Thread: What am I Thinking? Long Story w/pics

Originally Posted by Grant's trail

Karen I looked at Greydoggy's pic's and it looks like he has stock silver painted rims. Maybe I'm looking at old pics but in his album they look like painted stockers.

I'll see if I can find that pic that I am talking about...The one I saw had a headlight visor on it. ***I was wrong about the wheels...It was the Pirelli Tires I liked.***

Originally Posted by hornetgod

Yes, it's the one in the pictures I've posted. I had a welder/fabricator make it for me. I added the wood deck, tie downs, trailer storage box, and all the lights. They told me since I requested a VIN for a custom trailer they had to verify it wasn't stolen and was in fact made by/for me. That's why they wanted to see all the reciepts. I saved a lot of money over buying a name brand trailer.

Thats a nice trailer...I understand now the concern over it or parts being stolen.

Originally Posted by fatcaaat

I had a set of polished CHP rims in my possession for a little bit. I sold them when I purchased a set of solid wheels with monkey hubs. The CHP wheels are pretty nice for the money. Yes they are aluminum and they are the exact size as the original wheels so you can swap them in. They are polished aluminum and have a clear coating over them. I stripped the coating from one of them and then attempted to polish them better. Overall came about about the same, most likely due to my incompetence as a aluminum polisher.

if you were looking for a set of rims and wanted lighter versions, I would highly recommend the CHP wheel set. At 135 we're about the same price as honda originals and they will never rust.

As for the Michelin Reggae's, I hear they are a nice tire. a 120/90-10 is larger than recommended on 2.5" rims, as an FYI, but I run Michelin Boppers on my stock wheels in the same size with no ill effects.

I wouldn't worry about those Lifan wheels...they will be fine. Instead, think about changing out the fork oil, and rear shocks should you decide you need it to go faster.

Thanks Jarad...I will look at CHP's wheels. What oil do you suggest for these forks?

HA welcome to the dark side....

I've got a set 120/90 on a 70 hko and they do fit but they look huge and I really don't like the look, It was my sons bike with an 88cc honda in it. We had to re-gear and still didn't like the look so we went down one size, looked alot better, but it is a personal choice, they do fit barely.

Mike

Originally Posted by mrichard

I've got a set 120/90 on a 70 hko and they do fit but they look huge and I really don't like the look, It was my sons bike with an 88cc honda in it. We had to re-gear and still didn't like the look so we went down one size, looked alot better, but it is a personal choice, they do fit barely.

Mike

Thats good to know...I have only seen them in pics. What was the size that you went to?

I like the Pirelli's too...I think they are 60's.

I just want a beefy dual sport tire...more on the street side.

Purple bike - 110/80/10 Heidenau K61 street tires
Red Bike - 3.50 x 10 Heidenau K58 dual purpose off/on road tires.
Love them, the street tires are super sticky.

Mine were the same as Hymiep's 110's and they looked alot better.

Mike

Originally Posted by kmcrab

I probably wasn't clear in comparing the Honda Ct and vintage cars...for me and it's just my own feelings, I have a hard time not staying very close to stock on anything vintage.. even if it's a bicycle,coke machine or one of the old pedal trikes I have. I like restoring to original. It's just the way my mind works...I like a restored blast from the past that brings back good memories and seeing the looks on peoples faces when they see something like they knew of or had as a kid!

I know we are not talking about any huge amounts of money or title histories...It's just me and what I like and feel comfortable doing. I absolutely love your purple bike and Jamie's and Dan's and other customs I have seen built on a Honda frame...CT's or ST's. If I like how this bike comes out...I might customize an orphaned salvage yard Honda...They are my favorite!

Do you know if I can put the 120/90/10 tires on these wheels?

I tend to be more pragmatic in my approach, thinking in terms of borderline hardcore mileage (at least for a bike this size). But that is not to say that I cannot empathize with your point of view. That's probably why my purple Dax started out with a bare $10 ST70 frame, coming in second place only to the NOS ignition key for the cheapest part of the project. It's also why my first CT70, a low-mileage/one-owner K1 is getting the 100-point/concours resto treatment, instead of being customized into a usable road machine as originally planned. There's a certain satisfaction in resurrecting total basket cases, too. I have an ST70 general export model in the works that should have been scrapped, in spite of the fact that it has the rare crank-off front end. If it had been a CT70, I would have kept walking. I'm sure the finished result will inspire cheers from some and catcalls from others. You need to do your projects as YOU see fit. My point (if there was one) was to consider this project from more than one perspective. Even complex projects seem to have a natural tendency to sort themselves out when considered from multiple angles and given adequate time. There's a freshly painted green HK0 discussed in another thread, with the decals clearcoated in the wrong locations. I'd bet the guy's perspective was very different as the clearcoat went over the decals, compared to the next day...or whenever the decision was made to list the project on ebay.

The impression you've given is that this custom bike will be your magnum opus CT project. Customs are never really finished. And, trust me on this point, odds are good that you'll change your mind at various points along the way, possibly discarding work you've already done. Hence, in the spirit of camaraderie, I'm asking the tough questions, maybe to the point of playing devil's advocate, at the outset. The only correct answers are yours, of course. I didn't know that Lifan bikes were widely known in the US market. That's an important hurdle to clear early-on. It could give you the opportunity to build the most refined Lifan CT70 clone bike in North America. Probably wouldn't hurt the feelings of the PRC bike crowd, either.

