Honda CB 450

Honda (motorcycle)
Honda Dream CB 450 from 1965
CB 450
Manufacturer	Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Sales description	CB 450 Super Sport
Production period	1965 to 1968
class	motorcycle
design type	All-rounder , sports tourer
Motor data
Four-stroke engine , DOHC air-cooled 2-cylinder with 2 carburettors
Displacement  (cm³)	444.9
Power  (kW / PS )	32/43 at 8500 min -1
Torque  ( N m )	39.2 at 7000 min -1
Top speed (  km / h)	170
transmission	4-speed
drive	Chain
Brakes	V: Duplex drum brake Ø 200 mm H: Simplex drum brake Ø 180 mm
Wheelbase  (mm)	1350
Dimensions (L × W × H, mm):	2,085 × 780 × 1050
Seat height (cm)	approx. 79
Empty weight  (kg)	187
successor	Honda CB 450 K1

Model K0

The Honda CB 450 is a motorcycle series from the manufacturer Honda and describes two different motorcycles that only have the displacement and the design as parallel twin in common.

CB450 (1965)

The CB 450 is a motorcycle launched in 1965 by the Japanese manufacturer Honda . The Honda CB 450 was presented to the German public for the first time at the Zweiradschau Essen from September 10 to 12, 1965, and the first machines came to Europe in spring 1966. The nickname of the original model was "Black Bomber" . With the CB 450, Honda penetrated the English and German domain of fast sports machines for the first time until the 1960s.

history

Master model K0

The engine is a high-revving two-cylinder four-stroke engine, an engine design with two overhead camshafts that had not been seen in series production until then , the valve springs were not designed as helical springs, but as torsion bar springs . The engine has a crankshaft offset of 180 ° for greater freedom of rotation and lower vibrations, which means it is counter- rotating, unlike English two-cylinder engines . The entire motorcycle is still comparatively light and manageable, and the technology, which was suspected of being overbred at the time, turned out to be durable, to the astonishment of the professional world.

With 32 kW (43 PS) and a liter output of almost 74 kW (100 PS), the machine played in the league of the 650 Triumph, 750 Norton and 600 BMW, and at a much cheaper price than the established brands. It had a four-speed gearbox until 1968. Some components were still based on the CB 72 , the smaller 250 cm³ predecessor model.

In the test of the magazine MOTORRAD Ernst "Klacks" Leverkus drove the machine on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring and remarked after a test over 4000 km: With the CB 450 Honda could overturn the motorcycle industry if they wanted .

You could buy them from dealers in late 1966 for 3995 DM , but in the spring of 1967 the price was reduced to 3495 DM.

Models K1 to K5 (1968–1975)

Honda CB 450 K5, built in 1974

In 1968 a heavily facelifted version of the CB450 K1 came on the market: It was provided with a five-speed gearbox and the frame, front fork, tank and design were also changed. Almost all CB-72 parts were replaced, the type number was now 292. The original version has now been referred to by insiders as "450 K0" and is now very rare and highly sought after, but due to some special parts in the event of problems it is sometimes difficult to repair .

The K1 was followed by the K2 to K5 models, some of which were only slightly modified in terms of design and some of which were also technically modified. The K5 model was built in slight variations until 1975. The CB 450 laid the foundation for Honda's triumphal march in the world of large motorcycles.

A late model in this series was the Honda CB 500 T with a slightly larger displacement, which was sold at a very low price at almost DM 2,000 at the end of the 1970s in the era of large Japanese four-cylinder engines. Today this model has also become a rare classic.

Scrambler CL 450

Honda CL 450 K4 from 1971

The scrambler model was particularly successful under type number 293 in the USA. In the USA, the CB 450 D with also (43 HP) was sold first, D stood for Desert Scrambler. She had put the exhaust pipes up on the left and right.

The model designation from 1967 was CL 450 K0 to K6 and had the type number 293. It had a high handlebar with crossbar, a different tank decoration and colors, as well as a one-piece, raised 2-in-2 exhaust with heat shields that was placed on the left side above the gearbox led straight back.

construction

engine

Honda introduced trend-setting design features in series motorcycle construction and thus established its position as a leading motorcycle manufacturer. The two-cylinder four-stroke engine was air-cooled. The four-fold roller-bearing crankshaft with the connecting rod, which is also roller-bearing, is pressed and has mounting-friendly end shields that are screwed into the horizontally divided engine housing. The cylinder bank is cast from aluminum and has liners made from gray cast iron. A timing chain running between the cylinders drives the two overhead camshafts with slide bearings. The valves in the cast-in combustion chamber caps of the aluminum cylinder head are opened using rocker arms; Torsion bar springs are installed as valve springs, which act on the valve shafts via closer arms.

