Yet another "side" project, LOL

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67Dart273

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Several years ago I bought this 68 Honda CT-90 (The red one). It's "not that bad." Needs a carb kit, at the least, battery, few things, and a tail light lens

The other night around the neighbor's fire pit, somehow "it" came up, so I spent all Sat morn digging it out of the shed, and actually fired it on starting fluid by that evening.

I already have a new battery, owners manual, and Chineseo replacement carb coming via Ebay.

Then yesterday, I bought another one for parts (the yellow one). The seller wanted 250, but by the time I pointed out all the stuff wrong, I talked him down to 80 bucks. Today, I'm thinking THAT was too much. It's been sitting out in the weather for YEARS. Water evidently got into the intake. The engine is frozen up, and I don't have much hope for the cylinder.

The slide in the carb is now part of the carb body, LOL

The rear wheel would not turn, and EVEN THE CENTER STAND IS rusted solid!!! It was a complete bike when I dragged it home yesterday.

Parts......maybeee
 

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Those things go for some pretty good bucks in running condition.
We have a Honda 90 club around here somewhere, and it's quite the trip to see that crowd up close.
 
I don't remember when I bought this, I had full intentions of getting it going and riding it. Probably LOL was about when I picked up the Dart, so it "took over." The thing got buried in the shed, and pretty soon, LOL, I could not even see it. I'm sure I forgot it was there at times

But for some reason the neighbors got me excited the other night. I have intentions of sticking with it and getting it going and licensed. Here in Idaho, you have to take the motorcycle endorsement.......even for this. The little "non shifting" "less than 50" cc mopeds are exempt, and in fact, you don't even need plates on them.

These, unlike the 50/55 I had for one summer back in '67, have a high/ low range gearbox, so you don't need the add-on "trail" sprocket
 
I don't remember when I bought this, I had full intentions of getting it going and riding it. Probably LOL was about when I picked up the Dart, so it "took over." The thing got buried in the shed, and pretty soon, LOL, I could not even see it. I'm sure I forgot it was there at times

But for some reason the neighbors got me excited the other night. I have intentions of sticking with it and getting it going and licensed. Here in Idaho, you have to take the motorcycle endorsement.......even for this. The little "non shifting" "less than 50" cc mopeds are exempt, and in fact, you don't even need plates on them.

These, unlike the 50/55 I had for one summer back in '67, have a high/ low range gearbox, so you don't need the add-on "trail" sprocket

When I was a kid we had a 55 and a 90 both, and as you said, the 90 had the Hi Lo range shift on the side of the trans case.
The 55 had the sprocket over sprocket design, where you take four bolts with nuts and washers out of the teeth and the short section of chain out to fit the smaller sprocket.

The things run forever, and they are very popular with older RV owners for putt'in around or to the local store.
 
Several years ago I put one out at the curb for a "freebie". It was frozen up and rusty. It didn't last an hour!
 
They use the CT 110's here for Postie bikes.....biggest market Honda has in Oz is the Postie bike.
 
Had a great morning today. Took the title of the "to be running bike" down and bought a plate, got an ORV sticker, and picked up the MC endorsement study guide

And......loaded up "most" of the junker got the lady to check the numbers, and transferred the title. So if I ever need it, that will be a "clear titled" frame

Brings a question: How were YOU taught following distance?

For decades, Idaho stuck by the stupid, the moronic, the undefinable "one car length for every 10 mph." Of course no one knows what a "car length" IS

In 68, in the Navy, a friend from Jersey had been taught the "two second rule" which I've used ever since

Nowadays, "depending," you hear everything from 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, I even heard on "TV deputy" preaching SIX seconds

Me? Two You?
 
Made some GREAT progress on the bike

Got two tires, one won't fit. (Shop said it would) so for now put a junker front on to "putt up and down the alley" smaller new tire for the front ordered.

Got the thing together and running with a "junk" battery. Got everything working except

Sprung for a new front brake cable, old one works, just "real ugly." Switched front brake to "correct side" of handlebar and eliminated rear handlebar brake.

Got Chineseo replacement carb, modified intake manifold off the junker to fit, cut a rad hose (15 bucks) for an air filter hose. Put a fuel filter in the (bottom) reserve tank outlet. New plug!!! new points!!

