Honda CT 110 Trail - Steering Head Bearing Replacement

The steering on my 1985 Honda CT 110 is showing the classic signs of worn head bearings & it's time to replace them. This video shows the dismantling of the front end, removal of the old bearing races or cups & their replacement with taper roller bearings. The purpose of this video is to give you the confidence to carry out this upgrade yourself.

[@Valentineracing]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Thanks mate!

[@toadgoober]

Just did mine. Wish had access to all the 12v posties in the US, looks like a 125M from a 3 wheeler is the best option for 12v and e start. Great vid, always a pleasure.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Thanks mate. I'd like to get hold of a 125M engine but they're rare over here, I reckon it'd be much better than fitting a Lifan.

[@taugammaphi4745]

Sir what brand and part number and where did you buy it from? Thanks.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

I bought them from Aliexpress but I wouldn't recommend doing that, they are not the best quality.

[@freetv77]

Hi - this is a bit off topic so please feel free to ignore, but I'm wondering if you can help with advice. I acquired a 1984 CT110 a few days ago. It is in very good shape. When I ride it at 35MPh or below (55kph) it functions perfectly. However, if I take it to a speed like 45MPH (70kph) around full throttle , it can only hold that speed for about 15 seconds, and then it starts lunging like it is out of gas, and will eventually stall if I don't back (way) off the throttle. My initial though was it was not getting enough gas and the bowl was running dry. I thought it might be vapor lock, so I basically rode it without the gas cap on and the same thing happened. I then verified that both the main fuel and reserve line basically free-flow gas when removed from the petcock. I checked the filter in the petcock and it was not clogged (the carb is new and looks like an original OEM carb.) I even took off the petcock valve and verified it was not clogged. Also, the air filter was completely decayed and caked on the main air cartridge - I'm shocked the bike ran. Anyway, I removed (scrapped off) the air filter and just ran with the cartridge so the bike was getting plenty of air - but I still had the same problem - bike can only run about 15 seconds at full throttle before it bucks like it is out of gas. I don't think it is ignition because I can run it say in 2nd gear at very high revs for an extended period of time (as long as I'm not near full throttle). It has CDI (electronic ignition). So I'm baffled. It just seems like the bike needs more fuel than the carb can provide. My only remaining guesses are 1) the main jet is either too small or partially clogged (but why would the bike run perfectly at full throttle for 15 seconds if this is the case?) , or 2) the float is set to low and the bowl isn't filing to the correct level (but the carb is new and it seems unlikely the float was set wrong from the factory. And even so, this seem like it would just let me ride at full throttle a few extra seconds and would not let me ride "constantly" at full throttle.) Any ideas before I take apart the carb? This can't be normal and the bike runs so well below 35mph it must be something that can be fixed. Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have on what to check. Best.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Happy to help if I can. If the carb is an aftermarket one, they sneak an extra letter or two on the name. OEM will say Keihin, Clone will say Keihinkt. If it is a clone, have a look at my videos linked here, they may help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJPEhGuCrKqDedU kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWnKgqymgtRjhbM Good luck!

[@freetv77]

@@Free_Ranger_CT110 (Sorry if this is a repeat) - Thanks very much, sure enough, I have a Chinese clone with the smaller bowl. I did a bit of research, and at least in the US, the 1980/81 CT110's had a carb with the smaller bowl (that the clones were modeled after). From 1982 forward to 1986 (the last year of the CT100 in the US) Honda increased the bowl size per your videos. There was one with a larger bowl that I found on ebay (used) and I bought it (it 7X the price of a new clone), and I plan to do a "bowl transplant" once it arrives. Thanks so much - the small bowl explains why it can't keep up with full throttle and Honda fixed this with the larger bowl. Wish me luck! Thanks again.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

@@freetv77 Good luck, I hope it cures the problem, I'm interested to know the result. I had exactly the same fault when I fitted an aftermarket carb to my 1985 CT110. All the best. I've just finished making a video on servicing the CT90 Keihin carb, it'll be out in a couple of days.

[@freetv77]

@@Free_Ranger_CT110 Update - well my "original" carb arrived and it did have the larger bowl (but the jets and tubes had been replaced by Chinese parts I assumed). Rather than replace the entire carb in my CT110, I just did a "bowl" transplant moving the larger Honda bowl to the Chinese carb. The result: I'd say it 90% fixed the problem. I still can't keep the throttle open (fully open) for more than say 45 seconds, but this is vast improvement from before. And if I back off just a bit, it seems like the new set up works. Under normal driving, where I only use full throttle in limited circumstances, it seems to work very well. So, it isn't 100% the way I want it, but for practical purposes I can work around the problem by just backing off a bit. Thanks very much for the tip. The bike was unsafe before, and now I feel comfortable riding around the area (although I will likely only ride 40MPH in the 45 zones to avoid problems.) Thanks again!

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

@@freetv77 thanks for the update. Glad it's running better, seems you're on the right track. Have you checked the float height? Difficult to adjust with a nylon float but trying a different float may give a better height. How is the plug colour? Have you tried changing the needle a notch either way? All the best, Darren.