Welcome!

This is a new blog I set up to document all the projects and such that I've been working on... everything from computers (which I despise) to cars (which I love).

Introduction To The Game

So, to start things off, as many of you who were re-directed from my main blog know, I have been looking everywhere for a project motorcycle of some sort, as I was bored and wanted to try something knew. I'm no stranger to machines and engines, as I've worked both as a die-cast technician during my first work term at Exco Engineering, and on the Formula SAE team at the University of Waterloo, putting things together.

Now, allow me to introduce my new project, a 1977 Honda CT70:



I've actually never even heard or batted an eye at the Honda CT70 until I saw the epic Honda: Impossible Dream commercial



I noticed the Passport, and then I saw the freaking Z50 and that immediately caught my attention. For sure I never knew Honda had made a minibike. I don't know why but I started doing some research, and read about Honda's 50-110cc SOHC single cylinder air cooled engines.... this is one of the most important engines that Honda has ever made (EVER, both in cars and powersports) because this very engine is what propelled them into one of the largest manufacturers of powersports and automobiles in the world. I looked around at a couple of these bikes, intrigued because of their simplicity, cheap-ness to own and maintain, and their historical significance.

I was originally about to purchase a Z50... but in the GTA region in Ontario, all the models I could find seem to be the late, plastic-ridden Z50R's of '92+ vintage. Then I saw a listing on Kijiji for a CT70. From all my searching, I realize that these bikes are one of the rarer ones (in Ontario, at least), and when I saw it in person, I had a huge smile on my face. It looked way better in person than it did on google imagesearch. I knew it was a bit rough, but I took it anyways because it was in running condition and because I got it for around $400... a good deal IMO because the 92+ Z50R's I saw were being offered for 800-900 bucks (!?). Not to mention it was the only one I ever saw on Kijiji.

And now, here we are.

Overview

Due to Ontario weather, the sun only comes up at 7-8 AM and goes down at 5... so all my pics are in the dark. Nonetheless I'm hoping they are enough to highlight some of the many quirks on this bike:



Here is my pride and joy... a 1977 Honda CT70. While in somewhat good condition, you can see some things immediately wrong with it:

1. The "Honda" sticker is clearly not stock, though those stripes are. Why a previous owner replaced it I'll never know. Also, the warning label is missing from this side...

2. The Headlamp ears. This has been one of the more confusing parts about this bike because it seems so stock... if a previous owner jacked it, s/he did a really good job making it look nice. I'll emphasize as we continue...

3. No signal lights. Either a previous owner removed them, or they were never present. I'll emphasize as we continue...



Coming around to the rear, the rear hub is rusted, no apparent brakelight switch (if there ever was one for this bike), the trim for the seat is bent outwards so I had to duct tape it for now to keep it from stabbing me when I kickstart the bike, and the rear tail-light is clearly not stalk (although the bracket is... according to the man who sold it to me.


A closer look at the light. Where were the rear signal lamps supposed to connect to? And is there an attachment for the bracket for the license plate? In Ontario, I believe that most (if not all) bikes were sold as off-road only, but I would like to take a stab at making it road legal. P.S that's a can of carb cleaner =P


The exhaust works fine, but that's all that remains of the heat shield. It's very ghettotastic (especially the poor... weld job? Where it broke off) , so I'm likely going to replace it with a new aftermarket one for $30, from WebLLC on eBay. The seat clearly needs replacing, although the foam and seat frame is fine. I just replaced the kickstarter, as the man I bought it from tried to start it in front of me and broke it =)


Okay, there's CLEARLY something wrong here. I don't know what happened to the intake, but it's safe to say that a piece of clothe that's been zip-tied in front of the carb ain't going to cut it. A new plastic aftermarket intake replica will be purchased from webLLC as well.


Okay, now this is my biggest piece of weirdness... this black fork ear piece is clearly not stock...



Why is it so weird? The reflectors are screwed INTO the headlamp (which is unusual too), to keep it into place. From what I see, the lamp is supposed to be held to the ears with bolts. The reflectors are supposed to be mounted on the bottom of the fork ears, and there should be another hole drilled in for signal lights.

Most importantly, WHY IS THERE A SWITCH ON TOP OF THE LAMP? It's an on/off switch, except turning it off turns off both the headlamp AND taillamp :confused: That's not an original feature is it?

It's also hard to see from this angle but there's no speedo either...


The back of the reflector holding the headlamp onto the ears. Are these OEM?



This is possibly the biggest problem of the bike right now... as I open up the seat, there is nary a blip of battery-ness in there. For that matter, there's nary a presence of wires anywhere (I'll explain why this is bad in another post as I get closer to the task).