Waiting for new battery, new rear lens, new brake cable Waiting for points cover and alternator cover gaskets. Waiting for ebay mirrors.

Rode bike up and down alley and "illegally" LOL around the block

I'm going to investigate improved lighting, and maybe convert to 12V. I won't ride much if at all at night. Idaho does not require daylight lighting, and this is "around town" as you cannot get on the freeway with this.

After riding it around the block and up the alley a few times, the brakes "wore in" and "cleaned up" and work suprisingly well.

Never had one with the high/ low range I'm anxious to "get up in the woods" and putt around a bit. I even sprung an extra 12 bucks for the Idaho ORV sticker, LOL

Not much to look at, it ain't real pretty in 'faded red' LOL
 
Hey Del, I have the same bike! When I park it out in front of my shop it gets all kinds of attention / comments from people who "had one just like it" back in the day. They really are great bikes and run forever. Mine is a '69 and it's the same bike my dad bought to teach me how to ride. I quickly outgrew it and he bought me an SL100 which I rode til I was about 14 years old.

My cousin lives in the Dominican; these bikes represent about 75% of the vehicles you will see on the roads down there. I'm going to see if I can find a picture she sent me... The picture below is my '69
 

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This little Honda looks like it was pulled from the ocean, but it starts first kick and runs great! It's a pic she sent me from the Dominican
 

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interesting thread, I would have never guessed that you need to title and plate something like that.

Is it a one or two cyl. engine? .......is it 2 cycle or 4 cycle engine?..... what size are is the engine? what kind of carb ? is it a single Barrel? .......were the original carbs made by any companies we know like Holley or carter or something? Is the whole bike heavy, I remember seeing that bikes are really heavy. one time my uncle wanted me to move one and I could barely get it to budge. Are those tires good for the street? What kind of gas mileage do they get? ......do you use regular unleaded, like 85 from the pump? Does the engine have a like a timing chain and little cam and all or is it totally different?

I don't know anything about bikes. In India everyone has bikes and cars are not so common but in Colorado you never see bikes and its just the opposite because cars are everywhere.

I don't see the foot holder thingy on the side......I have seen some bikes that have a foot platform on the side so if a girl rides behind the driver she can ride with both feet on one side.

Are you going to paint your restored one red or some custom color. Like HEMI orange or Black with red stripe or something different?
 
interesting thread, I would have never guessed that you need to title and plate something like that.

Is it a one or two cyl. engine? .......is it 2 cycle or 4 cycle engine?..... what size are is the engine? what kind of carb ? is it a single Barrel? .......were the original carbs made by any companies we know like Holley or carter or something? Is the whole bike heavy, I remember seeing that bikes are really heavy. one time my uncle wanted me to move one and I could barely get it to budge. Are those tires good for the street? What kind of gas mileage do they get? ......do you use regular unleaded, like 85 from the pump? Does the engine have a like a timing chain and little cam and all or is it totally different?

I don't know anything about bikes. In India everyone has bikes and cars are not so common but in Colorado you never see bikes and its just the opposite because cars are everywhere.

I don't see the foot holder thingy on the side......I have seen some bikes that have a foot platform on the side so if a girl rides behind the driver she can ride with both feet on one side.

Are you going to paint your restored one red or some custom color. Like HEMI orange or Black with red stripe or something different?

LOL Hondas, "in general" are about the engine size in CC as their model, so about 90 CC. So far as I know, all US sold Hondas are 4 stroke. Single barrel, I put a Chinese ebay replacement on it, don't know who made it. The original carbs were Japanese, several manufacturers

Heavy? Guess that's in your point of view. These are made to put up with a certain amount of trail abuse, but "back then" was long before stuff like Baja and other extreme riding came along. These are still sought after by folks, including for carrying around on the fronts / rears of RV motorhomes

Mileage? DOH!! Here's the specs out of the reprint manual, LOL......About 180 lbs, or 80 kg, fuel tank holds 13.7 US pints, or 6.5 L.

These are single overhead cam, 8.2:1 compression ratio. They will run on "any" gasoline.

They claim max speed of 55.9 mph (maybe off a cliff) and they claim 176 mpg at 25 mph, LOL

I don't think I'll "restore" this, just try and keep it in good running order. Who knows, "if this winter" works out, I may tear it down over winter.
 
