Motorcycle Forum banner

1967 Honda CL160 scrambler

12K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  darwin-t 
#1 ·
Hello, I am fixing up my dads old 1967 Honda CL160 Scrambler. I have it running but am experiencing a weird problem, hopefully you guys can give me some insight.

I got it idle to idle nicely and run strong but when I give it some throttle it will rev up and stay reved up for several seconds (5-10) before slowly idling back down.

This is unfortunate because when driving, if I let off of the throttle, it will not slow down for several seconds. I have to either pull the clutch (causing the engine to rev high until it revs down) or I have to just press the brakes that much harder. This is going to be my first motorcycle and I do not like the fact that it can be unpredictable when trying to slow down.

I checked and made sure that the throttle cable is not getting hung up in anyway.

Thanks for any help!

-Scott
 
#2 ·
Not sure of the design of your Honda but I had a sinilar experience when I changed the handlebar on my Harley. My throttle would hang momentarily then throttle down.I had inadvertantly overtightened the throttle grip; once I reinstalled it the problem was solved.Try removing the throttle control and give it a thorough cleaning and reinstall. Maybe this will help.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Yea, all my throttle cables and connections were free also; all the binding was in the grip.
The only other thing I can think of is maybe there is some old gas residue in the carb. that became gummy around the linkage connections.
Good luck, Nice to see you still riding the bike.
 
#5 ·
Ok, i'll check that, I was thinking about buying carb rebuild kits to see if that solves it. I will double check the throttle though.

I just started driving it, it is in the garage at our lake house. Its got 1982 tabs and I don't have a motorcycle endorsement, so I have only been driving it up and down the side street.
When I get the reving problem solved, I am going to to get an endorsement and license it.
 
#8 ·
Thank you!! I will try that. My dad thought it was some sort of leak also, I didn't know that you could test it so easily.

I tried the other suggestions, and they didn't change anything.

I will be testing that within the next few days..

Thanks again Sharkmonkey.
 
#9 ·
had that problem with my 74 cl and it was exactlly that... a vaccum leak. i say check that first. i removed my air boxes/filters and then, with it running, sprayed some carb cleaner in to the carbs while i gave it some juice. after that shut it off and inspect the rubber collar between the cylinder and the carb if there is a leak you can see the carb cleaner comin out. this method was suggested to me by a friend and it worked well for me. good luck!
 
#11 ·
hey! do you have any pictures of the bike by any chance?

My friend and I just recently purchased a 66' Honda CL160 as a potential project bike. However, we have absolutely no experience with bikes in general at all and were hoping this one would introduce us to the field. Was there any website or such that you would recommend we go through first to get it up and running again? FYI, it doesn't start up for the moment. Thanks.
 
#12 ·
The only picture that I have right now is this one. The bike is at my familys lakehouse and i don't have time to go out there as often as I would like now since school has started.

Its a little rough looking, but it is a lot of fun.
As to where to find information, this forum and google are good places.


I would start by checking to see if it has any spark.
If there is spark but a little fuel in the cylinder and see if it wants to start. If it does, then the carbs are probably clogged and need to be cleaned.
I am no expert by anymeans, but that is how I would start diagnosing it.

Good luck!

mediafire. com/?sharekey=232bd3947f9e558bd2db6fb9a8902bda

Remeber, remove the space between the "." and the "com"
 
#14 ·
hi guys,
old motorcycle mech here, you might want to unscrew the top rings of your carburators and carefully lift the slides out there is a spring holding the slide in place with a needle like unit coming out of the bottom. Use an aersol carb cleaner to clean the film off of the sides and wipe the slidess clean same for the needles. then spray the carb tubes you removed the slidess from thoroughly.
when replacing the slidess there is a slight notch in the carb barrel of each carb that coincides with the slot in the slides, this notch must slide into the slide and the needle into the jet in the base of the barrel. if assembled correctly there will be almost no spring resistance on the top plate that your cable runs through when you reassemble. there is also a notch in that top plate that when properly placed the retaining ring will screw down snuggly If you start the bike and it races the engine, stop it. remove the slides and make sure you followed the above procedure there should be little or no resistance when the circular top plate is pressed down to install the top ring. hope this helps :thumbsup:
 
#15 ·
If you have bar-end mirros, that throttle side sometimes rubs the throttle rubber and kkeps it from returning. In that case, just move the whole perch in a 1/4 inch.
Have you actually OILED the cables? Most new cables are lined with teflon, but the old ones can hang up with accumulated dirt. I just use 3-IN-1 oil in that case. Just keep dribbling and running up and down. ( b o r i n g )
I wonder if you just have weak return springs after all these years?

I don't know the intricacies of your bike (would kill for one, though), but I had a BMW with an advance unit that was small weights on springs. As it went faster, the weights flew out, but when I slowed or stopped, dirt or weak springs kept the weights from contracting for a few minutes.
 
#16 ·
I do like Ted's theory. Make sure that the needle goes into the oraface. They tend to tip, due to gravity, and will not line up. A little pressre on the downward side will help. You could also put some Sea Foam in the gas. A lot of people have had great results with it. BTW, mu first bike was a '65 CB160. Great bike!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top