bought my CB450 from long beach honda. 1966 for 850 dollars. the dealer reworked the carbs for proper mixture tracking. it put out 46hp on the dyno. I drove it 50k miles. LOVED it. fast and reliable.
Was riding a Bonnie for street at the time and a Bultaco in the desert . 2 friends came by the house ,one on a 305 one on a new Black Bomber. . Southern Cal before idiots were elected. They talked me into riding the 450. After a few miles around Chatsworth Lake Reservoir I wanted one. I almost feel this thing would pull my 650 Triumph. Smooth as glass and shifting like a dream. Brakes (drums) actually worked. Nice ,still remember it. Out of reach today ,I got old.
@@davidmatthews3093 I agree, mine has 2,000 miles on it since I did a complete restoration which was finished in 2016. Some years it gets more use, others less. This year it got a new set of tires, the fenders rechromed and a like new stock exhaust. It is very valuable to me. I have two other motorcycles, a 2005 GL1800 and a 1981 GL1100. At 71 years old I'm still getting out there and riding, but the '72 is my first love.
1969…bin ich mit einer CB 450 zur Isle of man gefahren. Auf dem Mountain Course habe ich ca.10 Runden zurückgelegt. Das Fahrwerk und die Bremsen waren sehr abenteuerlich.Ich habe es überlebt.
This engine had a really mean sound to it especially at high revs. I think most problems people had with this bike were due to bad maintenance like not using proper oil or not changing it often enough. It was as fast as most British 650s of the time. Of course most 400cc motorcycles today are 'starter' bikes!
A friend of mine was with me in a production race at Terratonga, early 1970's. I had a CB750/4 and he was on a CB450. My lasting impression of that race was watching his CB450 start tank slap, then threw him topside while the bike cartwheeled down the track shedding parts [tank, seat etc] as it slowly came to a stop. I'm pretty sure that was on the warm-up as he was ahead of me at that point, just going into the esses. I had a CB350K2 and consider it a better bike than the CB450 - for all of it's technological advances.
Honda came out with DOHC engine and electric start in 1965. Long before its British competitors. Wish I would have bought a “Black Bomber” back in the late 60’s.
I had that same colour CB500T 30 years ago, great bike, never let me down, just had to keep a check on the long camchain and torsion bar valve spring clearance of 1 thou/inch, not an easy adjustment but otherwise bullet proof.
In the spring of 1972 I bought a new CB 450. One year and 7000 mi. later it dropped a valve into a piston at highway speed and turned the engine into a bucket of scrap, three days after I had traded it for a new Yamaha TX 750......... and that is a sorrow for another day.
The engine was a technical marvel, but it was a slug on acceleration, and the CB450 could not stay close to my Suzuki X6 Hustler in 1/8 mile dragstrips. The 250cc X6 was quick in it's day.
One of my earliest memories as a motorcycle mad kid was looking out of the window of Orlando public library and seeing a guy on a Suzuki x6hustler accelerating away from a stoplight. Wow! Must have been about 11
I have 2, a road K1, and a race 450/500cc. The engine vibrates a bit, but so does all the other twins of the era. Well developed race engines can produce 70+HP, and beat 600, and 750 twins. The torsion bar valve "springs" are only OK on a road bike.
I have 3 CB450 based classic racers - two are 500 cc, one is 477 cc, The two 500s push out over 70bhp, Todd Henning provided the pistons and machined the heads for the double ignition. Both have or course coil valve springs. Splendid, nearly indestructible engines!
I have a 1969 Honda CB450 (exactly like the one at 5:51). At the time it must have felt lightyears ahead of the Triumph Bonnevilles. My one is a Californian import and is a restoration project.
