Topic: I'm back with Honda! Bought a 1965 CA95

[HondanutRider]

Regarding the mufflers and the seat, you can find them at http://www.apexcycle.com/c95.htm .  This is where I got my mufflers.  The guy doesn't have too good a reputation for friendliness, but I've been pretty satisfied with a number of his shipments.  Just be sure its what you want, the parts probably originate in the orient but his location is State-side.

[Tim.]

You don't happen to have the top end of an old petcock around?  Just looking for measurements to get a plate made up.

[fdbrat]

Hey Tintin, Do you think those forks would fit a cb550 frame? I love the low and molded look. What size are the Ca rims?

[Tim.]

They're only 16 inches, but I'm sure with enough work and imagination, you could make something work.

There's a NOS set of forks on eBay right now I think.

[fdbrat]

I was just at the Ebay, and I couldnt find anything. Could you send me a link. Ive lowered my forks but the suspension is at a loss. I want somthing maade to be lower. No what I mean. And on top of that I am looking for smaller rims . my Idea is id like to put more meat than rim. Smaller rim more tire.

Could you send me a link to the forks you saw???

[Tim.]

I don't think this would be the right way to go.  Not up to the type of riding you'd want to do.  Don't forget you also need all the internal suspension bits, which I think are pretty lightweight and not up to the needs of a 500.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-CA95-1959-150cc-NOS-Front-Fork_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem250387665428QQitemZ250387665428QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

If you want smaller rims and bigger tires, I'd go 18" front and rear.  I'm running wide shouldered alloy rims in 18" on my XS650 project with a 100 front and 110 rear tire.  Could have easily gone 110 or even 120 on the front.

[Sam Green Racing]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOS-Honda-CB92-CA95-CB160-CL160-CA160-Fuel-Cup_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a2Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem330314808614QQitemZ330314808614QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[Tim.]

Yeah, but then I'm piecing together a petcock.  I'm likely just going to have an adaptor plate made up so I can thread in a standard petcock and be done with it.  Maybe one day I'll stumble across one, but till then, a $18 Motion Pro fuel tap and an aluminum adaptor plate will be just fine.

[Tim.]

So yesterday, with the help of my good friend Dave (the guy I rode to Deals Gap with last fall) I picked up the bike from Bill and Ron.  Nice little bike - just small enough!

This is Bill, the previous owner demonstrating the proper riding position and attitude for 150cc bikes



The bike stuffed into Dave's KIA.  Japanese bike shoved into a Korean SUV.



And at its new home in my garage.  Ready for the beginning of some fiddling.  A few broken wires, bent handlebars, missing brake lever etc. etc.  All good fun.

[Tim.]

And another good guy local to me is hooking me up with a spare gastank and PETCOCK!, along with another set of wheels and maybe even mufflers.  Then it's just cables and some wiring, along with fresh brake shoes and I should be good to go.

[hoodellyhoo]

SWEET!!!! Gotta get me a 60's honda twin someday.

[Jonesy]

And another good guy local to me is hooking me up with a spare gastank and PETCOCK!, along with another set of wheels and maybe even mufflers.  Then it's just cables and some wiring, along with fresh brake shoes and I should be good to go.

You might be tempted to buy a wiring harness kit for your CA95 from Thailand.. FIGHT THIS URGE!!!

I bought one and it wasn't even for the right type! Plus, the wires were a smaller gage than OEM. I ended up rebuilding my harness and it was fine. I did upgrade to a solid-state rectifier and that was a good move...

Beware of the batteries form JC Whitney.. while they are one of the few places that stock the correct battery, the battery I got from them had a vent problem and surged acid out from around the terminals and ruined the paint. Genuine Yuasa batteries show up on eBay now and then. (Yuasa doesn't list them in the US catalog anymore, but they are still available in Asia)

Ohio Cycle and CMS have a lot of parts, in case you need any new stuff or can't find used parts.

Good luck with it! The Benly is a fun little bike...

[youtube=425,350]c9h385OjpmM[/youtube]

[HondanutRider]

Tintin, you can get a cheap battery from any dealer who handles Parts Canada stuff.  While it isn't exactly the correct connector location, I use a Durabatt model 6N12A-2D.  Its the correct size and capacity, except the negative/ground cable is on the back side which puts it close to the frame (no problem for the ground).  The price was under $30 I believe, so even yearly replacement isn't that painful.

