1982 CT 110 purchase/Full Monty Rehab 2.0

R

Rutabaga

Active Member
I’ve been looking for another project similar to my 1976 CT 90 purchased a year ago that has been an awesome adventure to own, rehab, and ride.

Thread 'Full Monty rehab. Maybe.'
https://lilhonda.com/index.php?threads/full-monty-rehab-maybe.25781/

Yesterday I purchased locally a 1982 CT 110 that appeared in the ad to be in very good shape but with the normal neglect of a toy that has lost the interest of the owner.
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It was listed as a non runner for the last two years. The owner had purchased it to practice riding as he had booked a riding tour in Australia on a Postie and wanted some experience on the bike prior to his adventure. After riding “3000 miles” on his tour he was not interested anymore and it has sat for two years, of course with the gas not drained. It has the normal symptoms of age and neglect; the tires have a date code of 2005, chain and sprocket are original, carb is an EPA waste site, one tire is flat, battery is dead, etc. I thumb tested the compression, got a spark with the plug out and squirted a few cc of gas in the cylinder then kicked it. It fired on the second or third kick and sounded fine. Pulled the CDI cover to make sure it had not been swapped out to breaker points and did a pretty thorough inspection of the remainder of the engine and frame. One item I was interested in particular was the Rats Nest and it looked unmolested from stock. All the screw fasteners had either never been touched or someone has been very careful with the JIS screwdrivers. I suspect the various covers had never been opened but that is somewhat of an asset if no one has been in there half assing things. I suspect the clutch plates have been subjected to whatever oil was available. Overall, I have the feeling it has good bones and is a candidate for my type of tinkering. It has the potential for a “Monty Two Point Zero” type rehab. I’m grinning already.
 
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Started the process of a rehab today on the “new to me” ‘82 CT 110. First item was to repair/inflate the rear tire so as to improve its mobility from its garage parking spot to its working spot. Both tires are 2005 dated and are due for replacement so all ideas are fair games. The Schrader valve on the rear was suspect so I purchased a WM tire kit for $3 and installed a new one. It has held pressure about 11 hours and 57 minutes longer than the old one so we will call that good enough for garage travel. The carb was first to come off and I think it’s original but that’s only a guess so far.
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Not terrible but neglected gas has had its way with the internals. Pilot (38) and Main (72) were clogged but I think I sorted them out for now. Float and float needle are fine.
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Throttle needle is a single clip position (17D) so that solves the “which clip position” to use. I do not see an altitude compensator knob but my knowledge of this model and its features are damn near none. If needed I’ll jet accordingly. The foam air filter was just a pile of very fine dust inside the housing which had been sucked into the metal framework for the foam and rendered it useless for air flow. I wiped a bunch of it out of the carb throat and off the choke plate. Fuel tank is surprisingly clean and rust free considering what other neglect I’m spotting. Fuel lines needing replacing and it had no fuel filters so I’ll install them. Haven’t even looked at the battery but I suspect it has not been maintained either. First glance at the wiring is encouraging and I’m not expecting any gremlins electrically. I expect challenges ahead but I bought for entertainment and so I approach it with a good attitude.
 

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Put the carb back on and yesterday got it running, albeit only at idle and only with the choke on full. Any effort to increase rpm is met with a quick dive toward stall but a quick recovery if caught early enough. So the carb is back off for a more ambitious cleaning in a tub of unfriendly liquid. Removed all o rings, plastic and they look “good enough” for my needs right now, which is a crude once over for assessment. Got tires ordered, Shinko, and new tubes so tire removal and replacement, brakes and bearings and rear drive cushions are getting close. Headlight was missing High beam so I replaced it with an older but “both beams working “spare that came with the deal. No way of knowing for sure but I would attribute the burnt bulb to the sorry state of the battery, which falls in line with the general lack of maintenance and seeming inability of the PO to notice and correct easily accomplished routine tasks of operational nature. I also removed the second seat mounted to the luggage rack. Don’t like it and have no use for it. Got all four blinkers checked and they work. Tail light didn’t but hey, no surprise, the bulb was missing.
All things considered, maybe I should be very appreciative of the PO not working on the bike.
 
Make sure the emulsion tube comes out of the carb - use a golf tee to tap it out. Use a copper wire, not steel to clean out the crossing holes in the emulsion tube and the idle jet. Copper is softer than steel and a steel wire will enlarge the calibrated holes in these parts.

Rick
 
Thanks for the tip on the emulsion tube. Actually, I did not remove the main jet from the tube because I had read it was pressed in and in my rush to get things done I did not try to unscrew the 72 jet. I will separate them now. Is Acetone a good cleaner or too harsh? Throttle body is sitting in some full strength Purple Power right now as it was the most benign liquid in my collection. Will ramp up the cleaner war if needed.
 
Reinstalled carb and all is good, snappy response up and down with no lag no stall on recovery. I drove about five miles this afternoon listening to the transmission, bearing, or whatever may sound strange and all is normal. Quite a difference in power from the 90 but not astoundingly so that I think the 90 is weak, it isn’t impeding my my riding style in the least. If anything, the 110 seems in the first five miles on neighborhood streets seems a bit excessive! I go back with this one and repeat some of the more interesting Forest Service trail for comparison.
Probably go ahead and pull the front tire first since there is less to do than the rear. I already have a set of brakes for it so just bearings and speedometer gears and maybe deglazing the drums if needed.
 