1971 CB450 with front disc brake, 5 speed, turn signals > my first bike, put 30,000 miles in 18 months > two up at 70 mph was too slow, switched to Commando
If the technology, advantages and application of the DOHC were already in Honda's hands in 1965, why didn't they apply them, in the CB750 that they released 3 years later? In theory, the CB750 could produce almost 75 hp, which would have put it at an even greater advantage over the competition
In the early 1970's I had a couple of trail bikes, then realized I was a road rider. I saw a 1971 used CB 450 for sale. gold with a black tank stripe, a mini 750. 1971 was when both the 450 and 750 came to full classic style and mechanical development. Later, I had a Triumph Daytona and could see the best of 500cc British and Japanese side by side. The Daytona was fun, light, good sounding and handling but if I was doing a long ride, I took the Honda. A friend had a Bonneville, perfect for backroad fun, maybe the best balanced, sexy, responsive bike, but Lucas electrics, Amal carbs and a tendency to shed parts. I rode the 450 for a couple to years and sold it for more than I paid. If I still had it, I see I could sell it for a couple of thousand more than I paid, a great bike and good investment.
A friend of mine had one. After a lot of miles, the cam drive sprocket at the centre of the crank wore out. For a while, he did a full engine strip every 1000 miles to replace the cam chain. Finally it got too much and he scrapped the bike.
I had the pleasure of owning a 73 & 74 CB 450. I loved riding those bikes, but they required a lot of maintenance and there was a problem with the valve adjustment after 20,000 miles.
Loved my 1973 CL 450 I put 20k miles on her. I bought a second 450 for parts to keep it going. i finally sold her when I reached the age of 74, I'm to scared to ride I miss her
I found the rocking couple vibration of the 180 degree crankshaft to be way worde than a 360 degree crankshaft. The hairspring torsion bar valve springs were inovative but limited the ability to modify like you can with coil springs. They didn't catch on, did they? I won't ever have one. My 7th grade English teacher was buildind tracker frames and engines for them. Saw an article about it in a cycle mag.
There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with that frame! Even the rear shocks were OK, but only for a very short time, the hydraulic medium being fish oil. Most people, I myself included, replaced them with Girlings or Konis.
@@SchoolforHackers I'm not saying it isn't worth owning. But it hardly even ranks in the top 100. What was influential about it? Who did it influence? Not engine designers. No one ever adopted torsion bars in the valve train. Errrrrrr....what else.....errrrrr.... twin cylinder? Hardly. Errrrr.....I'm strugling help me out.
It a time of pushrod twins, it had not just OHC, but DOHC, which the 4-cylinder motors didn’t have for years. I lived those times. I remember when this bike came out, and when the H1 came out, spelling the doom of British twins.
@@SchoolforHackers Fair enough, it never really impressed in the UK. It was heavier than a Bonneville, no faster, still had four gears, didn't handle very well and was more expensive. The writing was on the wall that's for sure. Doom indeed.
@@robert-wr6md I never had a 4 speed one, but my ‘72 was wicked fast for the era. 750-4s were easy to challenge, but yes the damn things were heavy and didn’t handle like my sweet 400-4 for instance. I worked at a motorcycle shop that sold Suzuki, BMW, Triumph and Norton,and I rode them all. Switching shifter sides wasn’t that hard; only the Beemers felt odd. But the way the Triumphs handled was just so sweet! The iron cylinders sort of concentrated weight at the center, and I don’t think I’ve ever cornered on anything as fast. While my H1 was utterly terrifying to ride all the time: the power curve was like a Cliff, weight was way too far back making wheelies inevitable, and the way the frame wound up and down through corners put teeth marks in my heart. All influential bikes, but very few I would own again. ;)
What a load of bull-hit ! I knew two brother who bought CB450s new , with very mixed experiences . One was quite quick and reliable ( after he put decent tyres and rear shocks on it ) although the ground clearance was always a factor . The other brother had nothing but trouble and was happy to get rid of his .
Looking back, it is unfortunate that Honda took their time getting the OHC timing chain, guides, and adjuster up to the quality of the rest of the engine. Because that is what happened to each and every one of them, anytime after 40,000 miles was attained, the whole thing blew to pieces.
That is about 30,000 miles longer than any of my British 650 twins lasted. I owned a half dozen from Triumph and BSA and while they were relatively light and handled well, the motors were done by 10,000 miles.
I have raced CB450s, prepared other people's CB450s for racing, 3 Dutchmen became Dutch champion 500 cc using CB450s, and NONE of then ever gave cam chain problems!
