Motorcycle Repair: Honda CB-160 year, serial number chart, honda cb160

Question
Hey, Bill, I have a similar question to one I just read. I have a 1966 CB-160 and some years back had purchased another to use for parts. I have decided to restore the other bike and have the frame number and engine but do not know the year. I have called locally without success other than it was made between 1965 and 1969. I want to register it properly and am seeking to find the correct year to do so. The frame number is B160-1034435 and the engine number is B160L-1034462. The other questions I would follow up with is if parts of both bikes are interchangeable or are they each specific to each year? Thank you.

Answer
Scott, I haven't found a year/serial number chart for the CB160s so far. They seem to have cranked out a lot of them through the years. The early steel fork versions, which yours is, ran through CB160-1070463, so there were 70,463 of them built with the Type 1 style forks.  Yours is 34,435, so made in late 1965, in all likelihood. You can review the part number changes through the years at sites like: http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cb160-sport-160-usa_model1004/partslist/?model_q=cb16

For the most part, the CB160s didn't have a lot of major changes like the early 250-305s. Check your serial number against any of the parts listed to see if there are variations. I see some changes in the clutch parts, so check them carefully, before trying to mix and match parts. There were no "year model" changes during that time. If a change was warranted, they just made the change during a break in the production, not waiting until the "end of the year" production.

Bill Silver