1973 Honda ST90 Restoration

Tim

Administrator
Staff member
Figured a build thread was needed for this.

A couple years back I picked up a running Honda ST90. Badly painted white, with spray-bombed black wheels and rear fender and Honda emblems screwed into the frame but all there and running.

It's just used up at the cottage but it deserves some attention and my now-16 year old daughter has ideas about riding it to school. It's a street-legal bike, and about the size of a Grom so it's a great little city bike.

Broke it down and had the frame painted what I believe to be a close match to the original Honda Tahiti Red it was under the white paint. Some fresh decals from Reproduction Decals finished it off nicely.

I've ordered aluminum 14" rims from Thailand and am getting stainless spokes from Buchanan's. I figured this was a better option than trying to clean what are likely rusty crusty wheels out from under the black spray. I'll cut the hubs out and have them vapor blasted.

I've got new Shinko dual-sport knobbies ready to put on the rims once I build them. With the aluminum rims/stainless spokes they should last a lifetime with fresh bearings.

Some of the bits like the swingarm etc. will need to be powdercoated silver and other parts like the front crashbar will get chromed.

Finally, I may replace the engine with a 110cc manual shift Lifan pitbike model. The 90cc motor runs, but it's tired and the shifting is jenky with the 3 speed semi-automatic setup. I want my daughter to learn a proper clutch and the semi-auto isn't well suited to city riding.

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Target:

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Tim said:
had the frame painted what I believe to be a close match to the original Honda Tahiti Red …

Red paint is always worth an extra mph or two, but the Lifan will really pick it up!

Crazy
 
Yeah man love these little bikes, keeping my eye open for an affordable fixer-upper for ages. Know exactly what I'm gonna do with mine!
 
Fast forward a year or so.... finally made some progress getting parts powder coated and chromed, wheels built with vapor blasted hubs, Buchanan stainless spokes, new aluminum rims, tires etc...

Assembly continues. Ordered a few more parts including a repop tail light (mine was too crusty to put back on and a new one was $30). Still have my eyes open for a front fender in better condition than mine, but it will bolt on.

Lots of new bits, fresh paint and chrome, but also leaving plenty of old crud on there. Will replace bits as I find them, but some of the patina will likely live on. This bike will most likely be ridden quite a bit - not a trailer queen.

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Great job! Those are great bikes, wish Honda had continued them...bet Honda does too!
Well, it's about the physical size of a Grom, and was 90cc's vs. the Grom at 125cc...

And Honda showed this off in Tokyo recently - the CT125. Rumored to be coming to production.

Maybe I could find a wrecked Grom and put the front end and engine on my ST90 :)

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When I was traveling to/from Korea in the late 90s, stock & custom parts for small bore Hondas were readily available. If I could not get what I wanted in Soul it was cheap to ship from Japan. I carried back a lot of stuff in my baggage and the government shipped stuff that was too big to carry. I bet you can find Grom stuff at the Barber Small Bore event and also get some aftermarket source information. If the price is decent I'd be interested in the CT125. I have a 66 Trail 90 for a while. It was a field find and it will probably get a Lifan motor conversion.
 
I'd be a fan of the CT125 if it grows a bit from the Grom. A decent size bike with 18" wheels and a 125cc motor is plenty for around the city and would be fun in the woods.

My wife is making noise about selling her TU250X tho (she had an accident on her bicycle and is recovering from concussion - spooked her from motorcycles but oddly she still likes the idea of her Vespa) so perhaps I could 'scrambler' the TU250 instead of selling it :)

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A scrambler TU250 is a great idea, as long as you give it enough legs to ride the mountain fire roads in North Carolina.
 
A scrambler TU250 is a great idea, as long as you give it enough legs to ride the mountain fire roads in North Carolina.

I’ve ridden the TU about 200 miles over the course of 4-5 hours before - it does ok and will cruise at highway speeds all day.

I did put a different front sprocket on and have a rear sprocket to further improve top end cruising, but if I was going to use it as a dual sport I’d leave the gearing alone I think.
 
By legs, I mean suspension.
Ahhhhh... yeah. I think I'd start with something more purpose built if I was going to take it on some real trails. Even with the right suspension, I don't think the computer-controlled fuel mapping etc. would be suited to off road.
 
Well, it's about the physical size of a Grom, and was 90cc's vs. the Grom at 125cc...

And Honda showed this off in Tokyo recently - the CT125. Rumored to be coming to production.

Maybe I could find a wrecked Grom and put the front end and engine on my ST90 :)

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I was beyond excited when I first saw the new 125 prototype. I had a CT90 as a kid and have been looking for an old one for years now but they never seem to pop up in my neck of the woods for some reason. Never see any of the old small Hondas like your ST either, hang on to that beauty. Hoping the 125 comes to Canada.
 
At this point I'm waiting to pick up a few parts in SC tomorrow so I can continue the work. New tail light, wiring grommets etc. Soon it will be ready for the motor to go back in. Need to clean it up really well before bringing it into the house. Or it will wait till spring when I can take it outside, put the motor in and start tuning it. Get it safety inspected, plated and insure it for use on the roads.
 
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