So here it is: a 1982 C70 Passport. Freshened up. Ready to roll for the 2026 riding season.
I know, I know. I should be finishing the C65. Or the Wave 100r. But this one’s different, let me explain.
This bike is not a project. One thing I’ve told myself time and time again. And some of you may know, my projects take time, and time is something I’ve little of at the moment. More so, this 82 was a goal.
See, I’m a collector of these small underbone bikes by nature. Maybe borderline hoarder. If it has two wheels and a small bore engine, I’ll find an excuse to buy it and keep it. But they often sit till I eventually decide what to do with it.
But this 1982? This one is different, this one deserves to be back on the road. So I thought, by purchasing it from the original owner back in August 2023, all I’d need to do is to put minimal work into it. To which I did…..BUT
Life happened. My second child was born early 2024, and things just spiraled into dad mode, feedings, diaper changes, nap times, play times etc etc.
And for nearly three years, it sat in my storage locker – silent, still, and collecting dust.
That is, until this year.
Something about the recent 2026 Pacific North West winter broke that thought cycle. Mild temps; 10 to 13 degrees Celsius in February, blue bird sunny days, and barely any snow on the local mountains. I started thinking about motorcycle insurance. About riding. About the bikes I actually could get back on the road. I have my Streetcub, and my C200 but then, my eyes landed on the ’82 tucked into the mix.
“This really doesn’t need THAT much work. Does it?”
So I told myself: one hour a day.
Since daycare pick up for kid 2 usually ends up with him napping in the cargo bike, why not use that time I’m sitting (either doom scrolling or doing nothing) and work on the 82, bit by bit, one hour or so a day. All of this starting late February to March. No more excuses, no more procrastination
First, I washed it.
Then I pulled the original fuel tank and let it soak in solvent—stale fuel, corrosion, years of neglect.
That alone took a few days. But while the tank worked in the background, I kept moving.
New brake lever.
Chrome mirrors to replace the broken plastic ones.
Fresh fuel lines.
Cleaned the aftermarket carb (the one I’d swapped in back in ’23, close to the original Keihin but running lean).
New battery.
Then came the moment.
First start-up.
The offshore carb sputtered lean—so I upjetted it. And when that was done? Oh, man. That little engine hummed like a sewing machine. Smooth. Patient. Alive.
I added accessories from my stash.
South East Asian Legshield Basket
Installed an external front dampener.
Got insurance.
And then I rode it!
It had been years since I’d been on a bone-stock C70—no engine upgrades, no hot-rod mods. Just Honda’s original recipe.
And riding this ’82 through the city?
Refreshing doesn’t cover it.
Every light works. Every switch. Even the electric starter.
This bike is 44 years old—and it shows its age in places if you look close. But I’ve done the work.
The kind of work that, in the right hands, could let this Passport run another 44 years.
So here’s the part that might surprise you:
I may put it up for sale soon!
Turn key. No problems. No “project for later.”
Just a 1982 C70 Passport that’s finally ready to roll—for someone who isn’t me.
And honestly? It maybe bitter sweet to let it go, but this will be a perfect bike for someone else.
Interested? let me know!