My 1975 CB200T Restomod

sp00xe

sp00xe

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2025
Total Posts
44
Total likes
30
Location
Georgia
Hey all, starting a thread on my 1975 CB200T I got for free, which has been incredibly exciting as my wife has always said no to a motorcycle and my dream bike has been a 77 CB750 Super Sport. It's been sitting in a garage for the past 15 years untouched, it's got 11k miles on it, seems like somebody loved it in the past. Plan is to get it running and ride it while I work on modifications into a more cafe racer style. The bike in question below the day I got it:

IMG_2237.jpeg

Got it into the garage, and started wiping it down and cleaning it up:

IMG_2252.jpeg

Went and picked up a AGM battery for it and hooked it up, started playing with the light switches and it slowly came back to life:

IMG_2253.jpeg

IMG_2260.jpeg

Motor turns freely using the kick start, however the electric start doesn't work at all. I'm guessing the solenoid is probably bad, but I need to get it to roll before I worry about that as I'm moving to Georgia soon. I got some new rubber, tubes, and liners for it today. Picked up a Shinko 712 set:

IMG_2269.jpeg

I also checked the oil, and it's empty. Being that it's got a Connecticut title, the gas tank is completely empty but has no rust, and the shifter pedal was removed my guess is it was drained of it's fluids to be moved/stored and it just was never ridden again. I'm itching to get out and work on it, but I sprained my ankle yesterday so my ability to mess with it is limited. I have an oil change gasket set coming for it, as well as a different set of intakes, the rubber on the factory ones is shot.


As far as next steps I'm going to:
  • Check compression or buy a leak down tester
  • Clean out the oil "filter"
  • Put in fresh spark plugs
  • Replace all fuel lines
  • Clean up the chrome with foil and vinegar
  • Install tires
  • Replace the drive chain
  • Try to start it
I'm trying to avoid dropping the money on rebuilding the entire thing already as it's tempting with how relatively cheap parts are for this thing. I'm coming from building a LS swapped Camaro, so this is dirt cheap in comparison.

Some questions I have top of mind:
  • How hard is it to change tires on these yourself?
  • Is it worth going ahead and doing the electrical upgrades?
  • Are there any new wiring "harnesses" for these to replace the 50 year old wiring?
I'm happy to hear any advice you all have on fixing this bike up!

Looking forward to getting this thing going and riding it!
 
Dmoh said:
View attachment 47902
When shopping at CMS, make sure you have a full wallet!

Good luck with your project.

Cheers
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Oh awesome! The replacement harness my Camaro needs is roughly $1,000 if I can find one built for my car not a standalone style. $1,500 if I buy all of the parts and build it myself.

Thanks for sharing, another site I can add to the list to source parts from.
 
I changed my tires on my CB200 and used glass beads to balance. Very smooth so far. Tires were relatively easy to change. The only tire I struggled with was the rear Dunlop on my 75 XL250. It was a challenge.
 
sp00xe said:
Oh awesome! The replacement harness my Camaro needs is roughly $1,000 if I can find one built for my car not a standalone style. $1,500 if I buy all of the parts and build it myself.
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You might email Matt at Sparck Moto, he's a member here (@Sonreir) and while his website doesn't show a harness specifically for the CB200, his electrical parts are as good as they get and generally less expansive, as well as his support for all of his products is excellent. http://www.sparckmoto.com/
sp00xe said:
Thanks for sharing, another site I can add to the list to source parts from.
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You did see this in your Welcome Package - right?

