Motorcycle Forum banner

Honda Twinstar

188K views 263 replies 112 participants last post by  supercub90 
#1 ·
Hey I own a Honda Twinstar and love it so far. It's perfect for me starting out on and so far it's been pretty reliable. Anyways just wanted to see what you guys think about the Twinstars and any tips I should know about keeping it running well for as long as I can will be greatly appreciated. I'll post pics when I get my digital camera working...Thanks and I look forward to hearing your opinions...
 
#2 ·
My dad has owned 2 and rode them basically for 15 years. He liked them a lot. Whenever you can find spare switches and what not from a recycler get them. I think he only had some problems once with the throttle cable, starter/turn signal switch and rectifier along with the usual maintenance during the whole time he owned either one. A spare rectifier is a good item to have as well. Thats one of the most expensive parts on the bike
that will usually go out. Simple bike and reliable as hell.
 
#3 ·
I have an 1980 Twinstar and love it a lot. I'm 5'11' 230lbs, everyone said it would be too small.

"You won't be able to take it on the highway!" So, never wanted to. It's great around town, 70+ miles per gallon. No problem running up to 55 mph. (could go more but I'm chicken) Has about the same acceleration as a 4 cylinder car.

Advise, change the oil. Bought mine recently, while I was getting new tires, had the oil changes. The bike had more power, gear box was smoother, less vibration, and the motor sounded better. Guess it had been a while since the previous owner changed it.

For parts, I have found Ebay and Craigslist to have plenty of parts. I used BikeBandit to order the tire, I won't work with them. Have had a good experience with Motorcycle super store.

Repair manual. Clymer Twinstar 1978-1981. They are on ebay. Don't get the moder one that groupd the twinstar in with the Nighthawk and Rebel. I followed the set up instructions for handle bars, breaks and shifter lever. Over the years, people had "Played" with the positioning. I much prefer the stock setup.
 
#6 ·
I've got an 81 200 Twinstar I bought for my daughter(she has yet to ride it).
On the speedometer it shows the shift pattern and it indicates that you can take it up to 50 mph in 3rd. I find that in 4th at that speed it sounds pretty wound up. What have any of you guys had one up to? Mine is in top form.
 

Attachments

#8 ·
My CL200 did 65 too without a problem. It was very smooth and the engine sounded like it was enjoying it too. The bike's previous owner got the bike up to 80 mph.. not a wise decision though.

The only advice I can offer so far, as I'm a very new owner to my CL, is to change the oil often. It does not have a normal oil filter, so the oil will get dirty quickly. Don't put in "energy conserving" oil either.. it will damage your clutch parts.

P.S. - Nice bike, point. I'm looking forward to taking my CL on the 1600 mile journey from ND to BC haha. I'm not sure I'm crazy for thinking about it or not. I go to Agassiz, the other side of Chilliwack during the summer.
 
#10 · (Edited)
newbie, also with a Twinstar

hey group, just checking in here, too....

Am glad to hear such positive input from the group for the model. I know the twinstars have been around and evolved into the current rebel, so there is some legacy there.
Being a sure advocate of the old Hondas, I have every expectation this bike will be easy to get running and keep running, like every one I've run into previously.

Dunno about your Trans Canada trek, but I might buzz mine the 25 miles into nearby Portland, Oregon. At 200 cc, I expect it can hold 55 mph, though there's a couple hills that will test it's gumption.
I won't be hitting a true freeway, so 55-60 mph will be quite adequate.

Mostly, it's a hobby bike, something to fiddle with... also, my gf has never ridden but wants to learn.
SCORE!!! I'm gonna nurture that, you can be sure. I figure this little bike will be a perfect trainer for her.

I've included a camera phone pic from where I picked my bike up, 9-21-08

I'll keep the board posted as I get along with it.
 

Attachments

#12 ·
My motorcycle mechanics keeps one out front, its the shop bike if you need to run to the parts store or across town for something.

I always gave him massive **** for riding up in the little thing....one day he had enough and told me if I was going to make fun of his little bike I had to atleast ride it.

