1969 Honda CL

CL125A-312894

Clear

1969 Honda CL125A Scrambler motorcycle in OEM Candy Red & Silver livery. The bike is nearly all original, shows a very low 2011 miles and runs very well. The CL125A and it's sister bike the SS125A utilize the smallest twin-cylinder engine sold by Honda in the U.S. market. Despite it's diminutive displacement, this little overhead cam motor produces a very enjoyable riding experience in terms of overall performance while delivering remarkable fuel economy. I have spent a lot of time riding Honda 125cc singles and expected the performance of this engine to be similar if down a bit on torque, which translates as acceleration. When the bike was finished and I took it for it's maiden voyage I was immediately surprised at it's willingness to accelerate as well as spin up smoothly to very high RPM's, (that aspect was no surprise given Honda's multi-cylinder racing legacy and penchant for making horsepower with RPM.) This bike has received a full service; cam chain, valves, points & ignition timing set to spec, oil filter cleaned, oil & spark plugs changed. The carburetor was removed and cleaned, float levels set to spec then remounted with new gasket and O-ring. New front fork seals & fluid were installed and new rubber gaiters fitted. The charging system is operating properly and all electrical components are working: headlight high & low beam; tail and stop light, (by pedal only;) turn signals; horn; gauge illumination; neutral, turn signal and high beam indicators. The engine starts easily, (kick only) and, once warmed, idles properly and pulls strong through all 4 gears. The bike is very light and nimble and goes through corners almost telepathically. I have greatly enjoyed owning and riding this bike and have used it primarily for short jaunts around my neighborhood and into town along with the occasional trek into Seattle proper. It cruises easily at an indicated 40 to 50, (35 to 45 according to the city's speed cameras) and I have seen an indicated 65 on one occasion. While a small bike, (the wheels are 17-inchers) the high scrambler 'bars make it feel very roomy and it accommodates 6 foot tall folks handily. The tires on the bike are relatively fresh with excellent tread and no sign of weather checking. The things not original to the bike are the professionally recovered seat and the bolt-on, aftermarket sidestand; a very rare piece. The pivot tube for the factory mainstand is present and the stand itself will be included with the sale of the bike but the two interfere with each other so can not be fitted simultaneously. The cosmetics on the bike are quite good for an original. The Candy Red paint on the pressed steel monocoque frame, swingarm and sidecovers is shiny with minimal issues except that the left cover, which holds the ignition switch, has gone silver possibly from sun exposure as there is some light fading on the frame in this area as well. The cover itself shows vestiges of red paint on the inside and photos of these bikes when new show this cover to be color-matched. The Red paint on the fork ears is lightly faded and there is some damage to the finish as well as deformation of the left ear at the leading edge. The Silver paint on the tank is the original, kinda' crummy Honda Silver from that era. It has a few nicks and chips as well as some fuel staining probably from the failure of the cork gasket that was on the original cap. The cap and rubber gasket currently on the bike are new. The rubber kneepads are in nice shape, no brittleness or cracking. The original plastic tank badges have gone missing and were replaced at some point with the OEM metal pieces sold through Honda dealerships. The Silver paint on the headlight bucket is pretty dull and the bucket itself, as well as the previously mentioned left fork ear show some damage from a light tipover. The levers look good and the grips and footpeg rubbers are new. The chrome on the bike is nice overall; the wheels, fenders and exhaust pipes especially so. There is some light surface rust, more like "peppering" of the chrome on the handlebars & mirror stalks, (the right mirror shows a small dent in the edge of the mirror housing) and some "bubbling" of the chrome on the exhaust heatshield. The winker housings show some peppering and the front stalks, which were originally coated with a black rubber substance, have lost this coating and now show rough chrome. The rear winker mounting bar retains the black coating. The bike will be sold as-is with a clean, clear Washington State Title and Collector plate. All shipping costs will be incurred by the buyer but I will assist in any way possible with information on shippers. I can personally provide shipping on an open trailer locally or anywhere along the I-5 corridor as far South as Los Angeles and East along the I-10 corridor as far as Phoenix the first week of December, 2013. Please feel free to contact me with any questions via email or on (206) 935-9183. Thanks for looking/ bidding!