Tips for identifying and locating parts

Lots of people new to the vintage Honda motorcycle world are unfamiliar with how to identify the parts they need and where to look for them. The question is often asked: "Where can I find a (part name)?" The first step to finding any part for any of our favorite Hondas is to properly identify...
www.vintagehondatwins.com www.vintagehondatwins.com
 
sp00xe said:
Plan is to get it running and ride it while I work on modifications into a more cafe racer style.
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Your bike, do as you please but know that your bike is in damn good shape considering, and they're only original once. Resale value will suffer if you do any significant mods.
sp00xe said:
Picked up a Shinko 712 set:
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Love Shinkos, I have them on my 450 and they handle great. That said, what size is that rear tire? Looks a bit large for your rear rim.
sp00xe said:
Is it worth going ahead and doing the electrical upgrades?
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One upgrade is to replace the stock rectifier and separate regulator with a modern rec/reg combo unit, and this is the best piece for the price:

12V Single Phase Regulator/Rectifier - Sparck Moto

Sparck Moto - Modern Gear for your Vintage Ride
www.sparckmoto.com www.sparckmoto.com
sp00xe said:
Are there any new wiring "harnesses" for these to replace the 50 year old wiring?
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Are you sure it actually needs a new harness? Judging from the general condition of the bike, I wouldn't think it would be that bad and you already got some things functioning. I'm still running the original harness in my 450 and it's 52 years old.
 
My CL175 was in way worse shape than your bike when I got it and the wiring harness was perfectly fine.

Probably a given, but add valves and timing to your pre-start to-do list.

Where in GA are you moving?
 
sp00xe said:
Clean up the chrome with foil and vinegar
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Kerosene and WD-40/machine oil with very fine steel wool is more effective

Can make a leak down tester from parts at Lowe's for under$20
1000286046.jpg

There isn't much room for them, but inline fuel filters are something I added to mine.

Upgrading rec/reg requires making a dedicated ground on this bike or the upgrade unit will quickly burn up.


Bikes in great original condition. Nice
 
2wheel said:
I changed my tires on my CB200 and used glass beads to balance. Very smooth so far. Tires were relatively easy to change. The only tire I struggled with was the rear Dunlop on my 75 XL250. It was a challenge.
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Good to know I can do it myself, I considered buying the tools to do it from those guys in Houston
ancientdad said:
You might email Matt at Sparck Moto, he's a member here (@Sonreir) and while his website doesn't show a harness specifically for the CB200, his electrical parts are as good as they get and generally less expansive, as well as his support for all of his products is excellent. http://www.sparckmoto.com/

You did see this in your Welcome Package - right?

Tips for identifying and locating parts

Lots of people new to the vintage Honda motorcycle world are unfamiliar with how to identify the parts they need and where to look for them. The question is often asked: "Where can I find a (part name)?" The first step to finding any part for any of our favorite Hondas is to properly identify...
www.vintagehondatwins.com www.vintagehondatwins.com
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Thanks for the recommendation! I think I did see it in there, I've been confined to my couch so I probably forgot going stir crazy.
ancientdad said:
Your bike, do as you please but know that your bike is in damn good shape considering, and they're only original once. Resale value will suffer if you do any significant mods.
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Anything original I will retain, however I sit on the fence between mod or keep it as it is. I'll at least ride it as it is for a bit first, I still have to get my motorcycle endorsement. I don't believe anyone has ever taken the motor apart either.
ancientdad said:
Love Shinkos, I have them on my 450 and they handle great. That said, what size is that rear tire? Looks a bit large for your rear rim.
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It's a 100/90 18. From what I read it would fit on the rear, I got them both along with the liners and tubes as a set.
ancientdad said:
One upgrade is to replace the stock rectifier and separate regulator with a modern rec/reg combo unit, and this is the best piece for the price:

12V Single Phase Regulator/Rectifier - Sparck Moto

Sparck Moto - Modern Gear for your Vintage Ride
www.sparckmoto.com www.sparckmoto.com
Click to expand...
I had my eye on the those guys in Houston one, I will look there for parts, would rather support a forum member.
ancientdad said:
Are you sure it actually needs a new harness? Judging from the general condition of the bike, I wouldn't think it would be that bad and you already got some things functioning. I'm still running the original harness in my 450 and it's 52 years old.
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It probably doesn't. The more I read the more things like the regulator/rectifier, relays, and similar seem to be the issue, not the wiring itself.
tmross said:
My CL175 was in way worse shape than your bike when I got it and the wiring harness was perfectly fine.

