Honda Cl450 Scrambler on 2040-motos

Honda 450 Scrambler description

I bought this July 2016
motorcycle from the family of the original owner. The motorcycle was
purchased new, along with a new CL175, in 1968 from Hapco Motors in Beverly
Hills, CA, by a man and his wife, who used the motorcycles for sunny-day
touring around southern California. In the early 70’s, they moved to the
Lake Tahoe area, where they continued using the bikes for touring the local
area. The man died several years later, after which the bikes were stored
indoors. In October of 2005, I saw the son-in-law riding the bike in
Reno, followed him, and made an offer on the bike, which was later accepted.
The bike is in very good condition and runs strong and shifts well. The most salient feature
of the bike is the paint. These K-1’s were offered new in three
colors--candy-tone red, candy-tone blue, and silver. Some years ago, I
purchased on Ebay seven small cans of original Honda Motors Candy-Tone Red
paint, No. R-3C, which is the original color applied at the factory. I
believe this was a one-year only color for the CL and CB 450's. I had a
test strip painted to check the viability of the paint, which was still good.
I then had the tank and side covers sprayed by well-known Reno custom
painter, Louie Feliz, who did a great job--the paint is flawless, and, unlike
most of the K-1’s you see, this one has the factory correct paint, sprayed over
a silver undercoat, as original, and topped with clear coat lacquer.The seats on these
450 Hondas were changed slightly with each new model, making this a 1 year only
seat. The K-1 used very poor quality foam for the cushion, which would
collapse in time, leaving a misshapen plank-like slab to sit on. Also, if
the motorcycle spent any time left out in the weather, the seat cover vinyl
became hard and brittle and prone to crack and tear.. The seat on this
bike is in extremely good condition and only slightly collapsed, and the vinyl
is still supple, without rips or tears or blemishes.
instruments on these K-1’s were another weak component, and Honda tweaked them
just about every model year. The K-1 instruments had plastic cases with
plastic lenses and were not adequately insulated from vibration, so it was not
unusual for them to fail within 10,000 miles, especially if the bike was ridden
on long road trips where the instruments would be subjected to extended periods
of high vibration. Both the instruments on this bike were defective
when I got it, and I have just replaced them both with correct NOS OEM
Honda K-1 instruments. I have just replaced the front fork gaiters with NOS Honda parts.
I have just tuned the engine, consisting of new ignition points, spark timing adjustment, new
carburetor kits, and carburetor idle mixture and idle speed adjustments.
All the lighting and the horn works as it should. The electric starter works well, though when
the engine is cold, it may take a few tries before it engages properly.
Once warmed up and the oil in the crankcase is thinned out, it works
every time. Includes good copy
of correct CL450 K-1 Owner's Manual, dated 1968
This motorcycle is ready to ride and enjoy, or, with its OEM paint, would be an excellent
candidate for a high point restoration.