I also have another article on the CB160 by Bob Braverman from Rod & Custom dated November 66 if anyone is interested.
These articles arrived in my snail mail several decades ago when I lived on the other side of the planet and were copied and mailed by a guy called Dave Richter from MA IIRC.
These articles arrived in my snail mail several decades ago when I lived on the other side of the planet and were copied and mailed by a guy called Dave Richter from MA IIRC.
Mike450
Active Member
I don't mind at all, I love this kind of stuff. I have a stack of old magazines, dealer brochures, posters, etc. for some of the bikes I own. I love seeing these bikes through the eyes of the folks that were experiencing them when they were new.
Thanks. Here's the 160 to road racer article. Way back when, a guy named Dave Richter on the east cost sold me that tank and seat - or a copy at least. Tank was really poor quality but the seat was good and I used it on one of the CB160 race bikes I built.
Psychopasta
Been Around the Block
Is that Hank Marvin riding the bike on the fourth page?
Mike450
Active Member
Step one of the engine cleanup was a date with the pressure washer. I was very careful not to spray directly at any of the gaskets or intake/exhaust ports. I also immediately replaced the damp towel pieces that were plugging the ports with dry ones after spraying to avoid moisture making it's way into the cylinders (hopefully). The spray paint came right off for the most part. Step 2 will be some heavy degreasing to get the remainder of the baked on crud off.
Here are a couple of before and after pics.
Here are a couple of before and after pics.
Mike450
Active Member
Progress. Lot's of time spent today with a pick, toothbrush, Scotch-Brite pads, WD-40, and Brakleen getting this section of the engine cleaned up. This whole process has been very cathartic. Just tune out all the crazy going on in the world right now and clean some engine parts.
Mike450
Active Member
I finally wrapped up the engine cleaning. Turned out pretty well. This was the first time I'm done this with the engine assembled. It was a learning experience for sure but I think results were worth the effort. The rest of the bike should clean up pretty quickly, and just in time too, we've had some pretty decent riding weather lately and I'm itching to get this little bike back on the road.
Mike450
Active Member
Time to get this little bike reassembled! I've cleaned up most of the major components and I'm just waiting on one small order to ship and I should have everything I need. I took a few minutes yesterday and removed the rattle can paint from the horn. Here is the after pic. To be honest I was expecting much worse. As far as I'm concerned this looks great. It will complement the rest of the bike perfectly.
Mike450
Active Member
Detailing as I go. I have a feeling I'm going to get held up by the parts order I placed last week. Still no word on when it will actually ship. I should be able to get about 90% of the bike reassembled without those parts though. I replaced the worn out steering stem bearings with a set from All Balls. Installation went smoothly. It's nice working on a bike that doesn't have freshly painted and plated parts to fuss over after spending so much time on the CB77.
Mike450
Active Member
Fortunately the repairs to the original air filters were pretty straight forward. I just used some silicone sealant to reattached the parts. Despite the yellowing from age the filter elements are surprisingly clean.
Fitted. I'll need to remove them again to finish the wiring but it's nice to know they fit properly after the repairs.
I'm trying to decide if it's worth the effort to try and pound out some of the distortion in these fork ears or if I should just leave them alone. The fear is that I make them look worse than they already do. You can see just how mangled they are next to the NOS one. I'm thinking I should leave them alone and look for a paint match and paint the NOS set I have in the future if I decide to.
Fitted. I'll need to remove them again to finish the wiring but it's nice to know they fit properly after the repairs.
I'm trying to decide if it's worth the effort to try and pound out some of the distortion in these fork ears or if I should just leave them alone. The fear is that I make them look worse than they already do. You can see just how mangled they are next to the NOS one. I'm thinking I should leave them alone and look for a paint match and paint the NOS set I have in the future if I decide to.
Mike450
Active Member
The kids and I finally wrapped up the CB160 project. All things considered I'm very happy with the way it turned out. It probably looks about the same in pictures but trust me, in person it looks much better than it did. It also runs quite a bit better with the stock air filters back in place. Now that it's so clean I'm questioning whether or not I should get it all muddy again at Mid Ohio this summer 
(assuming they don't have to cancel it).
(assuming they don't have to cancel it).
