mine 12 miles or so to high school my sophomore year, probably went all week on a tank of gas. When our family started going camping we rode with a group of old guys who all had CT200s and CT90s, must have been 5 or 6 of them. The family we camped with had a CT90, it's in this converted Super 8 video below with the father (co-worker of my father, the guy on the S65 at the 1:40 mark), the big man, on it and his then 8 or 9 year old son on it otherwise. I'm riding a junker put together out of a Sachs frame (originally with a small 2 stroke engine), Ducati 250 street bike front forks (my Dad's idea, chopped off at the steering head and welded on) and a tired CT200 engine in it that took relentless pounding from you know who. At the time of this video my new SL175 was apart at the Honda shop for a wristpin knock getting the crankshaft replaced under warranty, so I got to ride my Dad's Candy Orange SL175 sometimes during the weekend (when he wasn't wheelieing over at the top of a hill and cracking his nads on the taillight in the second video from that camping weekend)


Front yard picture of the bikes we had at the time, Mom sitting on Dad's SL90 before getting her CT70 and with "sparkplug" (the nickname my Dad gave the CT200 junker) leaning on a block with the Sachs engine still in place to the left. Oh, and the only picture I have of my S90 hiding in the background with the lime green CA72 behind it.


That pic of your mom in the yard is priceless. She was no slouch on the trail in the saddle either. Thanks so much for sharing, a lot going on here. I love ole Sparkplug. Sheesh, even the SL90 and your other two in the back, really was like the golden era for you.
Glad you didn't have the 'teaching tailight' vid of Dad, too painful :lol:.
 
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Tom's posts #17 & #19 I like that video in 19.

Tom,I really appreciate the video in your post #17 with Citrus Park & #19 with the other Tom from Hagerstown,MD. posting it again;made me feel like I was right there.
I like that the whole family was involved in riding and enjoyed it.

That red Super 90 looks priceless;you can ride those for a long time with less fatigue than some others.
 
I know, right? They only look good hanging off a Winnibago with a milk crate on the back for sedate winnie runs at the KOA camps. Truth is, they are tough little customers. I've never heard of one breaking. They did even fold on purpose, there were many that got turned into folders for back country bush pilots.
Then there is the outrageous street mod ones that got a 190cc Chinese clone motor stuffed in. Now that's scary.

I purchased a 1970' CT90 from a friendly local family when I had my small repair service in the 90's up in the island.
That bike had a folding feature to it;I remember the magazine adds for a folding kit to put the CT90 into airplanes,etc.
I got the little bike all cleaned-out and running great and a man came along who worked for the Well Drilling company on the island;he came back later and told me that the owner is very interested in buying it and the owner traded me it for a 1982' GL500 Silverwing.
 
Thanks everyone for the stories and such. 'Sparkplug'
got me thinking about a VanTech Honda 90 again but that SL90 is sooo nice.

Well, Speedy Gonzales's new Michelin CityExtra 2.50-17 tyres showed up, so I better get crackin.
 
I feel like I grew up during the best time in Honda's development. I got to enjoy riding all these bikes when they were new models and still very affordable while also being lucky enough to work at dealerships and be around all of them during that major growth period for Honda. I started small and it let me learn to ride each one to its fullest without getting maimed or killed in the process. And as you said about 2 strokes, my exposure to them was one of dislike and a healthy pinch of fear because my 4 stroke Hondas were so much easier to ride and behaved as expected like the friendly water faucet that you could easily control. It made sticking with Honda a no-brainer for me when all the other brands then were 2 stroke, oily goo at the back of the exhaust, bottle of 2 stroke oil with you at all times a prerequisite when you rode to school (before autolube) and hair trigger powerbands on many of them that ran really well. I was envious of a neighbor kid who had a Cushman though, but after going riding with him in the woods near our house back then I quickly realized how much better my little Japanese beater was when we stopped for a break and it took him 20 minutes to get the Cushman running again with that crappy design kickstarter it had. I just pushed the button on my CA102 and it was running before you could hear the starter motor turn. He said "I hate you" :lol:

