1968 Honda CL

CL450 1005482

Clear

Here is an outstanding example of an un-restored survivor. The term "survivor", as applied to vintage vehicles, is used to describe a vehicle, which, only through exceptional and proactive care and maintenance by its owner(s) since delivery from the factory, has retained all or most of its original factory features, including exterior paint and chrome, interior upholstery, and drive train, and remains in clean, presentable, and fully operational condition. This motorcycle certainly fits within that description. It is clear that this motorcycle was kept indoors its entire life, except when being ridden, and was most likely ridden in fair weather only. I have been following the sales of these K1 CL450's on Ebay for about eight years now, and in that time I have seen less than perhaps a half dozen examples that come anywhere even close to this motorcycle, and each of them had some flaw that kept them out of this class--either it was a re-paint, or had a re-upholstered seat, or had the incorrect generic Honda tank badges, incorrect instruments, etc. Mechanically, this motorcycle is in excellent condition, and runs and rides like a new motorcycle. I have another K1 CL450 with 22,000 miles on it that I use for a daily rider, and in comparing the two, the motorcycle here at auction is noticeably easier starting, smoother idling, smoother shifting, more powerful and better handling. This motorcycle shows no evidence of ever having been laid down. Rare is the CL or CB 450 that doesn't wear a permanent arc-shaped scar on the rear quarter of the alternator cover, gouged by the shift lever when the bike was laid down on its left side. This motorcycle has no such tell-tale scar, nor are the ends of the original handlebar grips scuffed or torn from hitting the ground. In assessing a motorcycle of this caliber, here are a few key things to look at: PAINT This is not a re-paint. It is the original, factory-applied candy-tone red paint. As you can see in the photos, the paint is in outstanding condition. It is still of such a high lustre that shadows and reflections in the photos appear almost as flaws in the paint. There are a few pin head size nicks in the paint on the tank, barely discernable in the photographs. The K1 Cl's were offered in three colors: Candy-tone red, candy-tone blue, and silver. Of the three, the candy-tone red was the most vulnerable to fading and degradation from UV rays from the sun, and most of the surviving red motorcycles still wearing their original paint are severely faded and deteriorated. The tint on this motorcycle is still very close to what it was when it left the factory in 1968. If you remove the tank badges, you will find paint that has been protected from exposure to UV, and you will see that the rest of the paint is still pretty close in tint to the protected areas. SEAT The seat on this motorcycle is in remarkable condition. The vinyl cover is still supple and is without scuffs, cracks, tears, or other blemishes. The original white piping around the top of the seat is yellowed slightly, and the "Honda" logo on the back is slightly faded. For the K1 and K2 models, Honda unfortunately used a poor grade red foam rubber padding for the cushion. The foam rubber had poor memory, and would collapse and deform prematurely, so most of the original seats remaining are flat and badly misshapen. The seat on this motorcycle is only slightly deformed, visible on the sides of the seat, which are bowed out slightly instead of vertical, as original. I have included a photo of an original sales brochure for the K1 CL450, which shows what the contour of the seat looked like when new. INSTRUMENTS The instruments on the CL and CB 450's were one of the few mechanical features of the motorcycles that Honda continued to "tweak" over the entire seven year production run. The K1 instruments had plastic cases and lenses, and the speedometers were subject to early failure due to excessive vibration, especially if the motorcycle was ridden on long trips at highway speeds. It was not uncommon for the speedometer to fail after 10,000 miles, and many of the remaining motorcycles have defective instruments, or the instruments have been replaced. The instruments on this motorcycle are working and are in excellent condition, with bright faces and clear lenses. I cannot say unequivocally that the instruments have not been replaced--only that the current odometer reading of 10,221 miles is consistent with the mechanical and cosmetic condition of the motorcycle. TANK BADGES The tank badges used on the K1 Cl and CB motorcycles were a one year only design. They were similar, though not identical to the earlier 450 Black Bomber badges, in that the later badges used upright block letters, whereas the earlier badges had slightly tilted letters with speed streaks on top of the letters. The badges on both designs were plastic, and therefore subject to fading, warping, and crazing (myriad cracking). The badges on this motorcycle are both in excellent "like-new" condition. FUEL TANK Unlike many motorcycles of this vintage, the interior of the fuel tank on this motorcycle is clean and free of rust. