Well, looks like next weekend I'll be getting a free motorcycle in trade of yard work.
Its a 1974 Honda CB200, been sitting in a shed since 1988.
Saw a pic of it and it looks promising. i think
Anyway, 200cc is a small bike, im a big guy (6ft. 4in 197lbs), is this gonna be an ok starter bike?
I was thinking of making it into a Cafe style bike.
Any overall ideas? Thoughts? Insight? Mods? DIY stuff?
Thanks a bunch
Put a CB350 engine in it? 
I've got it's scrambler sibbling, the CL200.
I'm 6'1" and about your weight. it'll cruise at 50 comfortably. 60 is possible, and one day I did 70 downhill with a tailwind and all that.
It's a fun bike for around town. Don't even THINK you'll get it on an interstate.
Its time to shine is twisty 2 lane state roads with 45 MPH speed limits.
Unfortunately, my friend laid it down in the field this past weekend and I won't be riding it until I scrounge up a few hard-to-find parts.
Clem
Here's a few tips from someone who's resurrected a lot of old Hondas:
If it's been sitting that long, don't pull the front brake lever, at least until you get home. There will be corrosion on the brake piston and it will lock your front wheel and make loading the bike much more difficult. Once you get it home, you can easily disassemble the caliper, clean it all up and reassemble.
Check under the seat for the owner's manual and tool kit.
Clean the mouse crap out of the air filter assembly.
Remove the spark plugs and the valve adjustment caps and spray some Marvel Mystery Oil in there. Then go away for a few days. When you get back, with the plugs still out, spray in a little more oil and turn it over by hand with the kickstarter. Stop immediately if you sense any significant resistance. Then spray in a little more oil.
Drain the crankcase and add fresh oil. Turn the engine over a few more times.
Drain the gas tank. At the bare minimum, you'll need to drain the old fuel out of the carb bowls and add an inline fuel filter. You may want to reseal the fuel tank.
Add fresh fuel (use regular, not premium and it will start easier) and a battery.
You will need new tires and tubes.
My dad has one and its neat.
That being said, fix and sell to a collector, sell as-is to a collector, or part it out, and get something running and fairly modern. The fun of having a bike is being able to go places, and some 10-year-abandoned bike that cant keep up with normal highway speed is not my idea of fun.
Agree with all of the above.
Yes, it's a good starter bike, as long as you're willing to limit rides to local (non-interstate) roads and speeds <60mph or so. The bike will be most fun around town in the 0-40mph range.
Overall idea? Get it running before anything else. Do what Woody said.
Cafe or bobber treatment would both be fun, but they are fun as-is. That all depends on how much you want to tinker. I would likely bob the rear fender, sculpt the stock seat a bit, add lower bars (or clip-ons) and work the suspension over a bit. But probably wouldn't go all-out cafe (fairing, rearsets, etc) or all-out bobber (hardtail, no lights, etc).
Check the brake linings too. I checked them on my cb360 and found the friction material separated from the shoe. Easily could have locked up a wheel and cause a nasty spill.
Carbs will most likely need cleaning. I found a new method on Randak's page and it worked better than carb cleaner for me. Just disassemble and boil in distilled water and lemon juice. He says 20 minutes (IIRC) mine took 45+. Do it outside (I used a propane grill), it's stanky.
xci_ed6 wrote: Carbs will most likely need cleaning. I found a new method on Randak's page and it worked better than carb cleaner for me. Just disassemble and boil in distilled water and lemon juice. He says 20 minutes (IIRC) mine took 45+. Do it outside (I used a propane grill), it's stanky.
I'll have to remember that one.
The hot setup for cleaning model airplane engines was a crockpot full of straight glycol antifreeze. Thats info from 5-10 years ago...but everyone swore by it. Not sure why it wouldn't work on carburetors too (but I'm sure there COULD be a reason it wouldn't work).
Clem
At 6'-4" you may not be very comfortable all hunched over on a cafe-ized CB200...
I'd leave it stock, at least for now. They are marginally collectible these days, so if it turns out to be in decent original condition I wouldn't start hacking it up. I think it's a fine size to start with - everyone nowadays thinks you need a big road burner "to be safe" but back when that bike was new, people started out on 50cc bikes and when they moved up to a 200 they thought they were in the big leagues. As long as you stay off the Interstate it will keep up with traffic without any problems.
Keep it sub-225cc, and enter this race with me and my buds!
www.lakeerieloop.com
Woody wrote: If it's been sitting that long, don't pull the front brake lever, at least until you get home. There will be corrosion on the brake piston and it will lock your front wheel and make loading the bike much more difficult. Once you get it home, you can easily disassemble the caliper, clean it all up and reassemble.
He's right. About this and the rest.
If you happen to pull the lever accidentally and the caliper locks, you can give it a swift kick (or a firm rap with a soft hammer) to free it up.
Except that this has a drum brake in the front...at least I expect it does since my CL200 does.
Clem
the difference between the 200 and the 200T is the front brake type from what i can gather. 200= drum 200T= cable disk
Oh cool!
you learn something new every day. Disk brake = cool!
The early hydraulic discs were not known for being great, especially when wet.
I can't imagine the cable discs were any better.
i have been looking more and more at the cb200 online and i think im just gonna clean it up and flip it. Im gonna look like sasquatch on this thing haha.
ill learn to ride on it for a bit.
OH...forget to tell everyone...got my motorcycle temps!
Photos!
pics this weekend if the weather stays halfway nice
Clean it up and ride it while you attemp to sell it. Might as well have it both ways!
Mine's waiting on some parts after a friend laid it down a couple weekends back at the Back 40 races :(.
I'm only 6'1...and I do feel a little oversized for the bike but it is an attention magnet anywhere I go. Good atttention, that is.
Clem
SlickDizzy wrote: Keep it sub-225cc, and enter this race with me and my buds! www.lakeerieloop.com
Hmm...I just traded an old VW transmission for a complete CB175.
Hmm I've got a VW trans, wonder if I can find a deal like that too 
Pickd up the bike today. Got the bike and $50 bux for tearing down a tiny shed. Great deal.
I cant think of the year off hand but its a late 1970's CB200. Has the fron dick brake but its not a 200T.
Get this. Two owners. The guy i worked for today and his brother who bought it new.
There is more...Stored indoors covered since 1988.
Gets better.... 3870 original miles!!
Its a beautiful bike; comes with side mirrors and a luggage rack and a back rest.
Pics tomorrow i hope.
Be careful with those dick brakes, they can be a bit stiff
EvanB wrote: Be careful with those dick brakes, they can be a bit stiff
The weirdest thing is, when you bleed them they get softer.
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