Motorcycle Restoration - 1972 Honda CL100S

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Description of Work:

As a child I was far from typical, asking for tools as Christmas and birthday gifts instead of the traditional toys and games. At a mere 14 years old, my parents let me purchase a 1972 Honda CL100s motorcycle to restore. This might seem like a crazy idea to most parents, but I was more interested in fixing it than riding it at the time! Several years pass as I locate missing parts for the bike online and in junkyards while trying to get the engine back in good running condition. Once I got a bit older, my father taught me to drive the bike. After learning to drive it well, I decided it was now safe to tear down and meticulously restore. This was quite difficult as I was in a cast at the time, though it did not deter me in the slightest.

I tore the bike down to the very last nuts and bolts, cleaning, polishing, and painting everything. I learned to weld broken parts, how to use automotive putty to restore a flawlessly smooth surface for painting, and how to paint and polish everything so it shines perfectly like a mirror. I then tackled the challenge of getting a 40 year old electrical system working again that had begun to corrode and rot off the bike frame. My knowledge of multimeters and soldering were absolutely invaluable at this point. After owning the antique for around 5 years, I had restored every last piece of the bike and am proud to show it off to anyone willing to take a look.

What started out as a $100 purchase with an unknown fate, 8 years and just under $700 later, the bike is in like-new condition using only original manufacturer parts. The only thing left is a little aluminum needing polished, regular maintenance, and finding events I can drive it to and show off the near decade of work I put into it so far!

Below, I have included a chronological display of images from the purchase of the bike at 14 years old to the current state. Keep in mind, the project is still in progress as antique restoration takes years to complete when done right!

Honda CL100S Restoration Gallery:

  • Original condition of the bike. Acquired for $100, leaked gas, oil, and grease from every possible place.
  • Motor visually in terrible shape, barely ran too.
  • Other side of the motor.
  • Picked up most of the missing pieces at junkyards and fit them in place.
  • Showing condition of the other side.
  • Not too bad looking from the front.
  • After disassembling most of the bike... with a broken arm.
  • View of the workstation and how many tools it took to get here.
  • New battery but original wiring. Missing a lot of parts.
  • After painting and finishing the first phase of restoration. Runs well but still burns oil.
  • Other side showing off the new look!
  • Engine looks better but still needs rebuilt.
  • Other side of the engine.
  • Head and cylinder torn off and cleaned.
  • Engine crankcase split and all transmission parts removed.
  • Transmission rebuilt and in the crankcase.
  • Engine finished and oiled perfectly! Still needs some serious polishing though.
  • Front forks being torn off to get rebuilt.
  • Quite a lot of parts for a simple shock!
  • Steering stem disassembled to be cleaned and rebuilt too while I'm at it.
  • Bike in perfect running order waiting for some polishing when I get around to it.
  • Engine after polishing and floating paint. Love how it looks.
  • Gas cap and handlebar accessories done being polished. Still have the rest of the bike to do though.
  • Remember the terrible electrical? Rebuilt and completely functional. All original parts too.
  • New rubber air box. Should last another 40 years.
  • Found an original OEM honda toolkit for the bike. Absolutel complete except for a steering lock now.
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