The Hall of Honda
The Primitive Hondas
1947
TS D-Type 98cc. Early Honda's were Tohatsu engines fitted to bicycle frames.
Honda was an assembler, not a manufacturer. Honda was a miniscule supplier
of two-wheeled transport compared to it's competitors; Rukuo, Meguro, Suburu,
Mitsubishi, Rocket, Miyata, Sanyo, Ito, Showa and an estimated 55 others.
In
1948 Honda manufactured its first engine for this bike, the Model A, mostly
because the Tohatsu souce had dried up. The Model A is a 1 hp two-stroke,
and the preferred fuel of the time in Japan was derived mostly from pine
roots!
1951
TS, an early Honda without pedals. The move to motorcycle manufacturing
was geared toward success in export markets right from the start. It wasn't
till later (1958 and the Cub) that Honda would truly succeed. But even
in '53, Japan's road to economic recovery was not to rebuild in isolation,
but to thrive in international markets. A Brit in '53 (even '60) would
laugh at the idea of a Japanese invasion of motorcycles.
1953
type 3E, Honda's first four stroke. Somewhere between 1949 and 1953, Honda
jumped from being an insignificant assembler to the largest Japanese motorcycle
producer.
1955
Benly, basically the same bike as the 3E above. Lush picture.
1958
SuperCub C100. I don't know what makes it super. As popular as the radio
flyer wagon, every kid had one. 1958 was the first year of the cub.
Yet
another Cub, the C240 Port-Cub of 1962. In these early years, the term
Honda meant the Cub, like Kleenix means facial tissue. By 1967, no fewer
than 5,000,000 in one form or another had been sold. It was the Bug of
the two-wheeled world. I owned a Honda Passport C 90 just after high school
...same thing, different year.
Dream
250 (246cc) of 1960, the tourer.
C92
125cc. The C92 was a bulkier version of the 125cc sports model, the Benly.
All the kudos attributed to superior finish of the Japanese bikes, their
excellent engineering, etc was rooted in the excellent reviews (when an
unbiased reviewer could be found) of this bike as it was imported to Europe
and the US. This is a 1962 model.
CB
92 in color. This is the Benly sports model, and should have twin carbs
versus the C92's monocarb setup.
1963
Benly, the touring model.
The
CB160 was featured in Classic Bike September 1996 issue. The reviewer rated
in higher than the CB72 and CB92 based on its punchy hi-reving performance:
maximum torque develops at 8500 rpms and max power is at 10,000. Nice too
is the easy engine access since it hangs from a backbone frame, resulting
in better clearance on cornering too. Rear suspension was the reviewer's
major gripe, as any owner of an early Honda knows. You can also see the
long induction tubes in this shot, between the carb and the cylinder head,
longer than any Honda I have seen. This is a 1965 model.
Here's
another view in B&W of the 1965 CB160. This was one of the Honda's
where the actual displacement exceeded the model name; it was actually
161cc. It can cruise at 70 mph easily. The CB160 was unusual in the Honda
stable because it had no cruiser version, usually a single carb setup of
basically the equivalent sports version of a model.
1965
CB160 engine cutaway view. The 161 was introduced in 1965, in the lineup
of Honda's under-250cc bikes. This class started with the 125cc and 155cc
in 1958, moving up to 161cc in 1965, 174cc (CD175) in 1967 and 198cc(CB200)
in 1973.
1965
CB160 specs
CB
72 250cc. The Honda CB72 250cc and its very, very closely related big brother,
the CB73 305cc were benchmarks for excellent engineering and excellent
finishing in their day. Perhaps a wee tad less rugged than a BMW of the
time, these bikes exemplified the Japanese production values that put the
run-of-the-mill 18bhp Villiers two-stroke to shame.
Yet
another view of the CB 72. This bike revved to 10,000 rpm and could attain
95 mph.
Opposite
side of the CB 72. CB always denoted a sports version in the 60's, while
a bike with only a C prefix was a touring version, usually with only a
single carb.
This
is supposedly the CL72, a mildly modified dirt version of the CB. Note
the steering damper, smaller tank, rubber boots on the forks, and high
exhaust pipes. It was a feeble first attempt at an off-road machine, too
heavy to be a real competitor.