Here's my CT200 along with mama's laundry on the line, 1969

"and hair trigger powerbands"

My introduction to scooter world was this
1973.jpg

Later on when I hit the teenage years and had saved a few bucks I decided on a used Suzuki RM125, model year 1979. Good lord, that was a very quick introduction to the world of two stroke power band technology. Quickly realised there was no hesitating about what gear to be in when hill climbing! I'll have to dig out the few scant pics I have of that bike. It was right before the rear mono shock model hit the floors.
 
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"and hair trigger powerbands"

My introduction to scooter world was this View attachment 18643

Later on when I hit the teenage years and had saved a few bucks I decided on a used Suzuki RM125, model year 1979. Good lord, that was a very quick introduction to the world of two stroke power band technology. Quickly realised there was no hesitating about what gear to be in when hill climbing! I'll have to dig out the few scant pics I have of that bike. It was right before the rear mono shock model hit the floors.


I could count my solo 2 stroke short rides on one hand. That Suzi sounds like fun though. Cool minibike, even had a real drum brake, not a tire scrubber.
 
I could count my solo 2 stroke short rides on one hand. That Suzi sounds like fun though. Cool minibike, even had a real drum brake, not a tire scrubber.

Here is somebody else's pic of a '79 RM125. This bike also introduced me to the world of rebuilding the top end after seizing up at speed, luckily on a straight line run. Guess my tuning skills weren't up to par and I was running a little lean that day :). The words Wiseco piston, rings and overbore also entered into my vocabulary around that time!

rm125.jpg
 
That's a sweet little bike, really nice survivor. Never thought to use that hollow tube in the swingarm, hindsight tells me I could have gotten into more trouble if I'd thought of it. When I got the CT200 the extra chain section was already in the toolkit so there it stayed. I happily rode mine 12 miles or so to high school my sophomore year, probably went all week on a tank of gas. When our family started going camping we rode with a group of old guys who all had CT200s and CT90s, must have been 5 or 6 of them. The family we camped with had a CT90, it's in this converted Super 8 video below with the father (co-worker of my father, the guy on the S65 at the 1:40 mark), the big man, on it and his then 8 or 9 year old son on it otherwise. I'm riding a junker put together out of a Sachs frame (originally with a small 2 stroke engine), Ducati 250 street bike front forks (my Dad's idea, chopped off at the steering head and welded on) and a tired CT200 engine in it that took relentless pounding from you know who. At the time of this video my new SL175 was apart at the Honda shop for a wristpin knock getting the crankshaft replaced under warranty, so I got to ride my Dad's Candy Orange SL175 sometimes during the weekend (when he wasn't wheelieing over at the top of a hill and cracking his nads on the taillight in the second video from that camping weekend)

Front yard picture of the bikes we had at the time, Mom sitting on Dad's SL90 before getting her CT70 and with "sparkplug" (the nickname my Dad gave the CT200 junker) leaning on a block with the Sachs engine still in place to the left. Oh, and the only picture I have of my S90 hiding in the background with the lime green CA72 behind it.

You are fortunate to have video memories from back in the day. Thanks for sharing!
 
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That's a sweet little bike, really nice survivor. Never thought to use that hollow tube in the swingarm, hindsight tells me I could have gotten into more trouble if I'd thought of it. When I got the CT200 the extra chain section was already in the toolkit so there it stayed. I happily rode mine 12 miles or so to high school my sophomore year, probably went all week on a tank of gas. When our family started going camping we rode with a group of old guys who all had CT200s and CT90s, must have been 5 or 6 of them. The family we camped with had a CT90, it's in this converted Super 8 video below with the father (co-worker of my father, the guy on the S65 at the 1:40 mark), the big man, on it and his then 8 or 9 year old son on it otherwise. I'm riding a junker put together out of a Sachs frame (originally with a small 2 stroke engine), Ducati 250 street bike front forks (my Dad's idea, chopped off at the steering head and welded on) and a tired CT200 engine in it that took relentless pounding from you know who. At the time of this video my new SL175 was apart at the Honda shop for a wristpin knock getting the crankshaft replaced under warranty, so I got to ride my Dad's Candy Orange SL175 sometimes during the weekend (when he wasn't wheelieing over at the top of a hill and cracking his nads on the taillight in the second video from that camping weekend)


