Rebuilding a 1965 Honda 90 Trail Bike
Riding motorcycles over the past 25 years has been one of my few hobbies that doesn't involve sitting in front of a computer. Like many motorcycle enthusiasts, I have a fantasy of coming across a neglected vintage motorcycle in some barn, restoring it to new condition, and owning a beautiful piece of history. There's an enormous amount of work in rebuilding an old bike, though. Much of it involves specialized expertise.
I've decided to give it a shot. I have an ideal bike for my first rebuild right here in our family. It's not a vintage Harley Davidson, Norton, or Triumph. It's about as far from a dream bike as you'll find. It's a 1965 Honda CM200 "Trail 90" motorcycle. It was once someone's dream, though, and that story is part of why I want to get it roadworthy again.
My Dad grew up in a very poor family. He got by working in the apple orchards of Eastern Washington during the summers, and went to school in Seattle. In 1965 he graduated from high school, but nobody in his family got him a gift. He had saved a little bit of money and borrowed a bit more so that he could afford a new motorcycle. This is what it looked like the day he rode it off the showroom floor:
Dad tells stories of riding the little 90cc trail bike all the way from Seattle to Wenatchee, over the Cascade Mountains. It has a removable rear sprocket that's held in place with bolts that lets you go from "street gearing" to "trail gearing." The transmission is a 4-speed clutch-less set up: you shift gears but there is no manual clutch. As the shift pedals are depressed, the gears automatically disengage. It's a bit like the TipTronic gearboxes in Porsches or the F1 shifters in Ferraris. I have driven both cars and this motorcycle is cooler than both of them!
The Trail 90 got plenty of use on dates, since Mom met Dad later that summer. Eventually the real world took over, 3 kids had to be hauled around...you know the story. The motorcycle was pushed to the back of the garage and began deteriorating. It last ran (and was licensed) in 1985 but that was only briefly. It has spent the past 10 years in a garage and a toolshed under a tarp upon which nesting swallows crap. I dropped by to take a look at it today, and here's what I found:
Even a cursory once-over shows deep rust, plastic parts missing altogether, bolts gone from their sockets, bent body panels, and frozen cables. In summary: it's the perfect bike for a ground up rebuild. I don't know how long it will take, nor how much money. I'm just going to take it one part and one dollar at a time. I'll document the process here. I ultimately plan to surprise dad with it completely restored (he doesn't know I'm doing any of this, so don't tell him about this site).
The next step is to haul the bike out of the shed and bring it home. That requires me making some rungs for the bed of the truck to keep it upright. I'll make those this weekend and hope to haul it out on Monday. I'm also about to spend the first $10 on the project by buying a CD with the original factory Owner's Manual and Shop Manual. They are essential documents for tearing down and reassembling any bike.
Here goes...
