No Room At The Inn

'Shop clearance - got to make room for the next project ! How about treating yourself to an environmentally friendly commuter vehicle.
This was a '72 CB175 which now has a CB200 motor. Comfy cruise 55-60 and pretty cool gas-mileage. Of course, being '72, it attracts no RFL charges which is great - very satisfying getting the disc in the post reading "Duty - NIL". Any how, the little beauty, complete with period patina and that lovingly home-built style, is up for grabs - treat yourself. New chain&sprockets, wheel bearings, electrics, MOT test etc. MORE PROJECTS !

16012-354-004

Not Alan Whicker's jet set, but that from an 18mm Kehin carb. Where to start ? Induction issues with the CB Special are well documented on these pages, and as part of the earlier attempts to get the creature to run properly a matching pair of carb refurb kits was ordered from the great David Silver Spares. The refurb kit includes a bundle of gaskets, o rings, float jet and needle, pilot jet, emulsion tube, main jet, jet needle, mixture screws etc etc - what it doesn't include is a needle jet for the jet needle to run in. What I have discovered is that the OEM Needle Jet Set from Honda (part no 16012-354-004) comprises both, crucial, matching parts - tolerances here are down to 1/100th mm so size matters. Needless to say the kit pictured above appears to be the only OEM part in the world and I need a pair !! I can think of a bunch of goodies that come in pairs and that's great but in the case of carbs for my project I'd be happier to run a single. In the same way that I really need two eyes to fully appreciate distance, scale, perspective and allow my brain to perform lightening quick calculations of on-coming vehicle speeds, my little twin needs two very clever, minutely detailed, perfectly machined, finely balanced, infinitely variable fuel metering and delivery instruments to enable it to run properly. It's not. MORE JET SETS !

Honda Project Part 1

Just a quick up-date on progress with the ex-Cornish CB project. As can be seen by the suspended carcass, the gralloching has well and truly been completed. This dismembering exercise is the first and most important part of the butchery process. The more substantial joints are removed for future fettling, allowing access to the guts - no waste here, vital organs are preserved and all parts are laid up in storage. It has become apparent that our victim was grossly overweight and a ruthless approach is being taken to discarding extraneous mass. The poor thing will be lucky to develop 16 horse power which is barely enough to get me hauled up the road. As a family hack/commuter machine we are not looking for performance but any weight lost at this stage has got to help. The frame we're using is the better of the two salvaged from Cornwall - here it awaits a rust removal acid treatment, to be followed by a coat of self-etching primer and a bit of black paint. The engine is the 200cc number from the complete bike, we believe this to be a runner so there are no plans to dismember it. The tank shown is a spare, but rather tasty, 1972 175 piece, the plan here is to clean it up but not strip it, the rust spots and crazed finish lend a certain authenticity. MORE PATINA !