"When I was a kid," summer of 67, I bought a 55 or 50, can't remember. Looked almost exactly like this one. Drove it for three hot, rainless months while I had my 57 Chev apart. The night we got the 57 running, we got it all together except the mufflers, and it opened up and just POURED. The gutters of the streets were full. We were driving around town Fri / Sat night in the pouring rain, with no mufflers, LOL

I drove that little bike all over, and only had to replace a rear wheel bearing. I sold it at the end of the summer for almost to the dollar what I had into it..........as I remember, about 125 bucks

I think I paid 550 for this one.

This one has the "hi lo" range sub transmission, but the old 50 / 55 I had did not. In order to do any "serious" trail riding, you had to bolt on the "piggyback" trail sprocket, and add some links to the chain. I never had that on the little bike.

In Idaho, if a bike does not shift and classifies as a moped, SMALLER than 50cc, you can run it with no title, no license plate. But it must be "as manufactured" for street use, that is, these toy scooters are not legal. You do need to have insurance, and, I believe, a car type license.

So even a Honda 50 is a "motorcycle" by the law, and you must get the motorcycle endorsement. I've been looking it over, and "as usual" the bureaucrats are full of crap

You have to do stuff like make a "panic" stop and get your tire inside of some box. So, when, on the street, was the last time you had to do that?

Or weave around 6 dead babies in a row?

Also, one question on the sample test was "where is the shifter located?" "Correct" answer of course is "near the left hand foot peg." I guess the test writers haven't seen too many bikes, AKA "suicide shifters" and the Europeans with shifters on that there OTHER side LOL
 

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That's Purdy cool Del. Comin along nice.
 
are you planning to restore for historical value or restore to drive it regularly?
 
are you planning to restore for historical value or restore to drive it regularly?

Just good running shape, for now. To run around town on. I may "never" actually restore it, LOL There are literally thousands of parts for these on ebay
 
Well today I went down and paid insurance, and took the ID written test, which, with a temp permit gives me 6 months to take the "skills" test.

And, as usual, many of the questions do not reflect the real world, and are "just plain wrong."

One question went something like this:

"When stopped at an intersection you should put your feet"

Don't remember all the choices, what I picked WRONG "put both feet on ground."

The "correct" answer is "keep both feet on the footpegs."

REALLY? Am I a circus act? Now, years ago, I could have balanced the ol' 650 Special with feet up for as long as 5-10 seconds on a good day, but "not no mo."

AND there were FOUR questions (out of 25) about "riding in a group." Hell in the past life of riding, I don't think 1/2 percent of my time was "riding in a group."

One question showed a COMPLETELY 'effed up' diagram. "The leader" of a "group" had "passed a car." What it showed on the diagram indicated (scale) that the leader had either cut off the car, or that the car was tailgating the leader

The question is, what do you, number two in line do?

Pull in front of the leader?

Pull behind and to the right of the leader?

Pull behind and in your former position behind the leader?

etc, etc etc

I took a stab and got it right. I called "Boise" and told this mouse of a clerk that if I'd translated the diagram into a "real" situation, I NEVER WOULD HAVE PASSED the car given the position of the car and leader.

"Oh, uh, yeh, uh .....OK,..........I'll take a look at those..................."

OK, like, I'm holdin' m' breath, K?

N' o course, "the state" has just revamped "their computer system" so it took me something like 2 hours to wade through 20 people. I told a guy comin' in, "Good luck, I've been here since YESTERDAY."
 
Glad I did not have to take the skills test when I moved. If I did I would be at that class up on Division, bit north of the "Y"....
 
I haven't taken it yet, Doug. "Reading the book" and looking it up online, it 'seems' like I could pass, but ya never know. This written test was a complete POS even though I passed

And...........I got another setback this aft. I had been to a bike shop in town, went back intending to buy a helmet. I found out "the big bump" on the back of my head (it's a benign growth) prevents me from wearing one!!!! The damn thing "steers" off to the right of my head about 10 degrees!!!!

I'm gonna havta go see the doc and see what "the hurt" might be to get that thing lopped off. Of course Medicare won't pay for that.-------even though it's a safety issue.
 
Cool bike and thread,Del. Those go for 800-1500 running, in California. Always wanted one,nice score.
 
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