Honda Cl-160 Street Scrambler

HONDA CL-160 STREET SCRAMBLER

T'S NOT DIFFICULT to be a winner, when you are born of a family of wel1-bred, handsome successful types. With this sort of heritage, the Honda CL-160 has a leg up on the game of lightweight touring machines. The CL-160 is based on the CB-160, and in many ways, is the same machine. The frame, engine, wheels and many of the supporting pieces of the CL are identical to those of the CB. The major differences are the fuel tank, seat, tires, bars, exhaust system, and the absence of the electric starter on the CL version.

Unlike its bigger brothers, the 250cc and 305cc scramblers, which have 180-degree crankshafts, the CL-160 has a 360-degree unit. While the argument for better balancing in a 180-degree engine is strong, something must be said for the even distribution of power impulses in the 360-degree setup; the CL-160 is wondrously smooth; in fact, noticeably more so than the larger Hondas.

The pressed-together crank in the CL-160 is supported by three roller and one ball bearing. Power for the one-piece single overhead cam is supplied by a sprocket mounted on the crank between the two center main bearings. The camshaft journals are machined into each of the cylinder head end covers.

Typical of Honda twin design, the engine’s major castings are aluminum with shrink-fit steel cylinders. Also typical of the small Honda twins, the CL-160 has conventional insert valve seats. (The 72 and 77 series engines have steel domes into which the valve seats are machined.)

Whatever Happened To Honda Hump?

Like its bigger brothers — and its CB sibling — the CL-160 is set up with two Keihin carburetors, mounted several inches from the head on slim tuned-length manifolds. Throttle control is handled by a Siamese hookup under the tank, with a single cable going to the twistgrip. Rod linkage ties the chokes together, and they are operated by a lever on the port-side carburetor. This system does not have inherent tuning problems as might be imagined, but is instead quite trouble free. Both carburetors draw through a large single filter that is reached through the left cover. The cover on the right houses a very generous battery and fuse holder.

Although the gear primary drive is straight cut, it is very quiet, owing to its interesting design. The gears are actually two sets, offset one-half tooth. This permits a mesh of more than 50 percent, much like a helical, but retains the efficiency and durability of the straight-cut design.

The engine/transmission are unit construction and share a common sump. The transmission is constant mesh, quite sturdy, and Honda-slow on the upshift. During the first acceleration run the test rider charged off the line in low gear, stabbed for second, missed it and returned to the line with a sheepish grin for a retake. The rest of the crew, also grinning, just nodded knowingly — and acceptingly. It’s a thing that must be lived with — inherent with the marque — and not too terrible, when one considers the enviable reputation Honda transmissions have for staying together. Shifts into third and fourth gear can be made as quickly as they are needed, but second just will not be hurried.

CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST

The frame of the CL-160 is — here we go again — typically Honda. It is straightforward, sturdy (a trifle heavy, in fact) and very well finished. As with all of the Honda twins, the engine doubles as a structural member. The front forks are a bit steep, and the suspension in general is more citified than rural. The brakes are excellent, and this is particularly so of the double-leading shoe unit in front. Handling is superb on hard surfaces and marginal on soft. This"can easily be chalked up to fork rake and suspension units. The CL-160 — and we’re sorry about this — feels potentially better than the larger Honda scramblers. To be sure, its weight and wheelbase have a lot to do with this. It feels as though it isn’t too far away from being a decent lightweight TT mount, but would require some wheelbase stretching before it could be comfortably pushed hard in the rough. But getting down to cases, the bike was not designed as an all-out competition machine; it's an exciting lightweight tourer/ transport that won’t totally forsake its rider during a romp through the tules.

So far, we have all but neglected the points that set the CL-160 apart from the CB-160. Fundamentally, the CL-160 is vastly improved on appearance alone — not that the CB is unpleasant. Hard-bitten sophisticates that we may appear to be, we, too, are turned on by a motorcycle’s aesthetic side, and the CL-160 is a most pleasant piece for the eyes. The “unsightly Honda hump" flows nicely into one of the most handsome and comfortable dual seats ever seen on a production bike. The higher, wider, reinforced bars invite the rider’s grasp. And while the cross-over, upswept pipes may terminate in an unfortunate-looking (but quiet) muffler, their radii suggest that they offer no more restriction than the down-turned numbers of the CB version. The exhaust pipes are probably the largest contributor to the 160’s new appearance and offer an additional positive factor, for those riders who would venture off of the pavement, in that they are not susceptible to rock prangs.

Predictably, the CL-160 is superbly finished. Casting finish, machining, welding, plating, buffing, paint and seat finish are excellent.

The CL.-160 starts easily, runs smoothly, accelerates crisply, handles confidently, brakes authoritatively, looks great, and doesn’t cost an arm or a leg. It does all of the things that it is supposed to do so well that it would be really drab — if it weren't so much fun to ride. ■

HONDA

CL-160

SPECI FICATIONS

$610