Front yard picture of the bikes we had at the time, Mom sitting on Dad's SL90 before getting her CT70 and with "sparkplug" (the nickname my Dad gave the CT200 junker) leaning on a block with the Sachs engine still in place to the left. Oh, and the only picture I have of my S90 hiding in the background with the lime green CA72 behind it.

VERY cool pics and video. What an awesome memory with your parents.
 
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Thanks everyone for the stories and such. 'Sparkplug'
got me thinking about a VanTech Honda 90 again but that SL90 is sooo nice.

Well, Speedy Gonzales's new Michelin CityExtra 2.50-17 tyres showed up, so I better get crackin.

Tom,do you have a VanTech bike already? Good to hear your C200 tires came in;do they look like 'snake belly' or street treads?
 
Tom,do you have a VanTech bike already? Good to hear your C200 tires came in;do they look like 'snake belly' or street treads?

VanTechs just appeal to the bicycle guy in me, a hand built, brazed, chrome moly tubing frame, but they are pretty rare and quite pricey too. I'll have to be content with mine and also a budget BOBL racer out of the franken bike C200 frame someday.
Presenting Frankenbike in all it's funk and studded knobby (must have been an ice racer) glory. CT200 engine and assorted parts on a C200 frame.

odsPKoE.jpg




Here are the 'snake bellies' (I love it). It will be hard to move on from the OEM original tyres but might be fun to see how these handle. I'll not be cruisin the construction sites and shall be cautious of gravel drives too, I'm sure AD will agree there.
U9gZTZo.jpg
 
Here is somebody else's pic of a '79 RM125. This bike also introduced me to the world of rebuilding the top end after seizing up at speed, luckily on a straight line run. Guess my tuning skills weren't up to par and I was running a little lean that day :). The words Wiseco piston, rings and overbore also entered into my vocabulary around that time!

View attachment 18644

I better not hang with you too much, might start thinking about the Harlini SS175 and Yamaha 125 enduro 2 strokes that have been lurking here for years:lol:.
 
That pic of your mom in the yard is priceless. She was no slouch on the trail in the saddle either. Thanks so much for sharing, a lot going on here. I love ole Sparkplug. Sheesh, even the SL90 and your other two in the back, really was like the golden era for you.
Glad you didn't have the 'teaching tailight' vid of Dad, too painful :lol:.

Yeah, much like what my Dad did with wrecked or totaled cars back then, buying, repairing and re-selling them, we started out in bikes the same way. We even made a couple trips to southern Georgia looking for used bikes in an old neighborhood of a young co-worker of his, picked up a Harley 350 Sprint back then too. Didn't make any money on that one though, it was the hardest thing to start I've ever worked on and I'm sure it was probably just us not knowing squat about their tendencies and not having it dialed in right. I wish we'd taken pictures of more of them then, including the stages ole Sparkplug went through. I'd forgotten I painted the tank that reddish-orange color along the way. That thing had a longer wheelbase than even the 175s did with all the stuff that was done to it and it handled like crap, front suspension was for the weight of a 250 and it beat the hell out of you but I was young and made of rubber then. That flathead 45 Harley in the carport in the opening seconds was a project from another co-worker of my father's, I got to wire brush and paint the frame of it. Tank shift and foot clutch (suicide style, no rocker pedal), it was an adventure for a 15 year old to ride who only had about a year's riding experience.