The
CB450 Black Bomber was a beautifully crafted machine, a combination of
thoroughbred and workhorse. It's known for reliability, but performed well
with its constant velocity Keihin carbs (like my 1970 CB350), twin overhead
cams and 43bhp output. Features like these made the Japanese bikes seem
overly complicated next to their British counterparts. Superior engineering
with precision tolerances was unusual compared to the Villiers and AMC
British engines of the day. A .004 valve clearance was unheard of! This
is a 1965 example.
1965
S90 is the sports version of the Honda C90 stepthrough (you know, millions
and millions sold).
90
TM. I don't really know anything about it.... but damn it's cute.
Here's
a later CB 350, a '72 or '73 I think. The CB350 is an sohc parallel twin
successor to the CB72. It was a huge hit in the US and fared less than
well in the UK. For cheapskates like me, it's the intial bike of choice:
readily available, cheap, adequately powered. It's basically a pretty dull
bike. A picture of my trick poseur version is floating around these pages
somewhere.
The
CB 400-4 was more popular in Europe than the US where it was sold as a
Super Sport. Since America was Honda's primary export market, it acted
as the arbiter of manufacturing trends; thus the short life of the CB400-4.
The
CB 750 was the bike that really KO'ed the British industry. Big, fast,
well-made and readily available at a reasonable price. This is a 1968 model,
before foreign exports began.
This
CB 750 is on display in the UK, 1968. It was the first of the fours to
be brought into Britain.
The
CB 750 sohc engine developed 67 bhp and reached speeds of 120 mph. It weighed
480 lbs.
On
the flip side of the Honda coin was the funky Monkey ...the Monkey Z50
of 1971 to be exact. Don't you remember that picture of the Jackson 5 all
posed on their monkey's? Outta-sight!
Here's
a picture of my 150 Dream CA95 in the Garage. I have done nothing to restore
it yet, but tinkered with the carb (since it's the touring version, one
carb) hooked it up to a good 12v source and it fired up! I am not a huge
fan of touring model Honda's, but I know I'll be beautifying this one someday
as a memorial to the 305 Dream I butchered in my high school years. (see
My First Bike)
Return
to The Happy Honda Page
Return
to The Poseur Motorcyclist Web Page
1947
TS D-Type 98cc. Early Honda's were Tohatsu engines fitted to bicycle frames.
Honda was an assembler, not a manufacturer. Honda was a miniscule supplier
of two-wheeled transport compared to it's competitors; Rukuo, Meguro, Suburu,
Mitsubishi, Rocket, Miyata, Sanyo, Ito, Showa and an estimated 55 others.
In
1948 Honda manufactured its first engine for this bike, the Model A, mostly
because the Tohatsu souce had dried up. The Model A is a 1 hp two-stroke,
and the preferred fuel of the time in Japan was derived mostly from pine
roots!
1951
TS, an early Honda without pedals. The move to motorcycle manufacturing
was geared toward success in export markets right from the start. It wasn't
till later (1958 and the Cub) that Honda would truly succeed. But even
in '53, Japan's road to economic recovery was not to rebuild in isolation,
but to thrive in international markets. A Brit in '53 (even '60) would
laugh at the idea of a Japanese invasion of motorcycles.
1953
type 3E, Honda's first four stroke. Somewhere between 1949 and 1953, Honda
jumped from being an insignificant assembler to the largest Japanese motorcycle
producer.
1955
Benly, basically the same bike as the 3E above. Lush picture.
1958
SuperCub C100. I don't know what makes it super. As popular as the radio
flyer wagon, every kid had one. 1958 was the first year of the cub.
Yet
another Cub, the C240 Port-Cub of 1962. In these early years, the term
Honda meant the Cub, like Kleenix means facial tissue. By 1967, no fewer
than 5,000,000 in one form or another had been sold. It was the Bug of
the two-wheeled world. I owned a Honda Passport C 90 just after high school
...same thing, different year.
Dream
250 (246cc) of 1960, the tourer.
C92
125cc. The C92 was a bulkier version of the 125cc sports model, the Benly.
All the kudos attributed to superior finish of the Japanese bikes, their
excellent engineering, etc was rooted in the excellent reviews (when an
unbiased reviewer could be found) of this bike as it was imported to Europe
and the US. This is a 1962 model.
