60's Honda CL 160 Rebuild as Racer
- Thread starter twitchmonitor
- Start date
twitchmonitor
Well-known member
I could do that, in fact I have a few pairs of OEM rearsets lying around. But it would barely cost me any more to make a new set - just material as I have access to a machine shop. And one thing I absolutely hate is having any flexure in my rearsets. The more bolts there are, the more things tend to flex.
Lovedoc
That's COLD, Brrrr
Still one or two. We NMP'ed a guy in '08, his rear wheel taco'ed coming out of the carousel. He was back this year after recovering from a fractured navicular. Those guys are rabid enthusiasts.
killfile
49/50
hmmm, i might need to talk to you a bit about the machining as I often have need for machined pieces. I assume you are working with Solidworks, the one program I don't use...
If you are relacing up those wheels I'd spring for some aluminum H sections rather than trying to tidy up the originals and relace them. Are you going to keep the stock front brake? You might want to consider swaping in a new drum while you are at it. Here is a great resource:
http://www.vintagebrake.com/drumspec.htm
We have a 160 as well, but it is the one bike that we aren't modifying, it's bone stock. The T500 and the CL350 on the other hand....
Good luck with the project, looks like you are making progress fast!
killfile
49/50
jeez phaedrus,
everytime i think i have something unique it turns out you have a couple of them...
:teeth
TTTom
Well-known member
http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/vintage/vmv175.htm
I doubt this would be race legal but a small twin Honda with dustbin fairing would be oh so cool...
I doubt this would be race legal but a small twin Honda with dustbin fairing would be oh so cool...
twitchmonitor
Well-known member
Man, I wish! Unfortunately my budget dictates no unnecessary expenditures. I'd love a half fairing, aluminum hoops, clip ons, bored out barrels, etc., but this build is about what I absolutely need, the bare minimum. Ok, maybe I don't need to sandblast the frame and paint it and the tank, fenders, etc but corrosion is the number one cause of metal failure and I don't want to take that chance.
Yeah, I'm working with SolidWorks. PM me about machining.
Yeah, I'm working with SolidWorks. PM me about machining.
twitchmonitor
Well-known member
kevin 714
Well-known member
akathisia
Gait Plagiarist
This may be a stupid question, I have never restored an old bike, but are you able to locate all the necessary replacement parts and motor nick-knacks as needed for the rebuild i.e. pistons, cam chains, valves, bearings etc etc etc?
I have a 550 that I would like to do a complete rebuild but am concerned that I will not be able to locate components so I'm hesitant to start ripping it apart until I am reasonably sure I can get the stuff I need to put it back together again.
Lastly, which club do you race with and do you guys have a website with more information?
Thanks
I have a 550 that I would like to do a complete rebuild but am concerned that I will not be able to locate components so I'm hesitant to start ripping it apart until I am reasonably sure I can get the stuff I need to put it back together again.
Lastly, which club do you race with and do you guys have a website with more information?
Thanks
rolandk
Member
There is a bike shop here in Portland that specializes in 160 race bikes, www.viciouscycle.com
twitchmonitor
Well-known member
The availability of parts is one of the factors that convinced me to go with the 160 platform. If you check ebay you'll see that there are usually about 8 pages of parts, and they're cheap. There is also an enthusiastic community of racers who have surprised me again and again with their assistance and generosity with info and parts. There are also people/places that sell new replacement parts.
For more info check out:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/F-160/ (I think you may have to join this group to see the content)
And
http://www.groupwracing.com/ (don't have to join, plenty of info and links)
They mostly race with AHRMA in the Northwest and caravan together from the Bay Area...somebody has a large trailer they use for transport and "lodging" so from what I understand people just chip in for gas. They also run in AFM's vintage class, but that isn't specific to 160s the way AHRMA's class is, it's open to all vintage bikes.
For more info check out:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/F-160/ (I think you may have to join this group to see the content)
And
http://www.groupwracing.com/ (don't have to join, plenty of info and links)
They mostly race with AHRMA in the Northwest and caravan together from the Bay Area...somebody has a large trailer they use for transport and "lodging" so from what I understand people just chip in for gas. They also run in AFM's vintage class, but that isn't specific to 160s the way AHRMA's class is, it's open to all vintage bikes.
twitchmonitor
Well-known member
Yeah, I should be
I'll study during dead week. So named because it will afford me an opportunity to contemplate my likely performance in the class undisturbed by actually attending the class. Oh, wait...
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twitchmonitor
Well-known member
Forks and things
My fork saga continues. The forks that came on my bike had terminal pitting on the tubes. I picked up a set of CB160 forks from a guy in SF and when I pulled them apart I found a small amount of pitting on one tube (I can probably sand it out) and this... I may be able to mix and match but the tubes aren't the same length. The saga continues. Oh, and once again the oil seals refuse to budge. :mad
edit: I used a heat gun to soften up the rubber, then a tire iron and mallet to drive out the oil seals.
