On September 30 I bought a really rough, 1965 CA95 as my next restoration project. The bike has 6100 miles on the clock and was last run in 1983 ... perfect! It's no fun restoring something that runs already.
The cheesy aftermarket rear luggage rack will not be included in the restoration. The US-spec CA95 wasn’t built with turn signals, but the general export C95 was, so I’ve hunted down the proper turn signal switch and lights to ensure that I'll have working turn signals on the final product.
On October 15 I finally got an opportunity to start the disassembly of the Benly. Since this bike was stored in a shed for nearly 3 decades without being used, I was prepared for surprises and challenges. I got out the tools, reviewed my handy list of swear words, set the box of Band Aids within reach, then started to work.
I started by draining out all the engine oil. There was exactly one half cottage cheese container of oil in the engine, which is the universal measurement for “not enough oil”. It had the consistency of melted mozzarella cheese, another bad sign.
Below are some pictures of the progress so far. I'll post updates over the next few months.
I found the fuel inlet tube rolling around in the fuel tank. That hints that the petcock gasket is no longer pliable, so I've ordered a new one.
Exhaust flanges removed without incident ... that's good.
Below, I found a mouse nest inside the frame, behind the carburetor ... where much of the wiring resides. Oh oh.
It appears that the mice enjoyed the air cleaner, which oddly looks like a piece of firewood at this point.
Below, my Benly is now a rolling chassis.
The engine is free.
Below, the mice did some wiring work, so I'll carefully inspect the harness when it's off the bike to decide whether to fix or replace completely. Replacement harnesses are cheap.
Below is my first glance inside the engine ... the camshaft and cams looked good. Not a score or scuff anywhere.
Below, the head has some carbon build-up, which will be cleaned when I pull the valves.
The picture below doesn't show the cylinder condition very well, but the cylinders looked great. Perfectly smooth, no scoring to be seen anywhere. I'll take some micrometer measurements later to understand what I have.
The carburetor has some gasoline residue/varnish, but no oxidation, so I'm happy.
Have you ever seen a rear sprocket this worn? I realize it's aluminum, but I'm assuming that the previous owners had some religious issue preventing them from lubricating and adjusting the chain.
