Let's get this CT70 K0 back together!

[kawahonda]

Haven't posted in a couple years. Been busy with my new mopar.

This should be a near-concourse restoration of a CT70K0, originally topaz but now candy apple red. It's going to sport a bored out 88cc engine, which is already finished.

Almost all the parts restored and done, just sitting around in my office taking up space. Finally worked enough motivation to start combining it all together and get it done.

Yesterday I installed the races and VIN tag. I did some metal work on the fenders and have them soaking in acid right now to get them extra clean. I also started restoring the wiring harness, which is in really good condition, just needs to be re-taped.

 

[kawahonda]

I dissembled the hubs completely. The drum surfaces need a little work. What would you guys recommend?

 

[69ST]

Glass bead blasting for the hubs is about the only real choice. I've cleaned-up a few brake drums on the lathe but that's kinda marginal; there's not much material thickness to work with. A handful of pits, score lines, usually have little-to-no noticeable effect on braking performance. If you end up with incurable brake pulsation, or you reach maximum diameter (111mm), the only practical solution is another hub.

FWIW, I suggest placing the frame on a movers blanket. That can spare you that task of creating a new obscene oath, or several.

 

[kawahonda]

Thanks Racer! I'll plan to get the drum surfaces bead blasted, and then just run-em. They're not too bad. Yes, there is several towels that it's sitting on right now.

What color are the factory fuel hoses? It appears that they may be grey. I have some black ones ready to go. Otherwise, I guess I'll need to order 5mm grey ones. How perfect do you want to be?

I installed the swing arm today. About finished restoring the wiring harness.

Trying to work out a good order of operations. It seems like wiring is the absolute first thing to run through the frame. Once that's done, it seems like the fuel tank is the next logical step, then fuel tank bracket, seat, yadda yadda.

Oh yea, since it's been a few years since I've been around, did the quality of the painted shocks get any better? I'm going to need painted shocks ASAP....my topaz ones don't match and they are pretty beat up. Hoping I could order some candy apple ones and be done with it. Need to get this thing rolling.

 

[69ST]

My suggestion...seat, fuel tank & battery carrier last. It's way easier routing stuff through the frame that way. Between the wire harness, HT plug lead, fuel hoses and airbox boot, that's a lot of olives to stuff back into the jar...more items competing for less real estate than seems possible. Once you've verified healthy spark, at the plug...and killswitch operation... then it'll be time to route the fuel lines and set the tank into place. Leave `em long, in case you end up with a few "do overs". This may be a little controversial but, I install the tank bracket after the tank goes in...no paint scuffs.

With a K0, the seat hinge can go on pretty much whenever you like. The longer, K1-later, style extends beneath the seat hinge, which does make a difference.

IDK about those grey fuel hoses. I've seen both grey and black on K0 & K1 models and I'm talking about known, one-owner, specimens. IMHO, while perfection is a worthwhile goal, having the wrong color fuel hose is pretty minor. After all, how difficult is changing fuel lines? Any serious buyer/collector worth his salt knows this, too.

I've no idea how the newer repop shocks work, let alone what kind of color match you can expect. I've always done the shock covers as part of the frameset tins, meaning all 7 pieces (frame, swingarm, chainguard, HL shell, shock covers, upper fork) get sprayed at the same time. From what I've seen, the red looks reasonably close.

 

[kawahonda]

Thanks again. I'll pick up the DRATV rear shocks and just run-em.

Here's some pics.

As I'm waiting on some various things in order to get the rest of the suspension/steering done, I guess I'll get going on restoring/polishing the brake hubs. I hate polishing.

Honestly, the bike will probably just be a museum piece. LOL

 

[kawahonda]

My thought is I can probably attach the rear fender now if I wanted to...

 

[kawahonda]

Am I supposed to remove the bearings from this retainer ring or leave it in?

 

[cjpayne]

Trying to work out a good order of operations. It seems like wiring is the absolute first thing to run through the frame. Once that's done, it seems like the fuel tank is the next logical step, then fuel tank bracket, seat, yadda yadda.

You'll want to go ahead and install the HTcoil and make sure its properly grounded. The engine mounts also need cleaned for grounding. Ignition switch too.

Here's a tip for the fuel line routing.

https://lilhonda.com/index.php?threads/gas-line-install-to-clear-air-snorkel.19750/

 

[69ST]

I've never used that aftermarket steering bearing setup. The originals have 42 loose bearings, divided equally between upper & lower. They're a bit messy & cumbersome to install. This setup, I take it, was designed to be more convenient...courtesy of that retainer ring.

As for reinstalling the rear fender, now's as good a time as any.

 

[kawahonda]

Thanks Gentlemen.

I just called 3 abrasive shops and none of them do glass bead blasting.

I brought the hubs into another shop. The guy was super helpful. He said he'd run them as is--he said they don't look bad at all. He recommended me take a grey scotch pad and some lacquer thinner and said that's all he'd do. Told me to save my money.