@@JoepKortekaas-l4qHonda sold a shitpile of 450's here (in North America) yet they are very thin on the ground, all because of cam chain guide/roller/adjuster failure. So thin, in fact, I haven't even seen one in 40 years. The 350's had a different problem, if you let the oil go down from full, even a little bit, the cam seized in the bearings.
The CB450 had a wierd engine, valves closed by torsion springs not coil springs. This is totally against where Sochiro Honda came from as he spent years refining coil springs to work at high rpm.
He spent time refining faulty piston rings. The torsion bar valve mechanism was an Earlier German Design. Many of his bikes were based on those designs because of reliability the dual ohc was a 1950s Horex
It was a rattle trap engine, that shied most people away from it.. Most bought the 350, quiet and lasted forever.. 450 was a maintenance hog and cost quite a bit back in the day.
I owned a CB450 and it was fantastic.It was also great on dirt roads. Best feeling on a bike ever when the cam came on the power band. They were super cheap as everyone wanted a CB750.
This video is completely misinformed . The CB 450 was not , in any way Honda's first DOHC motorcycle . Honda were making DOHC engines as early as the late 1950s . Admittedly , they were racing engines . Honda first entered The Isle of Man TT races in 1959 with a team of six 125 DOHC twins . I think at least five of them finished the race and they won the team prize . All of Honda's 1960s race bikes were DOHC . In the early 1960's Honda produced a 125 race bike that was for sale to Honda dealers . It was called the CR93 . It was very successful . In order for it to be eligible for racing in America , they made 200 street models with the same engines . A very pretty little bike . The guys that make these videos should do a lot more research before putting them out there . READ SOME BOOKS .LOOK AT THE PRETTY PICTURES . 🤓
@@will7its There were DOHC automobiles built before the CB450 DOHC was designed in 1964. To my knowledge, none of them were mass produced and priced for the average person to buy. Hondas never released production numbers for this bike, but knowledgeable people place it around 200,000 units. The later bikes sold for about $1,050. Let me know if you have information that contradicts this statement. I don't know everything and I'm always interested in learning. This bike was so revolutionary that is was banned FIM from competing in the 1966 Motorcycle Production Race at Brands Hatch UK. FIM said the DOHC torsion bar valve springs were too much like a racing bike. In reality it was whipping the British 500 and 650 cc bikes. BTW, I was in high school when this was going on and have memories about it.
The brakes were terrible, better never have an accident with these old bikes. Great looks, great sound, but unsafe by today standards. I had a CB360, at least it had a front disk brake.
The CB450 was not Honda's first DOHC engine the CR72,CR77 and CR93 were all DOHC and pre date the Black Bomber by a couple of years these were over the counter racers and legal for the road but still volume production. Honda was no stranger to DOHC as all their racing machines were DOHC up until their withdrawal from GP racing in 1967 the difference in design with the CB450 was using torsion bar valve springs.
Funny you never mentioned the “technological advanced” desmodic valve adjustment “feature”. Honda NEVER used it again. A friend of mine sold his old CB450 that had been sitting in his garage for decades to some engineering students for a class project. $50.00. I passed because of the “desmotic”valve adjustment. Could have been why the other commenter’s bike blew at 7000 miles. I prefer low rpm torquey engines rather than buzz-bombs, like my 01 W-650. The “W” stands for WONDERFUL !!!
Just to be technically correct, desmotic valves are valves that are closed by the use of a separate cam and rocker that positively closes the valve instead of a more conventional valve spring. Ducati is the only manufacturer that I know of (yep I don't know everything) that has used it in production. What the CB450 DOHC has is an eccentric pivot pin in the cam rocker that adjusts the valve lash. The CB350 Twin of the same vintage uses a very similar eccentric design. I've owned a lot of Hondas over the years and this has never been an issue.
Thank you for clarifying that. I had a CB350 that I rode across the country from Fayetteville North Carolina to San Berndino California. I let the bike sit for a few weeks without changing the oil, and then drove North , got to Thousand Oaks when the piston broke up. I was young and dumb. Had I known that I could adjust the valves on my friends CB450 I might have bought it off him. But it wasn’t stock , no nice gas tank and mini ape hangers and such. Had it looked like in the video I probably would have. Thanks for sharing your knowledge sir !!