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Hondas have always had a well-designed and reliable electrical system, and the electrics on this motorcycle are in excellent condition and fully functional. The headlight high and low beams, tail light, stop light, left and right, front and back turn signals, instrument illumination, neutral indicator light, turn signal indicator light, high beam indicator light, horn, and charging system all work properly. The wiring harness is in remarkable condition. I installed a new battery last summer, and it is working fine, but, I also installed a new battery at the same time, from the same source (Walmart) in my daily rider, and that battery failed already, so I can't guarantee how long the battery in this motorcycle will last. The starter motor on these early 450's was problematic in that after time, the Sprague rollers would sometimes not engage properly, so on attempting to start, the starter motor would run, but the engine wouldn't turn over. The starter motor on this motorcycle works well, but occasionally it does not engage properly. It is only necessary to release the starter button, then push it again to get it to engage. The problem is exacerbated in very cold weather. I have found on both my CL450's that the best method for the first engine start of the day is to use the kick starter, as the electric starter has difficulty turning the engine over fast enough, and it draws a lot of current from the electrical system, to the extent that the ignition spark may not be as robust as it should be. Once the engine has been warmed up, the electric starter will generally start the engine on the first attempt, which is convenient if you happen to kill the motor in traffic. CHROME Honda's chrome of this era was generally of good quality, and that on the exhaust pipes was superior to the chrome on Harley's and the British bikes, in that it didn't turn blue and yellow with heat. The chrome on this motorcycle is in excellent condition, including the exhaust system and the front and rear fenders. The exhaust pipes have some minor pitting on the undersides where they curve down and back from the cylinder head. The muffler and heat shields are in excellent condition, with none of the rust out often found on the under and back side of the muffler on these bikes. The front and rear wheel rims are in excellent condition, though the spokes, which I believe were zinc or cadmium plated do have some minor pitting. TIRES The K1 CL450 left the factory with Dunlop K-70 Gold Seal tires, 3.25-19 on the front and 3.50-18 on the rear. Reproductions carrying the Dunlop name seem to be readily available in the 3.25-19 size, as these were apparently used as front tires on the British bikes of the era, but I have seldom seen a new reproduction of the 3.50-18. The British bikes used a 4.00-18 rear tire, so there is a significant demand for that size and they are readily available, but not so much the 3.50-18 size. I bought one on Ebay a year or two ago, and it looked OK, but within a year, one of the side walls became so cracked and checked that I had to remove it from service. This motorcycle currently has on it a fairly new Dunlop K-70 Gold Seal 3.25-19 tire on the front, and a brand new and very accurate Cheng Shin reproduction of the Dunlop K-70 3.50-18 on the rear. MISCELLANEOUS Note that the clutch and front brake levers still carry the original clear plastic coating, though there is minor clouding of the plastic, and they both still have their original black rubber boots over the ball ends. One of the features that helped Honda gain a strong position in the American market was the finish on the engines. The side cases and miscellaneous aluminum covers were highly polished at the factory and then coated with a durable clear plastic coating. Over the years, even if kept inside, the clear plastic coatings would begin to yellow with age, helped along by the heat from the engine. Where the motorcycles were left out in the elements, water would eventually get under the coating and begin corroding the aluminum. On this motorcycle, I have spent hours hand-polishing the clutch cover on the right side, as well as the alternator cover and ignition points cover on the left side. That means there is no plastic coating remaining on those parts, and they will need periodic polishing to keep them looking good. Other parts, such as the end covers for the camshafts and the valve covers I have not polished, and you can see the difference in the photographs. There is no corrosion on these parts, but the plastic coating is yellowing. MOTORCYCLE HISTORY I have photocopies of the titles on this motorcycle dating back to September 25, 1968. The title issued in September of 1968 shows the motorcycle as being used, which could indicate that the purchaser at that time was the second owner, or, it is possible that he was the first owner and that the motorcycle dealer had used the bike as a demo model and had to sell it as "used", even though it was essentially new. In any case, it is clear that that owner was primarily responsible for keeping the motorcycle in the pristine condition that it remains in today, as he owned it for 37 years. He sold the motorcycle to the next owner in July, 2005. That owner was a collector and held the bike until May,2006, when I bought it from him. The motorcycle had 8,154 miles on it when I bought it, and I have put just over 2,000 miles on it. If you're looking for a complete, un-molested, super-clean example of this model Honda, it is unlikely that you'll find a better one than this. Sure to hold its value as an un-restored motorcycle, it would also serve as an excellent platform for a 100 point concourse restoration. Included with the motorcycle is a new, unused original Owner's Manual and a nearly-new original shop manual in excellent condition. Call Mark at (775) 544-4454 if you need more information.