need help with the year quick

TopherGreen

New Member
WHats up guys and gals my name is Chris I live in Huntsville, AL. I just got my CT from my mothers house where its been sitting for 15 or so years. So I need the year to know what parts to get. vin CT70H-153577 also says 1/71 does that mean its a 71 or 72 it's topaz orange. THanks in advance and happy motoring.
 

kmcrab

120cc
It's a 71 CT70H...Nice. Post some pics! Welcome to PMT! Check the motor VIN just to make sure that it is the original motor before ordering parts.
 

kmcrab

120cc
Ok, I'm confused?

I have a CT70H with a build date vin of 5/70. How would that be a 71'?:39:

It's opinion...I consider a bike August or earlier to be that year bike...Anything after August, I think of it as the following year.

The KO/HKO series had so few changes each year and the VINs kept running from 1969 thru 1971 without changing. Other years/models did change VIN's in August.

There are 72 models that have August of 71 mfg dates.

Just my thoughts...
 
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TopherGreen

New Member
I don't know if i should start a new thread but here it is. I am gonna try to get it running tomorrow and hope for the best. I will eventually restore it as best I can but I do want to ride it on trails so I don't want to spend to much time and money on it right now. I am almost positive that I will have to go through the carb but I am gonna put off a engine rebuild if can. It still has good compression i don't know how good I am gonna see if one of my buddys still has his comp. tester tomorrow. Anyway now for the pics. I am not sure where to look for the engine number so I need some input on that.

P1000935.jpg

P1000936.jpg

P1000937.jpg



P1000939.jpg
 

hornetgod

Well-Known Member
I feel that the KO and HKO did not have model years. A run that spanned from 1969 to 1971. I do agree with Harry in the fact that online parts catalogs don't identify a 70' HKO but, they were made in 7 months of that year. Mine was built in December of 1970, and it registered as a 70' and that what I call it. It does get a little less gray when the K1/HK1 and following years began to be built the August prior to the year they were released. Unless someone finds smoking gun proof one way or another I'm certain we will debate this for years to come.

Nice project HKO. Based on the VIN, I'd guess it was built in Jan 1971 (check the VIN tag in the steering neck). The engine number is on the left side just down by where the gear shifter attaches. It should be with in a few hundred of the frame number if they are matching from the factory.
 

kziolk

Member
I bought a '74 with less than 300 miles yet it didn't run perfect. The culprit? The fuel system. CTs are notorious for contaiminated tanks, lines, and carbs. Not because of any design flaw but rather your dealing with a machine that's over 35 years old! Pull the tank and clean it, replace the fuel lines, (Don't be tempted to reuse them, they have more buidup than a artery in a Plavix commercial). Also disassemble and clean the carb. A sonic jewlery cleaner works fantastic. New gaskets and you'll not beleive the differance.
 

kmcrab

120cc
The steering tag says 1/71 (see initial post)...Being January, obviously that one is a 71 and I agree it is a gray area, but since all subsequent models changed in August, I have to believe that is the cut off month...It really doesn't matter, they are basically the same bikes from 69-71 on the KO's. HKO's the same way from 5/70-8/71.

We have listed the small differences on the early 69's. maybe we need to see if anything is a tiny bit different on the early 70 HKO's compared to the later ones.
 

ez50

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the site Topher. You've got yourself a piece of history there, your own. The little bike in my avatar sat for 17 yrs. in the family barn before reserection. Rode it around for a year before my bro told me I needed to clean it up.
Before you start wrench'n, give all the bolts a squirt of PB Blaster so you don't strip out the threads in the carb and such.
Ya, start a new thread and hey, give that thing a bath :67:
 

jdgmbi1

120cc
It's opinion...I consider a bike August or earlier to be that year bike...Anything after August, I think of it as the following year.

The KO/HKO series had so few changes each year and the VINs kept running from 1969 thru 1971 without changing. Other years/models did change VIN's in August.

There are 72 models that have August of 71 mfg dates.

Just my thoughts...

I even know (and GOD knows that isn't much) this debate has been beaten like a dead horse left out in the sun. Cars, motorcycles, boats, planes all have a cut off date in which anything past a certain month in the currrent year is tagged the next year model.

I think the debate is more to the question of which month of the current year that cut off date is. I typically find it to be either the last month of the 3rd quarter of business or the start of the 4th.

I can assure you this has nothing to do with anything but how someone's budget and bottom line aligns.

However, it is more than likely a Tomato v. Toemato deal:4:
 

Flash

120cc
I don't know if i should start a new thread but here it is. I am gonna try to get it running tomorrow and hope for the best. I will eventually restore it as best I can but I do want to ride it on trails so I don't want to spend to much time and money on it right now. I am almost positive that I will have to go through the carb but I am gonna put off a engine rebuild if can. It still has good compression i don't know how good I am gonna see if one of my buddys still has his comp. tester tomorrow. Anyway now for the pics. I am not sure where to look for the engine number so I need some input on that.


Looks great! That's a perfect candidate for restoration/rider. Yes you will definitely need to clean/soak the carburetor since it appears it was ridden w/o its air cleaner? I would venture over to dratv.com and just purchase his complete carb kit for it.
 
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