1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - putting the puzzle back together...

Re: 1963 Honda Benly C95 Restoration

OK - I'm an idiot (or rather, the wiring diagram is not as helpful as it might be). I had the key in the wrong 1 of 5 possible positions.

Turns out the top most position isn't 'off' like I thought - it's park, where you leave the bike with just the brake light on and take the key with you.

The middle 'flat' position is 'run' - key locked in and everything working.

One down from that is 'off' and key is removed - everything off.

Still not clear what the other two are - I think one is everything off but the starter/ignition to reserve as much juice for the engine.

Anyhow - once I figured that out, everything works as it should, including the brake light switch (yay!). Just needs a bit more loosening up, or I'll snag the one off the parts bike.

So tomorrow evening with a new gastank and petcock to get fuel to the engine, I may be able to start it up!

Re: 1963 Honda Benly C95 Restoration

Picked up another CA95 today from Pat (thanks!). A little rougher than the current one, but with some very nice and needed bits along with the complete bike and engine:

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.

Obligatory pics of my (well lit) workshop - this isn't the bike I picked up today - that one is at a friends. I have the parts here that I need from it.

Re: 1963 Honda Benly C95 Restoration

Bro... start downsizing your pics... too much side scrolling

Re: 1963 Honda Benly C95 Restoration

Get a bigger screen. Laptops are for homework

Re: 1963 Honda Benly C95 Restoration

nice one Tim.

And nice work on the shop. In some ways, i think it looks better then mine.

Re: 1963 Honda Benly C95 Restoration

Thanks - just wish it wasn't also my garage!

Made a decision today - no whitewalls, at least not for now. The ONLY place on the planet to buy 16" x 3" whitewalls is Coker Tire in the US. $117 per tire, plus 18% brokerage/taxes, plus $34 shipping. Turns it into $310 or so US shipped for 2 tires, which is close to CAD$400. A wee bit silly. I can get basic tires locally for CAD$76 taxes-included for the pair. Whitewalls are not worth an extra $325.

At least not yet - if the bike turns out REALLY nicely, I'll splurge. It's probably only ever going to get one set of tires out of me, so might as well make them nice, but for now, $75 will get it on the road safely.

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

Ok, along with working on the XS650 tonight, I also tinkered with the CA95.

I need to toss a coin between my two gas tanks. One is perfectly clean inside, but has been repaired on the bottom and needs some new repair work done down there. Will need some grinding down and welding to do it up right.

The other tank is rusty inside, but seems solid and dent free. Also has the petcock bolts seized in the mounts, so they need to be removed and hopefully without damaging the tank.

I suppose the 2nd tank will likely be the easiest. They're getting painted anyhow, and treating the inside with a POR-15 kit isn't bad.

Fuck it - I'll fix both Maybe I'll chrome one of the tanks and do the side panels for it in black just for shits and giggles.

Between the two bikes I also have a dent free set of chrome tank panels, which will be rechromed. New tank badges are on the way from Reproduction Decals locally here.

Am ordering up the new tires / tubes / rim strips tomorrow. So hopefully within the next week I'll have new rubber on the wheels. Then all that stands between me and the road is getting one working tank and the petcock rebuilt. Hope to have it safetied and on the road sometime in April/May (hmmmm... where have I said that before.... seems it was a couple years back).

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

What is the 18% brokerage/taxes? Is that something you pay to get it into canada?

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

Yeah. FedEx, UPS etc. all charge some sort of brokerage fee and collect the taxes. Now, I'm assuming that the 18% covers the GST and PST as well, in which case it's not so bad. But if there are Canadian taxes on top of that, it's a heck of a lot worse.

Worst case scenario when you ship with USPS into Canada is $5 to Canada Post + GST/PST. Best case is it slips in under the radar and you don't pay anything.

I also just won a pair of NOS chrome tank panels on eBay for about the same price as rechroming my old ones

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

Loving this thread... here's my unmolested '66 305 for inspiration:


Not perfect, and if I could find new pipes for less than $1k I'd replace them

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

that is awesome! just beautiful!!!!

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

SWEET! You're clearly running the Firestones from Coker? I think the secret will be a) waiting for our dollar to get stronger and b) buying them locally in the US and sneaking them across the border.

Really officer - these are earrings and I was wearing them on my way down!

Or i'll just ride the bike across the border and ride it back on fresh rubber. Just need to find the tires somewhere near Buffalo.

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

Maybe one of our US members could pick them up for you and then ship them through USPS. I never have to pay duty on parts coming from a regular joe through USPS.

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

Tim said:

SWEET! You're clearly running the Firestones from Coker?

Click to expand...

Yep, the Coker tires. The guy at the local motocross shop was bummed that I didn't buy them from him when I had him mount them, but I don't think he could have gotten them. They came free witb the bike.

By the way, the key position I think you're talking about, according to the manual, is for cranking the motor over without firing to get the oil moving (priming), much like you'll see an airplane pilot do with an old radial engine.



Hard to believe they had all these scenarios in mind but DIDN'T BOTHER TO PUT TURN SIGNALS ON THE BIKE. ;D

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

You gotta wonder if they had a few 100,000 of these switches laying around and finally found something to use them on.

The non-US models as you know have turn signals, at least 1963 or so on, when they added that rectangular plate on the rear shock braces (where my signals are).

I ordered my Duro tires today. Tires, tubes and rim strips came to a grand total of CAD$96 taxes-in. Less than 1/4 the cost of the Coker setup. One thing I might try, only because they seem to be a period-correct poor-mans white-wall conversion, are these white plastic rings you can get from Universal Vintage tire. Only $6.50 each, + $20 shipping for all 4. So for $60 I can make my tires look like whitewalls.

The Duro have a nice vintage tread - about identical to the original tires on the bike.

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

moon eyes! i am intrested to see how these lay... i have used them on cars and it never looked right always was crooked or rippled... never just flat and smooth. wonder on bike wheels how that is going to work out!

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

So that's what they're called? I haven't ordered any - will finish the bike first, but I'm thinking about it.

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

ya man... i have not used them on bikes but i did on a roadster i helped my neighbor with years ago... they looked like crap... i have a fella that tried them on his st bob... it looked like a lock washer with as much as it was wavy... yet you google them and you never see pictures... here is the company that gets all the rage! hell man they are 10 bucks... i am going to try them on my bob project... chauk up the 20 bucks to knowledge if it does not work... i have spent way more on lessons in the past!
http://www.mooneyesusa.com/Store/index.php

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

If I didn't have to fork out $25 shipping for the things, I'd order a set of 4 from Universal Vintage for $6.50 each.

http://www.universaltire.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=25386&category_id=289

Re: 1966 Honda Benly C95 Restoration - March 30 2009

Tires are being installed on the rims Friday. Hopefully will sort out the petcock this weekend and ride next week.