@@cerealtiller Not sure what your question is. A torsion bar and coil spring have a lot in common. Both twist the spring wire to provide spring tension.
Compared to American machinery, Japanese machinery gave you quality over quantity, where British machinery gave you neither because the reliability was pants. In the Sixties, the Japanese reputation was that of producing cheap shoddily built products copied from American and European manufacturers, much like the Chinese today. By the 1980s, they were the kings of electronics, their cars were the kings of reliability and fuel efficiency (the performance wasn't bad either), and they had bankrupted the British motorcycle industry whilst Ronald Reagan had to introduce tariffs to save Harley. They lost the war but won the peace through innovation married to build quality.
Currently only Triumph had the best looking old school motorcycles... But it was expensive & spare parts are hard to find. There was Honda CB350RS made in India but it slow.
Very odd bike. Far too heavy, with leaf valve springs. Not much more power than a CB350 but more torque. It was a stop gap for the CB750 which killed off everything - smaller bikes included. I don't see what the ecitement for the rather boring CB450 was all about.
@@IanM18 That's right - I was being a bit facitious to show that it was hardly a state-of-the-art engine. That method of closing valves was hardly a modern feature, Norton used those on the early 50's Manx Norton thumper single..
Not allowed to compete because it was too advanced. No wonder the British bike industry crashed. Stunning example of British parochialism, not to mention poor sportsmanship.
The CB450 never impressed me much and the ones that I rode or came into our shop ran only so so and vibrated a lot. The later CB500T was a worse vibrator and a total dog.
Your Buell nice try Harley Davidson water cooled two stroke two cylinder less five grand new cubic inch your Buell are cc duu don't race your own motorcycle with new motorcycle owner .mine was pretty fast .but put lit into desighn reason motor crank area dident leek no oil in crank areas notice principles of two stroke firing cyclic kinda miss mine but enjoyed my rz ,350 much better was every day ride maintenance free special tools to change oil the fuel gauge would been nice on Harley Davidson Cafe racer by way bought from catalog delivered to door in large box no assembly tools with lots of assembly needed am guessing reading writing comes in handy duu
bought my CB450 from long beach honda. 1966 for 850 dollars. the dealer reworked the carbs for proper mixture tracking. it put out 46hp on the dyno. I drove it 50k miles. LOVED it. fast and reliable.
Was riding a Bonnie for street at the time and a Bultaco in the desert . 2 friends came by the house ,one on a 305 one on a new Black Bomber. . Southern Cal before idiots were elected. They talked me into riding the 450. After a few miles around Chatsworth Lake Reservoir I wanted one. I almost feel this thing would pull my 650 Triumph. Smooth as glass and shifting like a dream. Brakes (drums) actually worked. Nice ,still remember it. Out of reach today ,I got old.
Bought a new CB450 K3 from Anderson Sales in Pontiac MI. Loved it. Had no problem keeping up with friends BSA's and Triumph's. Good solid bike.
I have a '72 CB450 K5 with about 2K on it and love it. Runs great and is a blast to ride.
I never understand how people own motorcycles that are so great to ride but never put miles on them.
@@davidmatthews3093 I agree, mine has 2,000 miles on it since I did a complete restoration which was finished in 2016. Some years it gets more use, others less. This year it got a new set of tires, the fenders rechromed and a like new stock exhaust. It is very valuable to me. I have two other motorcycles, a 2005 GL1800 and a 1981 GL1100. At 71 years old I'm still getting out there and riding, but the '72 is my first love.
1969…bin ich mit einer CB 450 zur Isle of man gefahren. Auf dem Mountain Course habe ich ca.10 Runden zurückgelegt. Das Fahrwerk und die Bremsen waren sehr abenteuerlich.Ich habe es überlebt.
The CB450 was really a good bike. I wish I had one today! QA friend of mine tried everything he could to "destroy" that engine, but it never failed!
Nothing to say other than, PERFECTION!
