Thread: New Ct 70 Purchase

I just purchased a 197? ct 70. Model number is ct70 236066. Looks like it might be a 1974. Take a look at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...3ARTQ%3AUS%3A1 for the picture. It is missing the end of the coil wire that goes to the spark plug , needs new screws for the seat cover and a new head light.. Where can i get these parts and does anyone know the cost of (1) a motor rebuild and who dies them and (2) approx cost of a total restoration . I havent tried to start it yet . I need to rebuld the carb and clean out the old gas in the tank.

One more question . but looking at the pic is there anything visible that doesnt look original ?

Thanks in advance .


Keith

Well the model tag is definitely for a 1974, but most everything else I see screams KO (1970) model. The red paint, decals, one-piece headlight/speedo, seat w/chrome buttons, front forks and lack of turnsignals/mirrors are all pure KO. However, that exhaust shield is wrong for the KO model. There have been reported instances of the model tags being wrong, or a previous owner might have tried to build himself a KO from a 1974 model. Go to this site, www.hondatrail70.com. they are an excellent restoration site and have a model indentification section so you can see the differences between all the models.

As for replacement parts, they are easy to find. try www.dratv.com or www.hondanuts.com. I've used both and both are excellent sources. Some parts are even still available from the dealer, but they are getting scarcer all the time.

As for an engine rebuild, I used www.Enzomoto.com and recommend him to anyone. Prices start at about $600 and go up, depending on what is damaged deep inside the engine. It will run and look like new when you get it back though and I found Enzo to be both honest and professional.

As for restoration costs, that really depends on what you want to do to the bike and how much of the work you can do yourself. You can easily spend $2-3 grand for a full 100 point show bike. If you just want to build a daily rider, your costs can be much less. Welcome to the insanity. Ohh, but it's fun.

Thanks so much for your help.. It does seem like a KO with a 74 tag.. doent look like they changed anything on it . I will look at the engine number tonite when i get home from work. is it still worth anything with the wrong numbers ?

Thanks

Keith

Your tag is a K0. If it is a 6 digit number it is a K0, even if it starts with a 2. It just happens to be at the end of the run for K0's. K1 and later will start with a 2 but are 7 digits.

And don't be surprised if the number stamped on the engine does not match the number on the frame tag. It seems they seldom do. I read someplace that the engines were built in one place and the frames in another.

Plug caps are easy to come by and cost around $10, classic honda sells screw-type rivets and these are a lot nicer to work with than the original paper clasp type.

Restoration cost will vary depending upon what you want done/what the bike needs. Your bike looks fairly straight & complete, so it probably won't cost $3K to return it to as-new condition. Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to tell from photographs.

A top quality paint job will probably cost around $600, all-in. There is about $500 worth of chrome on a KO (which this definitely is), some of the original pieces may be okay as-is. New exhaust will set you back around $200 with all new pieces, a new seat about the same. Figure anywhere from $350-1000 to recondition an engine, again depending on what it needs. Restoring the wheels, hubs, brake hubs and polishing all of the aluminum pieces will cost about $250-275, plus $65-80 for new tires & tubes. Cables, decals and what I'll call "miscellaneous" a.k.a. all the little items you overlook until you're really into a project $200-500.

As you can see, there's a lot of lattitude. The more that is reuseable, the lower the final tally. You might consider farming out some jobs and doing others yourself, if you're at least a passable shade tree mechanic. With a bit of luck and your own labor, it may well be possible to put the bike into very nice shape for $1500-2000. That's enough to cover the complete rolling chassis, exhaust and basic engine rebuild, plus a bit more.

Your bike should have a plastic gas tank; these are almost too easy to clean. Remove the float bowl from the carburetor and see if there's any fluffy white deposits or varnish. If it's clean, you're in luck, if not, have the carb solvent cleaned and buy a master carb rebuild kit that includes the idle jet, fuel screen and petcock packing. As long as there aren't any holes eroded through the float bowl, the carb should be rebuildable.

Thanks for the help. I am going to finally get around to looking at it this weekend. I have sent emails to two engine builders so far and have quotes around $600 is to rebuild and restore the motor. ( any recomendations ) I am going to check for spark and take the carb off and apart too . I think it needs a kick starter shaft too. When i kicked it over it skipped internally . I would imagine i would have to split the case to replace it? I am so mad at myself in 1972 i bought a brand new ct70 and sold it when i went to college.. oh well.. i enjoy restoring old bikes and cars and i guess the ct70 is my new midlife crisis purchase.

Thanks

Keith

Fix the plug wire, adjust the valves, set the points, new plug, clean the carb, dump a little Marvel Mystery oil in the plug hole, kick it over some , drain old and add fresh gas and theres a 90+% chance it will run

You'll have to split the cases to figure out what's going on with the kickstart mechanism. It's probably not the shaft itself. From the description I'd be looking for a failed clip, spring or gear, none of which are very expensive. You may even be able to get the kickstarter working (at least well enough for temporary use) by simply kicking it through a number of times.

If you can get the engine started and keep it running long enough to go through the gears, that should give a pretty good indication whether it's a damaged gear or not.

When these bikes were new, who would have ever guessed that they were anything special, let alone future collectibles? No point in kicking yourself over hindsight (which is brutally 20-20). You wouldn't believe some of the classic cars that were run into the ground or sold for a few hundred bucks prior to the late `80s.

You mean like my new ram air 67 GTO,$500 68 Z/28 engine in trunk apart, $2000 69 ram air Cobrajet 69 fastback Mustang engine in trunk, $2000 62 Vette FI engine in trunk, or $500 57 Vette stolen & stripped, trans tunnel removed with an axe, no engine or trans, none of which I had the foresite to keep? No sense in hanging on to any of that stuff that will never be worth anything. Yeah, Im pretty sharp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!