[juanitojojo]

Hello everybody,

I just tuned up an old 1971 CL100. Medium condition. This is my first racer project and I am excited.
I have put in a new cam shaft seal,
cleaned the points,
replaced the leaky exhaust with a CB100 exhaust,
rebuilt the carb using the OEM kit.
new back tire
new chain
new sprockets
new headlight (temp see below)

I am basically making it safe to ride before I do the big aesthetic overhaul, but while I am doing these repairs I want to do them right.

1. I am looking to replace the rear shocks.. any suggestions? measurements? how do I know what to order?
2. I am also looking to rebuild the front forks when I change the front tire. Can I stick with the stock forks? do I need to beef them up? any suggestions?
3. Electrical. should I consider a 12 v upgrade kit? My system is working however it is not putting much back into my battery. I was told that i could replace the rectifier for $103 but should I? The benefit would be more light options, and a potentially smaller battery.

Please any words of wisdom to this green mechanic would be appreciated

-Thanks

Johnny

 

[kerosene]

we need photos!

a few points I would consider:

1. paperwork, don't pour money on it if tittle situation is unclear
2. does the bike run good now? work in general?
3. its a tiny bike, refrain from making it a cafe racer in the sense of bump stop seat and very low bars. you can make a fun toy of it.
4. yahoo cb125 yahoo group has relevant manuals and a ton of other info (12V conversion etc.). you can find year differences etc.
5. I believe that cl100 has 27mm forks like cb100. those are tiny. sl100/125 use 31mm as do many other 70s "better" small hondas. I think making SL triples fit is easy, no experience tho. using forks from bigger bikes is not easy as the bike is tiny that is why the SL/XL 100-125 parts are a decent starting point.
6. progresive shocks, they are probably in the 160-200 usd. they have good service. if you have means for machine shop help the cheap chinese ones can be rebuilt to good performance (apparently) search on this site

welcome

 

[kerosene]

oh that price for rectifier is not a good deal. search on the cb125 group but I think there is a cheap radioshack rectifier that does the job.

 

[Witworth]

Nothing much wrong with a CL100. There must have been millions of Hondas, and Honda copy motors made just like that motor in the last fifty or so years. It's a great motor. I've had six bikes with that motor at least.

One of my current lurkers is a stock 1974 XL100 (almost the same motor as a CB/CL/SL100), that runs surprisingly grunty and strong, even compared to late model XR100's.

Just rebuilding the forks with new oil and seals should work just fine, unless you are over 175 pounds. Then you could need fresh or harder springs.

Clipons or clubman bars will be fun for about ten minutes (in total), then they will just be a pain in the neck, arms and back. They would make being chewed on by a black dog, while being beaten with a big stick seem far more pleasurable in comparison.

If the shocks are not leaking, just polish them up and use them. Shocks like Hagons would work great (if available for your model), great looking shocks off of eBay only look good, and go up and down.

12 volt upgrade is a waste of money. A small bike is never going to have output to run a great headlight. Take your ignition advance unit out and clean it and lube it. A cheap car strobe light is good to check your ignition timing. You would have to use a 12V bike or car battery to power the strobe though.

Just get this bike in good order and ride the sucker. Enjoy it and don't fall in love with it and pour all your cash into it.

 

[kerosene]

well the simplest 12V conversion involves cb350 or cb360 stator coil and using "modern" rectifier/regulator both of which can be found cheap.

XL100 forks are much better than the cl100 forks if they are the same as s90 units as I think they are.

Totally agree with the clubmans/clipons being silly.

plenty of performance upgrades available too.

 

[jaguar]

They make shitty cafe races. Don't just try and play dress up.

CB350 forks are larger and have a larger front drum. Can be found cheap and the swap is easy.
make sure you keep the front fender and/or get a nice brace.

no bars lower then superbike.

never really understood the idea of swapping from 6v to 12v. Just maintain the 6v system, all the parts are around and cheap.

hagon is a good place to start with shocks.

NO POD air filter!

best modification for these bikes is the "beer rack" for the back. Love mine.

i have a 74 cl125. I use it for trips to the beer store, to get parts or go to work.
super fun stock. Tried to build a cafe once and it sucked!

there is a website "oldrice" that has a tone of old articles on hopping up these engines.
some are decent for the street, but most only come into play when racing another similar bike.

