Wehey!!

[pigafetta]

Flies in my teeth - sign of a happy biker. Well chuffed, I am. Finally got my bloody CD175 running. I know its not a thumper but I've got to tell somebody. I have to thank you chaps for it really, it was the saga that is Damo's SR500 that got me brain ticking.
After much arseing about it turned ot that the screw holding the auto advance wotsit in place had come loose (obviously not tightened properly by some incompetent f**kwit. Couldn't possibly have been me...) The locating dowel thingy on the camshaft had popped out and buggered off somewhere so the auto advance cam was sliding all over the place, points opening or closing whenever they felt like it, or not. Just a few issues with wiring and we're away.

I know some of you chaps have had CDs in the past, this is my first. What was the suspension like? Mine's bloody horrible. The rear shocks (the originals, 1974) are boingy and awful, like an old mattress. Replacements might be in order but i'm a bit tight fisted. The forks had new seals fitted a couple of years ago but they're pretty squishy. Is this to be expected?

Here she is anyway, in all her glory..


Dave B

[guest7]

I love CDs. they are great for pootling around town on.

I had the loan of a 185 Benley for a while (whilst I was recuperating from injuries) and I loved the little thing to bits.

As for suspension, I was following a CD175 one day and it looked a bit odd. The bloke looked completley unconcerned when I told him that one of his shocks had snapped. "It must have been like that for while" he said!

GC

[Richard Marshall]

I must admit to preferring the CB175.  I had one rotting gently in the garden of my old house.  I am pretty awed that the original suspension is still going.  I thought I was tight making my Beemer rear shocks last 28 years !

As for the CD they were pretty, well, boingy, when new.  Can't be any damping left at all now.......

[guest27]

Had a CD - never remember it having suspension....  Borrowed a CB175 - and that pogoed all over the place - Mmmmmmmmmmmm fun

R

[TOAD]

I had a CD185,it was like Tigger.  But so reliable.

[GB500nz]

I had a CD175, rode it huge distances with stuff on the back, thought it was wonderful. I'd never had a bike with useful suspension before so I thought it was fine. When that thing was made, virtually nothing had a decent suspension. Everything flexes, so if you put modern shocks on it you'd notice the frame flexing. Enjoy what ya got.

[Steve H]

I know some of you chaps have had CDs in the past, this is my first. What was the suspension like? Mine's bloody horrible. The rear shocks (the originals, 1974) are boingy and awful, like an old mattress. Replacements might be in order but i'm a bit tight fisted. The forks had new seals fitted a couple of years ago but they're pretty squishy. Is this to be expected?

Leave it, your riding will improve by learning to ride around the bad suspension and the need to be super smooth.

[beeman]

CD's and handling in the same sentence wow I never thought I'd see the day!
Don't bother replacing them the bendy frame will only become more evident.

[pigafetta]

Well, if I get chance later I'm off down to my pals bike shop to price up replacement shocks. Hopefully he can do me a pair for cheap. I'd prefer to sort it out, its like riding a rubber donkey. I really do not like putting my hand in my pocket, the whole bike has been done from scraps off ebay and scavved bits. I'm going to get the forks off too and see whats going on underneath them horrible shrouds. The bike was a shed find. The original owner parked it behind his shed, got ill and died. Bike stood there for 15 years. One day his pal came and knocked the old shed down and there she was under a mouldy tarp. I gave him £40 for it. The bike, not the mouldy tarp.

Not my bike of choice, the CB was better and the CB200 was pretty nice, but its something to play with.

i'm off to find out what the MOT rules are regarding shocks and forks.

Cheerio, Thanks everyone,
Dave B

[hondamichael]

what a little beauty , realy looks good
and for the suspension , it works fine, if its bouncing a bit around , the only thing you can actually improve is fit new rubber bearings or how they call them in the swing arm they wear out after a while and get hard so does the cush drive ,
but  you cant realy stop the bike showing character , thats part of the fun riding a older bike , and your riding skills will improve with it

[peterj]

I've never had a CD, but I found that some shocks I had lying around off a CB250K0 were just the ticket for making my CB125S feel nice and solid on the road. I also reused some GT500 shocks I had replaced with real ones on my sisters CB100N, and that improved it considerably. Probably any suitable mounting arrangement shock off any bigger bike will be an improvement.

Small 70's Honda's often relied on the engine for frame stiffness, and were often ridden with loose engine bolts which then flogged out the frame holes. Every one I've owned needed at least one engine bolt drilled out a size bigger and a sturdier bolt substituted. Much improvement usually resulted.

[pigafetta]

Having had a little look around on the world wide wonder web, shocks are easy to get and cheap enough so thats Ok. Still have to see if my pal has any second handies lying about. I've got the wiring sorted, simple enough. Forks still have to come off, something definitely wrong there. Worn damper pistons and guides I reckon. They're making a strange squishy noise. I'm gutted because I had a whole front end that got left behind when I moved house last year.

Just realised I forgot to change my address on the V5 too. I expect that'll take a few weeks to sort. That'll give me time to get the bike fixed up.

Cheers all.

Dave B

[pigafetta]

I ordered a pair of shocks on saturday. He said 'What the hell are these for a CD175?' I said yes. He said 'Do you want another one? You can have it. Its been in the back shed for 2 years. Nobody wants it because they're shite.' So I've got meself another toy. I think I'll try and make something interesting out of the next one.

I stuck a load of 10w40 in my forks. They feel a bit better. My mate assures me that they're ok for the MOT. He'll be the one doing it so who am I to argue?

Had a nice little chug round my patch for an hour or two in the sun. All in all, a nice weekend.

Dave B

[002]

Years ago there was a Lad local to me who used to make some wicked Chops out of CD175s.

A friend of mine managed to build an interesting Cafe Racer out of the later CD185.

I think it would also make an interesting Street Scrambler !

Just a few thoughts.

Jethro

[pigafetta]

Yeah, I came across a website by a guy that made a sort of TigerCub type thing out of one. It was a really nice job. I can't find the website now but I fancy doing something like that. I haven't got the bike yet so i'd better wait and see what i get before I come up with any big ideas. Its apparently all there and was running before it was stored but god knows what state its in. If its free though, I'll have it. good for parts if nowt else.

Cheers
Dave B