Probably a given, but add valves and timing to your pre-start to-do list.
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As in replacing the valves? Or adjusting the lash and setting timing? Probably a good idea, I'll add that to my list.
tmross said:
Where in GA are you moving?
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Washington, I see you're in Athens, I have family that lives there.
NeverEverJamToday said:
Kerosene and WD-40/machine oil with very fine steel wool is more effective

Can make a leak down tester from parts at Lowe's for under$20


There isn't much room for them, but inline fuel filters are something I added to mine.

Upgrading rec/reg requires making a dedicated ground on this bike or the upgrade unit will quickly burn up.


Bikes in great original condition. Nice
Click to expand...

I'll have to look at making a tester, I have WD-40 and steel wool in the toolbox already, I can start with that. Thanks!
 
sp00xe said:
It's a 100/90 18. From what I read it would fit on the rear,
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Oh it will fit, but it's roughly equivalent to a 4.00-18 and one size bigger than the max size recommended for that width rim. Stock tire is a full inch narrower, a 90/90-18 would have fit the rim better and is still larger than the 3.00-18 original tire.
sp00xe said:
I had my eye on the those guys in Houston one, I will look there for parts, would rather support a forum member.
Click to expand...
Unless money isn't an issue for you, the difference between $65 for the same part you can get for $37.50 is as important as buying from a forum member for my budget.
 
The those guys in Houston tire tools are the same ones listed on Amazon for 1/3rd the price. Pretty much the same thing with a lot of the parts and tools there. Some exceptions exist, but they do leverage their SEO when it comes to pricing for the market.
 
EzPete said:
The those guys in Houston tire tools are the same ones listed on Amazon for 1/3rd the price. Pretty much the same thing with a lot of the parts and tools there. Some exceptions exist, but they do leverage their SEO when it comes to pricing for the market.
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Yep, their starter clutch kit is their most competitive price, and it's often (if not usually) out of stock.
 
I bought the set of tire irons from Amazon and they work great. I got the set of three and glad I did. The third hand is necessary at times.
 
2wheel said:
I bought the set of tire irons from Amazon and they work great. I got the set of three and glad I did. The third hand is necessary at times.
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yeah - particularly wrestling old ones off!
 
tmross said:
Just adjusting. Points gap too. If its been sitting a while there's probably a little corrosion on the points that you can clean off with fine grit sandpaper.
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Okay, what. I figured. I discovered the Charlie's Place electronic ignition kit and I'll admit it's tempting but probably better to verify the motor will run first.
ancientdad said:
Oh it will fit, but it's roughly equivalent to a 4.00-18 and one size bigger than the max size recommended for that width rim. Stock tire is a full inch narrower, a 90/90-18 would have fit the rim better and is still larger than the 3.00-18 original tire.
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Ah okay, I'll put it on and see how it is to ride, if it's awful I'll find the smaller tire and put it on. I don't expect to ride for a few more months anyway but I will need it to roll soon.
ancientdad said:
Unless money isn't an issue for you, the difference between $65 for the same part you can get for $37.50 is as important as buying from a forum member for my budget.
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Yeah, I have enough projects as it is to fund so getting the same part for cheaper is always good.
EzPete said:
The those guys in Houston tire tools are the same ones listed on Amazon for 1/3rd the price. Pretty much the same thing with a lot of the parts and tools there. Some exceptions exist, but they do leverage their SEO when it comes to pricing for the market.
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Can't say I'm surprised, I'll look them up on Amazon and grab those.

What do you guys recommend for chains? I read some where this DID 94 link 520 chain was the factory replacement:
The one on there now is pretty rusty, the sprockets look in good shape still however.
 
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I did notice today the battery cover is broken, I'll have to use it as is until I can find another. I looked up the part number on CMSNL but nobody has one in stock that I can find.
 
sp00xe said:
I did notice today the battery cover is broken, I'll have to use it as is until I can find another. I looked up the part number on CMSNL but nobody has one in stock that I can find.
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I’ve had some pretty decent luck repairing those cracked and broken pieces with fiberglass resin and/or JB weld. Those little plastic and rubber parts get really tough to find as these bikes get older - not a lot of aftermarket support for those parts either.
 