Two Keihin constant pressure carburettors, each with a 36 mm passage, were used to prepare the mixture.

Technical specifications

Models K1 to K5

• Power: 33 kW (45 PS) at 9000 rpm
• Compression: 9: 1
• Displacement: 444 cm³
• Bore: 70 mm
• Stroke: 57.8 mm
• Gears: 5
• Brakes: disc brake Ø 276 mm at the front, drum brake Ø 180 mm at the rear

CB450 (1985-1989)

Honda CB 450 N, year of construction 1985

The CB 450 N and CB 450 S were built between 1985 and 1989 . The designation "N" stands for a "Naked" variant and "S" for a "Sport" variant. The engine is similar in both versions. They differ in the front suspension and in the carburetors . The tachometer on the "N" is mechanically driven, on the "S" it is driven electrically. They only tie in with the K models in terms of displacement and number of cylinders, but are otherwise independent constructions and, as inexpensive entry-level motorcycles, positioned differently in the market of their time. On the CB 450 N, the fuse is located under the seat on the left; the tachometer is driven by a shaft. The CB 450 S has the fuses directly on the handlebar and the signal to the rev counter is transmitted electronically. The rear of the "Sport" version is slightly wider; the rear light is adapted to the shape of the stern.

For Germany, Honda developed an insurable 27 hp version. The power reduction, the CB450S, could be canceled by replacing the camshaft, the carburetor needle, the carburetor springs and the drive pinion. For the CB 450 N only the camshaft had to be replaced. Honda has released a certificate for registration with TÜV for download.

The Honda CB 450 S has an empty weight of 184 kg and is therefore easy to handle. With the six-speed gearbox, the top speed of 27 hp is around 145 km / h and in the de-throttled state around 175 km / h.

history

The CB 450 T (PC 05) was launched in 1982. The motorcycle was a copy of the CB 400 T with a displacement of 450 cm³.

The CB 450 N developed and produced in Brazil shows a "classic" Honda face with the aluminum rims that were common at the time. However, it no longer met the taste of buyers and was replaced in Europe after just one year by the CB 450 S, which had a striking tubular space frame and one-piece cast aluminum rims. The CB 450 C and the CB 450 E were launched at the same time . In Brazil, the CB 450 N continued to be produced under the name CB 450 DX . The striking differences were the rectangular headlights and the disc brake on the rear wheel. The last model change took place in 1993. The successor to the CB 450 N (CB 450 DX) was the CB 500 .

literature

• Joachim Kuch: Type compass Honda motorcycles since 1970 , 1st edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-613-02061-0
• Jochen Kuch: Honda motorcycles since 1970. - 1st edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, - Stuttgart, 2009. (Typenkompass) ISBN 978-3-613-02989-7

Web links

Commons : Honda CB 450  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• CB450 Technical Specifications. (PDF; 21 kB) In: Honda history of motorcycles. Honda Deutschland GmbH, accessed February 27, 2011 . 
• HONDA CB450 - "Black Bomber". In: motorcycle brands. Winni Scheibe, accessed on February 27, 2011 : "With the Honda CB450 a new motorcycle age began." 
• Honda: HONDA CB450 engine. (JPG) In: Motorcycle Brands. Winni Scheibe, accessed on February 27, 2011 (sectional drawing of the engine). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Das Motorrad , Issue 15/1966, p. X
2. ↑ http://apps.mobilityland.co.jp/hch/search/english/products/367
3. ↑ http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0450/scramble.htm
4. ↑ Matthias Bischoff: Large series racer . In: Oldtimer Practice . No. 12 , 2010, ISSN  0937-6291 , p. 12–14 (Dissected: the famous two-cylinder Honda CB 450).
5. ↑ Honda report for the CB 450 S ( Memento of the original from December 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 106 kB)  
6. ↑ Certificate from Honda for the CB 450 N ( Memento of the original from February 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.