That 2-cylinder motor looks huge from the side, when compared to the 70s Kawasaki 900 4 banger.
This engine had a really mean sound to it especially at high revs. I think most problems people had with this bike were due to bad maintenance like not using proper oil or not changing it often enough. It was as fast as most British 650s of the time. Of course most 400cc motorcycles today are 'starter' bikes!
A friend of mine was with me in a production race at Terratonga, early 1970's. I had a CB750/4 and he was on a CB450. My lasting impression of that race was watching his CB450 start tank slap, then threw him topside while the bike cartwheeled down the track shedding parts [tank, seat etc] as it slowly came to a stop. I'm pretty sure that was on the warm-up as he was ahead of me at that point, just going into the esses. I had a CB350K2 and consider it a better bike than the CB450 - for all of it's technological advances.
Honda came out with DOHC engine and electric start in 1965. Long before its British competitors. Wish I would have bought a “Black Bomber” back in the late 60’s.
I had that same colour CB500T 30 years ago, great bike, never let me down, just had to keep a check on the long camchain and torsion bar valve spring clearance of 1 thou/inch, not an easy adjustment but otherwise bullet proof.
the 500 was reliable for a high mileage which the 450 certainly was not.
In the spring of 1972 I bought a new CB 450. One year and 7000 mi. later it dropped a valve into a piston at highway speed and turned the engine into a bucket of scrap, three days after I had traded it for a new Yamaha TX 750......... and that is a sorrow for another day.
Rare. First I ever heard . Feel bad for owner. Bad Downshift and float the valves? Honda don’t do this.
Should have gotten a TX XS twin 650
Most bulletproof bikes I have ever owned.
I had one also, it dropped a valve into the piston twice, I repaired it both times, pain in the rear, I didn’t care for the torsion bar valve springs.
@@bw2442 what exhaust modifications were done to the engine
Beforehand
The engine was a technical marvel, but it was a slug on acceleration, and the CB450 could not stay close to my Suzuki X6 Hustler in 1/8 mile dragstrips. The 250cc X6 was quick in it's day.
One of my earliest memories as a motorcycle mad kid was looking out of the window of Orlando public library and seeing a guy on a Suzuki x6hustler accelerating away from a stoplight. Wow! Must have been about 11
I have 2, a road K1, and a race 450/500cc. The engine vibrates a bit, but so does all the other twins of the era. Well developed race engines can produce 70+HP, and beat 600, and 750 twins. The torsion bar valve "springs" are only OK on a road bike.
Todd Henning built those
78 rear wheel hp. He could race in 1000 cc class
@@DonMason-cv6og These engines and the CB350, have been developed a lot further by Euro and British tuners since then.
@@tezzrterry7485 the were built for street use. Detuned yet some racers found their potential and increased the output.
I have 3 CB450 based classic racers - two are 500 cc, one is 477 cc, The two 500s push out over 70bhp, Todd Henning provided the pistons and machined the heads for the double ignition. Both have or course coil valve springs. Splendid, nearly indestructible engines!
I have a 1969 Honda CB450 (exactly like the one at 5:51). At the time it must have felt lightyears ahead of the Triumph Bonnevilles.
My one is a Californian import and is a restoration project.
1971 CB450 with front disc brake, 5 speed, turn signals > my first bike, put 30,000 miles in 18 months > two up at 70 mph was too slow, switched to Commando
I had a 72 CB 450. It gave me a of freedom and was very reliable.
I almost bought a CL450 in 1970, but instead got a 1948 Harley Panhead and built a chopper 😅
If the technology, advantages and application of the DOHC were already in Honda's hands in 1965, why didn't they apply them, in the CB750 that they released 3 years later? In theory, the CB750 could produce almost 75 hp, which would have put it at an even greater advantage over the competition
I had a CD200 Benly. Great little bike!