Also, internet friends, take note: Internet wisdom has failed me. Oven cleaning product Easy-Off provides a semi toxic coating of pasty whitish residue but does not, in fact, work to remove chrome. I'll try the wire wheel but first I'll give the internet just one more chance. Apparently a scrubbing with aluminum foil and Coca Cola does the trick. Color me skeptical.
edit: Chrome: 1, One perfectly good but wasted can of Coke and some aluminum foil: 0.
On the bright side an angle grinder with wire wheel attachment does clean up a header with pitted chrome beginning to rust. You'll notice only one is done for side by side comparison in the photo. Also my poor neighbors. I try to only do a little bit of noisy stuff at a time so they don't kill me. One pipe today, maybe one tomorrow or the next day. :cool
My fork saga continues. The forks that came on my bike had terminal pitting on the tubes. I picked up a set of CB160 forks from a guy in SF and when I pulled them apart I found a small amount of pitting on one tube (I can probably sand it out) and this... I may be able to mix and match but the tubes aren't the same length. The saga continues. Oh, and once again the oil seals refuse to budge. :mad
edit: I used a heat gun to soften up the rubber, then a tire iron and mallet to drive out the oil seals.
Also, internet friends, take note: Internet wisdom has failed me. Oven cleaning product Easy-Off provides a semi toxic coating of pasty whitish residue but does not, in fact, work to remove chrome. I'll try the wire wheel but first I'll give the internet just one more chance. Apparently a scrubbing with aluminum foil and Coca Cola does the trick. Color me skeptical.
edit: Chrome: 1, One perfectly good but wasted can of Coke and some aluminum foil: 0.
On the bright side an angle grinder with wire wheel attachment does clean up a header with pitted chrome beginning to rust. You'll notice only one is done for side by side comparison in the photo. Also my poor neighbors. I try to only do a little bit of noisy stuff at a time so they don't kill me. One pipe today, maybe one tomorrow or the next day. :cool
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augustiron
2fast 2live 2young 2die
go to the werkstatt in SF and check out Jennifer's little CB racebike.
Carlo
Kickstart Enthusiast
I met Tim Fowler, the godfather of that bunch back in 1995 at a vintage race at Wildwood track in British Columbia.
I asked him why he bothered to race 160's, which had to run in the 250 class back then. He told me he just wanted to race, and he could pick up these 160's for next to nothing (in some cases, actually for nothing) so he always had a good supply of parts bikes, and future racers.
They've evolved into very well-developed little race bikes, even if they're still not really fast. P.I.R. put a zigzag in the front straight because it took these guys so long to get from one end of it to the other.
I've got a pretty clean little 160 that someone gave me a few years ago. My only problem is with my size; 6'3"/220 lbs. I'm just not sure I'd enjoy racing on a bike that weighs less than I do.
If I ever get into vintage racing, I'll probably fix up my BSA 441 for the job. I've been around PIR on it before, and it's got just enough power for me to enjoy. Diced with Kenny Dreer during a "parade lap" (actually 5 laps, as fast as we could go) back before he got into the Norton thing. He was riding a pre-unit Triumph that he'd built. My 441 would gain on him in the corners, but fall behind on the straights.
There are a lot of other cheap options if anyone's interested in racing. The vintage class rules are pretty loose aside from age requirements for the bikes.
Honda 350's and 450's are good candidates, and probably a lot more fun to ride than the 160's.
I asked him why he bothered to race 160's, which had to run in the 250 class back then. He told me he just wanted to race, and he could pick up these 160's for next to nothing (in some cases, actually for nothing) so he always had a good supply of parts bikes, and future racers.
They've evolved into very well-developed little race bikes, even if they're still not really fast. P.I.R. put a zigzag in the front straight because it took these guys so long to get from one end of it to the other.
I've got a pretty clean little 160 that someone gave me a few years ago. My only problem is with my size; 6'3"/220 lbs. I'm just not sure I'd enjoy racing on a bike that weighs less than I do.
If I ever get into vintage racing, I'll probably fix up my BSA 441 for the job. I've been around PIR on it before, and it's got just enough power for me to enjoy. Diced with Kenny Dreer during a "parade lap" (actually 5 laps, as fast as we could go) back before he got into the Norton thing. He was riding a pre-unit Triumph that he'd built. My 441 would gain on him in the corners, but fall behind on the straights.
There are a lot of other cheap options if anyone's interested in racing. The vintage class rules are pretty loose aside from age requirements for the bikes.
Honda 350's and 450's are good candidates, and probably a lot more fun to ride than the 160's.
Carlo
Kickstart Enthusiast
Wow, from now on, I won't try to talk you out of this 160 thing. You've got the means to do a first class job.
(actually, this kind of skill and equipment could build a pretty nice CB350 based racebike!)