Honda Cub

[ausfahrt]

The wife nixed the idea of getting a scooter for my 17yo son to get to school and back, so I am not in the market for that anymore. This is technically not a scooter but I saw this ad on CL and it intrigued me, it could be a great father/son project.

http://lakeland.craigslist.org/mcy/3511448266.html

Thoughts?

[Woodsrat]

Worth every penny. Buy it.

[hayasakiman]

To me, that old Cub is not for commuting/daily use. Good for son/farther project, yes. Good price, yes.

50cc is way too small for me to feel comfortable riding around here in WPB, FL. I don't know about in Lakeland. I think over there is more laid back. But, still, I think 125cc is minimum to keep up with the traffic.

[JerryH]

Great deal, I'd buy it too. But what is the difference in that and a scooter. It's still a motorbike, and that's probably what the issue is. Most 17 year olds would not consider that cool, they usually want something like a tricked out Ruckus with a GY6 motor. It's almost impossible to find a scooter forum anywhere where the main thing is not performance mods and adding more bling. I rode a '72 Suzuki GT380 to school. My mother was absolutely convinced I was going to get killed, but didn't try to stop me. It was over a year before she even considered the possibility that I might make it after all. But, there were no cell phone operators out there behind the wheel of 2 ton unguided missiles back then either.

[Woodsrat]

Here's an idea. Yank the stock fiddy motor, put it on a shelf and install a Lifan semi-auto 125 (complete kit w/electrics $299 delivered on eBay). It might require minor grinding on the edges of the body to clear the sidecases but the bolt pattern for mounting the engines is the same. Convert the electrical system on the bike to the 12v. setup, carefully saving the original stuff. You'll end up with a far more powerful step-through that'll run around 60 with the right gearing and have enough power to keep up with traffic away from the stoplights. I have one of these motors in both my rat Passport and my hot rod XR-50 and both run great. A friend of mine is putting one in an old CT200 (early Trail 90 chassis) this weekend and if my CRF-70 motored CT200 project doesn't have enough beans another Lifan will be in the works for it, too. Very solid and reliable motors!!! I made my own wiring harness and don't run a battery but still have excellent lights by running a common voltage regulator from the aftermarket usually used on dirt bikes.

By saving all the stock components you can put it back to stock in the future--or sell the parts to a collector. I saw a complete but rough pushrod 90 motor bring $200 on eBay recently so a running 50 might bring the same or more.

There are plenty of old Cubs around in mint condition in museums so unless you just want to potter about the neighborhood on it a motor swap makes the bike way more usable without compromising reliability.

All the other components for the chassis are available on eBay in both NOS and reproduction parts from the far east.

These bikes make wonderful projects for the new motorcycle mechanic and I can't say enough good about them. Honda did well when they designed these little bikes.

[ausfahrt]

That's a cool idea Woodsrat. I think I'm going to call him up Saturday. Thanks for the replies.

[Woodsrat]

For reference the motor kit I've been buying is eBay item #140899198428. If you decide to go this route PM me for the minor mechanical changes and info on a simplified 12v. electrical system.

Done right you could end up with a total sleeper--a stock appearing Cub but with a LOT more reliable power.

[slowlane]

I too would definitely say go for it. I love the styling of those 60's Cubs verses the '80's Passports. I would definitely second Woodsrat's suggestion of using a larger Lifan engine. I personally rode a friend's C100 on several occasions, and those old pushrod 50cc engines are pokey at best. I remember struggling to hit 40 mph, usually hung around 35 in most conditions. The later OHC 70cc bikes will generally top out at a hair over 45mph. In any case, I would highly recommend a Honda Cub to anyone. At first glance they may not look it, but they are incredibly tough little bikes. I have personally put over 27,000 miles, some of those being very hard miles, on my '82 C70 and couldn't be happier.

[hugemoth]

Yes, that would be an excellent commuter bike with a Lifan 125 engine. I put a Lifan 110 engine in one a couple years ago and it would do an easy 50 mph. Keep it as stock looking as possible. The enclosed chain and leg shields are really nice to have. The gas tank is only 3 quarts though so filling often is necessary.

[baloneyskin daddy]

So now your son will have 50cc brakes and 125cc speed ,and this will placate his mother?

[Woodsrat]

They have plenty of brakes for the speed it would be capable of. My Lifan'ed Passport tops out at 60 but it spends the majority of it's time at 35-45 MPH and the brakes are more than adequate for the job.

[JerryH]

About 10 years ago, I had a Chinese made Jialing Cub clone, 50cc. It would do 45 mph GPS. I had it about 2 years and put several thousand miles on it. The engine never failed, the rest of the bike fell apart around it. Everybody said why not put a larger Lifan engine in it. The original engine was the only thing that was any good.

Unlike a modern CVT scooter, riding an old Cub is going to require a lot more skill, no matter what engine you put in it. It does have plenty of brakes, though someone used to a modern scooter probably wouldn't think so. You just have to learn how to use them.

But I can't see how the wife would be any happier with that than a scooter. A modern 125cc scooter, like the Zuma, is about the safest way to get around town on 2 wheels. Keeps up with traffic just fine, no shifting, and has MORE brakes than it needs.

[fullmetalscooter]

When it come to bike or scooters it s always the question of when you ll going to be hit and not if. If your son takes a course on riding. Gets full gear then there's no reason not to ride. Last season gear can be got online cheap at please like iron pony , motorcycle supper store etc. Honda cub had something like 21 million of them made. Highest production motorcycle ever made. So parts aren't going to be a problem.

[hexnut]

Originally Posted by fullmetalscooter

When it come to bike or scooters it s always the question of when you ll going to be hit and not if. If your son takes a course on riding. Gets full gear then there's no reason not to ride. Last season gear can be got online cheap at please like iron pony , motorcycle supper store etc. Honda cub had something like 21 million of them made. Highest production motorcycle ever made. So parts aren't going to be a problem.

No, There were 60 million made back in 2008. They are still making them so who knows how many by 2013.

And I haven't been hit in 54 years of riding...still waiting.

[wanna bECO]

I use a Honda passport as a daily commuter. No matter what the weather. Right now I don't have much of a choice as my cage is in pieces, but I do it anyway. BTW I weigh (currently) 285.

The top speed of these bikes are not the issue, it is the climb to get there. As cute as these things are, the are the most dangerous bike I have ever been on. Even in tip top shape, they are dangerous. Buy this bike though.

Don't let your son ride a until he has 10 years behind the wheel of a car. To be a good urban biker you have to have a good idea of how traffic flows where you live. Where are most of the accidents. How many cars turn left after the red. What times of days are most challenging. How about turning left, while looking into a hot Arizona sun, with 50 percent of the drivers being snowbirds that day. Get the bike, but heed all the warnings you have heard, the cub is the greatest bike ever made, just not the safest.