No kidding
In the early 1970's I had a couple of trail bikes, then realized I was a road rider. I saw a 1971 used CB 450 for sale. gold with a black tank stripe, a mini 750. 1971 was when both the 450 and 750 came to full classic style and mechanical development. Later, I had a Triumph Daytona and could see the best of 500cc British and Japanese side by side. The Daytona was fun, light, good sounding and handling but if I was doing a long ride, I took the Honda. A friend had a Bonneville, perfect for backroad fun, maybe the best balanced, sexy, responsive bike, but Lucas electrics, Amal carbs and a tendency to shed parts. I rode the 450 for a couple to years and sold it for more than I paid. If I still had it, I see I could sell it for a couple of thousand more than I paid, a great bike and good investment.
A friend of mine had one. After a lot of miles, the cam drive sprocket at the centre of the crank wore out. For a while, he did a full engine strip every 1000 miles to replace the cam chain. Finally it got too much and he scrapped the bike.
Boooooo........
I have the police version... pursuit lights,, cable driven siren.... great bike.... 😎
I had the pleasure of owning a 73 & 74 CB 450. I loved riding those bikes, but they required a lot of maintenance and there was a problem with the valve adjustment after 20,000 miles.
Loved my 1973 CL 450 I put 20k miles on her. I bought a second 450 for parts to keep it going. i finally sold her when I reached the age of 74, I'm to scared to ride I miss her
I found the rocking couple vibration of the 180 degree crankshaft to be way worde than a 360 degree crankshaft. The hairspring torsion bar valve springs were inovative but limited the ability to modify like you can with coil springs. They didn't catch on, did they? I won't ever have one. My 7th grade English teacher was buildind tracker frames and engines for them. Saw an article about it in a cycle mag.
I remember their advent well. Lovely engine, and those single torsion bar valve springs were really 'different'. Pity the frame wasn't a bit better.
There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with that frame! Even the rear shocks were OK, but only for a very short time, the hydraulic medium being fish oil. Most people, I myself included, replaced them with Girlings or Konis.
Honda must bring CB 450 back ! so that people of present gen can experience it.
Keep the original design, and at a reasonable price !
The first dohc that i remember was a yamaha 500 twin. On the streets at least
The CB450 was years earlier!
I want one!
They were raced at Ascot
It is not remembered as one of the most influential motorcycles in history.
It very much is.
@@SchoolforHackers I'm not saying it isn't worth owning. But it hardly even ranks in the top 100. What was influential about it?
Who did it influence? Not engine designers. No one ever adopted torsion bars in the valve train. Errrrrrr....what else.....errrrrr.... twin cylinder? Hardly. Errrrr.....I'm strugling help me out.
It a time of pushrod twins, it had not just OHC, but DOHC, which the 4-cylinder motors didn’t have for years. I lived those times. I remember when this bike came out, and when the H1 came out, spelling the doom of British twins.
@@SchoolforHackers Fair enough, it never really impressed in the UK. It was heavier than a Bonneville, no faster, still had four gears, didn't handle very well and was more expensive.
The writing was on the wall that's for sure.
Doom indeed.
@@robert-wr6md I never had a 4 speed one, but my ‘72 was wicked fast for the era. 750-4s were easy to challenge, but yes the damn things were heavy and didn’t handle like my sweet 400-4 for instance. I worked at a motorcycle shop that sold Suzuki, BMW, Triumph and Norton,and I rode them all. Switching shifter sides wasn’t that hard; only the Beemers felt odd. But the way the Triumphs handled was just so sweet! The iron cylinders sort of concentrated weight at the center, and I don’t think I’ve ever cornered on anything as fast. While my H1 was utterly terrifying to ride all the time: the power curve was like a Cliff, weight was way too far back making wheelies inevitable, and the way the frame wound up and down through corners put teeth marks in my heart. All influential bikes, but very few I would own again. ;)
What a load of bull-hit ! I knew two brother who bought CB450s new , with very mixed experiences . One was quite quick and reliable ( after he put decent tyres and rear shocks on it ) although the ground clearance was always a factor . The other brother had nothing but trouble and was happy to get rid of his .
I am sorry you have got that wrong the 165 and the 305 where the bikes that shook British bikes
Looking back, it is unfortunate that Honda took their time getting the OHC timing chain, guides, and adjuster up to the quality of the rest of the engine. Because that is what happened to each and every one of them, anytime after 40,000 miles was attained, the whole thing blew to pieces.
