1965 Honda CL77 Scrambler

Spitfire151

Been Around the Block
Over the summer I sold my 78 xs750 (minor restore mods) and used the funds to buy a non-running 65 CL77. It was part of a liquidation a shop owner was doing as he was retiring from motorcycle restoration. The only history I got was that the PO had passed away while the bike was at this guy's shop and he essentially inherited it. 15,513 miles.

It was brought in because the kickstart shaft broke, they redid the bottom end.

It hadn't been started in at least 6 years according to him.

Having no knowledge of the bike other than that, and seeing that it needed tires, a battery, carbs redone, throttle cable, and had no air filters I said HECK YEAH. I really liked the bobber-eque look that was trying to be achieved here and the yellow actually grew on me.

Attached are pics of what it looked like.


I have since removed the flame stickers and installed a new front tire, tube, rim strip, wheel bearings, new battery, worked on electrical (it now all works!), and totally rebuilt the carbs. Set the points properly (never did that before and they were in good shape/had been toyed with, thank you computer screws I had laying around to replace some way too long ones that were in there). No oil leaks (it was bone dry and I added the required amount). Installed new air filters and tubes and a new throttle cable. Front brakes gone through and cleaned/refurbed, they've got good grip. Even got a headlight knob off of a CL77 headlight/bucket I got from bikeboneyard.com.

Carbs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzUXgvUMUPQ



And it starts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIkvcfZzz4E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfXEHONKD40





What I've found:
The clutch plates are frozen, tried the rocking back and forth method on and off over multiple days/weeks with little improvement. I'll tackle taking that apart/learning how it all works (go Clymer's!).

Frame was drilled near the tank to attach the seat (need to weld) and weld a better seat/latch on.

Missing center stand.

I believe I need a new rectifier due to the battery constantly being drained after running (I will upgrade to a regulator/rectifier and do away with the points via conversion kit).

Due to the paint on the frame, grounding things is difficult, but I've worked around it.

Some one boogered up the valve covers (ordered replacements), this makes me wonder why, some oil leaked there but I tightened them and all was well.

Exhaust headers have no retaining lip for the exhaust joint/retainer to grab onto and are only held in via the bolt on the side of the bike (thinking a simple slim bead of weld around the pipe will work, ideas?).

The tank was rusty inside, vinegar solved it. Had a pinhole leak on the underside, fixed. Once I have it running marginally well I will reinstall the tank and rebuild the petcock and add inline filters.

The electrical system/headlight sometimes doesn't work so I have to strip the harness off again and check it (again). Due to being colorblind it was very hard to match up wiring on a bike this old, wherein the colors have faded, etc. But thanks to some handy cell phone apps that help with this AND honda305.com forum I was able to hook it all up as it should and realized someone wired it for blinkers/winkers.

I made the following a while back for help on the colors/IDing wires, but please feel free to laugh at my frustrated stabs. Like I said about I used a phone app that would scan colors and light them up on my screen when I told it to. And the 305 site members helped greatly, even got free sheathing and a phone call from a guy in CA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Y9yq9cU8w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV_3UyUbcX4

Future plans:
Smaller battery/relocating or lowering the box to accommodate the seat and springs (I've yet to buy, maybe scissor style?) properly, aforementioned electrical upgrades, installing the new rear tire, tube, bearings, strip that is living in my living room at the moment.
 

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I've got a "bitsa" Cl72/77. Mostly a group of unrelated 250/305 parts that are trying hard to become a motorcycle. Looks like you have a great start. If you are keeping the rear shocks, I personally would not put springs under the seat.
Rider
 
Thanks for the kind words! I hope you get a chance to start piecing yours together. I never considered it really but you have a point, I'm assuming if I have springs I might risk the seat becoming a somewhat effective ejection device?
 
Spitfire151 said:
Lol thanks, need some springs and mounts as well as a proper hinge mount.

My two cents: bag the springs for the seat if you've got shocks. Seat springs work great for hardtails, but you might find yourself bouncing around if you've got both shocks and springs.
 
Thanks guys, nixed the springs idea for the seat, will use rubber bumpers once I get the hinge placed right and welded properly.

Minor updates: ordered a new=age rec/reg from Sonreir, WPS featherlight battery has come in, will be running a dedicated ground wire since the bikes paint negates the stock grounds at most points, a titled frame was had for relatively cheap so that takes care of that issue as well.
 
Nice bike. I gave away a 63 CL72 this fall, had it since 2007 and got sick of looking at it. Mine was pure junk, engine was no good, not worth rebuilding. Went to a DTT member as a parts roach.
 
Minor update: I had done the vinegar soak for the rusty tank at the beginning of winter; rinsed w/ baking soda and water thoroughly, then water, then hit it w WD-40 for storage. Checked it a week ago and saw what looked like calcium build up on the underside of the gas cap (which looked basically new prior to this) and the tank had started rusting again. So I waited for a warm day and rinsed the tank with water, hit it with vinegar quick, rinsed with water and while drying held it up to the sun and saw two small (pin/pin head) size "holes" while looking in the tank. They show through as yellow, leading me to believe this was patched somehow before and painted over OR there's an old liner in there and was painted over.

My question is, should I mark the holes and have them welded or let the tank sit safely somewhere full of gas and see if it eats through prior to this?

Parts of the underside of the tank do have this black, very hard material I'm assuming was used as patch and was never sanded or painted.
 
Rider52 said:
I've got a "bitsa" Cl72/77. Mostly a group of unrelated 250/305 parts that are trying hard to become a motorcycle. Looks like you have a great start. If you are keeping the rear shocks, I personally would not put springs under the seat.
Rider
I figured you'd have already stripped my old pile of shit ex-racer and used it to fix a few others.

Spitfire, see if you can get a set of Ceriani shocks for it, all you need suspension-wise... I like what you've got going there. Almost wish I'd have dropped the coin to fix the engine in my, now Rider's, 63 CL72/77 hodge podge. I know it had a usable gas tank (with gold vinyl metalflake quilted kneepad covers)... Maybe you can get Rider to sell it to you? The petcock was junk, the cap was okay, the tank was good...
 
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