Hello. New here. Sharing photos of my 1970 CT70, from Christmas 1970

Hello and thanks for allowing me to join. I hope to learn about how to go about restoring a few things on my CT70. Bought new for me when I had just turned 12 years old from Tinsley's Honda in Louisville, KY in November of 1970, I've kept this old girl all these 49 years. It need some things like a carb rebuild or replacement, as she starts and revs up when carb cleaner is sprayed into the air intake but dies when the cleaner is gone, and I'd like to have a more factory-original looking seat (back in the early 1980's the only choice for replacement of a mouse-damaged seat was factory or from a parts bike). I need a new battery, new grips and maybe even a new frame decal.
Looking around online I've come to view my little Honda as a good condition example of one of the most fun and exciting bikes a 12 year-old could own in 1970. I'm proud to have her, and my children enjoyed riding her in the mid 1990's, which is the last time she ran really.
I see replacement carbs on Amazon. But honestly, I wonder about any replacement carb being a good choice. Seats raise the same questions for me,, because I cannot tell quality from a photo.
I expect to leave the oversize rear sprocket I installed back in the early 80's, because slow and powerful is my preferred way to roll. And there's a crack in the left hand gear case cover from when a rock on our family farm got wedged between the front sprocket and the cover. is an aftermarket replacement available?
Most miles on my CT70 were put on it by my Dad between 1971 and 1973, riding around Louisville KY and out in the county.
Here are some photos. A new foam air cleaner element should be here at the local Honda dealer next week. The original (I think) had turned to almost dust.
I'd appreciate learning a good source for quality replacement parts for my bike. The gear case cover, seat, carb and decal I think would be good starting points for me. Iwill attempt the carb rebuild myself---never tried anything like that. Ne cables and new tires! One tire is original, the other is from late 80's. I don't wish to be riding at 30 MPH on them. I plan to license my CT70 as an "Antique Motorcycle" here in Kentucky too. Thanks for looking, and for your time.

Don

That bike should clean up rather easily. The paint just needs to be cleaned and waxed. Chrome will probably shine up too. New covers for the seat are available. The flywheel cover may be fixable. An unbusted original is hard to find, but there are repops from CHP that look pretty close. I would definitely rebuild the carb. Probably needs to have the idle jet cleaned. Go ahead and replace the float needle and its seat in there too. Fuel lines should be replaced and add inline filters. Replace the points. Convert to a sealed battery.

Now is a good time to service the spinner filter. There's a thread on that in the Tech Area.

Welcome to lilHonda Don. Glad to see that you decided to join.

Don Sterchi said:

I expect to leave the oversize rear sprocket I installed back in the early 80's, because slow and powerful is my preferred way to roll. And there's a crack in the left hand gear case cover from when a rock on our family farm got wedged between the front sprocket and the cover. is an aftermarket replacement available?

Click to expand...

Slow and powerful ! That sprocket looks like it would do that,I have a 33T on mine, good for speed, not so good for dirt!
Here's a great vendor in TX. CHP i always like their stuff. http://www.hondaminitrail.com/ct70.html
Welcome to lilHonda.

Welcome, Don!

The members here are a fantastic resource. Stop by often. No matter what aspect your mini trail question pertains to, there will be someone here who has been through it already.

Kirrbby (see post #3 above) and Racerx are two highly knowledgeable and very active members of this web board, but there are many, many more of us who share your passion for these great bikes. Pretty sure that we all harbor strong nostalgic feelings for them, and that this is what joins us together.

Say thank you all so much! I had a few weeks ago thought seriously of selling my bike since I'm now 60 and on a fixed income. My family though, seemed less than happy about my thoughts. The more I looked into a minor restoration the more I became enthusiastic about doing so. Parts are more widely available than when I was in my 40's back in the 1990's when I last considered that.
I had to have the seat completely redone in the very early 80's, when I was away for an education and mice made a huge nest of the seat. A local upholsterer took the seat pan and made a new covered cushion (hence the brown cover) but it never really felt correct after that. There's some rusting and weakening too of the original seat pan.