Went riding today at 7200’ and the 110 is noticeably stronger on the same trails that I ride the 90, especially noticeable is pulling hills in third and having the ability to accelerate as opposed to pulling the same hills in 2nd and accelerating but not enough grunt to move up into third and stay there. On the slower sections in high range there is a bit of clutch slippage when adding power in second and third, not so noticeable in first. Not too surprised as the PO was just putting anything in for oil. I had adjusted the clutch before this ride so I’ll keep an eye on it. An oil screen cleaning is the works as part of the rehab and probably a new clutch while I’m in there. Stock jetting seems fine for that altitude and I suspect it will be fine for the above 9000’ segments I do. We’ll see.
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After riding I pulled the front wheel off to begin the rehab and removed the 2005 tire that was boldly going where it was never intended to go, 20 years in service. Rim looks good, brakes good still at 4cm and drums are likewise good. Bearing feels good and with only 5300 miles I’m comfortable continuing with them.
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Tire and tubes showed up yesterday so should be done with the front tire and then I’ve got one shock boot that needs replacing and both will get serviced. Then to the rear. Rinse and repeat.
 
Got the front tire mounted, brakes and speedometer cable/gearing cleaned and sorted. Noticed a broken front fender brace during the reinstall and decided the shocks need more than just a cursory going over so I decided to defer those items right now so I buttoned up the front wheel. I decided to move right on to the rear wheel for several reasons, one is storage space is at a premium and mounting the new rear tire will free up the space it is occupying right now, secondly I want both tires on so I don’t have to continuously pump up the rear because it’s going flat.
Went ahead and reconnected everything even if it means removing it to work on the shocks. When it’s mounted in the correct spot I don’t have to worry about finding it or storing it. Removed the rear wheel assembly and will swap out with new brakes( current are about 2.5cm so it’s not worth it to me to do this later). Rubber drive cushion and sprocket (new) I inherited but I’ll need a new chain and front drive sprocket based on the condition of the old rear one and chain. Both appear to be original and are worn out.

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Looking good! It's interesting to hear the comparisons to the 90. I've always thought about letting Dr. ATV go to work on my engine to get a bit more performance. I find myself choosing to ride my WR250R over my CT90 solely because it'll do 45mph+. Even being able to do 55mph would make a huge difference in traffic comfortability.

Granted it'll do 60+ currently if the hill is steep enough 😂

Keep up the good work! I'm jealous it's still riding weather in AZ, everything is Snowy or muddy here around SLC.
 
Finally got a new chain, rear and front sprockets plus new rear axle drive cushions headed this way. A small change in maintenance philosophy until I decide which of the two bikes,1976 CT 90 or 1982 CT 110, I will ultimately keep longer term. They both have more than enough potential for my riding style( slower the better, durability because I’m solo in some remote areas) but within the next 90-120 days one has got to go. The 90 had a lot of attention before I got it but needed a wire harness swap out to new. The 110 is lacking quite a bit of routine maintenance like tires, chain, sprockets, etc but that’s all easily done. I’ve ridden the 90 about 1000 miles in the 8 months it’s was rideable and will need some more time on the 110 to make a fair comparison of what I have, and want, and need from it. Either one will give me grins. At this point in time I’m inclined to make the 110 equal mechanically and in durability so it can be interchangeable with the 90. Once the rear is reassembled in the next week or so I am probably going to pull the right side cover off and clean the screen and assess the clutch situation. I think that will be the majority of what needs to be done in order to get it in the woods and feel comfortable with the durability so I can put a lot more miles on it. For Xmas I want another $2 milk crate from the Thrift store.
 
Just a quick maintenance tip for those not inclined to read the Specifications section of the Honda Shop Manual for the CT 110: for the front shocks fluid it tells you the amount and type of fluid required, even the amount is further dependent on the current state of the shock, and that ATF is to be used as the required fluid with the explanation that ATF is Automatic Transmission Fluid. But wait, if you’re not inclined to use the Shop Manual then you’re probably not reading these forum posts but I’ll ask anyhow? Why and How did the bike you sold me come to be serviced with the correct amount of fluid and yet you used water, Yep H2O folks. Still haven’t seen everything in Life but I’m getting a wider picture.
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As the great philosopher "Nigel Tufnel" of the band "Spinal Tap" once said . . . "There's a fine line between clever and stupid". And it appears that the previous owner crossed that line.

Rick
 
Full Disclosure: after my mini rant of recent I have been served and eaten a slice of “Crow Pie” for not paying full attention to the parts schematics whilst ordering replacements. When I pulled the rear sprocket off the bike it was so caked with chain lube I just set it in the recycle cardboard box and I moved on to disassembly of the brakes, cushions etc. I used the Service Honda.com parts schematic and could plainly see the the rear sprocket(item 1) and the dampener dust cover(item 3) were two separate pieces and sold as such. So when my new sprocket arrived without the dust cover I went and looked at the old assembly but mine appeared to be welded on and it was so nasty I hadn’t even touched it to check. I didn’t realize it was just a plastic cover so I spent quite a while devising a plan to grind off the big rivets to release it so as to have it welded on the new sprocket. Watched a few videos , did some reading, went back to the site I had ordered from to see if there was a different one with the “steel” dust cover already installed. Diligent work for about two hours and finally went back out to the work bench to employ desperate measures against this problem. After a few minutes of using a paint scraper to remove accumulated chain grease I discovered the “steel” was plastic and the “weld” grease. Just like the schematic showed it was two separate items co-joined by my inattentiveness to what I was plainly shown in the parts diagram. So I ate a healthy slice of crow pie and enjoyed the grin brought about by my mistake. IMG_5879.jpeg IMG_5880.jpeg IMG_2855.png
Just waiting on the chain, dampeners and front sprocket to arrive. Might have to order some more Crow Pie too!
 
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