Thank you folks - you're very kind.
A couple of other things I've remembered since the last post . . .
- the pins in the K0 cush drive are specific to that bike. Given that it was a one year only model, that seriously limits rear sprocket options. IIRC, the issue is not the geometry/placement but the diameter of the threads the sproket mounts to. You can significantly increase your sprocket options for not much money by switching the pins to the K2 versions, which I think are basically the same as the CB/CL350 pins (I guess I should add a disclaimer at this point - a 7-year hiatus between posts has made my memory of the exact change I made a bit hazy; I've posted on this subject somewhere else, but can't find exactly what I said/did right now - so if you're thinking of doing this, don't take this as gospel and do your own research. Just know that the pins can be changed and that change is a better option than trying to modify the sprockets . . .
- the float bowls of the Keihin carbs that Honda used across several of its ranges (early 70's era) are very similar. Whilst the jets tend to vary quite widely, I've found that the float valves, floats and bowl gaskets are often interchangeable. From my experience, this goes for the CA/CB/CL77, the SL350 K1/K2 and the CB750 K2, all of which seem to have the same basic carb setup (the SL350 K0 uses the same carbs as the CB/CL350s, so there's options there, too). Original part numbers seem to vary, but the posts the floats fit between seem to be standard. And that's a good thing if you're working on a budget or like me, find one too many pinholes in the old brass floats. Unless you're going for a concourse/showroom resto or museum quality, go for aftermarkets. Places like Sirius Consolidated Inc sell decent plastic floats that I've found to be just as good as the originals but without the fragility - or cost - of NOS bits. And you can get four aftermarket CB750 K gaskets for less than half the cost of one CA77 original.
- not all powdercoat finishes are equal - or at least, I don't think they are. The finish on my K0 frame is a flat grey; the K2 has a bit of a sparkle in it. The flat finish seems to me to be more durable and less fragile than the sparkle version. Again, that could just be me, but I'll be sticking to flats from now on
- be careful who you buy spokes from. I had two sets of spokes sourced from overseas, and the bends at the button ends were out by a couple of degrees. Doesn't sound like much, but it's enough to make the wheels pretty much impossible to lace. In the end, I had to order some custom spokes using originals as patterns. Worked out fine in the end, but if I'd've known the headaches I was going to have, I would have gone straight for the customs
- like anything else, don't assume NOS clocks will work the same way as others from the same era. I've spent the last few years cursing after having spent a small fortune on the K2 speedo and finding out too late that there's something not right with the trip - it doesn't work. Or at least, that's what I thought . . . right up to the point I bought an XL350 (yeah, I know) and played with the trip on that bike. Like the SL clock, I couldn't get the trip knob to engage but then something in my brain said
try pulling it out (like you would to adjust the time on an analogue watch). And just like that, I'd solved the non-working trip issue; it had worked all the time - I just didn't know how to operate it. If only I could afford a K2 owner's manual, I'd've known about that much earlier
- horns can fail in very odd ways. Late 60's horns are mechanical and work on the same principle as ignition points. Some of them can be disassembled, but the points themselves are very small and it may not be worth trying to clean them up
- depending on the quality of the surfaces it's applied to, ceramic coating may not be as durable as the marketing materials suggest. I had the K0 pipes coated and whilst the silencers have held up fairly well, the same can't be said of the downpipes. They're developed a rough texture and at some point I'll need to flat them off and paint them again. I can see this maintenance turning into yet another annual ritual I could really do without . . .
- if you're at a gas station and filling a tank that's recently been painted, always put the bike on the side stand and stop before you get to the top. If you fill to the brim with the bike upright, there's a very good chance that it'll be over-full when you put the bike on the sidestand, and that's a good way to end up with fuel running down the side of the tank . . . which leads me on to . . .
- . . . no matter what you do to them, modern paints are no match for modern fuels if you get any onto a seam. I filled the tank of the blue bike whilst standing upright, put it onto the sidestand to go and pay for the fuel and came back to find a) a small puddle under the bike and b) paint bubbles around the neck of the tank. Not terrible, but a bloody nuisance. I've made a rubber gaiter out of an old innertube to hide the offending mistake
- Hondaman's ignitions are a great investment, but you already knew that, right?
And finally, YouTube resources have come a long way since my original posts on this thread. In addition to this excellent investigative work on rubber revival:
there's some very good videos on improving the charging systems of the the older Hondas. Whilst I haven't tried it yet, I'll be doing this mod to my bikes in the coming months:
As I said, I've started work on a CL77, and now I've got something to compare the others to, it's fascinating to see how Honda developed its bikes throughout the mid-60's/early-70's. With hindsight, there were some really strange design choices in the earlier years that were refined out due either to manufacturing/upfront cost, warrantee claims or advances in technology. Three piece camshafts, anyone? So maybe I'll start another thread to document the CL . . . and the CA that'll follow hot on its heels.
