Getting Started with My ’72 CT90
So my old Honda CT90 was running like a tired donkey last weekend. I figured it deserved some cheap love to wake it up without emptying my wallet. Grabbed my toolbox and parked that baby in the driveway around 8 AM.
The Basic Checkup First
Popped the seat off and eyeballed the air filter – looked dirtier than my lawnmower bag. Yanked that sucker out and thwacked it against the fence. Brown dust puff made me cough! Next checked the spark plug with my rusty socket wrench. Crusty tip, white residue… no wonder she struggled to start.
Five Bucket Fixes
Ran to the auto parts store for:
- A new spark plug ($2.49 special)
- Cheapo air filter ($4)
- Spray carb cleaner ($3.99)
Took longer to drive there than do the actual work, swear to god.
Hands-On Upgrades
First things first: twisted in that shiny new plug finger-tight then gave it a quarter turn with the wrench. Easy. Then jammed the fresh air filter into the housing – took more wrestling than it should’ve. Finally pulled the carburetor hose and hosed down the jets with cleaner. Purple gunk dripped out… yuck!
The Moment of Truth
Kicked that starter pedal three times. On the third try she ROARED to life like a pissed-off chainsaw! Let it warm up while adjusting the idle screw clockwise until it stopped sounding like a dying grasshopper. Took it for a spin around the block – smoother than my grandma’s gravy!
Why Bother?
Spent twelve bucks and maybe forty minutes total. Now she starts first kick every time and idles without shaking apart. Lesson learned? Sometimes old bikes just need basic TLC, not fancy garage voodoo.