First time on here, fixing up a '74 XL70

RadRacer203

Active Member
First time on this forum but I've brought back a couple bikes from the grave so far (z50r, XL100, ATC110). My new project is a '74 XL70. It's in excellent shape and I'm fixing it up as a rider, not going to do any restoration. So far I've cleaned the tank, replaced the seat cover, fitted new brake pads and heavy duty shocks to haul my 220 lbs around, and I'm fixing up the turn signals and wiring now and making custom turn signal brackets for the rear so I don't have to buy a new grab bar. Only thing I'm worried about is the exhaust. The original is long gone and my 2 options are to get one made custom with the Cobra muffler that came on it (everything forward of the muffler is garbage), or buy a new reproduction. I'm leaning towards the reproduction but $400 is kind of a lot for one.
20200208_181306.jpg
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
Ended up breaking down and ordering a repro exhaust because of time. I should hopefully have the bike going this weekend if that muffler comes in in time. I finalized the brackets for the turn signals, now I have to shave them down and make them look good. The nice thing is it brings them further inboard than stock so they're less likely to get broken off like the originals.
20200214_155132.jpg
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
It looks like my new shocks might be a problem. They were just ones laying in my parts bin, no idea what they came off of but they seem to be about 20mm longer than stock and it's looking like the chain might rub the swingarm with the extra length. If the chain doesn't rub I should be fine but if it does I'd like to go back to the stock 280 or 290mm length but I'm having a little trouble finding a shock with the right specs. I'm looking for the original style chrome ones with the weight adjustment but all the ones I see on ebay just have the model of the bikes they fit and I can't find the load rating of any bikes anywhere. I know the stock xl70 was meant for a max of 150lbs based on the sticker on my fender but I'd like to aim for a capacity of about 250 with the new shocks. Any suggestions? Maybe I can just use xr75 or xl100 shocks or something along those lines?
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
There are actually a lot of shocks on the market in 280mm length. The difficulty is knowing which ones will match your application. Real shocks cost real money and that's a bitter pill to most. Twin shock setups aren't nearly as prevalent as they once were; monoshock is cheaper to manufacture. Thus, there aren't many top-quality options below $350. Ohlins, YSS, Showa, KYB are the best of what's available new, with real adjustability and the option of specifying spring rate to match your application. Adjustable compression and rebound rates, in addition to spring preload and height adjusters is where shocks get really good...and the bucks start adding-up. You're the only one who can decide how many bucks are worth spending. One huge advantage you have with this bike, over the Z50 & CT70 crowd, the larger diameter tires and longer wheelbase. It takes less shock absorber talent to deliver a decent result with those parameters.

BTW, nice job with the rear turn signal brackets. IMHO, 5-10 minutes spent at the bench grinder, radiusing the corners, and these would look like OEM parts.
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
There are actually a lot of shocks on the market in 280mm length. The difficulty is knowing which ones will match your application. Real shocks cost real money and that's a bitter pill to most. Twin shock setups aren't nearly as prevalent as they once were; monoshock is cheaper to manufacture. Thus, there aren't many top-quality options below $350. Ohlins, YSS, Showa, KYB are the best of what's available new, with real adjustability and the option of specifying spring rate to match your application. Adjustable compression and rebound rates, in addition to spring preload and height adjusters is where shocks get really good...and the bucks start adding-up. You're the only one who can decide how many bucks are worth spending. One huge advantage you have with this bike, over the Z50 & CT70 crowd, the larger diameter tires and longer wheelbase. It takes less shock absorber talent to deliver a decent result with those parameters.

BTW, nice job with the rear turn signal brackets. IMHO, 5-10 minutes spent at the bench grinder, radiusing the corners, and these would look like OEM parts.

I've been looking at shocks but I want something OEM-style for about $100 or less. For my z50r with an xr75 swingarm I went with CT110 shocks at 330mm and they worked great. Stock style is perfectly fine by me, I don't really need any more adjustability than the stock ones with that weight adjustment. The trouble here is figuring out which larger bikes have the same length shocks as the XL70 and can hold more weight.