I was SO envious of my father's ability as a working man to just walk in the Honda dealer and finance a new bike back then (all of $300 or so, of course) when he brought home that SL90. About a year or so later I bought an SL90 for $75 from a high school friend who blew the rod in it (and that is hard to do on a 90, you gotta be really abusive) and I built a Cycle magazine project bike with it - sent the crank to Powroll to have it stroked 6mm, had it bored 2mm so it ended up square (52 x 52) and 110cc, ported the head myself (probably the very first one I ever did), did the Gordon Jennings ET magneto and had my Dad add 2" to the swingarm. My Mom let me assemble it in the Florida room during the winter after everything was clean. Neighbors probably thought we were nuts with all the bikes around, carport full of them. Good thing people were more honest back then. Definitely a great time in my life for sure.

And I do have part 2 of that so you can see the taillight moment... of course, I stopped filming once what was happening in front of me through the viewfinder sunk in.

 
"and hair trigger powerbands"

My introduction to scooter world was this

Later on when I hit the teenage years and had saved a few bucks I decided on a used Suzuki RM125, model year 1979. Good lord, that was a very quick introduction to the world of two stroke power band technology. Quickly realised there was no hesitating about what gear to be in when hill climbing! I'll have to dig out the few scant pics I have of that bike. It was right before the rear mono shock model hit the floors.

It's funny, after my go-kart at age 9 I never really thought about bikes until my Dad brought home the CA102 that I started with, then it was ON. So I skipped right past the whole mini-bike phase or I'd probably had one myself. I was never interested in 2 strokes because of the smoke and oil mixing thing (because it was before any autolube came along) and later came to fear the light-switch powerbands many of them that ran well had. I know they were much lighter and most of them handled better as a result though. Had plenty of high school friends who had DT1s and RT1s, the latter being scary quick for a guy used to water-faucet power. I'll bet that RM125 was a lot of fun.
 
You are fortunate to have video memories from back in the day. Thanks for sharing!

Yep, the best thing my Dad did for Christmas during that era was buy that Super 8 setup. If only it had sound, I'd have sound bytes of my first CBX too. It's great stuff to look back on for sure.
 
VERY cool pics and video. What an awesome memory with your parents.

Thanks, it was a great time for sure. Spent many weekends just riding all day and sitting around a campfire in the evenings, not a care in the world except where to ride tomorrow. And it was great to have a cameraman around most of the time too :) this is my favorite shot of me and my Mom riding

9k7OKFb.jpg


And one of the campsite during a break a different weekend, my 175 before the warranty repair but before my Dad bought the travel trailer. We slept in the full-interior topper he built with his co-worker, they built one for each of their Ford F-100s. I slept across the front of the bed, Mom and Dad on the sides lengthwise. Three piece wood interior built to slip over the wheel wells with mattress pads on top, full height door on the removable back wall so it was easier to climb in

c7qlC5Q.jpg
 
VanTechs just appeal to the bicycle guy in me, a hand built, brazed, chrome moly tubing frame, but they are pretty rare and quite pricey too. I'll have to be content with mine and also a budget BOBL racer out of the franken bike C200 frame someday.
Presenting Frankenbike in all it's funk and studded knobby (must have been an ice racer) glory. CT200 engine and assorted parts on a C200 frame.

Here are the 'snake bellies' (I love it). It will be hard to move on from the OEM original tyres but might be fun to see how these handle. I'll not be cruisin the construction sites and shall be cautious of gravel drives too, I'm sure AD will agree there.

That poor thing was ridden hard and put up soaking wet, pretty rough. Yeah, you gotta watch those gravel roads and driveways... those are good looking combo tread tires, I'd imagine they'd be better than the old trials tread for street riding.
 
Your post on #34 of your mom and you and the campsite is worth a thousand words. I would cherish those times and fun too.
 
Anyone know the float height on these PW18 carbs? The FSM and owner's manual got nuthin. OC Rich's Honda Repair and Tune-up Guide (1966) by Chilton's has a cryptic drawing that shows 19.5mm from the upper fuel level to float bottom edge. What!. Not the carb body edge. The choke lever in the drawing looks wrong for PW18 but right for PW20 on Benly CA95.