Can CHP tell me the correct carb rebuild kit I need? And front and rear brake cables too? n looking at their web site they seem to have most everything I THINK I need. I need to begin a list.
Who do I turn to for a sealed battery, fuel filter and fuel lines please? I must have a new throttle cable, new throttle grip sleeve and grips too. The rotating grip sleeve for the throttle is worn and I remember tends to jam or come off in my hand some times. I see it's called a "throttle pipe" now, thanks to the link.
Are there a couple good one stop parts suppliers I should contact or is a restoration a matter of shopping several vendors because nobody has everything? Are some reproduction brands more respected than others for quality over time? (I hope that's not a rude thing to ask here. But I feel a need to understand).
I've never done something like this. But I'm ready to order a few parts next week specifically a carb kit and cables.
Thank you all again. Don

Don't worry Don, you're not the only old fart on this form. I'm close in age to you and also on a fixed income. Bike looks nice. I basically just went through my own bike to replace/upgrade parts. Making up a list is a good idea. Tires were a priority to me for the same reason you mentioned. If you intend to go with new Trailwings check out this place....best current deal I found. https://www.2wheel.com/bridgestone-tw-front-rear-tire.html

IMO replacing the steering bearings with tapered ones is a great upgrade too. I didn't want to deal with my carb right away and become frustrated right out of the shoot, so I went with an aftermarket clone replacement that had my bike purring just by swapping out the old with the new. Plus, I have a now have a spare. I'm saving the original to rebuild at my leisure...if I ever get any. With the knowledge of some great folks on this forum...and their willingness to share....you should be able to to deal with any issues that might arise,..and I'm speaking from personal experience. Good luck.

CHP, ebay, and www.dratv.com should probably have everything you'll need. Your bike is a KO made '69-71. Make sure you don't order parts for '72 (K1), some parts interchange, some dont. The replacement carbs use a taller slide throat with a short cap, opposite of what you have, if you look at pics of your carb cap and the aftermarket you'll see the difference. You may need to order the correct length throttle cable for the aftermarket carb, I think CHP's site goes into detail about this by the aftermarket carb. Decent china seats are available on ebay and maybe the other two sites, for around $100-$120 you'll get a new pan, foam, and cover fully assembled ready to bolt on, lifting the bike up by the seat is handy but cracks the seat pan and possibly the frame around the seat latch, lift bike by rear fender. CHP has cable kits that will include all 4 cables on the bike and it sounds like you need 3 of the 4 already. Looks like the carb kit you need from CHP is their part number C17. I've had luck using just the rubber parts from a carb kit and cleaning the stock jets with a wire from a wire brush. Somtimes the aftermarket kits come with a 65 main jet when stock was 60. If the original can be cleaned and run fine I'd use that. But installing the jets that came with the kit should get you up and running in less than a hour. If your going to clean the stock jets it may take some messing around/trouble shooting if it doesn't run right. The main jet, probably a size 60 in the carb now threads into the emulsion tube/main jet holder, 7mm wrench removes it and it has a bunch of holes along the side of it that need cleaning with wire. The stock fuel filter is CHP part# C138. This mounts in the carb bowl on the right side, yours might be fine just need a cleaning, or it could have holes in it. CHP also has aftermarket plastic inline fuel filters. CHP part# 45K should be what you need to complete rebuild your twist grip along with 2 new grips. When you roll the throttle side grip back there is a small phillips screw on the bottom that holds everything together. These screws are usually wore and somtimes stripped. part# C69-1 is the sealed battery you need. That battery will take a little work to install. Not sure what all is included but it sounds like two spade terminals are that you crimp onto your old + and - leads that you cut off your old battery, or there is a seller on ebay that makes pre-made battery connector with fuse and spade terminals for the sealed batteries, if going that route make sure its for a KO as K1-82's changed 2 times.

Do you recall why the sticker was removed off one side of the bike and not the other?

Thank you. I've started studying the CHP listings. I see their "plug and play" exacting reproduction carburetor is right at $65 which is only a little more than twice the price of a rebuild kit . I never did a rebuild before. Would like to keep the original but am trying to decide if I have the skills with Youtube help to rebuild mine and save the difference in cash outlay.
I know to start with a plan. Here's mine and I'd enjoy suggestions.
First: Mechanical-get it running.
1)Carb rebuild OR repro carb.
2) New throttle parts set with cable (must call to learn how to decide length), twist grip sleeve, etc
3) New fuel lines, i.e. main line and reserve
4) Battery.
5) Tires front and back.
6) Brake cables too. (I see CHP sells a bundle of cables with brakes, throttle and speedometer if
I remember right--will double check--may be the best deal, and brake cables are really important
to me).