CB200 and CB175 K7 use a 520 chain. 428 chain on earlier 175's. I use conventional DID chains on the tiddlers, regularly lubed with Scottoil.

Chain sets are interchangeable, so you could fit a 428 chain and sprockets if wished. Think Honda went to the heavier 520 chain in the interest of reduced maintenance, rather than any issues over huge power increase from the 200 engine ;)
 
Richard Pitman said:
CB200 and CB175 K7 use a 520 chain. 428 chain on earlier 175's. I use conventional DID chains on the tiddlers, regularly lubed with Scottoil.

Chain sets are interchangeable, so you could fit a 428 chain and sprockets if wished. Think Honda went to the heavier 520 chain in the interest of reduced maintenance, rather than any issues over huge power increase from the 200 engine ;)
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That's good to know. I'll probably keep it stock, I know these bikes are already slow as it is, and I'm not light myself. Where I'm moving in GA will be lots of hills, so maybe once I'm up there I'll look at changing sprockets to better suit where I'm riding.
 
Got some more parts in today, new fuel hose, oil change gaskets, and air filter pods. I picked up the oil and plugs from my local Advance Auto. I probably jumped the gun with the air pods but they were on sale. :ROFLMAO:

IMG_2286.jpeg
 
What size is that clear fuel line? Original size is 5.5mm (.217"), which is significantly less than 1/4" (.250") and if you use 1/4" line it requires clamps because the line is too big for the spigots on the carbs and petcock. And then it generally ends up leaking later.
 
ancientdad said:
What size is that clear fuel line? Original size is 5.5mm (.217"), which is significantly less than 1/4" (.250") and if you use 1/4" line it requires clamps because the line is too big for the spigots on the carbs and petcock. And then it generally ends up leaking later.
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It's 5.5mm line, I read what you explained about the fuel line here in one of the threads.
 
Had my wife take a photo of the fuel tank for me, it's pretty clean from what I can see, what is the common treatment for rust in these tanks? It doesn't seem bad but I'd like to clean it up and seal it again. I'll have to sneak out to the garage later for a better photo of the inside of the tank.
IMG_9094.jpeg
 
ancientdad said:
Honestly, if the rest of the tank looks that good I wouldn't go to the trouble of lining it yet.
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Good to know, from what I saw of the tank before I messed up my ankle it was all that clean. Would it be worth giving it a cleaning inside since it's been sitting for so long?
 
sp00xe said:
Good to know, from what I saw of the tank before I messed up my ankle it was all that clean. Would it be worth giving it a cleaning inside since it's been sitting for so long?
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Can’t hurt. A good soak with some 30% vinegar and a good rinse/dry. Clean out the petcock and that’s good to go. There is no need to seal that tank unless pinholes open up when you’re doing the vinegar soak.
 
EzPete said:
Can’t hurt. A good soak with some 30% vinegar and a good rinse/dry. Clean out the petcock and that’s good to go. There is no need to seal that tank unless pinholes open up when you’re doing the vinegar soak.
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2wheel said:
I used electrolysis with great results. Just takes a little washing soda a sacrificial metal piece ( I used a bolt) and a battery charger.


View attachment 48011View attachment 48012
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NeverEverJamToday said:
I used bb's & bearings, wrapped the whole thing in a big blanket or 2, left rotating in the clothes dryer with no heat for a couple hours

Edit. Duct tape the cap and petcock well.


Double edit: blanket she doesn't care about!
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All good info, thanks guys! I'm hoping to get out there this weekend. I was looking at doing new tank mounts, but the rear mount looks to be in excellent condition still. Once I get the tank off I'll make a proper assessment. I took a look at the carbs over the weekend and they seems to be pretty clean, hopefully I can get away with not rebuilding them right away.
 
My ankle has been feeling a lot better so I decided to go out and see if I can tinker with the 200 a little bit. I picked up a stand for it so I could get the wheels off to change the tires, and a impact screw driver to get the side cover off to clean up the oil "filter". I discovered a stripped screw on the points cover, which is unfortunate. I'll have to get my easy out bits out so I can extract it. I saw those guys in Houston makes a bolt kit, does anyone else make a bolt kit for these?

