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The Honda CA95 / Benly 150 Restoration The little brother to the CA160 in our family of Hondas

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  #106  
Unread 08-22-2015, 07:43 PM
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Thanks for being receptive to my feedback. Some folks might get offended, but to me it's an collaborative and iterative process. I know I appreciate others input when I'm working on a project. I might not follow their advise, but at least I try to keep my ears open.

So everyone, now there's a good reason not to throw away those old knee pads - keep them for your next custom project. Good stuff!

I'm excited to see the process you use to age those pipes. Do you have the chrome stripped off in preparation for the treatment, and use old used/blackened oil as opposed to fresh new oil?

Are you planning to share the process to build your 6V LED signal (winker) bulb units, or has it been documented somewhere else?

When you solder the double filament bulbs, do you just leave a splotch of solder in the center for the middle contact on the socket? Have you successfully used these bulbs in other 6V winker applications?

Done 10 days? Chip, you are a man on a mission!
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  #107  
Unread 08-23-2015, 04:44 AM
Spokes Spokes is offline
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Last edited by Spokes; 11-15-2015 at 04:20 AM.
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  #108  
Unread 08-23-2015, 08:24 PM
Steverinomeiste Steverinomeiste is offline
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It never ends Chip. Little did I know when I took on the CA95 that you giuded me through I would three years later be doing a big and little brother CB160 and CB77 project. I really hope to finish those before Thanksgiving and then I have a final CB160 after that. I have to do the third CB160 to use up all those parts I bought a few years ago.
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  #109  
Unread 08-24-2015, 01:48 PM
Spokes Spokes is offline
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I appreciate the "never end's" comment!

I don't think I ever explained why and how I got involved with these small Honda's.

I was 13 in 1965. I lived in a small Ohio town. (back then) One warm summer day I hitch hiked to the local Gulf station. The road was so deserted that I actually walked the whole distance. The reason I went to the station was for BBQ chips and a Pepsi, a flavor combo I like to this day.

At the station was a black 1965 Honda CA95 for sale. The owner just bought it and was drafted into the military. He had two weeks left before leaving. He wanted $150.00. At the time a new CA95 cost $425.00. I had $150 in my savings account. At that time anyone could buy a vehicle for cash. I bought the bike, without telling anyone. I rode the bike home, scared to death I was going to get caught and thrilled.

I hid the bike behind the house.

Well, the next morning when my father found out, the poop hit the roof. My father hated anything Japanese. He was livid and to think something Japanese was on his property made him crazy. My sister had an Econoline and got the bike off the property. She sold the bike for $325 and returned my $150!

I was heart broken and got shafted by my sister to boot........

Fast forward to 2006. Winter was approaching in lower Michigan, I needed a shop project and remembered my old heart break. I thought hey! The old man's dead, I'm a big boy, I want my Honda back.

So it goes I found and restored my 1st CA95. She was a 1965 and I picked it up in Wooster Ohio. The rest is history. Indeed it never ends....
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  #110  
Unread 08-24-2015, 04:08 PM
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Glamorous story chip! There's a reason we all mess with certain vehicles or whatnot. I love to hear a story like this.
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  #111  
Unread 08-25-2015, 04:00 AM
grubsie grubsie is offline
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Here's another military benly to add to your build. You could call this one a prototype.

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/mcy/5125181612.html
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  #112  
Unread 08-25-2015, 08:32 AM
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Thanks! Within the next two weeks we will see a comparison to the one posted on Craigslist and mine when I put it on eBay.
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  #113  
Unread 08-25-2015, 11:19 PM
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Here's another military benly to add to your build. You could call this one a prototype.
http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/mcy/5125181612.html

That little mud guard on the front fender looks like a good idea, but I don't know about adding the weight of those ammo boxes over the front wheel!

I don't think I ever explained why and how I got involved with these small Honda's.

Good stuff, Chip... A near-new Honda CA95 for $150 bucks - you were getting deals way back then, just like you are today! These little Honda's are truly close to home for you. (My story a bit less romantic.)

I bought my first Honda in 1976 when I was 16 y/o, but my Dad went with me to buy it. It was a 2-year old MT250 that cost me $400 and I still own the bike to this day. My Dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge, so anything German was less than welcome in our house! A Japaneses motorcycle was OK. Besides, it wasn't a British POC or a Harley which he despised because of the Hell's Angels being so prevalent out here in 1960's California.

Nice of your sister to pocket the $175 profit on the sale of your CA95! "That's a lesson for you, Chip" - they probably said.

I restored my MT250 back in 2007 after both my Mom and Dad passed away. I got into the CA95s in 2011 when a friend gave me (although did I offer him the $50 he paid for it) a 1960 Tokyo Rose CA95 basket case. Now I have a handful of CA95's along with other Japanese motorcycles that I ride and enjoy restoring.
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  #114  
Unread 08-26-2015, 04:41 PM
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  #115  
Unread 08-29-2015, 04:30 AM
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  #116  
Unread 08-30-2015, 04:14 PM
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Last edited by Spokes; 11-15-2015 at 04:41 AM.
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  #117  
Unread 08-30-2015, 11:25 PM
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Thanks for sharing the final pics of your creation - it looks just great! Also, the picture is a bit fuzzy, but your "ready for duty" emblem/logo is a very cool custom touch. Say, I thought you were gonna darken the header pipes? Also, I notice you don't have any baffles in the mufflers. Do you plan to install a set, or will the bike run fine without them? Nice job integrating the rear rack and ammo box mounts for sure. An excellent restoration overall - plus, you spared another Benly from the metal recycler!
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  #118  
Unread 08-31-2015, 12:48 AM
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Excellent work, as usual - thanks for the pic, Chip. I'm glad you posted the close-up pic of the tank badge ... I was trying to figure out what it was in the other pictures but couldn't tell from the distance. The ammo box saddle bags were a great idea.

I also enjoyed the story about your first CA95. I had a similar experience with a 1960 Peugeot moped that I bought and hid at the back of the garage. I convinced my mother that the engine didn't run and I only used the moped as a "bicycle". I'd peddle the "bicycle" until I got around the corner, at which point I'd fire up the engine and take off.
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  #119  
Unread 08-31-2015, 05:01 PM
Steverinomeiste Steverinomeiste is offline
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I hope you have a chance to post a youtube of it before it goes to a new home. I've watched the video of custom CA95 quite a few times. Very enjoyable.
Steve
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  #120  
Unread 08-31-2015, 05:31 PM
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