That is about 30,000 miles longer than any of my British 650 twins lasted. I owned a half dozen from Triumph and BSA and while they were relatively light and handled well, the motors were done by 10,000 miles.
I have raced CB450s, prepared other people's CB450s for racing, 3 Dutchmen became Dutch champion 500 cc using CB450s, and NONE of then ever gave cam chain problems!
@@JoepKortekaas-l4qHonda sold a shitpile of 450's here (in North America) yet they are very thin on the ground, all because of cam chain guide/roller/adjuster failure. So thin, in fact, I haven't even seen one in 40 years. The 350's had a different problem, if you let the oil go down from full, even a little bit, the cam seized in the bearings.
In 1965, this bike had near modern performance and drum brakes front and rear. 🤦🏼♂️
The CB450 had a wierd engine, valves closed by torsion springs not coil springs. This is totally against where Sochiro Honda came from as he spent years refining coil springs to work at high rpm.
He spent time refining faulty piston rings. The torsion bar valve mechanism was an Earlier German
Design. Many of his bikes were based on those designs because of reliability the dual ohc was a 1950s Horex
It was a rattle trap engine, that shied most people away from it.. Most bought the 350, quiet and lasted forever.. 450 was a maintenance hog and cost quite a bit back in the day.
I owned a CB450 and it was fantastic.It was also great on dirt roads. Best feeling on a bike ever when the cam came on the power band. They were super cheap as everyone wanted a CB750.
This video is completely misinformed . The CB 450 was not , in any way Honda's first DOHC motorcycle .
Honda were making DOHC engines as early as the late 1950s . Admittedly , they were racing engines .
Honda first entered The Isle of Man TT races in 1959 with a team of six 125 DOHC twins . I think at least
five of them finished the race and they won the team prize .
All of Honda's 1960s race bikes were DOHC . In the early 1960's Honda produced a 125 race bike that
was for sale to Honda dealers . It was called the CR93 . It was very successful . In order for it to be
eligible for racing in America , they made 200 street models with the same engines . A very pretty
little bike .
The guys that make these videos should do a lot more research before putting them out there .
READ SOME BOOKS .LOOK AT THE PRETTY PICTURES .
🤓
The commentary did say MASS PRODUCED dohc machine.
Paul, pay attention, it is the first mass produced DOHC in automotive or motorcycles.
@@jimpalmer1969 You may want to look into the automotive side of your comment.
@@will7its There were DOHC automobiles built before the CB450 DOHC was designed in 1964. To my knowledge, none of them were mass produced and priced for the average person to buy. Hondas never released production numbers for this bike, but knowledgeable people place it around 200,000 units. The later bikes sold for about $1,050. Let me know if you have information that contradicts this statement. I don't know everything and I'm always interested in learning. This bike was so revolutionary that is was banned FIM from competing in the 1966 Motorcycle Production Race at Brands Hatch UK. FIM said the DOHC torsion bar valve springs were too much like a racing bike. In reality it was whipping the British 500 and 650 cc bikes. BTW, I was in high school when this was going on and have memories about it.
Loved my 75 cb 500t . Bought 2 for $50.00 Cad in the early 90s! Made one from two and had a riot on it.
The brakes were terrible, better never have an accident with these old bikes. Great looks, great sound, but unsafe by today standards. I had a CB360, at least it had a front disk brake.
do you know honda cdi bike? its very popular in Bangladesh. if want buy that bike. you shall need 3000 USD in Bangladesh.
I had a cb450 that cracked a piece of valve and bike sucked a pie shaped PC of valve into motor.
The CB450 was not Honda's first DOHC engine the CR72,CR77 and CR93 were all DOHC and pre date the Black Bomber by a couple of years these were over the counter racers and legal for the road but still volume production.
Honda was no stranger to DOHC as all their racing machines were DOHC up until their withdrawal from GP racing in 1967 the difference in design with the CB450 was using torsion bar valve springs.
