1972 Honda CL-100 Suitcase Cycle

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Dave Sherman

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Back from a road trip to pick up my dad's motorcycle. Suitcase Cycle was a company in L.A., long since defunct. They took small motorcycles and modified them to knock down without tools to transport in the back of a small plane. My dad was a private pilot, and he's kept it going. I got my learner's permit long ago and rode it for a summer, and while it's a gutless wonder that tops out at about 50 miles per hour, I hoped he wouldn't get rid of it as it's very collectible. My mom is convinced I'll get killed by an inattentive driver, so I'm sure it will only stay on the streets in our development if I decide to ride it. I didn't get my motorcycle endorsement either, so I'd have to start over with a learner's permit. It needs a couple repairs as it had some very stale gasoline in it and the tires are ancient.

So, what would be a good oil to use in it? Edit: It has 10W-30 stamped on the dipstick. I'm fond of Rotella T5 in my OPE, but I wasn't sure if that would play nicely with the wet clutch. Here's a before and after photo after it's been disassembled. Takes about 10 minutes.
 

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Dave Sherman said:
Back from a road trip to pick up my dad's motorcycle. Suitcase Cycle was a company in L.A., long since defunct. They took small motorcycles and modified them to knock down without tools to transport in the back of a small plane. My dad was a private pilot, and he's kept it going. I got my learner's permit long ago and rode it for a summer, and while it's a gutless wonder that tops out at about 50 miles per hour, I hoped he wouldn't get rid of it as it's very collectible. My mom is convinced I'll get killed by an inattentive driver, so I'm sure it will only stay on the streets in our development if I decide to ride it. I didn't get my motorcycle endorsement either, so I'd have to start over with a learner's permit. It needs a couple repairs as it had some very stale gasoline in it and the tires are ancient.

So, what would be a good oil to use in it? Edit: It has 10W-30 stamped on the dipstick. I'm fond of Rotella T5 in my OPE, but I wasn't sure if that would play nicely with the wet clutch. Here's a before and after photo after it's been disassembled. Takes about 10 minutes.
Click to expand...
I use Rotella T5 10w30 in my CB1100. Recently Shell has added the JASO MA/MA2 letters on the bottle too.
 
Dave Sherman said:
So, what would be a good oil to use in it?
Click to expand...

Congratulations on a rare find...

You may use any major brand 30 grade oil choice whether MC specific or Auto... whether Synthetic or Conventional... it will meet and exceed your mileage and clutch expectations... personally I use 5w30 Mobil 1 Auto in my RC45... a homologated race bike with a tall 1st gear good for 90mph known to incinerate clutch plates...
 
That's quite cool. How well does it run?



I have a 1974 Honda XL100. It's an abused clunker, and I have difficulty keeping it running well. The thing leaves me stranded within walking distance of where I start out. I think the coil may be bad, as the float bowl is still full. I've changed the carb, points, condenser, battery, and more, because they were all bad. But it still fails. It also has low compression, and just won't idle at a consistent RPM. Really, it's an annoying bike when it acts up. I think it needs to go.

2DenPPE.jpg
 
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Cujet said:
That's quite cool. How well does it run?
Click to expand...
It's been a while since I last rode it, but it was in good running condition back then. The gas was quite stale when I picked it up, the gas tank has a little rust in it, but apparently it had been run dry so the carburetor shouldn't be fouled up. Looks like the fuel line is quite crispy and should be replaced. The Batteries Plus nearby has a new battery in stock, so I'll need to pick one up to replace the paperweight that's in it now.
 
BusyLittleShop said:
Mercy Cujet... its a Honda... all it needs is some maintenance...
Click to expand...
Yes, also a new gas tank to replace the exceedingly rusty one. You can see the brazing I did to repair it.

I can't find piston rings or gaskets for it. The compression is extremely low, and I'm fairly sure this is why the idle is so wonky. It idles high, then lower and lower until it stalls. And needs a push start to get going again.

In the past, an engine refresh would bring these things back to life.
 
Cujet said:
I did not measure it. But it can't be felt when kicking the thing over by hand.
Click to expand...

Engine turns over quickly but doesn't start is a symptom of low compression...

Engine starts but slowly dies is a symptom of a fuel problem...

Next time when the engine starts to die add choke a little at a time...

If it improves the problem is insufficient fuel from the idle jet...

If it gets worst the problem is too much fuel the main jet is too big...
 
After some assessment, found out the gas tank was not too bad off, but it had some flakes of rust in the bottom. No leaks, thankfully. Sloshed it with some degreaser and some WD-40, and it cleaned up rather nicely. I had found I could not drain any of the old, stale gas when it was in Arizona, and it turned out the fuel valve was clogged. I took the valve apart, and found the rubber valve was pretty much petrified. Still, shooting some PB blaster through the little holes, I could not get anything through them. I saw there was a screw holding it to the tank, and figured for sure that screw was not coming out without a fight. Surprisingly, it came out without too much fuss. So I see the two holes going into the tank for the main and the reserve. I'm thinking the "reserve" was just a tube extending into the tank that filled up with gas, and from the appearance of the rust flakes coming out, I'm guessing that reserve tank has rusted away.

