It all started, this strange affair with commuter Honda twins, with a 1985 Honda CD125. This was a cheapo, used as a DR hack for two years and 48000 miles. The neglect had been so total that the machine was difficult to discern under a layer of blatant corrosion. The bike had refused to start one day, so was slung to the back of the DR's garage whilst he went about his dubious business on a slightly less rusty RS250. Mine for 25 quid.
I was of an age when I could tackle the corrosion with a fury of enthusiasm. The problem with the engine turned out to be a spark plug that had stripped its thread. Taking out the engine, half the engine bolts snapped off and the head studs rotated in their threads. It was cheaper to buy a helicoil kit than pay the dealer to do the job. The quality of the alloy in these engines is pathetic but none of the major components were so worn out that they could not be used again.
I felt pretty proud when the CD was finally reassembled. Painted and polished it looked, once again, like a two year old bike should. Took half a day to get the engine running. The bike felt quite fast but very crude, with some fierce vibes and rather too much leaping around at the back end. Top speed turned out to be 70mph on the clock.
The next few weeks went by rather pleasantly, the Honda revealing itself as a tireless commuter that was more than a match for most of the caged population. Fuel was frugally consumed at 80 to 90mpg and starting was usually a first kick affair.
First problem was the silencer breaking off. It had been cunningly patched with a bit of tin foil and couple of jubilee clips which finally gave in to the ravages of time. Half the silencer bounced down the road, what didn't dissolve into rust was pulverised by following cars. For a tenner the breaker provided a mangey if whole replacement.
Two weeks later the bike stalled dead in the middle of traffic. I screamed insanely at the mute machine to no effect whilst the cagers created a cacophony on their horns. Further investigation, in the gutter, revealed that the battery was dead. A few notes to a breaker solved that one, but he warned not to expect a long life. The horn and lights were so pathetic that I couldn't figure why the battery was so stressed..... perhaps it was the vibes.
After six months, with 56000 miles done, I could feel the edge going off the power. I had enjoyed my time with the 125, mostly ridden in town the soggy suspension never had a chance to exact its revenge. The breaker had warned me that eventually the big-ends would seize and take out the con-rods.
As I'd done nothing to the engine after the rebuild, other than change the oil, I figured it was time to get out while I was still ahead of the game. On a Saturday morning I'd sold the CD125 for £250 and in the afternoon bought a 1979 CD185 for £175. The bike was a clean runner with 38000 miles under its tyres. I was surprised that it was no faster than the 125 but, then, fuel was on the better side of 90mpg for most of the time.
This was bike was ridden in complete neglect mode, save for the odd oil change when the gearbox became full of false neutrals, for nearly 10,000 miles. Didn't touch the engine internals or even bother to check the fully enclosed chain. Like the 125, the handling and brakes were just adequate for commuting chores. Spirited riding on A-roads was likely to end up testing the Benly's ability as an off-roader.
My disinclination to do any cleaning soon led to a blitz of corrosion and I was pretty sure that if I did try to take out any engine screws I'd end up with either a broken screw or ruined thread. So I left the mill to its own devices.
For a while it seemed to thrive on this neglect. I was fifty miles from home when the engine started making a noise like a machine gun. It didn't last for long, the terrible heap grinding to a halt with an expensive sounding grating noise. Turned out a valve had dropped.....god knows how long ago it had last been adjusted. Still, I sold off what was left of the bike for £75, which meant I'd had some serious mileage for next to nothing.
Time to get serious. A 1985 CD200 Benly with only 9000 miles in pristine condition. After the old rats it felt brilliant, with a surprising turn of speed, putting 85mph on the clock after being screamed through the gears. The gearbox felt less precise than the older bikes and the vertical twins vibes hit the pegs and bars above 60mph.....nothing so serious as to make me want to back off.
More serious was the lack of ground clearance, I was soon scraping the pegs and stand prongs. Sometimes one of the prongs would catch on the ground sending the chassis into a horrifying lurch than only a quick wrench on the bars could stop from throwing the bouncing Honda down the road. Neither the power nor the suspension was up to taking a passenger.
As well as lacking ground clearance the Honda also likes to run wide in corners, to a degree overcome by hanging off the bike whilst keeping it as upright as possible. Car drivers have been known to toot their horns at this curious sight but I didn't give a damn.
The weaves and wobbles only get out of control above 70mph when the tyres are down to about 2mm of tread.....the original Jap rubber that was still on the bike was quickly junked when the first wet bit of road revealed it was like riding on ice. Just about anything that the breaker has on offer can be bunged on the rims to good effect as long as they are not too worn.
The engine was remarkably quiet when I bought the CD, so I determined to pay more than my normal attention to maintenance. Plugs had to be changed every 10,000 miles to avoid poor starting. The valves and points adjusted every 3500 and the latter replaced every 12-13000 miles. The single carb never needed to be touched. The enclosed drive chain lasted a remarkable 20,000 miles whilst tyres usually bettered 12000 miles - they were always used to begin with and I suspect a new set might last for as much 20,000 miles.
The frugality of life with the Honda was further enhanced by a remarkable economy. I quite often did better than 100mpg, 120mpg being the absolute best. Caning the engine mercilessly would bring it down to a still acceptable 80mpg.
The Benly was used mostly for commuting in heavy traffic. The occasional long run revealed that not much more than 65mph could be maintained.....the handling and vibes became too nasty if much more was dialled in for anything other than short blasts. Doubtless, some fairly cheap fixes to the suspension would've sorted the handling but I never bothered as my riding was mostly town based.
By the time 34000 miles were on the clock I had the feeling that things were going to turn expensive. The bike had so far been a miser's dream, requiring hardly any expense in two years of faultlessly reliable service. But when the gears started to occasionally leap out of third and fourth I knew that the durability limits of the engine were being reached. It was not exactly amusing to find myself suddenly cruising along powerless in the middle of heavy traffic. The machine had to go. As this coincided with a move of house that meant I could walk to work, it wasn't the great loss it could've been.
As a cheap hack to ride into the ground and then dump any of the high mileage CDs will do well, but expect them to be well worn out by the time 50,000 miles are on the clock - definitely living on borrowed time.
The CD200 seems the best of the bunch with a useful turn of speed and frugal manners. Again, after 50,000 miles there's not much life left and corrosion has become rampant. Spares are cheap from breakers and still available. If a good one turns up I'd buy it!
Pete Crown