Watch THIS before buying an OLD Honda CT90 (especially if you’re NOT a mechanic)

Moral of the story: Learn to be a mechanic...
Follow me on Instagram @weirdyellowbike
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#honda #trail90 #minimoto #ct90 #c90 #trail125 #trail110

[WeirdYellowBike]

Just bought a manual. Im gonna challenge myself these next couple months to really get familiarized with my bike and bring you all on the journey with me. Appreciate all your feedback!

[donaldf.hunter]

This bike was made and sold when most men were at least somewhat mechanically inclined. Those days are long behind us.

[garygullikson]

Basic advice for beginning CT90, etc., mechanics: Get JIS pattern screwdrivers and impact driver bits for removing stubborn crankcase screws/bolts, regular Phillips heads don't work on Japanese bikes, just strip them. Get screwdrivers with protruding metal shank, tap with hammer to help loosen screws. If you can, get a special clutch basket nut removal socket. Get a good overhaul manual for your year/model trail 90. There are a lot of You Tube videos on disassembly and overhaul of CT90 engines, etc. Parts for early "KO" model CT90's are scarce.

[aaaa]

I'm a licensed motorcycle mechanic retired that worked when these bikes were new. It helps if you consult with people that know these bikes. Hope it's sorted out now anyway.

[georgespurlock]

It cut out after riding because of the the ignition condenser. Old ones get hot and stop working correctly. They are tricky because they are “sometimey”
$10.99.
They were $5.99 at my local parts store, until they realized that I was buying up all the local Hondas and fixing them. Starting with the condenser.

Then they doubled the price.
New points and condenser, a fuel filter, and fork seals always help.
Ultrasonic clean the cables. Brakes are rebuildable.
Running with or without an air box changes the fuel mixture.
Leak from the bottom is not great, but coming from the transmission side is pretty common.
Make sure all switches (neutral stop switch 👀) are cleanly connected.

[camotablet]

Awesome little bike! I've put 10, 000 miles on my CT this year! I added up the difference in gas versus my truck, less than $300 on the bike and would have been $3300 if I drove my truck!! In 1 Year the bike has almost paid for itself!! Best of luck, It is still worth the Smiles. Happy Trails!!

[cylindercycle]

This is the total opposite of what I expected, though I imagine you've been getting hell in the comments already. The whole reason I bought an old Honda 90 is that I'm not a mechanic, and I'm poor. I never touched an engine before in my life but needed transportation for work and this was the cheapest solution. I figured these are the simplest engines ever made, and with tons of parts out there because they've been made so long. I went to a mechanic and they quoted me $700 for parts and labour.. so I made a post on a forum asking if anyone knew where to find the parts I needed and a guy mailed them to me for free because he just had some kicking around. Doing the actual work itself took a few days but was a good learning experience, and the whole thing convinced me to never go near a mechanic again.

[geraldscott]

Never buy a bike like this unless you can do ALL your own work. The parts are expensive enough, labor is through the roof. These are do it yourselfers. I've had 2 CT90s and a CT110. All red. I got most of my parts from DrATV/Beatrice Cycle. I eventually wound up putting a Chinese Lifan engine in the 110. It's pretty much an exact copy of the Honda engine, and they hold up really well. NEVER ride one of these off road with a pod filter on the carburetor. Dirt will go right through the filter and destroy the engine. There is a reason why the factory intake system was designed the way it was.

[leostuntman]

Gday from Australia,

I had a 1974 ct90 which had the exact same problem with losing power (fuel) after a short stint at full throttle, also the leaking forks.

I have found out that a felt or rubber washer placed inside the bolt on the draining hole should fix the leak.

In the other comments drilling a ventilation hole in the gas cap also makes sense to fix the fuel problem.

Took everything off repainted the frame and plastic parts (khaki), new tires, wire wheeled the stainless parts, new battery, brought various parts (rear view mirrors, new globes and so on).

Eventually could not work out these problems and got rid of it.

I’m a bit regretful now it was really fun and looked awesome.

You are right to stick with it and continue to enjoy as with the cost of everything going up these days everything will even out over time. 👍

[freshsheets_]

Cool bike and love the channel name. You know, working on these bikes is easy and fun and a great way to learn how to do mechanical stuff yourself!

[tturner]

You could have done a lot of that yourself and saved so much. I had to do clutch plate swap, added fuel line filters, replaced the carb. Just gotta watch lots of youtube videos. Though i will say an engine rebuild is probably where i draw the line 😂. Glad yours is running good now. I learned also that buying one with a title thats been regularly maintained for 2000$ is actually gonna save a lot of money. But wheres the fun in that!? Thanks for sharing your journey!

[doctordisco]

I'm working on a Honda CT90 right now from 1969 and man one thing I love about this bike is the community. There are so many forums that usually have the answers to most of my problems.

[bigj]

I'm up in Northern Utah. I have my grandfather's 1970 CT90 and have just started restoring it. I'm looking forward to getting it back on the road. Thanks for totalling the service and parts up.

[meurarambukwella]

Nice to see that you have a wonderful bike. You can learn a lot about this bike and have loads of fun riding it . I own 20+ classic Honda's ranging from 50 cc to 125 cc which I use as daily runners and enjoy it to the maximum. All the very best with your awesome motorcycle and happy riding.

[UndisputedKingofSnails]

Getting on some forums would have saved you a bunch. Even the "good" shop seems like they were taking you for a ride as they say. That leaking fork thing. LOL what? if the seal is good it shouldn't leak, unless the inner fork tube is badly pitted, then you just need a new, or better old one. You can get new aftermarket set of forks with internal springs to prevent bottoming out from DR. ATV for about $180, or a genuine used one for about $50. the fork boot has nothing to do with leaks. Good looking bike though and absolutely easy to work on. I learned much of what I know about mechanics on my cub in the 80's. There is a Faceybookey group HONDA 6 VOLT which is an amazing resource with many knowledgeable folks who are happy to help at no charge.

[ramishrambarran]

I am 67. on bikes for 50 years.
That is the rites of passage, when you are learning. If it was someone who was in bikes for a while, it would have been less money spent.
Restoration of old machines are not financially worth it, except for the bragging rights.
Of course, the professional restorers make a living out of it.
But, you're already there, so, enjoy it.
Trinidad & Tobago.
West Indies.

[DearSX]

I got more invested in my 81 c70 than what I paid for my CRB250R and that is ok, with me doing all the work. I got a little tired of working on it so much though and got a new CT125. Not as fun to ring out the new bike, but still fun and really nice to not deal with the 42 year old issues.

[DownSouthable]

I see it often, people think I’ll buy a cool old motorcycles thinking it’s going to be like a new one and need very little. These are old machines. Plan on spending an additional 1-2k over what you spend for the bike. That said the are amazing when fixed up correctly!

[bartgoins]

Fork seals are not that unusual to go out. I don't know what your shop was talking about. That manual, AND YouTube are your friends. Do it all yourself and get to know that bike. I'm 64 years old, and I had a CT 70 when I was 14. That bike was beat to death, but kept going. I'm getting back into the old Hondas, and I'm excited about it. Good luck with your journey.

[beardannyboy]

Getting a bike like this only makes sense if you want to work on it yourself. If you're paying someone else, it immediately stops making any kind of financial sense.