Honda CL77: The Gentleman’s Scrambler

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Don Johnson's 1967 Honda CL77.
Don Johnson's 1967 Honda CL77.
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Except for lower compression and an upswept exhaust the CL77 engine is the same unit used in the CB77 Super Hawk.
Except for lower compression and an upswept exhaust the CL77 engine is the same unit used in the CB77 Super Hawk.
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Although it’s not a true offroad bike, the CL77 was — and still is — fun in the dirt.
Although it’s not a true offroad bike, the CL77 was — and still is — fun in the dirt.
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Except for lower compression and an upswept exhaust the CL77 engine is the same unit used in the CB77 Super Hawk.
Except for lower compression and an upswept exhaust the CL77 engine is the same unit used in the CB77 Super Hawk.
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Twin-leading-shoe front brake, an item usually found only on larger, more expensive machines, was a decided plus.
Twin-leading-shoe front brake, an item usually found only on larger, more expensive machines, was a decided plus.
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“It’s light and maneuverable,” owner Don Johnson says of his CL77.
“It’s light and maneuverable,” owner Don Johnson says of his CL77.
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Honda CL77
Years produced: 1965-1967
Claimed power: 27.4hp @ 9,000rpm
Top speed: 85mph (est.)
Engine type: 305cc air-cooled SOHC parallel twin
Weight (dry): 319lb (145kg)
Price then: $707 (1967)
Price now: $2,500-$4,000
MPG: 40-60mpg (est.)

Don Johnson looked at the Honda CL77 in the back of the truck. He had driven a lot of miles to pick up the two-wheeler he had “won” on an online auction, and here it was, old and tired, and not at all as advertised.

Even though the auction photos didn’t show the actual color of the chassis, which was in reality the wrong shade of red, it still wasn’t the bike Don expected. The photos also didn’t reveal the useless wiring harness and the bodged repairs all over the bike, which was supposed to have been a more or less stock 1967 Honda CL77. “The threads on Honda mirrors are two sizes, 8mm and 10mm. Someone took a grinder to the threads on the mirrors of this bike so they could jam them in the holes, wrecking both the mirrors and the holes they screw into. That’s just one example of what this bike was like,” Don says.

Looking closer, Don was within an inch of tearing up his cashiers check and going home. But nostalgia is a powerful thing, and the mistreated little critter in the truck looked too much like the bike he had owned many years ago when he was stationed with the Army on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. He took the Honda CL77, knowing he was in for a whole lot more work than he had anticipated.

Getting to the CL77

  • Published on Dec 28, 2010
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