Funny you never mentioned the “technological advanced” desmodic valve adjustment “feature”. Honda NEVER used it again. A friend of mine sold his old CB450 that had been sitting in his garage for decades to some engineering students for a class project. $50.00. I passed because of the “desmotic”valve adjustment. Could have been why the other commenter’s bike blew at 7000 miles. I prefer low rpm torquey engines rather than buzz-bombs, like my 01 W-650.
The “W” stands for
WONDERFUL !!!
Just to be technically correct, desmotic valves are valves that are closed by the use of a separate cam and rocker that positively closes the valve instead of a more conventional valve spring. Ducati is the only manufacturer that I know of (yep I don't know everything) that has used it in production. What the CB450 DOHC has is an eccentric pivot pin in the cam rocker that adjusts the valve lash. The CB350 Twin of the same vintage uses a very similar eccentric design. I've owned a lot of Hondas over the years and this has never been an issue.
Thank you for clarifying that. I had a CB350 that I rode across the country from Fayetteville North Carolina to San Berndino California. I let the bike sit for a few weeks without changing the oil, and then drove North , got to Thousand Oaks when the piston broke up. I was young and dumb.
Had I known that I could adjust the valves on my friends CB450 I might have bought it off him. But it wasn’t stock , no nice gas tank and mini ape hangers and such. Had it looked like in the video I probably would have. Thanks for sharing your knowledge sir !!
@@jimpalmer1969 Torsion Bars instead of Coil Valve Springs?
@@cerealtiller Not sure what your question is. A torsion bar and coil spring have a lot in common. Both twist the spring wire to provide spring tension.
@@jimpalmer1969coil springs compress. Torsion bars twist
Compared to American machinery, Japanese machinery gave you quality over quantity, where British machinery gave you neither because the reliability was pants. In the Sixties, the Japanese reputation was that of producing cheap shoddily built products copied from American and European manufacturers, much like the Chinese today. By the 1980s, they were the kings of electronics, their cars were the kings of reliability and fuel efficiency (the performance wasn't bad either), and they had bankrupted the British motorcycle industry whilst Ronald Reagan had to introduce tariffs to save Harley. They lost the war but won the peace through innovation married to build quality.
Currently only Triumph had the best looking old school motorcycles... But it was expensive & spare parts are hard to find. There was Honda CB350RS made in India but it slow.
Very odd bike. Far too heavy, with leaf valve springs. Not much more power than a CB350 but more torque. It was a stop gap for the CB750 which killed off everything - smaller bikes included. I don't see what the ecitement for the rather boring CB450 was all about.
Torsion bars not leafs.
@@IanM18 That's right - I was being a bit facitious to show that it was hardly a state-of-the-art engine. That method of closing valves was hardly a modern feature, Norton used those on the early 50's Manx Norton thumper single..
DOUBLE OVERHEAD CAMSHAFT...Not every Viewer would know what the DOHC Abbreviation meant.
nearly good.
Not allowed to compete because it was too advanced. No wonder the British bike industry crashed. Stunning example of British parochialism, not to mention poor sportsmanship.
heavy slow ...a lump
Don't forget this engine was designed in 1964. A lot has changed since then.
As compared to what
Just don't lay it over too far. She just keeps going to the ground!! That DOHC set up was REALLY heavy ... and in the VERY worst place.
The CB450 never impressed me much and the ones that I rode or came into our shop ran only so so and vibrated a lot. The later CB500T was a worse vibrator and a total dog.
Why are the stats metric? SAE would be better. No idea what 170km per hr is. Nor do I want to do the math.
160kph = 100mph.
170kph is over 100mph, approximately 106mph.
@@libraeotequever3pointoh95😅
Love to have a five speed model
Your Buell nice try Harley Davidson water cooled two stroke two cylinder less five grand new cubic inch your Buell are cc duu don't race your own motorcycle with new motorcycle owner .mine was pretty fast .but put lit into desighn reason motor crank area dident leek no oil in crank areas notice principles of two stroke firing cyclic kinda miss mine but enjoyed my rz ,350 much better was every day ride maintenance free special tools to change oil the fuel gauge would been nice on Harley Davidson Cafe racer by way bought from catalog delivered to door in large box no assembly tools with lots of assembly needed am guessing reading writing comes in handy duu