1971 Honda Cl175 K5 Scrambler Project

M

MississippiNative

Nobody puts a bike away because it stops being fun
I've been meaning to start this thread up for a LONG TIME.

I bought this bike in Oklahoma City in 2013. It has no carbs, the wiring harness was on a constant short trying to start the engine at all times with the electric start, no air filters, no side covers, tons of rust, and it did not run.

After some tinkering we bypassed the electric start short by cutting its ability to get power from the battery. We added some 24mm Mikuni carbs, K&N air filters, cleaned the gas tank (which was a rust factory)(using the apple cider vinegar trick), and finally got it to turn over and ride using the kickstart.

I'm posting this very late in the project of getting it to be a smooth running bike but life happens and things get put the side.

Fast forward to today:
We have moved to Mississippi and I have a little more play time. The bike has OEM carbs with no air filters yet, tank is shiny clean, rewired the harness and the electric start now works (what a great feature; I hate kickstarting), and the thing runs smooth to 60-70mph at 8-9k rpm.

GREAT BIKE!


What I want to do now; or at least am considering; is taking this bike and making it either a cafe racer, or a mix between style and comfort. I would still like to have my wife be able to hop on if we feel the want to.



My forks are bent, slightly. I need some new ones. Help me out on ideas! Thanks!
 

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why build a cafe racer when you have (as your title states) the perfect base for a chill scrambler? :)

Don't you just get an instant hard-on when you see these types of bikes? ::)
Aaron-Millars-CB350-1.jpg
 
As i said Japster,
I want to mix style with comfort. The scramblers are bad-A bikes.

That bike is a definite monster. My issue is this is my first build. So I'm gathering help from like minded people (such as yourself), now that it is running smooth and fast, and figuring out exactly how to stamp it.

Where could I even find a seat like that? Or even one like this:
 

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japstar said:
why build a cafe racer when you have (as your title states) the perfect base for a chill scrambler? :)

Don't you just get an instant hard-on when you see these types of bikes? ::)
Aaron-Millars-CB350-1.jpg
Click to expand...

I hate to break it to you, but that bike is terrible. A "scrambler" with clip-ons and no rearsets and 1" of rear wheel clearance, it is unrideable and whoever built that is confused.

Nice base for a project here. Lots of good potential and you've gotten off to the right start by getting her running before going to far. Start out by making some minor mods such as seat/handlebars to get into a comfortable riding position once you decide your direction. Get your forks replaced and take care of any other safety related issues before going too far into aesthetics. Just my .02 :D
 
MississippiNative said:
As i said Japster,
I want to mix style with comfort. The scramblers are bad-A bikes.

That bike is a definite monster. My issue is this is my first build. So I'm gathering help from like minded people (such as yourself), now that it is running smooth and fast, and figuring out exactly how to stamp it.

Where could I even find a seat like that? Or even one like this:
Click to expand...
I will be making it myself (myself = my sister). I've got some skai fake leather and some foam to stitch patterns . And I hope it will turn out allright.
But if you google cafe brat seats, you will find a lot of shops that sell them.

And don't be afraid of your first project, just take your time :)
I'm coming to the final steps of my first build (after roughly 18 months or so), just take your time researching things before doing them. Then you will amaze yourself with your skills ;)

adventurco said:
that bike is terrible. clip-ons on a scrambler and 1" of rear wheel clearance? would be unrideable
Click to expand...
yeah, i would have used flat bars.

The 1 inch rear wheel clearance is not right, the rear light that you see almost touching the wheel? That is placed on the right side of the bike. So it has a tad more clearance, but yeah, I would have given it some more with an upward rear hoop.

Overall, it's just a killer look of the bike :) I like the mix of brat and scrambler, no need for rear sets on those bikes in my mind
more pics here: http://thebikeshed.cc/2014/01/06/aaron-millers-cb350/
 
adventurco said:
I hate to break it to you, but that bike is terrible. A "scrambler" with clip-ons and no rearsets and 1" of rear wheel clearance, it is unrideable and whoever built that is confused.

Nice base for a project here. Lots of good potential and you've gotten off to the right start by getting her running before going to far. Start out by making some minor mods such as seat/handlebars to get into a comfortable riding position once you decide your direction. Get your forks replaced and take care of any other safety related issues before going too far into aesthetics. Just my .02 :D
Click to expand...


If you know of any decent cost effective forks for replacement; or IF ANYBODY HAS SOME CL175 K5 FORKS FOR SALE...let me know!
 
MississippiNative said:
If you know of any decent cost effective forks for replacement; or IF ANYBODY HAS SOME CL175 K5 FORKS FOR SALE...let me know!
Click to expand...
Measure your front fork stanchion diameter, and look in this list for bikes with the same diameter, should be a good start.
http://cincinnaticaferacer.com/the-library/forks/
 
Find someone with a press and see if you can get the fork tubes straight. We routinely did it on that era Honda when I worked at a shop.
 
Rider52 said:
Find someone with a press and see if you can get the fork tubes straight. We routinely did it on that era Honda when I worked at a shop.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! I called the local motorcycle store and they referred me to a shop who gave me a phone number and said "If they don't do it, no one around here will."

They said bring it in! I'll post pictures when I drop them off tomorrow versus when I get them back. It'll cost a mean $30.

I want to simplify the back end. Aka take out the battery area, the tool spot, etc. Are there some tips and things I need to know before doing so?
 
Seems like a hell of a deal.

My advice would be to check out a bunch of other builds, do some research and really decide what you need and want and what you can get rid of before you start cutting. Plan on where you want to put the battery and electronics before cutting anything up. If you have a welder and are handy with it, just go for it as you can always put anything back on you may have needed ;D
 
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Straight forks give this guy a whole new stance! Looks great.

Don't mind the little red shop towel/bandana. Having never replaced forms before, it is easy to miss a few things. These little things you miss make you pay attention even better moving forward. I messed up and both of the small silver pieces that secure the top of the gators, are on the same side.

No biggie.





Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
Took off the center stand today.

I'm torn between finishing this project now and enjoying it for the summer.

I really see potential in the cl175 but I also want to get the bmw that I found out into working condition. The BMW is a huge project though.

Decisions decisions


Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
I second the "ride it" comment.

Having no bike to ride all summer can be sad :< I know the feeling and it sucks! You can learn a few things too while you ride it. You might have thought X piece was fine and doesn't need replacement until you ride and realize "hmmm the clutch plates are rubbing" or "this brake feels squishy" or "man it's really stiff over bumps"

Helps when you need to come back and re-think what to change/modify.
 
RoyalRider said:
I second the "ride it" comment.

Having no bike to ride all summer can be sad :< I know the feeling and it sucks! You can learn a few things too while you ride it. You might have thought X piece was fine and doesn't need replacement until you ride and realize "hmmm the clutch plates are rubbing" or "this brake feels squishy" or "man it's really stiff over bumps"

Helps when you need to come back and re-think what to change/modify.
Click to expand...

Well said. This project is on pause for the immediate future and will be back under construction after the sun goes down!

In the mean time, here's last nights sunset during a ride.
f23b7a8325e9fa9f1d0f5a731a0311fd.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using DO THE TON
 
Okay so I've ran into a little issue, and since I don't know much about the fuel/air mixture stuff, I figured I'd ask y'all.

When riding down the road, in whatever gear doesn't matter, once I lay on the throttle at about 2/3-Full hoping for pure acceleration, it bogs down.

Is it the jet configuration or what? Really a bummer when you want to ride.


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