No idea if I can find a replacement fuel valve for a 50 year old bike, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't have a reserve. Hoping I can find a repair kit for it since I'd bet that petrified rubber won't seal. Chasing the holes with a drill bit, the fuel valve is flowing again.
 

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Turns out the genuine Honda valve is still available, along with some aftermarket ones of dubious quality. Now I see how the reserve works; the tube extending up is the pickup for the main, and when that can no longer pick up fuel, then the reserve picks up from the bottom of the tank. For some reason, I always thought there was a separate tank within the main tank, now I see it's really the same tank. Probably will be shopping for a new valve since it appears a repair kit doesn't exist.
 
Cujet said:
Yes, also a new gas tank to replace the exceedingly rusty one. You can see the brazing I did to repair it.

I can't find piston rings or gaskets for it. The compression is extremely low, and I'm fairly sure this is why the idle is so wonky. It idles high, then lower and lower until it stalls. And needs a push start to get going again.

In the past, an engine refresh would bring these things back to life.
Click to expand...
Hey Cujet, have you performed a valve clearance check? You'll lose compression if they are too tight and the engine will run worse as it warms up.
 
And she runs! Ordered a new fuel valve for it, replaced the extra crispy fuel line, put a new battery in, and it started. Took a few minutes to run smoothly, but the carburetor seems to be in good shape despite the age. Needs a new air filter as the foam around the old one had pretty much disintegrated. Gave it an oil change since the oil that's in it was probably last changed when I last rode it, which was 1994. With all the lighting and electric system working, I would have been tempted to take it for a spin down the street, except for those tires that have got to be 30+ years old.
 
BusyLittleShop said:
Engine turns over quickly but doesn't start is a symptom of low compression...

Engine starts but slowly dies is a symptom of a fuel problem...

Next time when the engine starts to die add choke a little at a time...

If it improves the problem is insufficient fuel from the idle jet...

If it gets worst the problem is too much fuel the main jet is too big...
Click to expand...
BLS, appreciate the input. I have tried all of the tricks. Being an old school motorhead, I have a high degree of confidence that the compression is so low, as to prevent a strong idle. There are no mixture or choke settings that improve it.

I do use VP C9 fuel in this and my other toys, so the fuel does not go bad in the carbs while I am away. The float bowl remains clean and full.

It runs OK when I push start it. I do think the coil gives out over a few minutes. As when it dies, I see no spark and the carb is full.

I suppose I should scour the internet for rings and gaskets. Repair it, and get a replacement tank. But at this point, I have other, more important tasks.
 
Cujet said:
That's quite cool. How well does it run?



I have a 1974 Honda XL100. It's an abused clunker, and I have difficulty keeping it running well. The thing leaves me stranded within walking distance of where I start out. I think the coil may be bad, as the float bowl is still full. I've changed the carb, points, condenser, battery, and more, because they were all bad. But it still fails. It also has low compression, and just won't idle at a consistent RPM. Really, it's an annoying bike when it acts up. I think it needs to go.

2DenPPE.jpg
Click to expand...
You can put ANY coil on it to test this.
 
Cujet said:
BLS, appreciate the input. I have tried all of the tricks. Being an old school motorhead, I have a high degree of confidence that the compression is so low, as to prevent a strong idle. There are no mixture or choke settings that improve it.

I do use VP C9 fuel in this and my other toys, so the fuel does not go bad in the carbs while I am away. The float bowl remains clean and full.

It runs OK when I push start it. I do think the coil gives out over a few minutes. As when it dies, I see no spark and the carb is full.

I suppose I should scour the internet for rings and gaskets. Repair it, and get a replacement tank. But at this point, I have other, more important tasks.
Click to expand...
A quick search turned up a source for piston rings. https://scramblercycle.com/products/honda-cb100-cl100-sl100-xl100-piston-ring-set-std-size

Another source I found that had a rebuild kit with seals.
https://4into1.com/engine-rebuild-kit-honda-cb-cl-sl-xl100/
 
Update 12/5:

The gas tank had some more flakes of rust coming off, and you can only see so much of the tank's inside since the gas cap is off to one side. Filled it up with two gallons of white vinegar for 2 days, a handful of washers, and kept sloshing it around. Got lots of flakes of rust out of it, and thankfully, no leaks. Neutralized the vinegar with baking soda solution, and after sloshing it out several times with water, finally got all the rusty flakes out. The inside cleaned up very nicely, and I dried it thoroughly with my heat gun. Took off the fuel petcock, got some POR-15 gas tank sealer, and carefully coated the inside of the tank. Looks very nice inside, but glad I took the petcock off, I suspect that stuff would have sealed up the pickup screen. Now we wait 96 hours according to the instructions.
 
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