CB
92 in color. This is the Benly sports model, and should have twin carbs
versus the C92's monocarb setup.
1963
Benly, the touring model.
The
CB160 was featured in Classic Bike September 1996 issue. The reviewer rated
in higher than the CB72 and CB92 based on its punchy hi-reving performance:
maximum torque develops at 8500 rpms and max power is at 10,000. Nice too
is the easy engine access since it hangs from a backbone frame, resulting
in better clearance on cornering too. Rear suspension was the reviewer's
major gripe, as any owner of an early Honda knows. You can also see the
long induction tubes in this shot, between the carb and the cylinder head,
longer than any Honda I have seen. This is a 1965 model.
Here's
another view in B&W of the 1965 CB160. This was one of the Honda's
where the actual displacement exceeded the model name; it was actually
161cc. It can cruise at 70 mph easily. The CB160 was unusual in the Honda
stable because it had no cruiser version, usually a single carb setup of
basically the equivalent sports version of a model. 
1965
CB160 engine cutaway view. The 161 was introduced in 1965, in the lineup
of Honda's under-250cc bikes. This class started with the 125cc and 155cc
in 1958, moving up to 161cc in 1965, 174cc (CD175) in 1967 and 198cc(CB200)
in 1973.
1965
CB160 specs
CB
72 250cc. The Honda CB72 250cc and its very, very closely related big brother,
the CB73 305cc were benchmarks for excellent engineering and excellent
finishing in their day. Perhaps a wee tad less rugged than a BMW of the
time, these bikes exemplified the Japanese production values that put the
run-of-the-mill 18bhp Villiers two-stroke to shame.
Yet
another view of the CB 72. This bike revved to 10,000 rpm and could attain
95 mph.
Opposite
side of the CB 72. CB always denoted a sports version in the 60's, while
a bike with only a C prefix was a touring version, usually with only a
single carb. 
This
is supposedly the CL72, a mildly modified dirt version of the CB. Note
the steering damper, smaller tank, rubber boots on the forks, and high
exhaust pipes. It was a feeble first attempt at an off-road machine, too
heavy to be a real competitor.
The
CB450 Black Bomber was a beautifully crafted machine, a combination of
thoroughbred and workhorse. It's known for reliability, but performed well
with its constant velocity Keihin carbs (like my 1970 CB350), twin overhead
cams and 43bhp output. Features like these made the Japanese bikes seem
overly complicated next to their British counterparts. Superior engineering
with precision tolerances was unusual compared to the Villiers and AMC
British engines of the day. A .004 valve clearance was unheard of! This
is a 1965 example.
1965
S90 is the sports version of the Honda C90 stepthrough (you know, millions
and millions sold).
90
TM. I don't really know anything about it.... but damn it's cute.
Here's
a later CB 350, a '72 or '73 I think. The CB350 is an sohc parallel twin
successor to the CB72. It was a huge hit in the US and fared less than
well in the UK. For cheapskates like me, it's the intial bike of choice:
readily available, cheap, adequately powered. It's basically a pretty dull
bike. A picture of my trick poseur version is floating around these pages
somewhere.
The
CB 400-4 was more popular in Europe than the US where it was sold as a
Super Sport. Since America was Honda's primary export market, it acted
as the arbiter of manufacturing trends; thus the short life of the CB400-4.
The
CB 750 was the bike that really KO'ed the British industry. Big, fast,
well-made and readily available at a reasonable price. This is a 1968 model,
before foreign exports began.
This
CB 750 is on display in the UK, 1968. It was the first of the fours to
be brought into Britain.
The
CB 750 sohc engine developed 67 bhp and reached speeds of 120 mph. It weighed
480 lbs.
On
the flip side of the Honda coin was the funky Monkey ...the Monkey Z50
of 1971 to be exact. Don't you remember that picture of the Jackson 5 all
posed on their monkey's? Outta-sight!
Here's
a picture of my 150 Dream CA95 in the Garage. I have done nothing to restore
it yet, but tinkered with the carb (since it's the touring version, one
carb) hooked it up to a good 12v source and it fired up! I am not a huge
fan of touring model Honda's, but I know I'll be beautifying this one someday
as a memorial to the 305 Dream I butchered in my high school years. (see
My First Bike)