1980 Honda Express RestoBuild

[vette117]

Hey guys, new to the moped/noped world, and I am looking for a place to share my piece. I have a 1980 Honda Express that I inherited from my dad a few months ago. It has the NC50 motor/CVT. It runs great, and it turns heads for sure.

Backstory: My dad got the moped from a friends garage/barn somewhere around 10 years ago. He put it in the corner of his shop as a display piece, where it sat for 4 or 5 years. I was curious one day, and asked him if I could ride it. We did a few things to it to get it running, and I enjoyed it every now and then as a kid. Fast forward to a few months ago, I decided I needed to do a quick run around with it. I go around the block a few times, and my dad says to just ride it home. I rode it around town for a month or so, then I decided it needed more, and so here we are today.


I have a bunch of ideas and plans for it. Check it out!

[vette117]

I don't have many pictures of it in one piece at the moment, but here is one.



At this point, I have it torn down quite a bit. I am in the process of cleaning it up.

[vette117]

Today I decided I needed more displacement, so I ordered a 70CC Wizard cylinder kit, 46mm Hobbit Head, MLM base spacer, and an extra base gasket. I'm sure with the extra displacement, I will need to upgrade the carb as well. I will likely opt for the Mikuni 20mm carb. A lot of people use it, and love it. I'm not an expert at carburetors and tuning, so it should do me nicely.

Future plans/ideas (in no specific order) include:
1. 6v to 12v Conversion
2. LED Light conversion
3. New Wheels/Tires
4. Fuel Reservoir relocate
5. Discard front fender. Trim and tilt rear fender forward.
6. New Paint Scheme
7. New/Reupholster seat
8. More Engine/CVT Performance mods

I look forward to seeing what you guys have to say about it!

[190mech]

COOL scoot!Surely a bare bones ride,,no plastic stuff to fight with,,Keep us posted on your progress!

[eclark5483]

Love IT! Keep us posted.

[vette117]

Thanks guys! I have a lot of ideas, and I tend to be an outside the box type of person, so I hope it will turn out nice. I won't have my license until January, so I have plenty of time to get something crazy whipped up!

[Senna1Rossi]

Welcome.

Cool cool

[vette117]

Today I ordered the Mikuni 20mm VM round slide carb, an MLM intake to mount it to, and a bunch of jets for the carb.

I've never had to break a motor in, but I have read a ton about breaking these 70cc kits in, and I will be extremely cautious while doing so. A lot of scooter guys use the trailtech gauges for max speed, and more importantly temperatures. I will be looking into getting one soon. A lot of people soft size these motors, not paying attention to breaking it in.

I want an aftermarket exhaust, but it will probably wait until after the break in process. I will feel more comfortable tuning for the aftermarket after the break in is over with.

[vette117]

First round of Treats in! 70 Cylinder, Hobbit Head, MLM Spacer, and gaskets. I'm going to start tearing down the old motor shortly. I am still waiting on a couple more rounds of goodies, before I will be able to completely reassemble, but I have inspiration to get a couple of other things knocked out while I'm waiting!

[vette117]

Another round of treats! Today I Got the Mikuni Carb, some jets, and a fancy MLM Intake! All I am waiting for now is a couple of gaskets and a couple days off to get all the stuff assembled.

In the meantime, I have been going over the wiring diagram of the moped. I have a good amount of experience with 12V car electronics, so I think I have an idea of what I need to do to convert my 6V to 12V; but if anyone here can give some advice, I'd appreciate it! Who is the best person to ask? I can PM a detailed wiring diagram, along with my ideas to whomever can help.

[hellish100]

Looking good!

[gsx600racer]

Iv always liked the nostalgic look of Honda's 80's style scooter. So simple, and clean looks.

Now just swap the engine for a AF16 , kit it with a Polinis Corsa, carb & intake, decent pipe, zx trans and gears and just pray that the large front tire can handle the speed.

[vette117]

Thanks! If I were to swap it with in anything though, it would probably be a 150cc! The simplicity is awesome at times, but sometimes it's too simple. Haha.

All I'm waiting on now is a couple more gaskets to be able to install the 70cc Kit. I also have a high flow UNI filter on the way for the Mikuni Carb, and Carbon Boyesen reeds for some low/mid range juice!

Once the Kit is installed, I will have to spend some time tuning and breaking it in. Once the break in is done, I am going to measure the AC Voltage output of the stator to determine which voltage rectifier/regulator I need for the 12V conversion. I have a few spare 12-14V Tool batteries laying around that I might be able to use. The scoot uses a kick/wind up start, so I don't need a high cranking amp. Just enough to run some LED Lights. I'm wanting to use a small LED Light Bar in place of the headlight pod, and converting all of the other turns/tails/brakes to LEDs.

Also, follow me at youtu.be/k4HAral-eMw
for a video log of all the work I'm putting in!

Thanks!

[vette117]

Alright guys, today I got a ton of work done to the motor! 

I started off by cleaning up the case itself. Years of oil/dirt caked all around the casing. A few cans of brake clean and some elbow grease made it look a lot better. 

Next task was replacing the Variator cover gasket. The Philip head bolts were a PITA to remove, but I eventually got them out. The internals looked great. No majorly worn parts. Reassembled with new gasket. Filled with 5w-20 synthetic. It's what I had on the shelf, so it will do for now. 

After I finished that, it was time to tackle the 70cc kit. 4 bolts to remove the head and cylinder. Cake. Removed old piston. I used The MLM .6mm Base spacer, with gaskets on each side, and everything lined up perfectly. The cylinder kit came with the piston already in the bore, so I left it in while installing the new wrist pin and attaching to connecting rod to avoid having to compress piston rings. Installed new Hobbit Head. 

Instead of cutting the fins on the brand new cylinder, I used an angle grinder to shorten the head on the oil fill bolt. I left enough material to be able to use it still. PLENTY of space. Perfect. 

Removed the stock intake, and reed block. I replaced the reeds with Boyesen Carbon reeds. Installed the new MLM intake for the 20mm Mikuni Carb, and a UNI air filter. 

I have yet to install the exhaust, and the throttle cable, but I did crank the wind up a few times and let it turn over with a little oil. Flawless. 



So, I called it a day because I couldn't get the throttle cable in the Mikuni. I adjusted it all the way to the end, and I was just barely able to seat the cable. I was devastated. It was my impression that the Mikuni was a direct fit, even with the stock cable. Any ideas here? 

**I'll attach pics once I get home!