Honda 450 twin

[Slakewell]

Are they pre 65 legal?

[mike1948]

No, but I'd love to own one!

[Colin Jay]

By the Honda Motorcycle Identification Guide, they were released in the USA 08/01/1965 (August 1965). I will count myself as another who would like to own one, but having ridden both the early 4 speed black bombers and the later 5 speed models, my choice would be the 1969 model which was the first of the 5 speed models but still had the drum front brake and the "Bread Tin"fuel tank with the chrome panels.

CJ

[Tim754]

The last of the 305 "Dreams" would be the largest Honda for pre 65 ,even the 65  66 67 68 models would have to qualify as the paint was the only change. The rare "Street scrambler" CL77 model types would be so cool. Cheers Tim754

[Rod.s]

The last of the 305 "Dreams" would be the largest Honda for pre 65 ,even the 65  66 67 68 models would have to qualify as the paint was the only change. The rare "Street scrambler" CL77 model types would be so cool. Cheers Tim754

You could get a Yoshimura (CYB) kit to take these out to 350 as well as other tasty engine parts! 

[ty4]

is this what you mean Tim ?




cheers

tony

[firko]

                                                                                     

[yamaico]

If you build one of them does it have to be #33??

[firko]

If you build one of them does it have to be #33??

And the toffee apple goes to the young man in the front row!.....well spotted Pete.

[yamaico]

 

If you build one of them does it have to be #33??

And the toffee apple goes to the young man in the front row!.....well spotted Pete.

 

[Tim754]

is this what you mean Tim ?   Yep

If you build one of them does it have to be #33?? arrr Nope....      

[Michael Moore]

You could get a Yoshimura (CYB) kit to take these out to 350 as well as other tasty engine parts! 

As far as I know the CYB parts are the Honda OEM part # items - bits like the 5 speed transmission, higher redline tachometers, humpy seats, megaphones, alloy rims, etc.  Yoshimura had their own line of parts:

http://www.eurospares.com/yoshbro1.jpg
http://www.eurospares.com/yoshbro2.jpg

The next time that brochure surfaces I'll try to remember to scan it at a higher resolution.

I had a Yosh CB77 for several years (now restored in England) that I bought from a guy in Northern California.   It had been brought in from Japan by an early Yoshimura parts importer.

http://www.eurospares.com/yoshhawk.jpg

It had a 4LS front brake from a 125cc 4 cylinder works bike and the sandcast CR carb brackets were stamped "CR72" or "CR77" showing them to be off the production CR racers.  The tank, seat and fairing were aluminum.

You can see some close-up photos of a friend's CR77 (which he has raced and dropped!) and the 250/6 at

http://www.eurospares.com/graphic2.htm#Vintage Japanese motorcycles

cheers,
Michael

[firko]

An old friend of ours Billy Snelling owned the CB77 Honda that twice won the Daytona Classic race with Tony Gill on board. That bike, which now lives in the Barber Museum was bored and stroked to 498cc using a Honda CB500T crank and (I think) aftermarket pistons made for a Kawasaki of some sort. The engine was built by Bill Horsman but it was improved on by Paul Bastic. Both Paul and Frank Stanborough are world leaders in getting these engines fast enough to win big races like Daytona so imagine if one of them built a 500cc Honda for pre 65 VMX....it'd be something to behold .

[firko]

Here's a very bling Sonicweld rigid framed CB450 dirt tracker in Dan Rouitts museum.
                                                             
Another CB450 flat tracker, but this one could be easily imagined as a motocrosser with a few changes.
                                                             

[pancho]

 About'72  I had the 450 as a go to work machine.

 It was a most dissapointing performer. The model I had was red/gold colour, with drum front brake.

I bought a genuine Honda service manual (probably the best service manual I ever had) which showed the most magnificent engine design I'd ever looked at.  However I couldn't figure out why it was so gutless! It accelerated ok from a standing start provided one reved the sh*t out of it but no pulling power.

 I traded it in at Jim Airies shop for an early XL 250. = excellent commuter machine.

 It was later suggested to me that the diaphram in the carbies lost flexibility and was possibly the problem.

I still believe the 450 engine design is a thing of beauty and surely could be a great performer.
 cheers  pancho  HAPPY NEW YEAR!