I'm going to be grinding down the corners of those turn signal brackets this weekend and my plan is to take quite a bit out of the middle too so they're about 3/4" wide instead of 2". I'm pretty proud of those brackets- no new holes, they pull the signals inboard, and they're made from T-brackets I had laying around from when I built my wood shed so they were free!
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
Got the brackets ground down and the wiring more or less set to go. Might have to swap the turn signal wires around but I"m confident about the rest lol. Just installed the new battery and no lights whatsoever. Am I missing something? Does the bike have to be running for the lights to come on?
 

cjpayne

Well-Known Member
Yes, it needs to be running. The neutral light, tail light(key in 2nd position), brake light, blinker indicator, and turn signals should work when not running. The blinkers may not work as fast when not running though.
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
Yes, it needs to be running. The neutral light, tail light(key in 2nd position), brake light, blinker indicator, and turn signals should work when not running. The blinkers may not work as fast when not running though.

Hmm, I think I have a problem then. No lights whatsoever. My key is missing and the switch looks like someone took a screwdriver to it so I'm looking for a new keyswitch. Hopefully I can just use a screwdriver temporarily

Edit: got it working by hammering a screwdriver in and forcing the switch to turn. All seems to be good except the blinker relay is shot, the turn signals just light up constantly
 
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Hoebster

New Member
First time on this forum but I've brought back a couple bikes from the grave so far (z50r, XL100, ATC110). My new project is a '74 XL70. It's in excellent shape and I'm fixing it up as a rider, not going to do any restoration. So far I've cleaned the tank, replaced the seat cover, fitted new brake pads and heavy duty shocks to haul my 220 lbs around, and I'm fixing up the turn signals and wiring now and making custom turn signal brackets for the rear so I don't have to buy a new grab bar. Only thing I'm worried about is the exhaust. The original is long gone and my 2 options are to get one made custom with the Cobra muffler that came on it (everything forward of the muffler is garbage), or buy a new reproduction. I'm leaning towards the reproduction but $400 is kind of a lot for one.
View attachment 65474
I am envious! This was the first bike I learned on to use a clutch. My uncle rode o. The back with me as I learned! These are few and far between!
Good luck on your resto!
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
I am envious! This was the first bike I learned on to use a clutch. My uncle rode o. The back with me as I learned! These are few and far between!
Good luck on your resto!

Thanks! I'm so close to taking it for its first ride! Apparently the ct70 key switch I got is different from the xl70 key switch if anyone knows how I might be able to swap the pins around and get it to work...
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
It is possible to use just about any keyswitch that will fit the bike. But...more times than not, it's far easier to just source the correct switch. The modifications needed can be hard to figure out, require oddball changes and end up being just plain impractical, unless you are really accomplished with wiring and don't have the bad luck to have a harness/switch combo that's a really involved mismatch.
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
It is possible to use just about any keyswitch that will fit the bike. But...more times than not, it's far easier to just source the correct switch. The modifications needed can be hard to figure out, require oddball changes and end up being just plain impractical, unless you are really accomplished with wiring and don't have the bad luck to have a harness/switch combo that's a really involved mismatch.


I think I found an exact replacement switch. I'm wondering why Honda decided it was a good idea to have a different switch pretty much for every bike they made when they all have exactly the same electrics on them, give or take a few things like electric start. Why wouldn't they just have one switch and one basic wiring harness layout?
 

allenp42

Well-Known Member
Why wouldn't they just have one switch and one basic wiring harness layout?

The XL70/SL70 all have a rubber boot to shield the switch from the elements, whereas the CT70's are enclosed on the frame of the bike making protection a little less important (no boot on CT70). The K1 SL70 and both XL70's use the same switch. The KO SL70 is the odd duck in this family; it uses a switch that I think is more like a KO CT70. No again, my "think" is just an educated address.

Here is link to the SL70 KO switch , and as you'll see, NEVH states it will work but does not have the boot.
https://hondanuts.com/Ignition-Switch-Honda-CT70K0-OEM-P5790721.aspx

I suspect the K1 version is same as a CT70 K1-K3, less the boot, but do not know this a fact. Again, a guess on my part.

As racerx pointed out, I too would suggest using the correct switch as it saves you a lot of trouble trying to modify the wiring harness to make it work.

Why Honda did what they did 50 years ago comes up from time to time. I'm sure they had a reason for the differences in one part to another, and I could speculate, but it would not change anything.
 

RadRacer203

Active Member
Finally got a working key switch, just 2 issues. Turn signals aren't blinking which I assume is a bad blinker relay, and the headlight and taillight aren't working, although the brake light does work. That's making me think either the mag isn't charging like it should or possibly the headlight is dead? Any ideas?
 
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