The Club For Classic Japanese Motorcycles

Honda C100

Pictured here is a 1964 Honda C100 49cc. These were the first of the "step through" bikes from Honda and the bike which is acknowledged by many as being the most significant bike in the history of  Honda. This example is owned by Neil Kidby. The bike was bought in a very poor condition in 2007, having suffered from severe frame corrosion and a fire it was not looking viable.  

The bike is somewhat unusual because its history from new is virtually complete, even all the mot certificates and tax discs have been retained, for this reason and its local connection to the current owner, the decicion was taken to resore it. It was supplied by Davey Brothers motorcycles in Ipswich and spent its entire life in the area, one owner had 30 years service out of it and covered well over 40,000 miles with it, this included several long trips including his honeymoon to Eastbourne. 

Huge amounts of parts were sourced, mostly from Thailand and from within the VJMC for the project, all of the restoration work being undertaken by Neil over a period of fourteen weeks. Top speed is about 40mph and it returns around 180 mpg. The bike was featured in the December 2009 edition of Classic and Motorcycle Mechanics Magazine as a readers restoration.

The picture above shows the bike as found.

The picture below left gives some idea of the extent of the corrosion found to the frame,  pictured below right the same area after repair.