uncledj Posted January 10, 2018 #1 Posted January 10, 2018 My brother lives in Big Pine Key, Florida. When Hurricane Harvey went through, he got out while the gettin' was good, and headed back to Ohio to wait it out. He stayed for a couple of weeks, until the roads were opened up and power was back on before heading back down. The house was still standing, with enough shingles missing to have caused internal water damage, and he had 30" of water in the garage. The car in the garage was totaled, and he has a 1980 Honda CT110 that was in there that sat with saltwater up to the carb until the water receded and then sat there until he returned 2 weeks later. When he got home he drained the oil and flushed it out with something or another, (He's a mechanic so he had some idea of what he should do)....and filled it with oil, pulled the spark plug and oiled it up and turned it over. Of course it wouldn't start, but the little 110 was not high on his priority list so he left it sit, and would kick it over once in a while and left it at that until he could give it his full attention. He called today and said it had seized, and when he tried to give it a stout kick, something broke and the piston isn't moving. He said that, with it in gear, the rear wheel will turn when he kicks it, but not the piston. I'd guess that he lost a gear that engages the clutch to the crank, but I don't know. Bottom line is that he doesn't want to get involved breaking this little bike down, but it's been in the family for a while, as my Dad bought it new way back when. What he's wondering is if there's any outfits out there that he can ship the motor to for a complete rebuild. Being that it was subjected to saltwater, I figure a total rebuild would be the best option to keep this bike alive. It's a great little bike, with around 1,000 miles on it, and it's the good one, with the dual range transmission. It's kinda funny, but I've had that little bike go places you wouldn't think it could. In low range, it'll keep pluggin' up those hills as long as you can stay upright. Anyhoo, I know these honda CT bikes have quite a following, and thought there may be a shop out there dedicated to them. I told him that I could get an answer to anything on this site, so I'm putting it to the test. Anyone know of an outfit that may rebuild this little motor for him? Thanks in advance for the wealth of info I'm about to receive.
cowpuc Posted January 10, 2018 #2 Posted January 10, 2018 Oh yea,, those little 90/110's have been a mainstay of us restorers on and off for many years.. Not quite the following or lucrative return as the hard tail 50's or even the early Trail 70's (some folks may not know this but Honda also made an "ST90" scoot that looked just like the Trail 70 of the day just a little bigger.. Didnt have the Hi/Low like your talking though.. Been inside em many times... IMHO (so take this with a grain of salt) you are probably right on the assumption of the issue being clutch related.. The automatic clutch on those little ones are of a design that uses a center clutch as well as a regular fiber disc clutch like most of are familiar with.. It is possible to damage the center clutch or even knock it out of adjust enough to do exactly what you are speaking of.. I have also had many locked up 50/70/90/110/125 Hondas come to me and found them locked up because of valve/cam issues as apposed to bottom end issues BUT - that salt water soak could be a huge bummer.... Something you may be interested in knowing is that Honda made those "subtranny" motors in 90's, 110's and 125's (quads) and they are all interchangeable in their mounts (motor part interchanges are dicey). You could therefore purchase a trx125 honda quad - pull the reverse subtranny and drop in your hi/low tranny and end up with a CT125 I believe.. Also,,, if you dont mind losing the Hi/low subtranny - there are TONS of Chinese copies from 50 to 150cc (both auto/manual clutch and even electric start) drop ins out there now that will set that frame,, something to consider.. Thinking while typing here... I know there is still a restore shop south of us that is doing the little Honda's. I have heard good things about them - have also heard they can be pricey.. I am pretty sure that a big part of their business is in using the Chinese repops and building around those engines but I have also been told that they do ground up OEM's restores too.. Might be worth a call to them and see what they say.. They may even know someone close to you still into those awesome scoots!! Hold on,, I will see if I can find a web page,,,,, Yep,, here ya go: http://mytrailbuddystore.com/ Also,, please remember we are talking Honda,,, I am sure if you decided to open it up yourself that even if you found a complete disaster with every bearing, bushing, shaft needing replacement and you wanted to dump that kind of cash into it for sentimental sakes you would be presently surprised at the OEM parts still available!! Speaking of being the sensitive to our long last memories,, I know EXACTLY what that is.. I have a 67 CT90 in my basement that I dragged MANY deer out of the forest with before my oldest daughter adopted it when she was just a child.. She had more fun on it, named it "Daisy" = Daisy is still part of our family IMHO... Hold on,, gonna run downstairs and get a ... WOW the memories = THANKS for the prod Unc and ALL THE BEST on your restore!!!! Puc Oh,, by the way Unc,, there is always a chance I may still have a shop manual that would cover your scoots motor.. A LOT of that stuff went when I sold the business but I do still have a fair amount of "secret stash" in a couple files cabinets downstairs - if you decide to tackle it yourself and need to borrow a book let me know and I will do some diggin!!
Condor Posted January 13, 2018 #3 Posted January 13, 2018 I think you can buy a Chinese knock off Honda 90 for probably less than what it would run for the parts to rebuild the one you have... Saw one mounted on a 3-wheel bike. Looked nice..
videoarizona Posted January 13, 2018 #4 Posted January 13, 2018 https://www.ebay.com/i/401382760825?chn=ps Just a thought. Parts are still available worldwide, as Puc mentioned, and eBay may be the ticket for engine stuff...
uncledj Posted January 13, 2018 Author #5 Posted January 13, 2018 I sent him this link. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CL90-S90-ST90-SL90-CT90-CT110-ATC90-ATC110-Engine-rebuild-yours-/253355373500?fits=Make%3AHonda
uncledj Posted January 13, 2018 Author #6 Posted January 13, 2018 I sent him this link https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CL90-S90-ST90-SL90-CT90-CT110-ATC90-ATC110-Engine-rebuild-yours-/253355373500?fits=Make%3AHonda
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