1971 CB175K5

[Razor]

Waiting for the CB1100 to arrive, so thought I'd post some pics of my CB175. It's the same year/model of my first bike. This restoration was memory lane for me. Brought the bike up from North Carolina, where it seemed to be used off road. Here's some pics (admin or moderator, please let me know if there's too many photos. Be glad to edit)

Bike after disassembly

Parts table

Engine, before & after

Finished shots

 

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Good work Razor. That's a nice little machine. A keeper.

Cheers

 

[Elipten_imp]

Impressive. I wish I had the knowledge and skills.


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[grover_imp]

Very professional looking restoration!! Beautiful bike!


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[Pauley]

What a beauty!

 

[ChipBeck_imp]

Razor,

That is off the charts cool. Good grief where did you acquire all of the skills needed to accomplish that??? I would love to acquire a bike from my youth and restore it if I could. I restored a 1973 Husqvarna 250WR but I had to pay a professional to do it. I would love to have a brand new CB175. Well done bro!!

Chip

 

[Cormanus]

Fantastic work, Razor. My first bike was also a CB175, although an earlier model than that one I think. It never, ever looked that good.

As to photos, there seems to be a general rule around here that too many photos is never enough. I wouldn't like to think that some of us at least are better at pictures than words, but the long and short is that we love them.

 

[PistolPete811_imp]

How did you blast the engine? Looks like high temp paint baked in-house? Trying my first rebuild/ restoration a 1976 CB400f, hope I can be as organized as you were!

 

[OldF7Guy_imp]

Man, that thing is gorgeous. Great work on it. I remember riding a CB200 a long time ago but dont remember the year model. Whats the top speed on one of those? Will they do 70? I would just about kill to have something like that laying around for short hops.

 

[Razor]

Thanks for the kind words.

Before starting the project, some friends asked if I'd document the restoration. Since I love to learn and share; there's a couple of forums where I tried to show the process. It was a great experience for me. Really enjoyed it.
-------------------------------

Skills, hmmm... I've always been mechanical, and enjoyed taking things apart to see what makes them tick. Picked up welding years ago when I wanted a blasting cabinet. Started machining steel, aluminum & composites after acquiring a small lathe/mill combo (trail & error are good friends). Service manuals are like a good book. Got one for every bike & car.

Engine cases, heads, cylinders, etc... Cleaning, Prep, Painting & Curing
After cleaning the parts in the solvent tank; I like to blast them with medium to hard grade baking soda (Harbor Freight). I've used glass beads, but the clean up afterwards takes much longer.

Once parts have been cleaned; I like to wash them down with paint thinner or paint prep, and let them dry for 2-3 days.

Duplicolor silver caliper paint with ceramic is the best match for the Honda Cloud Silver. Can be purchased at most of the automotive stores and is easy to apply. Start with a light first coat and apply two more for coverage.

Curing painted parts.
A while back a good friend in the VW club was remodeling their kitchen. I was fortunate to get his old stove. Works great!
After painting parts; I'll them dry for an hour or so, then they go in the oven for 30 minutes on warm (about 120degF). Then the oven gets bumped up to 225 for another 30 minutes. Some believe like I do that curing paint makes the finish more durable.

Top speed. Only have 297 miles on the bike, so it's still breaking in. Back in the day (I was a "few" pounds lighter...), in a crouched position, with a tail wind, the speedo showed 72mph. Those were the days!

Sorry to ramble on, be glad to answer any other questions or show other pics.

Thanks again for your kind words & interest.

 

[Houtman_imp]

You did a beautiful job and I also wish that I had your skills.
I do know my own limitations, have been told that many times by other people.

 

[redbirds_imp]

What a beautiful restoration Razor. Brings back fond memories of hanging out at the Honda dealer years ago, the showroom filled with rows of these handsome bikes. :worship:

 

[Hittheroad_imp]

Nice work! Looks new. I've got a 72 CL175 that could use a makeover like that! Where did you get the tires? They are a size that is hard to find.

 

[Razor]

Thanks again.

Hittheroad, tires are made by Heidenau (German Co.). Great quality, and the tread pattern is similar to the original. 3.00x18 Rear, 2.75x18 Front. Good luck with your project!

 

[RetroKitch_imp]

Thanks again.

Hittheroad, tires are made by Heidenau (German Co.). Great quality, and the tread pattern is similar to the original. 3.00x18 Rear, 2.75x18 Front. Good luck with your project!

A beautiful restoration and I had the same question about the tires. I wanted to go with stock sizes for my '72 / K6 and settled for some Michelin M65 Gazelle moped tires.

Thank you again for showcasing your amazing work! Simply gorgeous

 

[wildezt_imp]

Wow...great job..!

 

[Cormanus]

OldF7Guy & Razor, back in the day when I was a deal lighter and they hadn't brought kilometers to Australia, I managed to get the trusty CB175 to 80mph (according to the speedo) on a couple of occasions. I recall at least one of those was on a good downhill slope. I recall it used to cruise pretty happily at 60 mph.

 

[VTR1000F_imp]

Razor, very nice bike! You mention VW club. What kind of VWs are you into?

Jan

 

[Razor]

Kitch, the Gazelle's are good tires. Good luck with your bike. Post some pics when you get a chance.

Jan, I'm into air-cooled VW's. It's what I had & worked on when I was younger. My first was a 1968 Beetle. Lots of memories and lessons learned. Had a 1967 Beetle back in 1977, and regretted selling it. Five years ago I joined a local club and brought this '67 up from Alabama. Narrowed & lowered the front beam and put BRM wheels on it. Other than that its stock. Its on the project list to get restored, but not anytime soon... having way too much fun driving it

 

[OldF7Guy_imp]

What gets me is that I would rather have something like RAzors CB175 than a scooter to get around on for short hops but you cant buy anything like that anymore. I must be getting old or something because this sort of motorcycle really pushes my buttons. Why did HOnda and everybody else abandon this type motorcycle?