Re-do and properly splice any wiring that is defective - unless you want an absolutely "stock" restoration.

[Tim.]

I'm avoiding Thai parts at all costs.  Only thing I broke down and ordered was a set of signal light lenses, as I need those right off the bat for safety inspection, and I didn't anticipate finding decent used ones anywhere.  I figure even if they last 1 year I'm fine.

Took off the headlight last night and was pleased to see generally clean good condition wiring etc.  No bodge jobs.  Only issue seems to be the 3 broken wires from the left controls, right under the handlebars.  I need to replace the bars anyhow, so splicing those wires is no big deal.  All the wiring looks original front to back.

I even managed to free up and get the rear brake light switch working again, although I didn't test with a multimeter yet.  It was a little corroded and wouldn't move.  Now it does.  One of the little springs for the wiring connections is shot, so I'll have to wrap the wire/solder it to the switch perhaps, but I think I'll be able to salvage it.

Based on the serial numbers, it would seem to be a 1963 model (C95-3XXXXXX), but I'm not totally sure.  Registered as a 1966.  It definitely has the later 1963+ tank and mufflers, and being the C95 for non-US markets, it has the signal lights installed.

Interestingly there doesn't seem to be a front brake light switch.  I guess that was common on these older bikes.  Rear brake light switch yes, but no front.

Picking up all my new spares this weekend - maybe even an entire parts bike 

[Tim.]

Yep - confirmed, picking up an entire bike with some spares this Sunday.  When it rains it pours!

[HondanutRider]

Interestingly there doesn't seem to be a front brake light switch.  I guess that was common on these older bikes.  Rear brake light switch yes, but no front.

That's correct.  Until the front disc brake came out on the CB750 in 1969, all the bikes had front drum brakes and no activation of the rear brake light with that lever.  It was quite a few years before other models picked-up a disc brake so that many never had the brake light come on with the front brake - only the rear.

A lot of riders in the early days avoided using the front brake at all.  The reason was that they were terrified of locking the front, which would be disastrous but with proper application leads to much shorter stops.  Since only the rear brake applied the brake light, at least the vehicles behind were warned that a stop was being attempted.  We always were on the lookout for faster approaching vehicles from the rear.  (That was use of the rearviews when traveling above the speed limits  )  If you saw one suspiciously gaining on your rapid advance, then you would use only the front to quickly slough-off speed so that no tell-tail brake light would give you away. 

[Tim.]

Stopped in at Crappy Tire (Canadian Tire for those outside Canada who don't know it's CRAPPY) to return the 6v battery tester I borrowed (bought/used/returned) and see about buying a new battery.  They sort of laughed at my little 6v battery, found the model and told me $51 

Went across the street to the motorcycle shop and ordered a new 6v battery just like the one I have now for $25.  Seeing as my current one may be shot (was on the charger all night bubbling and warm - still bubbling in the morning - good? bad?) and I'm picking up a 2nd CA95 on Sunday, I figured might as well splurge on a fresh battery.

Just need to dig out my multimeter and start seeing which circuits work/don't.

[Tim.]

Well, I took off the handlebar switches to fix some of the wiring on them and clean them up.  Connected the battery, turned the key, and one lone little lightbulb in the headlight bucket lit up!  LIFE!!!

Who knows what it's for, but something lit up 

Gotta dig up the wiring diagram and figure out what each of the 5 positions on the ignition do.  Really - why do we need anything more than on and off?

Ordered my solo seat from Thailand today also.  It's a direct bolt-on affair, and looks pretty much the same as what I believe to be the original Japanese version.  The pics of the bike below are a restored Japanese market CA72 (I think).  Nice bike, with the original recovered seats.

[HondanutRider]

That "lone" light, if the red centre lamp on top, is to indicate neutral.  The five positions of the ignition switch all have purpose.  One is where the key can be removed with everything off.  Another position where the key can be removed is for parking at night and allowing your battery to discharge, as the tail lamp will be illuminated.  Then there is a position for cold cranking where only the starter operates...the ignition won't fire but the motor will turn over so that fuel will be drawn into the motor to flood it.  The other two positions are the normal operating positions; one with the lights off and the other to turn them on.  (Remember, this was before daylight running lights were required and legally in Ontario you can ride with the lights off in the daylight because the bike is prior to 1970.  If you run with them always on, your battery and bulbs won't last long.)

Thailand parts eh?

[Tim.]