IMG_2306.jpeg

I'm moving up to GA next week so I'll be bringing it with me. Probably will have to put it in the bed of my truck as I'll be pulling my camper at the same time.
 
First thing you need is a set of JIS screwdrivers, these are not phillips screws. Many here have these and like them, you'll want a #2 and #3


You can replace all the JIS screws with allens, yes, but then you have to be really careful not to strip the threads in the aluminum because you can easily overtorque allens.
 
ancientdad said:
First thing you need is a set of JIS screwdrivers, these are not phillips screws. Many here have these and like them, you'll want a #2 and #3


You can replace all the JIS screws with allens, yes, but then you have to be really careful not to strip the threads in the aluminum because you can easily overtorque allens.
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Yup, I have JIS screw drivers. I repair vintage cameras in my spare time, so I bought a complete set from small to large. I'll have to find the correct size JIS replacement screws.

On another note, I found some Honda branded tie down set to load my bike into my truck with.

IMG_2304.jpeg
 
Got out today for a little bit to mess with the bike, started working on getting the rear wheel off to swap the tire, saw the right side exhaust had to come off to get the bolt out for the rear wheel so I pulled it.
IMG_2316.jpeg

I won't be surprisedIMG_2317.jpeg if I end up having to pull the motor to do at least a top end rebuild looking inside the exhaust port, it's kind of crummy inside there.

If you have a sharp eye in the above photo, you'll notice this motor has been pulled before, judging by the incorrect bolt on the front mount and a second stripped screw on the starter.

IMG_2318.jpeg

If this bike wasn't free I'd be annoyed. Tomorrow night I'm going to wrap up the tire swap so I can move it, then worry about the rest once I'm moved. I'm a little disappointed I won't be able to bring it with me on my first trip up, but the second trip the last weekend of August I'll bring it up with me.

Will probably order some electronics from Sparck some time next week, namely the regulator/rectifier, flasher relay, and some LED bulbs for the gauge clusters. Not really essential to it running, but it's progress.

Had a thought, would it be a good idea to replace all of the cables on the bike? Clutch, front brake, throttle, etc? They all seem to work fine, but I also don't want to go ride and have a cable snap because I didn't replace it.
 
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Cables don't usually snap, removing to get a good lubrication would be great. You can inspect the ends of the cable closely at that point to evaluate, any broken wires mean replacement. No broken? probably good.
 
Hang your cables up and drizzle motor oil down inside repeatedly. 90wt even better. Rust and kinking are the common fails, not wear.
 
Regarding replacement screws, nuts and bolts. The CNMSL website parts fiches very helpfully list all the correct sizes, armed with that information the parts can be bought very cheaply from specialist bolt suppliers. More effort than simply buying a ready picked kit, but very satisfying. I know that there are mixed views about this, but I like nice shiny stainless steel fixings.
 
LongDistanceRider said:
Cables don't usually snap, removing to get a good lubrication would be great. You can inspect the ends of the cable closely at that point to evaluate, any broken wires mean replacement. No broken? probably good.
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Good to know, I'll just give them a good lube and keep on going.
NeverEverJamToday said:
Consider getting the less powerful ones available or be ready to put gels/coating over them . Many of the options now are so bright that glancing at the gauges in the evening requires time for eyes to readjust when looking back to the road.

View attachment 48257
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That's a good point, I was thinking about grabbing appropriately colored bulbs, so the bright LED didn't wash out the color on the colored indicators.
ballbearian said:
Hang your cables up and drizzle motor oil down inside repeatedly. 90wt even better. Rust and kinking are the common fails, not wear.
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I wanted to replace the levers as it is, so good time to do this. Thanks for the oil suggestion, I would have been searching for what to use.
Richard Pitman said:
Regarding replacement screws, nuts and bolts. The CNMSL website parts fiches very helpfully list all the correct sizes, armed with that information the parts can be bought very cheaply from specialist bolt suppliers. More effort than simply buying a ready picked kit, but very satisfying. I know that there are mixed views about this, but I like nice shiny stainless steel fixings.
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I am partial to yellow zinc plated hardware, might be for show but worth it I think.
 
