I know things have been quiet. March 1 i took the bike out on a nice long ride from through a couple of little towns. I was almost to my destination when the bike suddenly lost power. I pulled over, let it cool for a bit, then got back on the road. It was better–for maybe …
Category: Honda TrailBike
Feb 01
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 9 – LED Upgrade
It didn’t take many rides to see that the stock 6v electrical system was just barely sufficient, but certainly not ample. I came into some extra freelance work Christmas week that accelerated my timeline for upgrading the stock incandescent lights to LEDs. I bought the How To LED Your CT90 Kit from Pardue Brothers, the …
Jan 22
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 8 – Saddlebags
Saddlebags I saw a post online about adding ammunition boxes as saddlebags and decided it was a good idea. Wahoo gave me the ammo boxes and I bought the hardware (slotted angle iron, bolts/nuts/washers). I mounted them and then cut some foam out of a camping roll to put in the bottom. These afford me …
Jan 15
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 7 – First Ride (for real this time)
I took the bike out for its first real ride on Christmas Eve day with Wahoo, who drives a 49cc TaoTao scooter. We hadn’t gone maybe 8 blocks and I found that the bike wouldn’t take off from a stop. It wouldn’t shift into low so that I could do so either. I was stuck …
Jan 12
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 6 – Repairs
Christmas Eve my brother Wahoo came over to see why the bike wouldn’t start. He had done all the heavy lifting as far as getting the turn signals installed in the first place, and he is a mechanic by trade, so I had hope we (he) could get running quickly. While I was waiting for …
Jan 09
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 5 – First Ride
My “first ride” didn’t happen. My son-in-law helped me push the bike up from the basement and outside, and I started checking the bike over to ensure it was ready for its first ride. I noticed the tank wasn’t full, so I filled it up. Gas soon poured out of what I would learn was …
Jan 06
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 4 – Parts
The bike, while not being a “project bike,” still was lacking in a few areas: No key No mirrors No blinkers The previous owner got around the lack of key by just unplugging the ignition switch and hotwiring it. Due to its age the bike didn’t require mirrors or blinkers to be street legal for …
Jan 03
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 3 – Helmet
Next I needed a helmet. At first I was going to try to pick up a used helmet, but then I saw you could get one for like $45 at Walmart. However, helmets at Walmart don’t even have a brand name–I don’t mean a fancy brand name, I mean a brand by which to identify …
Dec 21
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 2 – Licensing
Since the CT90 qualifies as a motorcycle (just barely) it required insurance, titling and licensing. Cost of Insurance, Full Coverage: $8/month Cost of Inspection: $10 Cost of Sales Tax, Title, and License: $110 And since it qualifies as a motorcycle, it means that I have to have a motorcycle license. Cost of Motorcycle Permit: …
Dec 18
Honda CT90 Trail Bike: Part 1 – Purchase
I’ve wanted a Honda Trail Bike for over a year now, and last month I finally found one that met my expectations that I could afford. My only two real expectations were It had to have a title and I didn’t want a “project bike.” I didn’t mind doing some repairs or upgrades, but I …
