Help my 1979 Honda CD185T Benly #ProjectBenly

A break in updated on Rescogs generally means one of two things. The first is that I’ve had to focus more on my day job to pay the bills (If you want to help out, I’d love to hear from you). The other cause is the 1979 Honda CD185T Benly currently inhabiting the garage.

It doesn’t look too bad in that photo, does it? Until you notice the missing speedo, the rust and other slight issues. But the thing you can’t see is that it hasn’t run properly in about a decade.

If you’re currently wondering what on earth led to my ownership of a ’79 Benly, then allow me to explain. It was acquired in a swap deal for a guitar amp with notable motorcycle journalist and author Al Seeley. At the time it made perfect sense. He gained a nice Marshall, and I gained a little classic motorcycle which would be perfect for learning basic maintenance. Plus at the time I was employed as a motorcycle journo myself, which meant lots of borrowing the latest bikes – so I needed something of my own to build up some valuable No Claims Bonus should I ever leave.

One summer evening test ride for a couple of miles and the Benly won me over with some retro charm. Plus it was dirt cheap to insure and a bit different for the 3-4 mile daily commute.

Then it started misbehaving.

It soon decided that it would rather run on one cylinder. If at all. And after a while of putting up with it, my esteemed father got fed up of my lack of mechanical skill and told me he’d fix it over the summer. That was about 9 years ago, and since then it’s sat in his garage after some initial exploration and failed fixes, plus some new exhausts (now rusted), a new battery (now flat), and the removal of the speedo (no idea).

But that’s going to change now. I’ve already started stripping it properly, and with your help, the mighty #ProjectBenly might result in an actual working motorcycle.

The first way you can help is by keeping me motivated through the long slog to fix it properly this time, from frame up. Rubbing away rust, crap and paint isn’t always fun, and I have yet to get to the engine itself (First task was to arrest some of the corrosion and to un-stick the brakes to move it more easily around the garage). Plus if you happen to know anything about engines, the 70’s Honda Benly, or fancy rebuilding an engine for eternal gratitude and plentiful blog posts about how wonderful you are, then it’s all going to keep me going.

The second way is to help me with an important decision. I have 3 current choices to decide from:

Straight restoration?

The first option I have is to complete a faithful restoration (Assuming it’s ever complete!). Take it apart, fix it, put it back together and ride it.

A reasonable choice, but logically the price of a 1979 Honda CB185T Benly is about £600 secondhand. Which is far less than the cost of spares to put it back together. Plus there are certain stylistic decisions that I’ve never enjoyed. The speedo is a horrible square lump, the mirrors are huge, those fork leg reflectors look horrible, and it’s just a little bit too twee. I’m just not convinced I’ll be dedicated enough to spend every spare moment in the garage to rebuild something with the speed and frame of a 1950s bicycle.

 

Cafe Racer?

You’d think by now I’d have stopped listening to my father. But he does make the occasional wise decision when it comes to motorcycles. Plus, his obsessive cleaning tendency could work in my favour.

His suggestion was to go for more of a cafe racer style. Drop bars, more streamlined, and more stylish. It’d mean losing the huge seat, which is one of the better preserved parts of the bike. But would give me something with a better look.

But I have a problem with that plan. Is there anything cool about a mini cafe racer with all the power of an asthmatic weasel?

The Benly wasn’t particularly quick when new. And over the years it’ll have naturally lost power. The last time it was running properly, I could keep up with dual carriageway traffic. But only when I ignored the articulated lorries slip streaming me, and overtaking was a pipe dream.

So if I’m going to Cafe Racer something, shouldn’t it at least have enough power to keep up with traffic? I’m going to look a bit of a tit hunched over uncomfortably as bicycles pedal past?

 

Scrambler/Brat?

Now we come to option 3. Which is to basically junk all the crap bits I can, keep the bits I quite like, and hopefully end up with a reasonably comfortable, reasonably classic, usable bike.

I’m thinking possibly higher bars, a new mini speedo, and cutting down the front mudguard or junking it. I’m not sure about the best solution for the low slung twin pipes, but at least some matt black paint will be more rust-protection friendly than the wafer-thin chrome that’s left.

I haven’t decided whether the chain guard should stay, but a different colour scheme could disguise it and make the bike look a bit less twee. I do still quite like the rear shocks, even if they offer no discernible performance. And no-one can claim that if I stick some knobbly tyres on it’ll hinder the performance…

 

So this is where I need some opinions which don’t belong to me (Because I’m mechanically inept), or my father (because his own bikes take preference, and I’ll be his age before we reach an agreement). Do you reckon I should go straight resto, cafe racer, scrambler or something else?

And can you try and remind me to actually keep making progress, posting updates and actually get the sodding Benly back on the road to prove I’m not completely inept? Alternatively – anyone got a modern CG125 engine or similar kicking around and reckon it could fit?