 

[kerosene]

point of 12v conversion:
1. ability to use parts from other bikes, for example modern regulator-rectifier
2. ability to use broader selection of bulbs, for example H4 halogen bulbs can be found in 35w, this is a decent efficiency bulb but not available in 6V
3. the stator coil swap also gives higher wattage

 

[Witworth]

point of 12v conversion:
1. ability to use parts from other bikes, for example modern regulator-rectifier
2. ability to use broader selection of bulbs, for example H4 halogen bulbs can be found in 35w, this is a decent efficiency bulb but not available in 6V
3. the stator coil swap also gives higher wattage

High quality, high output Quartz Halogen 6 volt globes to fit little Hondas are available, I know because I have used them, and they are about twice as bright at night as the OEM ones. They can be very hard to find to buy though. But they do exist, I've bought at least three of them over the years. It beats changing the whole electrical system.

 

[Dean]

I have '70 CL100 .. You will not have any trouble finding parts for it. It's an awesome errand runner and love it all stock , 6v and all. Honda did a good job of making a little toy bike feel bigger than it is. From an ergonomics perspective anyway, however it would make a terrible "Café Racer " just 'sayin

 

[Emit R Detsaw]

Clipons or clubman bars will be fun for about ten minutes (in total), then they will just be a pain in the neck, arms and back. They would make being chewed on by a black dog, while being beaten with a big stick seem far more pleasurable in comparison.

Why the dog gotta be black?

 

[Witworth]

Why the dog gotta be black?

All dogs are black in the stygian gloom of the crypt of pain, that's the rules jack. Dalmations are twice as vicious, but freak under the strobe lights. At least it was like that the last time I visited. The stick was black as well. Turning off the lights is like that.

 

[Emit R Detsaw]

The monkey dances yet again!
This is fun. You take the bait every time. Nice HST reference, btw...
Being verbose and self-aggrandizing in an effort to present thirty points above your tested I.Q. must be hard work. Heat up a bean pie, go sit in front of the window and eat.

 

[Witworth]

The monkey dances yet again!
This is fun. You take the bait every time. Nice HST reference, btw...
Being verbose and self-aggrandizing in an effort to present thirty points above your tested I.Q. must be hard work. Heat up a bean pie, go sit in front of the window and eat.

There is no HST reference, even by a careless inattentive mistake. I know my Hunter S. Thompson, line by line.

 

[kerosene]

oh my.

anyway.

maybe halogen bulbs are easily available at 6V. however I can get a quality German Hella reflector for H4 bulbs for sub $50 dollars. I can also find regulator-rectifiers for $25 (used). I can see the point in 12V, all kinds of things from electric flashers to led lights are available easily for 12V but for 6V they easily become a treasure hunt. '

 

[juanitojojo]

Thank you. This is my plan to keep is stock and just get this bitch in smooth riding order.

 

[juanitojojo]

Why no Pods?

 

[juanitojojo]

Thanks for all your kelp Kerosene.

I have the title
It is a running bike
I am trying not to pour all my money into it.
Front forks are going to be rebuilt
Need to replace the rear forks
no clip ons
no bump seat
making it clean, safe, and sexy.
However I am still considering the 12 V upgrade
what parts do I need to get a hold of to do the whole conversion?

- - - Updated - - -

*rear shocks

 

[jaguar]

Why no Pods?

Because they are a massive downgrade only done buy hipsters and idiots.
bike doesn't have a lot power, so don't rob any of it.

 

[Witworth]

The monkey dances yet again!
This is fun. You take the bait every time. Nice HST reference, btw...
Being verbose and self-aggrandizing in an effort to present thirty points above your tested I.Q. must be hard work. Heat up a bean pie, go sit in front of the window and eat.

If I was posing as a person thirty points above my tested I.Q. , I would not be posting here. I would be running the world from a titanium death star in the shape of a giant Volkswagen bus in orbit. Meep-Meep, minions.

 

[Witworth]

Why no Pods?

1: They will suck in crap and wear the motor out.

2: The throttle response of these motors is not that good to start with, and pods will only make it worse with flat spots and a bad off idle response.

If Honda thought these things would run better with one, they would have save twenty bucks and fitted a cheap pod at the factory.