Im 6ft4in and weight 320lbs.....I straddled that little 200cc Twinstar and took off thinking the bike was a joke.

It REALLY surprised me. It had no issue pulling me along at 55mph or faster if I wanted. It was a blast to ride and was a good little bike. I have to admit I was cramped on it a bit...but doable for small distances.

After that I started looking around for one....for a beater bike.

Found a 1979 185cc Twinstar with hard bags and a small fairing on it....1200 original miles for $600obo.

Ive called and left 2 messages, no reply....I think I missed the boat.
 
#13 ·
Hi. I'm new to the forum. I bought my Twinstar new in 1980. Yesterday I bought an '81 with only 1650 miles. I've also had a '78 (donor bike) and '79. If you haven't already figured it out, I really like these little bikes. Generally dependable and easy to work on when they are not. The only problem I haven't resolved is speedometer squeal. Anyone else had this problem?
 
#15 · (Edited)
odd Twinstar from Craigslist

This bike was listed in the Seattle Craig's but you may have seen this in Portland. It reminds me of the blacked out bike you described.


And here's my bike at the post office. I finally got it registered y'day and had to take a spin.
That seat was just a test run. I have the original back on now.
 
#17 ·
my 78

I will have had my 78 Twinstar for approximately one year tomorrow. I bought it for $400 from a friend, it had 7,400 miles on it at the time of purchase. Getting it registered was quite a hassle (the plates that came with it expired before I was born), I ended up having to pay for the last guy on the title before me to title it in his name before it could be registered under my name. Thoroughly annoying. Since I finally got current plates on it two weeks ago I've put on about 300 miles, I love it.
The highest speed I made it to was 70 mph on a back road just outside of Oshkosh, WI. Wind speed definitely affects how fast I can go. I can normally hold it at about 60 mph no problem on the small highway between my hometown and the city I currently live in, but this past Sunday was a windy one and a few of the gusts dropped me below 50 mph.
I kind of want to do some chopping on it but don't have any of my tools at my apartment and no garage space. I figure it will still be a while before I have the money for a Harley, so I can at least try to make my Honda look bad ass as possible. The first thing I'd change would be that big old seat. Anyone here do any modifications to theirs?
 
#20 · (Edited)
here's a couple more shots along the way.
I used the wire brush in the drillmotor and knocked the brown scale off. I didn't try to take it down to steel, but by the time I got all the rust off, there were spots where I did. The spray paint is Walmarts cheapy sale brand, fwiw.

If you look at these shots, you;ll see the seat was a big longer than it is today. I was basically done, admiring the result, when I decided the belt and that extra couple inches had to go. It only took a few more minutes... and it was after that adjustment that I got the idea to take the hack saw to the extra seat frame.



I used the cheapy ace hardware metal blade in my jigsaw and it worked just fine, giving a tidy accurate cut.
 

Attachments

#21 · (Edited)
new bars = new bike

In my horsetrading parts for the CM400, I got a hold of a new set of low rise bars.
The high rise bars that are stock on the Twinstar really add to the dork factor. I read one online note from a guy that'd painted his up and used it in Shriner's parades. That's just about what the stockbars and fat bob seat made the bike suited for... the circus.

Now I've swapped mine out and it's transformed the bike.
I tried a test spin just 500 feet up the street and back and it felt good. But once I got everything set and the World Series had ended, I went out for a five mile ride. It suddenly feels like a much more serious bike. Better balance and control, better posture, and it just feels more comfortable.
 
#22 ·
I'm really wishing I could see the pictures you attached, but everytime I click on the links this pops up:

"amnesiac87, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation."

Anyone know what that's about? Couldn't find any info about it in the FAQs or forums. Definitley want to check out these pictures though.
 
#23 ·
I think somewhere I read you couldn't see pics until you x number of posts, but I can't remember exactly where I read it. Just keep checking back on this thread as you post and you should be able to view it soon. If you still can't see it after, say 10 posts, find a Moderator and ask them about it.
 
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