New Honda Trail 70 Owner

[DRVMN]

Hello everyone! My name is David and I'm from Saint Michael, Minnesota - a Northwest Suburb of the Twin Cities. I recently purchased a 1972 Honda Trail 70 (I believe CT 70 K1) so I could relive a childhood memory! A neighbor of mine owned a Honda Trail 70 and I've always wanted to own one of my own. I've been riding motorcycles since I was 10, and currently ride a 2016 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited. I've been looking at "Project Trail 70 Bikes" for a few years now and finally decided to make the purchase. My goal is a complete frame up restoration - stripping the bike down, repainting the frame, and going from there.

The bike fires up on the first kick and goes through all three gears without any issues. I changed the oil, added fresh fuel, and drove it around the block a couple times. Cosmetically, it has seen better days, but it is solid (no rust, etc.). Looking forward to learning from everyone on this site. I belong to a Harley-Davidson site similar to this one and know that there is a vast amount of knowledge and information to be found here. I am a high school Mathematics teacher (27 years) so I'll be doing more work over the summer. Not in any hurry, so I can do things the right way.

Thanks for having me.

 

[1970ct70]

personally, from the looks of the pictures, I'd leave it as is. Its only original once, and that bike looks great as is. then again, it's your bike. do as you please.

 

[AtLarge]

Welcome David. I agree with the aforementioned. Fix that wiring and clean it up. Ride on!

 

[darrel gunderson]

Its a CT70 KO not a K1

 

[69ST]

Welcome aboard. There's some truth to the "it's only original once" mantra. It has practical limits. Overall, this looks like a pretty nice, reasonably complete & straight bike. If that's the actual mileage then either the motor was one of those rare examples that received proper maintenance and was stored properly...with clean oil and both valves closed. Odds are much higher that the engine has been opened-up, for some work, at least once. That's not a bad thing, if the work was done right.

Now for the bad news (and there isn't much)...the seat & triple tree + bar clamp were original...once (upon a time)...but no longer. That fugly seat has the wrong cover and it's missing the K0 rivets. This is correctable, but something to be revisited a little later. You'd be doing yourself a favor by sourcing a correct, OEM, K0 top triple tree (which is also the handlebar clamp, on this model) and replacing the Chinese top tree and its matching ultra-cheapy bar clamp. FYI, if the handlebar knobs are rubber-covered, they are the originals. The handlebars appear to be OEM. Aside from these two glaring issues, which are fairly minor (just highly noticeable) the rest of the machine looks pretty complete, clean and original.

 

[kirrbby]

I'm also a believer in that "original once" way of thinking. But only for SOME bikes. This one doesn't strike me as being THAT original. Wires and cables are out of place and...messed with. Couple odd parts, wear, and enough patina to just look...tired. Don't get me wrong, it's a great lookin bike for pushin 50.
But some folks don't want any part of patina, or having to maintain 50 year old paint, chrome and rubber. The other nice thing about a clean original... they're the easiest to restore. Since you don't have all that dirt and rust and dents to deal with. I say restore the hell out of that thing...and post up pics and info for us as you progress

As long as you keep it as original as possible, you'll end up with a valuable and desirable...and beautiful, bike.

It DOES appear to be a K0. 1969-71 with a 6 digit vin number. The head tag will show the build date in the top right corner...month and year. The engine number should be within about 500 of the vin number to be matching..?

Welcome to lilHonda David!

 

[cjpayne]

Welcome to the addiction

 

[wanrep]

Welcome. You've come to the right place. These guys are awesome.

My 2 cents worth....ride and enjoy it the rest of this summer.
By winter, you might have a better idea what you want to do with it.
And ALL winter to do it. Those Minn. winters can be pretty long.

All in all, that's a nice bike.

 

[DRVMN]

Thank You everyone for the welcomes and helpful advice . . . The VIN is: CT70282849 and the engine number is: CT70E-282402. The Minnesota Title says 1972, but that could be wrong. If the VIN and engine number begin with a "2" does that mean 1972:?

Thanks Again!

 

[DRVMN]

Oh yeah . . . I definitely want to get the seat and cover back to original. One of my top fixes, not to mention the seat padding is shot.

 

[DRVMN]

I'm also a believer in that "original once" way of thinking. But only for SOME bikes. This one doesn't strike me as being THAT original. Wires and cables are out of place and...messed with. Couple odd parts, wear, and enough patina to just look...tired. Don't get me wrong, it's a great lookin bike for pushin 50.
But some folks don't want any part of patina, or having to maintain 50 year old paint, chrome and rubber. The other nice thing about a clean original... they're the easiest to restore. Since you don't have all that dirt and rust and dents to deal with. I say restore the hell out of that thing...and post up pics and info for us as you progress

As long as you keep it as original as possible, you'll end up with a valuable and desirable...and beautiful, bike.

It DOES appear to be a K0. 1969-71 with a 6 digit vin number. The head tag will show the build date in the top right corner...month and year. The engine number should be within about 500 of the vin number to be matching..?

Welcome to lilHonda David!

Thank You for input and advice! Question: The VIN number is: CT70282849 and the engine number is: CT70E-282402. The Minnesota Title says "1972" and the serial number begins with a "2", but when I look up parts, and specifically look at the headlight bucket w/speedometer, it looks more like the 1971. Could my model be a very late 1971 KO but sold as a 1972? I've been ordering some OEM parts and have been using the 1970 - 1971 models. CHP has some nice diagrams. The head tag says "8/71" which I believe is the build date.

I know the seat is not original and that is one of the things I will redo. Also, someone mentioned the triple tree being non OEM . . . would that be the chrome piece, or the handlebar clamp, or both. I did reroute some of the cables back to their original spot. The hi/low beam wires were cut so I patched them together and ordered a new switch.

Thank You again for all your help - It is very much appreciated!!!

 

[DRVMN]

Welcome aboard. There's some truth to the "it's only original once" mantra. It has practical limits. Overall, this looks like a pretty nice, reasonably complete & straight bike. If that's the actual mileage then either the motor was one of those rare examples that received proper maintenance and was stored properly...with clean oil and both valves closed. Odds are much higher that the engine has been opened-up, for some work, at least once. That's not a bad thing, if the work was done right.

Now for the bad news (and there isn't much)...the seat & triple tree + bar clamp were original...once (upon a time)...but no longer. That fugly seat has the wrong cover and it's missing the K0 rivets. This is correctable, but something to be revisited a little later. You'd be doing yourself a favor by sourcing a correct, OEM, K0 top triple tree (which is also the handlebar clamp, on this model) and replacing the Chinese top tree and its matching ultra-cheapy bar clamp. FYI, if the handlebar knobs are rubber-covered, they are the originals. The handlebars appear to be OEM. Aside from these two glaring issues, which are fairly minor (just highly noticeable) the rest of the machine looks pretty complete, clean and original.

Thank You! I am definitely going to get a new seat cover and foam. It is pretty worn and the cover is definitely not OEM. What part of the triple tree and handle bar is not original . . . I want to replace them so that I have OEM whenever possible. It looks like there is a chrome plate on top and then the handlebar clamp on top of that. The knobs are rubber-covered and look to be in pretty good shape. I plan on doing an engine and clutch/transmission rebuild. I adjusted the valves but I'm sure the compression is not where it needs to be meaning rings are probably worn, along with valve seats too. The cam chain has probably also seen it's better days too. Looks like new points and condenser were installed. When I look up parts, I find that the 1970 - 1971 KO matches my bike better (especially the headlight bucket with speedometer). The VIN number is: CT70-282849 and the engine number is: CT70E-282402, so I'm guessing it's the original and matching motor. Minnesota Title says "1972" and build date on tag says 8/71. Wondering if it's an early, early 1972.

Thank You again for your comments and suggestions. This site is a great resource!

 

[hrc200x]

8/71 I believe was the last month of production for the KO bikes. Bike was probably bought in '72 and titled at that time, but its a '71. As you've found a '72 is way different looking. Where your top tree is chrome and the handle bar clamp is aluminum the correct for a KO should be all one piece aluminum. If you change to the correct top clamp it will change the feel of the handlebars, moving them closer together, making the bike feel narrower.

 

[DRVMN]

8/71 I believe was the last month of production for the KO bikes. Bike was probably bought in '72 and titled at that time, but its a '71. As you've found a '72 is way different looking. Where your top tree is chrome and the handle bar clamp is aluminum the correct for a KO should be all one piece aluminum. If you change to the correct top clamp it will change the feel of the handlebars, moving them closer together, making the bike feel narrower.

Thank You! Very helpful information. I'll be looking for the top tree/handlebar clamp.