Thread: Took my SL70 out for a speed test ride

FWIW: Well last weekend I took my shop bike SL70 out for a 20 mile joy ride on the local back roads. This bike is totally stock, all original with a new 1st OS OE Honda piston, and I did a lap job on the valves and cleaned the oil filter. About the only things aftermarket on the bike are the back tire (cheng shin 4.0-14) and the chain and the UNI air filter. Stock gearing, carb, exhaust with no insert.

I averaged an honest 45 mph most the ride, 52 MPH top speed on a slight downgrade with tail wind, and 42MPH low speed going up a slight grade with a head wind (going in opposite direction). Im not the most areo dynamic rider, at 6'3" and 220#. I bumped the point gap to .015" and it would not rev and stuttered, so I set it back to .013". The carb runs a bit rich still, but 52 was my top speed. Not too shabby for a stock 72cc with my big butt on it. I don't think I proved a damn thing, but I had fun just the same.

FYI
Derek

Sounds like fun, do you like your SL70 and how does it ride compared to a CT70.

I love it, it's the -coolest looking- of the minis IMO. My sons china pit bike runs circles around it - speed wise, (damn kids!) but it is stock and super solid. It feels more like a 'big bike' to me, just because it feels really tight compared to my CT70 K1. Not as easy to do wheelies on, but no problems getting the front end up. The bigger wheels make it handle better too IMO. For some reason I always have trouble hitting the berms right on a CT70, where the SL70 it just naturaly goes where I expect it to. Not as "twitchy" as the CT, but then again I have only logged about 200 miles on my CT, and im more comfortable on my large 650 bike, so the CT70 is quite an adjustment for me everytime I get on it. But they are equaly fun to ride, just different bikes.

The SL is just far superior in every way in my humble in opinion.

Originally Posted by JThomas7

The SL is just far superior in every way in my humble in opinion.

One of those apples-to-oranges comparisons, imo. Maybe comparing a 6" fileting knife to a Swiss army knife would be a better analogy. The point being that they're very different machines with very different design/application parameters. Can't really see a valid way to compare the two disparate machines, unless it's based around a specific intended purpose. Even then it's more a matter of suitability and/or personal preferences than anything else.

Originally Posted by JThomas7

The SL is just far superior in every way in my humble in opinion.

+1.

performance wise the big 17in wheels with skinny tires will always play as a significant advantage. my cl70 is a completely different animal to ride than the ct70.

Originally Posted by JPct70

performance wise the big 17in wheels with skinny tires will always play as a significant advantage. my cl70 is a completely different animal to ride than the ct70.

Agreed, and that's probably the biggest inherent difference. 10" wheels just don't have a large enough arc to deal with real-world obstacles easily and end up taking harder, more direct, "hits". It's a big disadvantage. The CL comparison, imo, is more valid head-to-head

CL's are so rare in my neck, I have never even seen one in person! I had to dig deep for a few months to find my K0 so I feel in some way I landed the golden egg lol Most everyone that stumbles upon it asks allot of questions, so it is quite the conversation peice.

If I bought another (which I proly will lol) I would definitely want it to be an sl70. the cl70s looks are just a bit too quirky...but I guess it just makes it that much better of a conversation piece. i like how the sl70 has a more conventional tubular motorbike frame and looks.