As for tire fitment, 120/90 x 10 will fit. I'm undecided about the look, unless you also run a +2 swingarm and increase ride height enough for a decent amount of fork leg excursion. Those changes restore the visual balance, as well as some of the chain slack adjustment range you'll lose with a stock length swingarm. The taller sidewalls will plush-out the ride quality a little, plus they'll absorb more punishment without rim damage than shorter sidewalls. If you run close to the engine's power limit, you will have to gear differently than if 4.00-10 or 110/80 x 10 had been fitted.

Originally Posted by fatcaaat

They are polished aluminum and have a clear coating over them. I stripped the coating from one of them and then attempted to polish them better. Overall came about about the same, most likely due to my incompetence as a aluminum polisher.

Jared, I assume that you chemically stripped the clear anodizing and that should have left an easily polished surface behind. I doubt that your lack of polishing expertise really entered into this one. In terms of polishing procedure and the kind of finish possible, each aluminum alloy has its own properties. Sometimes, they are counterintuitive. For example, 7075 can take a class 1 finish (mirror), while 6061 won't go beyond a softer look; yet, the same process needed to polish 6061 will gall the out of 7075, even though it's a tougher alloy. Not sure what the wheels are, but even G-Craft versions look no better stripped & polished than they do right from the box. So all you get for your trouble are wheels that oxidize quickly when pelted with chlorides & other acidic compounds frequently encountered while riding. Sometimes, clear anodizing really is your friend.

Originally Posted by racerx

I tend to be more pragmatic in my approach, thinking in terms of borderline hardcore mileage (at least for a bike this size). But that is not to say that I cannot empathize with your point of view. That's probably why my purple Dax started out with a bare $10 ST70 frame, coming in second place only to the NOS ignition key for the cheapest part of the project. It's also why my first CT70, a low-mileage/one-owner K1 is getting the 100-point/concours resto treatment, instead of being customized into a usable road machine as originally planned. There's a certain satisfaction in resurrecting total basket cases, too. I have an ST70 general export model in the works that should have been scrapped, in spite of the fact that it has the rare crank-off front end. If it had been a CT70, I would have kept walking. I'm sure the finished result will inspire cheers from some and catcalls from others. You need to do your projects as YOU see fit. My point (if there was one) was to consider this project from more than one perspective. Even complex projects seem to have a natural tendency to sort themselves out when considered from multiple angles and given adequate time. There's a freshly painted green HK0 discussed in another thread, with the decals clearcoated in the wrong locations. I'd bet the guy's perspective was very different as the clearcoat went over the decals, compared to the next day...or whenever the decision was made to list the project on ebay.

The impression you've given is that this custom bike will be your magnum opus CT project. Customs are never really finished. And, trust me on this point, odds are good that you'll change your mind at various points along the way, possibly discarding work you've already done. Hence, in the spirit of camaraderie, I'm asking the tough questions, maybe to the point of playing devil's advocate, at the outset. The only correct answers are yours, of course. I didn't know that Lifan bikes were widely known in the US market. That's an important hurdle to clear early-on. It could give you the opportunity to build the most refined Lifan CT70 clone bike in North America. Probably wouldn't hurt the feelings of the PRC bike crowd, either.

As for tire fitment, 120/90 x 10 will fit. I'm undecided about the look, unless you also run a +2 swingarm and increase ride height enough for a decent amount of fork leg excursion. Those changes restore the visual balance, as well as some of the chain slack adjustment range you'll lose with a stock length swingarm. The taller sidewalls will plush-out the ride quality a little, plus they'll absorb more punishment without rim damage than shorter sidewalls. If you run close to the engine's power limit, you will have to gear differently than if 4.00-10 or 110/80 x 10 had been

Thanks for the tire info!

Actually this will not be my magnum opus...merely a trial run to see what I want to do... My great work, if I do it, will be with the Japanese components like we have talked about. I haven't been able to make my mind up on what I want to do and it's been months...I just can't decide. I blame you and Dan for all the pics of those awesome custom mini's that have my mind swirling with options! lol! And of course Jamie too. HA! I just want to see if I for sure want to do this...It's a lot of $$ to do it right. This custom project on the clone will be a lower end version of what I think I want...A clone of the custom lol!....I would never drop a Nice or Takeawa in a bike like this or put $600 dollar forks,shocks or exhaust on it. But I would put a 125 or 150 in it to see if I liked riding it consistently on the road while keeping in mind that the Japanese components will be much better and smoother.

I like that you play devils advocate...You are very well versed on these bikes and bring up some excellent points.

Karen,
Another thing to consider is the size of the swingarm. At first, I was under the impression I wanted a larger swingarm to accept a larger rear tire. Be careful, the longer swingarm takes it out from underneath the fender and farther back, looks strange and out of place. I've seen some where the rear tire is directly underneath the tailight and farther, looks really bad. IMO

Karen, Very well said My feelings as well. I still want to build a honda twin in one of these, Just working my way up. Mike, this bike was from a while back but I believe this engine might be better.
Karen Is this the bike?
Re: CT70 GPX160 install
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan_Lorenze
It was time for a new engine for my CT70. I decided to call up Vince at Tbolt and have him send me a GPX160. The thing RIPS, even with my tall (17/35 on my 10 wheels) gearing,horrible exhaust and smokey Molkt carb. I need a 32t on the rear. I ordered a Twobros M6 system that should be here tomorrow..

Here are some pics...