To Be Able To Tell At A Glance.

[Ben Cullen]

Early & Late Benly's

The Early Benly Frame Is Narrow Here;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_18423.jpg

It also has a Tachometer drive;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_1855_01.jpg

The later Benly frame Is wider here;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_18403.jpg

... And the head has no Tachometer drive;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_1849.jpg

Telling A C95 From A CA95.

The CA95 has a hole in the top of the crankcase here;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_18457.jpg

The C95 from Canada and the rest of the world has no hole & looks like this;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_18465.jpg

Loose a little weight and make your bike accelerate quicker;


Light weight aluminum block from CB92;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_18456.jpg



Make it "Go Like Stink!" with a fully ported race head;

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_18577.jpg

The dirty one is from Ryan and just needs a tidy up.

If you get real serious You'll need to stop quick with an 8" Twin Leading Magnesium Front brake.

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af247/benlyben1/P300610_1901.jpg


Now Stop Getting All Excited:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Benly Ben.

[Smithers]

Oh goodness, someone is starting a rather fast classic Honda build I see! Excellent info.

[rhodemon]

Nice pictures! I've been meaning to pass on information on the CA95s for some time, and your pictures have sent me into action.

A few other notable differences between the early and late model CA95 models are readily apparent like the early flat mufflers vs the late round ones, the different fuel tank panels and knee rubbers, and the handle bar and throttle setups and their cables and harnesses. And early rear shock stays and right side crankcase covers don't say Honda.

More subtle differences are the seats which are swappable with a little work, and the exhaust header pipes which are not interchangeable (anybody got a nice extra set of the early ones for sale?).

The early horns have screw terminals, while the later ones have two wires with quick disconnects, and of course, the early bikes were fitted with an air pump mounted just below the left side of the seat. Most of the old bikes are missing the pumps, but the brackets or at least the bracket mounting holes are still there! Different carbs were used over the years, and seem to be interchangeable. There was no provision for mounting mirrors on the early handle bars unless the separate mounting brackets were put on. And the early CA95 was fitted with black walled tires, while the late had white walls.

The tail lights and their respective brackets changed at least three times over the years, with the lights getting larger, while the license plate brackets got smaller. Along the way the rear shock covers went from metal to plastic, as did the side covers for the battery and tools.

All of this and no mention of the engine, which went through many changes including three crankshafts and two camshafts and a host of other items. When doing engine work, study the parts manual carefully so you don't end up buying parts you can't use!

I'm sure I missed a few items, but that's a quick look at the obvious differences.

The colors available were red, white, black, and blue. In addition, there were a few very early (1959) CA95s that were painted a pinkish red, sometimes called "Tokyo Rose". These bikes were equipped with a matching pink seat, and clutch and front brake handles that were missing the ball type ends (notice I refrained from using the term "ball less"), the very small tail lights, and a large license plate holder.

There was an excellent article on this rare motorcycle (they called the color "passionate pink"), in the October 1960 issue of Cycle (Road Test #111) that is very informative and descriptive not only of this bike, but all of the CA95s in general.

Speaking of articles, a must read on the CA95 is "The Flashback Express" by Peter Egan from the April 1980 issue of Cycle World, and from his book "Leanings".

These bikes are a very useable classic daily rider that is small enough to handle easily, but large enough to carry two people, very reliable, and easy to work on. Add to that electric start, overhead cam, and 10,000 rpm's, and I think we've found ourselves a winner!

[Sam Green]

A very good post rho, I found my winner 50 years ago and it's still going strong. It consists of parts from a C92, CB92, C95, CA95, CB95, C100 and a couple of bits from Kawasaki and Yamaha:D:D:D. If parts fit and you're not worried about it being period correct, then there's plenty of parts out there, it's just a matter of knowing which fits what;)

Sam.:)