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1969 Honda CL70 Scrambler! My old dirt bike returns!

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  #1  
Unread 02-05-2009, 10:35 PM
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Default Finally Some New Levers!

Alright this is quite the upgrade! I now have a working front brake thanks to a new lever. Plus the new clutch lever is straight compared to the bent up one that's been on there. The controls work like new now and it's nice. I bought some off of Ebay for like $10 for the pair. You have to really be careful to buy levers that have the pivot insert so that they don't wear out from use. I almost bought some that were fake Honda parts but I luckily noticed the pivot didn't have a pressed in bushing. The ones I got are reproduction but they look the best and you don't see the cable end from the top so it doesn't have the ugly hole going all the way through.

They weren't perfect but I just had to to a little filing and a couple minutes of work with the Dremel to get the cable to move freely.



Here are some pictures.
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Unread 02-05-2009, 10:43 PM
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First thing I did was to clean things up and drill out the bushing with a nice new drill bit to make sure that the pivot would be perfect. The mfg quality of this part was good but not great. Then I flat filed the top and bottom of the lever pivot point as the casting wasn't as flat as expected. Once it was filed down boy it pivoted PERFECTLY.

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Unread 02-05-2009, 10:47 PM
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The only kinda bad thing about these lever was that the cable wouldn't slide into the levers so easy. The clutch lever had to be machined down with a Dremel to make it accept the cable nicely like I wanted it to. Here you can see how the cable end fits in ok but the cable just won't slide in place.



So out with the Dremel and the files!
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Unread 02-05-2009, 10:50 PM
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This is where the eye protection comes out. DO NOT EVER USE A DREMEL WITHOUT SOME SAFETY GLASSES PEOPLE. Please be careful of your fingers and eyes. I usually wear tight fitting gloves but I was in a hurry this evening and didn't even think I would be using a Dremel for putting on levers.

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Unread 02-05-2009, 10:52 PM
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All done and I filed down the top of the clutch cable anchor (I guess you call it) so that it fits better in the lever. So with the material removed the cable operated as good as new and the Honda style lever is ready for action. Pretty nice levers for $10 I keep telling myself. At least there is more material on the part than less!



Making the levers fit MUCH better only takes a couple of minutes and is a must. Cruddy lever feel just ruins the fun of riding around. You shouldn't have to think about your controls on a motorcycle, they should just work.

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Unread 02-05-2009, 10:54 PM
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One down!


Time for the other side which was much easier to install.
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Unread 02-05-2009, 11:02 PM
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Time to go to work on the other side. I think this little exercise should be very similar to all other sorts of Honda trail bikes and Dream models as well. But then again if you buy Honda brand replacements you shouldn't have to do this type of custom fitting.


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Unread 02-05-2009, 11:06 PM
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Here we go again. Just a little trimming with the ol' Dremel and it should be perfect. The new one on the left just isn't perfectly molded like the Honda part. I feel sorry for the poor sap that gets these in the mail and tries to force them on his bike thinking they should just bolt right on. There is no way that these would have fit the way they came. You get what you pay for people. But for less than half price I don't mind a little late night garage tinkering and fitting.



All machined out and operational.



YES I know that the CL70 clutch cable you see here is in pretty BAD shape. I have a new one coming in the mail and it should be here tomorrow. It's a factory Honda part so I'm very curious to see if it comes in black or grey. I gave them a Honda part number for it so we'll see what Mr. Honda sends me.
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Unread 02-05-2009, 11:12 PM
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All nice and shiny. Wow what a HUGE HUGE difference. Just the grease alone was enough to make a huge improvement but a fitted new lever with a drilled pivot really makes it a once finger clutch to use now. I need to swap out my other old Honda levers! But those deserve factory parts and that's another c-note... in time my friends, in time.



Boy it's kinda weird looking with new levers on it. I have never seen this bike with nice levers and I was used to the old broken looking ones. Mission complete. Next thing down the road is a new set of Honda CL70 handlebars (the bars are bent to the right a little ways) and some mirrors. Well maybe not mirrors but I should buy them while I still can get Honda parts. Being as how this bike will be lightly used on ranch roads mirrors probably aren't a good idea as they will get snagged on things.

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