It's been a bit, moved to Georgia finally, and with starting the fall semester for my Master's I've had limited time to mess with the Honda. I did order a new condenser, coil, plug caps, points, and ignition solenoid. I was prepping to get the motor to TDC so I could begin to adjust the valves and set the ignition timing when I noted the stator doesn't have a bolt in it:
IMG_2515.jpeg

I found it odd as every video or photo I've seen without the stator cover it has a bolt there. Am I missing it?

Also, I pulled the points cover off, I was testing with my multimeter and discovered that my points gets constant power when the key is on and the kill switch is off. From what I could find it seems the condenser is bad, and I would image the kill switch is too.

IMG_2502.jpeg

And of course I looked at the two types of points, and what I had on my bike and STILL ordered the wrong one. So I'll just clean up the points I have and send back the incorrect Hitachi part.

I'm hoping to get some free time soon to be able to really get out and get the bike running at a minimum. I'd love to ride it up and down the street to learn before going and getting my license.
 
That’s a fun bolt to be missing. It’s one you’ll need to order.
 
Check inside the headlight case to see if the PO wired around the kill switch. The solid black feeds switched 12v to the black with white through the kill switch, so if they've wired around the kill switch part of the handlebar switch it could mean the kill switch went bad. And yes, it is extremely odd to see an engine without the rotor bolt, it certainly needs one before it gets run.
 
EzPete said:
That’s a fun bolt to be missing. It’s one you’ll need to order.
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Yeah, I was confused as to why it would be missing in the first place. I'm still optimistic I can get this thing running without doing anything crazy, but I won't be surprised if I end up having to rebuild the motor.
ancientdad said:
Check inside the headlight case to see if the PO wired around the kill switch. The solid black feeds switched 12v to the black with white through the kill switch, so if they've wired around the kill switch part of the handlebar switch it could mean the kill switch went bad. And yes, it is extremely odd to see an engine without the rotor bolt, it certainly needs one before it gets run.
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Thank you! I'll check out the headlight wiring then replace the kill switch if it's bypassed, I ended up deciding I wanted to keep this bike as stock as possible so I guess my thread title is off now, it's more of just a restoration now. It's slightly concerning why that bolt would be missing, and leads me to believe it had something wrong with it when it was parked in the garage, so far it's got an odd motor mount bolt, chewed up points cover screws, a couple chewed up starter screws, and it's missing the stator bolt.

I also attempted to replace the rear tire which I successfully got it on, but I was in a rush to do it as I had to get the bike loaded on my truck to drive it up to GA a few weeks ago and pinched the tube somewhere, so I'll have to replace that, and I wasn't able to figure out how to get the front wheel off, but I also was doing it in a rush as well, I'll have to revisit it later this month.

IMG_2344.jpeg


I think I had 6 straps holding it to the carrier, shifted some on the ride up but no real issues or scares for the 500+ miles. Had a couple people take pictures of it on the back, not sure if it was because of my crazy strap job, or that they thought the bike was cool.

IMG_2346.jpeg
 
Check the inside of your points cover for any damage, it almost looks like lumps of solder on the point arm, advancer bolt and on the lower right point plate.

1759164492483.png
 
I saw that too, and wondered if someone coated the inside of the points cover for whatever reason like the old steel 350 covers used to be.
 
boddy said:
Check the inside of your points cover for any damage, it almost looks like lumps of solder on the point arm, advancer bolt and on the lower right point plate.

View attachment 50426
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ancientdad said:
I saw that too, and wondered if someone coated the inside of the points cover for whatever reason like the old steel 350 covers used to be.
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Here's a photo of the inside of my points cover, I think I will replace the points, bolt, and if I can find it the plate to be safe. I was able to locate a rotor bolt for the alternator, $30 shipped. I felt it's kind of high but I'd rather have a brand new part.

IMG_2524.jpeg
 
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