Thanks for the info on the ignition - good to know - the wiring diagram doesn't really tell me what positions do what.

I'm trying to avoid the Thai parts, and so far have only ordered the signal light lenses and the seat.  I'm picking up another parts bike on Sunday (may be in better condition than this one!) so hopefully I'll have the rest of what I need.  I assumed it would be a long time before I stumbled across an original solo seat, so I broke down.

Tonight I cut and soldered all the switch pod wires - they were pretty much all shot where they exit the bars.  Signal light wires are in the same condition.

Got them done, plugged them back into the harness, ground them to the frame (bars are bent so no point in reinstalling), turned the key and pushed the starter - it turned over!

There's no fuel, so it's not going to run yet, but its getting closer.  Then I shorted something and blew the fuse, so that ended my night.  Need to stop off and pick up some spare fuses.  Also need some light bulbs, and sadly my 46 year old rear brake switch is shot, so hopefully the parts bike's switch is good and I can keep it original.

The parts bike is an earlier model with the larger chrome tank panels and flat mufflers.  So that will be cool to have the older parts.  May end up with two running bikes at the end of this.

[HondanutRider]

Good progress!  Those 6 volt batteries don't have much capacity to turn the motor over for long, so the kick may come in handy as they will run with low or negligible battery power.

Bulbs are 6 volt of course and can still often be found locally.  I got some of the small pilot/instrument bulbs at Crappy Tire a while back.  You can always use 12 volt bulbs if the 6 volt ones aren't available; they just won't be as bright.

My C95 originally came to me with rusted-out flat mufflers, which aren't the correct ones.  I did manage to get one good original round but never could locate the second.  So I bought the aftermarket pair from Apex/Thailand and they work good.

[Tim.]

So the Thai mufflers weren't bad?  For $120 or so shipped, it's hard to think of a better/cheaper way of having nice new mufflers.

I thought the earliest C95's had the flat mufflers and the larger chrome panels on the tank?  That's the style I'm apparantly picking up on Sunday.  Will of course take pics and post.

Gotta pick up fuses and some bulbs today.  The bulbs are missing from the speedo and headlight.  I was hoping to hear the horn last night but the fuse blew before I could get to that.

Have you re-threaded the handlebar controls/signal light wires before?  Looks like I should thread the single signal light wire down first, and then push the bundle of 4 wires through.  Now I remember how much I hate re-doing internal wiring.  Had to do my CB550F a couple of times.  PITA but it had 2x the wires in the handlebars, so these aren't too bad.

Looking forward to getting it fired up, hopefully in the next week or so.  Just need the gastank/petcock from the parts bike, some fuel line, fresh plugs and I should be able to give it a try.

[Tim.]

Picked up another CA95 today.  Quite a bit rougher than the current one, but with some very nice and needed bits along with the complete bike and engine (in boxes):

1. Petcock!  The tank is rusty, and the petcock bowl was literally FULL of rust powder, but with some gentle coaxing and resorting to drilling off the heads of the bolts holding the petcock to the tank (seized in the tank) I got the unit off the tank.  Should rebuild well with the kit that I should receive this week.

2. Mufflers x 2 - again, rough, rusty and one side dented, but solid and should at least allow the bike to run.  These are the early style flat ones.  Given the condition of the headers and mufflers I will likely end up ordering replacements from Thailand, but for now I have pipes.  Maybe I'll paint them black.

3. Complete chain guard   Solid and in great shape, top and bottom.  Yay!

4. NOS first oversize pistons and rings - genuine Japanese Honda bits.

5. Gasket set x 2 and o-ring kit

6. NOS Windshield!  Likely built for the larger 305 Dream.  No mounting brackets though.

7. NOS Chrome front fender - marked C92 - will get a pic tomorrow - Japanese origin, simple flat topped fender for an 18" wheel - single brace at the back bottom.  Apparantly a bolt-on change.

8. NOS Terry's Aero Valve Springs - label reads: "V.S. 594 HONDA C.B. 92 1961-Extra Strong 1 set (4 pairs)"

9. Side covers both with the knobs in place (one of the ones from the other bike was an aftermarket one with no knob)

Some other bits as well, but the stuff listed is the important / fun bits.  Already scavanged one rear turn signal from the parts bike along with the signal and brake light lenses which are all in good shape.

[Tim.]

And the obligatory pics of course   Forgot to mention the original, albeit rough tool kit.

[Tim.]

And the valve springs, in the original box: