Here's my personal motorcycle. It's an 81 Honda CM200. Got it off Craigslist and it needed some major work.
The speedometer wasn't working, it needed a new clutch, brake and clutch levers. It also needed a front brake shoes. Oh the grips were in bad shape and the spark plugs were the wrong size, so when I took them out, they were damaged. I was afraid that the piston would have some ill effects from it. But so far so good.
I got into this bike after I sold my 07 Honda Elite 80. I figured this was the next step up from a scooter, right? One thing you have to know about my scooter, it was in PRISTINE condition. So after I sold it, I bought the CM200. Once I got it home I showed my wife. By that time it had been through a 30 mile ride from the place I bought from and back to my home. My wife comes out and sees this "old" bike and the first thing she says was, "What the heck did you buy? I didn't expect you to get a fixer upper..." Right when she said that, there was some black liquid leaking from the crank case...great.
At that same moment, buyer's remorse came on. I thought that the case just cracked since it was so old. I ride it into my garage and leave it alone for the next few days. I studied the Clymer Manual and start ordering parts from Ebay. First thing I needed to do was get a new odometer cable since the one that was on the bike was broken. I then ordered new brake shoes, and new levers. I also ordered a dragger bar to replace the OEM hanger style bar.
Let's fast forward 11 months. I've put in close to 4,000 miles on it! Here's the most recent incarnation of the bike.
I've since addressed all the issues I mentioned above. That black liquid was from the crank case breather hose that was clogged. After draining it, and installing the proper filters, it was fine. I've ditched the dragger bars for the Clubman bar you see. I've also ordered a cafe racer seat, and that should hopefully be finished by this week and installed the following week.
So the plan is to turn this little ride into a Cafe Racer. With the new Clubman bars and new seat, I should be able to achieve that look without a problem. I told the shop who's doing the work for me, that I want the option to reinstall that big OEM seat in the event I want to carry a passenger. They inspected the frame and said it shouldn't be a problem.
Once I'm done with the Cafe look, a new rear tire will be next on the list. The front has plenty of life on it, but when it's time to replace, I'm going with a wider tire.
That's it for now. You've basically read the whole history of owning my CM200. Here's a little clip of the bike idling.
One from my old commute.
I got into this bike after I sold my 07 Honda Elite 80. I figured this was the next step up from a scooter, right? One thing you have to know about my scooter, it was in PRISTINE condition. So after I sold it, I bought the CM200. Once I got it home I showed my wife. By that time it had been through a 30 mile ride from the place I bought from and back to my home. My wife comes out and sees this "old" bike and the first thing she says was, "What the heck did you buy? I didn't expect you to get a fixer upper..." Right when she said that, there was some black liquid leaking from the crank case...great.
At that same moment, buyer's remorse came on. I thought that the case just cracked since it was so old. I ride it into my garage and leave it alone for the next few days. I studied the Clymer Manual and start ordering parts from Ebay. First thing I needed to do was get a new odometer cable since the one that was on the bike was broken. I then ordered new brake shoes, and new levers. I also ordered a dragger bar to replace the OEM hanger style bar.
Let's fast forward 11 months. I've put in close to 4,000 miles on it! Here's the most recent incarnation of the bike.
So the plan is to turn this little ride into a Cafe Racer. With the new Clubman bars and new seat, I should be able to achieve that look without a problem. I told the shop who's doing the work for me, that I want the option to reinstall that big OEM seat in the event I want to carry a passenger. They inspected the frame and said it shouldn't be a problem.
Once I'm done with the Cafe look, a new rear tire will be next on the list. The front has plenty of life on it, but when it's time to replace, I'm going with a wider tire.
That's it for now. You've basically read the whole history of owning my CM200. Here's a little clip of the bike idling.
One from my old commute.
Did you ever get tires for it I have the same bike and I can't seem to find them.
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