It's a great little hardback that has great photos and diagrams, usually $50 or less on fleabay, especially for 450's and 305's.
 
Also thankful today for the Honda engineering that made tyre changes easier.


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Ready to button up the carb clean up with a new gasket cut from this 12x12x 1/16 sheet of Nitrile bought at amazon (just over $10). The Keyster gasket I had kept slipping and leaking or hanging up the float, a real PITA. I did find a Honda one at DSS for $12.75 but figured I could get quite a few for the various bikes around here. Also got some 24x2 and 26x2mm Orings for the intakes in Nitrile cheap on amazon (50 count for under $10).

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Shout out to Tom AncientDad for steering me to our VHT library section of other bikes for some carb spec info. Thanks.

Thanks to all here for being part of my enjoyment and learning. Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Thanks to all here for being part of my enjoyment and learning. Happy Thanksgiving.

It's a two way street. Thanks for all the entertaining posts you do, having active members makes my life a lot of fun and helps offset those trying moments that any forum can bring. I'd forgotten how cool it was to be able to remove the rear wheel without disturbing the drive part of it.

And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. (y)
 
I like that chain case/ 'chain saver' :biggrin:

Easy squeezy, just like the owner's manual says for a wheel change. Also, chains and sprockets last many times longer, if kept adjusted, without the road grit acting as an abrasive on the pins and rollers. Pretty sure this has the original chain and sprockets with over 5K miles.
 
Excellent !
I live in a small apt complex at a busy 4-way intersection run by some group.. and just every once in a while they have a pair of heartless people come out with 2 powerful(Loud (n) & echos between both the 2 small buildings;the walls & windows are so thin,I need hearing 'muffs' while inside)gas leaf 'cannons'/blowers who spend over a half hour blowing every bit of dust,etc. all over everything on this small property.My cycle is parked uncovered and they blast it,including the chain.
I'm allergic to lots of pollens out here including dust;I see an allergist,shots every month.
I don't speak Spanish and the two Mexican works 'can't be reached for comment'..

I run a Diamond USA chain and only lube it when it's dry enough.
I'd sure like one of those 'chain cases' for it. (y)
 
Excellent !
I live in a small apt complex at a busy 4-way intersection run by some group.. and just every once in a while they have a pair of heartless people come out with 2 powerful(Loud (n) & echos between both the 2 small buildings;the walls & windows are so thin,I need hearing 'muffs' while inside)gas leaf 'cannons'/blowers who spend over a half hour blowing every bit of dust,etc. all over everything on this small property.My cycle is parked uncovered and they blast it,including the chain.
I'm allergic to lots of pollens out here including dust;I see an allergist,shots every month.
I don't speak Spanish and the two Mexican works 'can't be reached for comment'..

I run a Diamond USA chain and only lube it when it's dry enough.
I'd sure like one of those 'chain cases' for it. (y)

Bill, you need a cheap nylon cover ($20) on your bike for those leaf blower loonies. Honda's touring bikes of the early -mid sixties came stock with the fully enclosed chain guards. I don't think I ever saw any accessory full chain guards for other bikes. Actually, original guards for these bikes are big bucks on ebay etc. because people would take them off, for whatever reason, and then lose them, hence, rare stuff. (y) on Diamond chains. PJ1 spray chain lube is the good stuff and you don't need to do it very often.
 
Bill, you need a cheap nylon cover ($20) on your bike for those leaf blower loonies. Honda's touring bikes of the early -mid sixties came stock with the fully enclosed chain guards. I don't think I ever saw any accessory full chain guards for other bikes. Actually, original guards for these bikes are big bucks on ebay etc. because people would take them off, for whatever reason, and then lose them, hence, rare stuff. (y) on Diamond chains. PJ1 spray chain lube is the good stuff and you don't need to do it very often.