When things are apart for replacement or repair, clean and paint as appropriate. What paint to use please? I'm thinking engine enamel from a major maker, for the oil and heat resistance. Suggestions?
Also the best time to clean and polish chrome. Turtlewax was suggested because of the rust removal capabilities.
The above would be a goodly amount of work for me.
keep all old parts, right?
Thoughts welcomed. Thanks again for suggestions and the links.
Don

Great to see another one owner bike, an elite club for sure. I'm in the same age bracket as you as well. Curious as to why you got it, Birthday,Christmas or just because? As to parts in the '90's you missed some good opportunities,those were the days when guy's would go into a Honda dealer and buy up all the NOS parts. I was in Michigan in 95 buying a TL 125 from a guy who did this. He had a huge 2 story garage filled with bikes on the ground floor,the second floor was full of shelving with NOS parts. He said he sent a container load back to Japan every month. To help sweeten my bike deal he thru in a box of nos parts including a frame still in the bag and a gas tank still in it's box. Mr Honda had promised when he first started bringing bikes here that parts for them would always be available,when he passed in '91 that changed fast. It must have been a logistical nightmare because using a gas tank for example they offered them in the oem colors,for an early 50 mini trail that would be 3 different part numbers Around '91 I bought handle bars for my 50 and taillight brackets for 35 bucks from another reseller. Another good place to check for parts is here- http://www.hondanuts.com/home.html. they were always a very helpful bunch of guy's.

HRC200X I only now saw your lengthy and, as are other's. very very helpful posts. It's late and I will study all responses to my questions more tomorrow (our 3.5 year old granddaughter is here with us for several days as I type this, and we are uhhhh. quite busy LOL).
I confess I myself removed the right hand sticker somewhere around age 15. A corner had raised up and as 15 year olds are prone to do sometimes, I tried gluing it back down. Didn't work, and I recall that in frustration I removed it the rest of the way, thinking I'd replace it "one day". Never happened. My beloved wife is a dedicated vinyl crafter with a "Cricut" vinyl cutting machine. I expect her to craft me something personal in weatherproof vinyl to "fill in the blank" on the right side. Remember this won't be a showroom restoration for old Pawpaw here. It will be a licensed, roadworthy, safe and personally memorable throwback to my early youth. Let the kids debate over it when I'm gone, but I'm planning fun.
Oh and Gary, mine was a Christmas gift in 1970. I know now why I received a 70 instead of a 50cc. Daddy licensed my bike for the road and it was his first intro to street biking. Probably 2000 miles of the 2815 were on the streets of surburban Louisville, KY where I was raised until age 17. I think he planned that from the start LOL. Mine led to a new 1972 Kawasaki G4 Trail Boss, and a used 1973 Honda CL350 in our family. The latter two are gone to the winds of time, and I haven't ever had the heart to sell my CT70.
Don

Do you recall how bike was running when you put it away? Was it put away with gas in it? If it was running good (with choke off) and gas ran out or drained there is a good chance your carb is fine and will just need the rubber parts, but you may want to take it apart before ordering to see how it looks internally. CHP shows which cable to use with their aftermarket carb but its a little confusing and maybe you would want to confirm with them. They say to use C15LG with the aftermarket carb, if you look at C15LG and if you were ordering that for the stock carb it would be for the tall type carb top. What are you planning on repainting? I think it looks pretty good as is, maybe do the footpegs/kickstand but it will wear off right away where your feet rub.

I'm only planning to paint the airbox, and wheel rims. The cracked gear case cover on the left side decades got painted by me with some common hardware store spray paint. When carb cleaner got on it last week as I sprayed the air intake and my bike revved up, some got on the gear case cover and of course ruined it.
Suggestions for an appropriate spray paint appreciated. Powder coating type treatments are out of my price range.
I really don't remember the gas level last week. I should, but at the time, I was still seriously planning to sell her and thought a buyer would be doing what I now plan to do myself.
So happy I changed my mind. My children and wife are happy about my change of heart too.
Night friends. Don