the adventure begins

[bigdog]

Hey there fellow vintage Honda folks. I've just joined your ranks as a 1965 Honda CL72 Scrambler owner. This is the first motorcycle I have ever owned, and am feeling pretty good about it! I've been scanning this forum for the past few weeks, and am so impressed with all the knowledge out there. My CL72 was given to me by my brother, who found it sitting abandoned at a home at the end of a dirt road here in the mountains. He located the owner who simply signed over the pink slip to my brother, who in turn gave it to me. It needs work, but it appears to be fairly complete. It isn't running, so I plan on figuring out why (my brother was told the main thing it needed was a head gasket). I've order Bill Silver's books and newly improved CDs and plan on jumping into it - but am not too sure where to start. Before this, I didn't know the difference between a petcock and a piston. I've never even turned a single screw on a motorcylce before! I can tell I need some cosmetic items for the bike -which I've found on ebay and at some of the websites recommended on this forum. One of the things I need, but haven't found, is a vintage chainguard (with the slots). If any of you know of a source, I'd love to know. I am also unsure if I should keep it the orangy/red frame color or not. I sure like the silver and black ones I've seen on the Internet. My fenders and tank are a bluish color - kinda strange, almost silver but not quite?? Anyway, I look forward to learning more from all of you. Here I go!!

[LOUD MOUSE]

YOU SAY 1965. MAY WE HAVE THE FRAME AND ENGINE NUMBERS?. .........lm

Hey there fellow vintage Honda folks. I've just joined your ranks as a 1965 Honda CL72 Scrambler owner. This is the first motorcycle I have ever owned, and am feeling pretty good about it! I've been scanning this forum for the past few weeks, and am so impressed with all the knowledge out there. My CL72 was given to me by my brother, who found it sitting abandoned at a home at the end of a dirt road here in the Colorado mountains. He located the owner who simply signed over the pink slip to my brother, who in turn gave it to me. It needs work, but it appears to be fairly complete. It isn't running, so I plan on figuring out why (my brother was told the main thing it needed was a head gasket). I've order Bill Silver's books and newly improved CDs and plan on jumping into it - but am not too sure where to start. Before this, I didn't know the difference between a petcock and a piston. I've never even turned a single screw on a motorcylce before! I can tell I need some cosmetic items for the bike -which I've found on ebay and at some of the websites recommended on this forum. One of the things I need, but haven't found, is a vintage chainguard (with the slots). If any of you know of a source, I'd love to know. I am also unsure if I should keep it the orangy/red frame color or not. I sure like the silver and black ones I've seen on the Internet. My fenders and tank are a bluish color - kinda strange, almost silver but not quite?? Anyway, I look forward to learning more from all of you. Here I go!!

[bigdog]

Hey LM,
I'll look for those numbers and get back to you.

Just curious... why the interest in knowing my numbers?

Any thoughts on changing the paint scheme? Do I lose much value if I change from the original. I've seen photos of the red & silver CL72s online and they do look terrific, but those silver and black ones sure look sharp. As I said in my initial posting, my red color is much more of an orange, and the fenders & tank are more bluish than silver. I can't tell if the blue tone is original, but there's no real indication it was ever painted. Thanks for your input.

[Hahnda]

The frame and engine numbers will determine the year of manufacture not the year that it was titled or registered. Makes a difference sometimes when you want to order parts.

Kevin

[Michael Stoic]

If you find your frame and motor numbers please enter your bike into the http://honda305.com/survey. The registry is growing and from time to time I tally the results (for instance the model year distribution, etc.) and send the reports out to the subscribers of the h305 Mailing List. Builds a knowledge base...

[bigdog]

Hey LM, Michael, and Hahnda,
I found my numbers. The engine numbers are CL72E 1101156 and the frame number are CL72 1101153. Does this change my manufacture year? I thought it was a 1965. I'll add it to the registry.

[LOUD MOUSE]

The numbwers you give are for a 1964. ..............lm

Hey LM, Michael, and Hahnda,
I found my numbers. The engine numbers are CL72E 1101156 and the frame number are CL72 1101153. Does this change my manufacture year? I thought it was a 1965. I'll add it to the registry.