I'm afraid the cover wouldn't keep these guys from blowing sand from the bottom up into and around the bike anyway;they're boneheads and look to be high on something.
I've got some Golden Spectro chain lube in the large white can,quite a bit left.
How often do you use PJ1 black? on the bikes you have w/o fully enclosed guards ?
 
How often do you use PJ1 black? on the bikes you have w/o fully enclosed guards ?

Not sure, maybe 1K miles. Depends how dirty they get. I finally have a garage in my life and more bikes than I can ride, plus I'm a fair weather guy, no commuting in rainstorms. Just keep them adjusted, for sure.
 
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Mystery loss of compression, like 15lbs. No wonder it wouldn't start. The bike fell over while idling this summer and ran for maybe 5 min. on it's side then wouldn't start. I don't have a clue. Valves open and close. :cry:
 
Mystery loss of compression, like 15lbs. No wonder it wouldn't start. The bike fell over while idling this summer and ran for maybe 5 min. on it's side then wouldn't start. I don't have a clue. Valves open and close. :cry:

I can't imagine it, but maybe oil loss (splash) to the cylinder caused the bore to run pretty dry and trash the rings? Did it shut off on its own before you found it?

BTW, don't feel too bad - a former friend who owned 2 CBXs started one of his up one day, left it on choke/high idle, walked across the street to his mother's house and got distracted and came back later to it shut off, the valve cover a golden color, and the plastic dip stick melted... it ran until it overheated and lunched the engine. A 6 cylinder engine.
 
I can't imagine it, but maybe oil loss (splash) to the cylinder caused the bore to run pretty dry and trash the rings? Did it shut off on its own before you found it?

BTW, don't feel too bad - a former friend who owned 2 CBXs started one of his up one day, left it on choke/high idle, walked across the street to his mother's house and got distracted and came back later to it shut off, the valve cover a golden color, and the plastic dip stick melted... it ran until it overheated and lunched the engine. A 6 cylinder engine.

That would be a bad day for sure. It was running (weakly) when I picked it up but died when I tried to rev it. I guess these old push rods aren't indestructible. More engine work foreseen.
 
Well, it is only half a twin and I'm only half as sharp as many here, so it's probably a fair fight. This is what greeted me.

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What would cause an exhaust valve to hyper extend? The push rods were straight. The cam and lifters are in the case next to the crank, so I can't see them, yet.
I poured gas in the head dome and it gushed right out the exhaust, of course.

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Yeah the ex -valve is bent and it's outer spring is broke.

The bore looks really good though. Hmmm.

The oil pump is on the left side and the bike was laying, running on it's right. Could oil starvation cause a valve spring to break? This must have happened at TDC to leave that 1-2mm gash in the piston crown. Calling the Cycle Coroner!
 
That's pretty bizarre for an engine with a gear drive camshaft that couldn't jump time. The only thing that occurs to me (and it still doesn't exactly explain the broken valve spring) is the valve adjustments might have been loose enough that on its side, a pushrod slipped out of the rocker arm slightly causing the pushrod to push on the edge of the rocker arm and over-extend and bend the valve (which might also somewhat explain the broken valve spring)... but you'd think it would have bent the pushrod too in the process. Crazy occurrence but at least the repair is simple enough. I know for a fact these engines can survive on splash lube, when I owned my ATC90 (and was a teenage mechanic not thinking about the ramifications) I rode my 3 wheeler in a small parade in Ybor City in Tampa by invitation of the owner of Honda Village where I worked. He was doing some advertising and asked me if I'd ride it in the parade doing wheelies, and we came up with the idea of a wheelie bar with a roller wheel on it so I could just ride along with the front end up endlessly... which I did for probably 20 minutes or more, almost continuously except for each turn in the downtown streets. The 3 wheeler had a cardboard sign tied to the footpeg bar that said "It's a Honda". If a 90 engine was going to destroy itself due to lack of oil, that day should have been the day.
 
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