When I first got the bike, it didn't start up, even after I put a new kickstart on. I got a sparkplug wrench, popped her off, and it was completely black.... I put a new one in and it started first kick (without the choke on...). After idling for a bit, I noticed that the idle was not steady, and there was the smell of unburnt gas... oh, and there was smoke coming out the back of the bike. With the fact that there was choke-less startup, snappy throttle response when you get on and ride it (great fun btw, and the shifting is smoooth), it is clear the carburetor is not properly calibrated. I bought a carburetor rebuild kit as well as a manual (on eBay... where else?), and am going to rebuild it sometime tomorrow.

Oh, and this is very important: Whenever you're starting a project, or if you have a car/motorcycle/whatever, the first thing you must do is get a service manual for it. This is your most valuable tool. As they say, knowledge is power, and a service manual that basically tells you how to take your product apart and put it back together again is one of the best resource you can have, other than your common sense and technical know-how.

For all of Honda's various 50-110cc models, you should get this particular one:


It covers not only the CT70, but everything from the Supercub (the motorcycle that changed the world) to Z50's, to SL65s. You could even use the portions of the manual covering "engines" for some of the classic Honda ATVs.

The previous owner claimed that the head had great compression, so I'm not entirely sure if that's partly to blame for the crazy smoke coming out the back of the exhaust pipe. However, I'm buying a compression check tool (off eBay... I'm a eBay whore in case you didn't know =P) to check that out later on. If it turns out to be the head, I'll probably just buy an entirely new head off eBay, as I found a listing (relisted every once in a while) for a CT70 head with the proper "big dome" for my CT70.... $60. If that STILL doesn't fix it, I'll get a new cylinder and piston kit, and gaskets too ($60).

Assuming that all that is fixed, I'll need to tackle the actual bike itself. I've looked at all my options, and seeing as my budget is constrained somewhat, I figure I can knock off several birds with one stone if I buy a 12V CDI stator/flywheel kit, as well as a complete wiring kit from WebLLC. For a total of $200 USD or so, this is potentially the cheapest way to bring this bike to it's original fully-functional form.

Here are some eBay links for items:

Complete Wiring Kit for Honda 50-110 OHC engines


Conversion Kit from 6V points type Stator/Flywheel combo to a 12V CDI combo

This will take care of my turn signals, horn, new headlamp + speedo ('69-70 style unfortunately, but that's fine) w/ high/low beam, a battery, refresh all the control lines, tail lamp that looks original w/ actual working brake light, brake switch, etc. Also, no more fiddling with the stupid points. It won't be original anymore, but I figure if I resell it the next owner probably wouldn't mind, compared to the condition I found it in. It'll also be fully street legal after this install. I'm also debating whether I should keep all old parts (for repair as well as giving it to the next owner... if I decide to sell it... for added "original-ness"), or sell it all on eBay. If the next owner wants, I figure s/he could turn it back into a 6V bike by changing the bulbs, battery, rectifier/regulator combo, and reinstall the old 6V flywheel/stator (I'd rather have the 12V and the brighter lights).

Once that's all done, it's just aesthetic details... does anybody know the paint code for this year? I'm not a big fan of orange, but I'm not ready (yet) for a complete repaint, but I need to touch up the exposed surface rust. I will, however, clean up the engine and wheels, and replace the seat cover and exhaust. The fenders are more or less fine, save for a few dents, and I'll be sure to replace those brake shoes and wheel bearings/seals.

My main goal with this bike is to bring it back to perfect running condition, and to turn it street legal (with turn signals, hi/low beams, horn, etc.). Whether or not I'll actually go and plate it is another thing, but it's cool to restore any vintage item back to how it was supposed to be. If I ever have to work a co-op term at a random far off place, it's a simple manner of folding the handlebars and throwing this bike into my trunk as a better (and faster) commuter than a bicycle =P

More to come....

In the meantime, I've got a lot of other stuff to do too. I've been eBay-ing for parts for my bike, and I've now got a battery tray.

I've also taken somebody else's old cylinder head for $10, as it seems that I might need to fix my own:



It's got everything. Starting from the left: Camshaft/timing gear, cover and bolt, various screws and nuts and washers, valves, valve springs (inner and outer), retainers, cotter pins, rocker arms/pins, the actual head, tappet covers, and engine covers. You could see with the small amounts of parts here how simple Honda's 50-110cc engines were. These very parts on my table, however, are what's used in all piston-driven engines today.

Finally, I'm also going to be doing some inexpensive upgrades to our home desktop computer (which is old and craptacular). As you'll probably soon see, it doesn't take much to bring a otherwise old machine "up to date" to play many recent games and for a significant boost in system performance. Stay tuned!