 

[kirrbby]

Nice to see you back kawahonda

 

[69ST]

That's probably right. I'm thinking in terms of a full-on restoration and having easy access to a blast cabinet. As long as the iron brake drum surface is clean, you're good-to-go. Once the wheel is assembled & on the bike, who's going to see the inside of the hub? With that in mind, you could spray-out the inside with Brakleen, to get rid of grease and asbestos particles. From that point, sandpaper will work properly. If you have a wire wheel and a drill, that would do a good job of rust removal, including the non-contacting edges. Otherwise, 120-220 grit sandpaper makes reasonably quick work of surface rust. Then give it final shot of Brakleen and call done.

FWIW, most bike shops have blast cabinets. You might try a shop that restores cars or/and bikes, they'd definitely be able to do a small job like this for less than $30. Powdercoating shops also do abrasive blasting as part of their processing.

 

[kawahonda]

Acid bathing is complete.

Rear fender is in solid driver condition. The brake light holder is solid driving condition, some scratches. Front fender is more banged up, but solid driver condition. The break pedal has thrash on the bottom, but otherwise solid driver. The engine guard looks pretty good. A little tweaked, but no need to worry about that now, can be easily tweaked.

I think this is the type of patena that you want!

 

[kawahonda]

I found a full set of chrome Allen Bolts for the CT70. I made the decision tonight to use them for the body as well. The engine already has 'em. It's going to beat having to dig through the parts bin for rusted fasteners and spending weeks cleaning them. Probably not a purist call, but works for me.

 

[kawahonda]

Do I have the wires wired right?

Final shot for tonight:

 

[69ST]

Body & paint are the most difficult to change, so more typically, folks accept paint deterioration as patina...opting for perfection with most everything else. Your reversed approach has its advantages. Everything else on the bike is basically bolt-on, easily R&R'd anytime you want. I would retain the original fasteners; they can be re-plated someday and they are truly "purist correct". Likewise, the chromed pieces can be restored pretty much any time the mood strikes. And all of those parts can be replated. A decent shop will have no problem removing the seat pan rash from the TL bracket or the road rash from the brake arm and those fenders look better than most originals. It boils down to bucks.

As for the wire harness routing, the main trunk goes below the tank brackets and is held by the frames integral retaining clip. You'll see what I mean when you get more assembled...and why I suggested leaving tank installation to the end.

 

[kawahonda]

I picked up a couple cans of the Dupli-color wheel paint...and this time I made sure to get the clear with it due to my big failure last time on my K3. These are for the wheel hubs. I may also spray the sprocket NOS cover (the newer kind that doesn't have a removable stator cover). It seems like the grey from honda is "off", so I'll probably re-shoot it too match.

This CT70 has electronic ignition from the ebay seller that I used for my CT70K3. I however, rewired the unit using longer wires (I believe it's better suited for the trail 50 lengths). Love that ignition system, so it's already installed and ready to go. Need to re-figure out again how to wire it all in...but that's to come later. It's not difficult, but I've probably already lost the instruction. My reference is my K3. I will definitely install the same Lion-Li battery that's in my K3. The thing rocks and is going on 3-years strong!

The original carb is in a plastic bag. I have tons of brand new carb parts for it, so I'll probably get around to soaking that later and figuring out what to do. Bob, what settings should I start with on the stock carb (jet size and needle jet position) being at 2700 altitude, mini monster cam, and being that I have a 88cc bore? Yes, I'll probably do the snorkle restriction removal-mod.

I probably will use the stock filter and canister. If you guys remember back, I tried to sketch some things but none of you guys thought it would work. I want this thing to appear as stock as possible, minus the Allen head bolts of course and some other very minor things.

Looking forward to getting the stem on the bike to help weigh the other side down some. I still have the rebuilt pogo sticks in my cabinet, freshly greased and all. I probably will have a question of how much grease to use!

How fast should I expect this thing to go again in the configuration that I'm talking about? Only hoping for 40 "comfortable" cruising speeds. My bone stock K3 is "comfortable" holding 35 on normal flat roads. That means on a 35 MPH road, you're going to be slow, so you're going to keep it WOT, and just hope that it bounces up to 36-38 when it does...depending on wind direction temps, etc. I've seen it hit 40 once (laying over on it), but you certainly wouldn't want to expect it to hold 40 MPH with it in normal driving conditions. So basically, I'm hoping for 5 MPH better "cruising" speeds compared to my K3, even though I'm purposely choosing to be carb/air restricted because I have a little purist bone.

With all these parts coming out of my office and into the garage, I have more for more home brewing equipment now!

 

[kawahonda]

Shocks don’t match the best. But it’ll do for now.

 

[kawahonda]

Speedo assembled. You can see a small ding on one side of the ring. Good for me. A new grommet corrects the speedo slop.