Questionmy father passed away and left a white honda 50 scooter-4 stroke engine in our care.i believe its from the 60s.#1-where can i find the year.#2-would there be a title.#3-where would be a good place to fix it?the scooter is in NW ohio(van wert).its in good shape-good compression.but the date on the ohio plate is 1981-lol.please advise.d. violet-
Answer
Honda Cub Serial numbe
Dave, the frame and engine numbers are near each other, assuming that you have a C100-C102 Honda step-thru Cub model.
Look at the left side of the frame directly above the footpeg area, just above where the motor is mounted. The engine numbers are just below where the shift lever comes out on the left side, slightly to the rear on a raised area of the engine case.
Once we know the frame serial number, we can deduce the year of manufacture. The LETTER in the frame number identifies the year model, in most cases.
I don't know the DMV regulations for an OHIO licensing of this model. In some cases, 50cc bikes are considered "mopeds" and receive different licenses than "motorcycles."
If you have a decent set of metric tools, you can "fix it" yourself! Ebay usually has copies of the shop manual for sale. Be sure that you buy the book that covers 50-55 cc OVERHEAD VALVE models, NOT the 50-70cc OVERHEAD CAM bikes. They are not related in designs.
The only "special tool" to buy for these bikes is the flywheel puller tool, which is commonly available and fits most all magneto models.
The Honda Cub 50s have a magneto ignition, which is self-powered, however running the bike with a dead or missing battery will cause the light bulbs to blow out due to unregulated charging system output.
Plan on buying a new battery, cleaning the whole fuel system, overhauling the carburetor, clean the points, set ignition timing, check valve clearances, install a new spark plug and fire it up! The only other remaining issue on long term storage bikes is the clutch may be "stuck" and need removal and disassembly.
Parts listings for the basic C100 Cub are here:
http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-c100-worldwide-except-usa_model11340/partslist/
or
http://www.houseofmotorcycles.com/fiche_select2.asp?category=Motorcycles&make=Ho...
There are probably some Honda 50 Cub forum groups on Yahoo and elsewhere on the web.
Bill Silver
www.vintagehonda.com
