can I swap out my CA95 motor with a 160?
 

Does anyone know the differences between these two motors? Can I easily swap them out or is there a major difference?

Do you have a cherry CA95 that needs an engine? There is a major difference. The 160's have much better gearing for speed and it has a much better cam chain arrangement as well. The engine is an updated 150 basically. The transmissions were updated to work better/ smoother.

It's kind of hard to justify the effort it takes to find another engine and install it if you already have an "ok" running 150cc. You can find CA160 motorcycle cheap in great shape. I would be surprised... really surprised if the 160cc engine won't plug right into a Benly 150 frame and wiring harness.

This is the thing.....
 

I am not sure if you recall, but I bought a 1965 CA95, that was in really good condition, or so I thought. However, it is smoking, and upon further investigation it is spitting oil out the exhaust. I know this could just be a ring piston issue, but my husband has NEVER worked on one of these before, and he was wondering if it would be easier to just pick up another motor. He saw a 160 on ebay, and thought maybe we would TRY to pick it up to have an extra just to error on the side of caution. What do you think? I know you have experience on the 150's, what do you think? The rest of my bike EXCELLENT CONDITION.

Ah yes! I have tons of questions to answer all the time (consulting tech 24/7) so it was hard for me to remember your case but I remember of course. If you want to ride your bike you would be VERY wise to put a 160cc engine into it. It's a big big difference. If you went and rode them back to back you would find a huge difference between the two. I've taken my CA160 on the freeway, no joke, at 65-70mph flat out. It was crazy I admit (original tires : ) but I can say I did it! There is NO way I would do that on the 150. It's not possible.

Now the CB160 has quite a bit more power even still. BUT it has dual carbs on it and they would hit the frame in a Dream style chassis. I bet those CB160 bikes and engines will go for at least twice what the CA models bring. They use those CB engines and frames for racing. They are a lot faster to say the least.

The Honda 160 engine looks a lot better than the 150cc engine too. They machined the Honda name into the side. The CA95 150 engine looks like a pre-WWII era engine.

lol.... easy now.... I just might KEEP that 15O engine lol.
 

we are going to try and pick it up, but who knows, it is always the luck of the draw. I am definitely planning on riding this bike though. I am a 39 year old mom who is tired of getting beat up on a dirt bike. And at 5 feet tall, my options are limited. lol Not to mention these little bikes are just too cool.

Oh... and BTW
 

I have that that 150 at a whopping 50mph definitely sketchy. :D

So that's the bike there in the picture? And how many miles are on the engine? That bike is too nice. It looks way too shiny to be original though. No way that's original paint. It's been very well cared for. You might want to have that engine fixed as it would be a shame to separate them.

That is the bike.....
 

Yes it was very well cared for. The only part of the bike that has been repainted is one side of the forks, as far as I can tell. There definitely IS some chips and very minor dings on the front fender. But other than that, the bike is very clean. As far as miles on this thing, the speedo says 5096. But we all know, it is very easy to buy then on ebay, so I have no REAL proof either way. The engine LOOKS pretty clean, but my husband said there is carbon build up, and does not believe it when the previous owner said that they just redid the rings and pistons. I too agree, that this engine needs to fixed and put back into the bike. I want to keep it original if I can help it. The thought is to swap the motors so I can ride it until the original motor is fixed. Then, I can keep the 160 just in case something happens to the 150 motor. Does that sound stupid? I don't know yet, I am just thinking about it.

Doesn't sound stupid to me. In fact, I'm thinking of doing the same swap in my '65. Same deal. Nice bike, shot motor. Yours looks nicer, though.

Fortunately, I have both a CB160 and CA160 engine. You could put a CB160 engine one there if you swap the one-carb head from a CA160.

The top of the engine fitting the bracket welded onto the frame might be different with the 160. Otherwise, the bottom half is a direct bolt in. In fact, somebody tried to put the CB160 engine that I have onto one of the CA95's my dad and I picked up. It totally didn't work with it being two-carbs.

With a CA160 head on there, you might be able to pull it off. I'll take another look at my CA160 frame and compare it to my '65. If it's the same, swapping in a CA160 engine or strange CA/CB hybrid like I'm considering would totally work.

Great Minds Think Alike
 

Well, it looks promising, I will definitely keep you all posted if we do decide to switch it out. We are just waiting for the for sure deal on the 160 engine, then the work begins. Thanks for all the feedback.

Kellie:)

Yeah the 160 engine is the one to have. I can't say if using the CA head on the CB engine would be doable. I would keep the CB engine to the side for sale since they are worth more. Or someone might trade out a good CA engine for it I'm sure.

Just don't throw anything away no matter what you do. :)

I was thinking the same thing about the CB160 motor. The CA engine is basically complete, but somebody picked a few parts off of there. Mostly covers and small stuff. I'm not sure how good it is. I guess it would have to be taken apart and inspected.

I wish I had a CB160! Those things are awesome. And they can be ridden anywhere as they have much more power and the tube frames are 10x stronger than the stamped steel of the CA. There are a couple for sale across the country and I would gladly have one shipped over here if I had more room! Those things are cool.

I'm hoping that someday I'll find a CB160 to drop that engine into. Those bikes sure have a HUGE following, don't they? I've only seen one out here for sale (Wisconsin). It was about as nice as my Benly, and they wanted a grand.

If I could find a decent enough restorable one, I already have the engine. Otherwise, I might make a little mini-chopper or bobber, and it'll have a really cool CB160 engine in it.