Honda SS 50

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Honda
Honda SS50M Bj197-.JPG
Honda SS50M, German version
SS50
Manufacturer Honda
Sales description Super Sport 50
Production period 1966 to 1976
class Moped
Motor data
Single-cylinder four-stroke - gasoline engine
Displacement  (cm³) 49
Power  (kW / PS ) 3.8 kW at 9950 rpm
Top speed (  km / h) approx. 75 to 80
transmission 5-speed foot switch
drive Chain
Brakes 100 mm drums (vo / hi)
Empty weight  (kg) 75
Previous model Honda S50
successor Honda MB 50

The Honda SS50 (SS for SuperSport) is a small motorcycle from the Honda company , which was built from 1966 to 1976.

Honda SS50, Dutch version

predecessor

The first Honda two-wheeler with the distinctive OHC engine with a horizontal single cylinder was the Honda 50 Sport with the type code C 110 and C 111, which was offered in Germany from 1961. A design novelty on the European market was the downdraft carburetor from Keihin with numerous technical features. From 1965 the S50 followed with the type code C114. These machines had a pressed steel frame with an oil-dampened telescopic fork. The engine of the S 50 developed 5  hp at 9500 min −1 and had a four-speed foot switch. The maximum speed was specified in the brochure as around 80 km / h. It was in the price list at DM 1195  .

technology

In contrast to the German two-stroke machines ( Hercules , Kreidler , Zündapp , Maico ) the Honda SS 50 has a four-stroke engine . It delivers 5.1 hp at 9960 min -1 . This Honda machines have a lying cylinder with an overhead camshaft and an actuated via a rocker five-speed gear with oil-bath clutch . The drive chain runs in a closed chain case. In spite of the usual flywheel magneto ignition , the SS50 also has a 6 V battery, which is why the buzzing sound of the competition could be replaced by a real horn and there was an ignition lock on the frame above the battery box. The idle indicator light in the speedometer of the SS 50 was also not found on other mopeds. In a test by “Das Motorrad” Ernst Leverkus achieved around 76 km / h. The original SS50 was delivered in the colors black and red, whereby the fenders of both variants - front made of sheet metal, rear made of plastic - were light gray. On the right and left of the 5.3 l tank there are chrome panels with rubber knee pads. The handlebar fittings and switches corresponded to the high standard of the other Honda motorcycle models made of die-cast aluminum, including the two standard rear-view mirrors; they stood out from the sheet metal fittings on the German small motorcycle competition.

The SS50 cost around DM 990 at the end of 1970. Taking inflation into account , this corresponds to today's purchasing power of around EUR 1,784. Consumption is 2.1 to 2.3 liters of premium gasoline per 100 km, which results in a range of around 250 km. Due to the low consumption and the fact that you do not have to resort to a two-stroke mixture, the operating costs of the SS50 are well below those of the German competitors, which, however, consistently achieve a higher top speed. There was a standard (horizontal exhaust) and a De-Luxe model (raised exhaust, different tank), later only the De-Luxe model (new styling in red or blue metallic without chrome bezels and rubber knee pads on the tank). The SS50 De Luxe cost 1,248 DM (early 1974). This corresponds to today's purchasing power of around 1,771 euros.

Conversions and derivatives

At that time, Honda-Schuh from Frankfurt delivered a conversion kit to 65 cm³ with a sample report. Some conversions resulted in a registration as a motorcycle and led to an annual vehicle tax of DM 11 and an annual insurance premium of around DM 54, which means a saving compared to the insurance premium of around DM 300 due for a small motorcycle registration and vehicle tax exemption Has incurred costs for the conversion kit within one year. However, to drive the drilled out Honda, a class 1 driver's license (from 18 years) was necessary instead of class 4 (from 16 years).

At times, Honda produced a larger displacement model SS 90 with 90 cm³. Due to its construction, the engine is very easy to revolve and, through appropriate tuning, can be brought to performance levels that can hardly be achieved with souped-up German two-stroke mopeds. Added to this is the good driving stability of the two-wheeler, which weighs only 75 kg, even at speeds of over 100 km / h.

A descendant of the Honda SS 50 was the Honda Dax , later the Honda Monkey . The concept of the four-stroke engine used was extraordinary and found so many enthusiasts that the engine is still installed today as a replica with various displacement variants in Far East models, some of which were built under license from Honda, and others are viewed as counterfeits of the Dax and the Monkey can be.

Technical specifications

  • Engine: single cylinder four-stroke OHC valve control
  • Power: 5.1 hp at 9960 min -1
  • Cooling: airstream
  • Transmission: 5-speed
  • Power transmission: chain
  • Tank capacity: 5.3 liters
  • Empty weight: 75 kg
  • Top speed: approx. 75–80 km / h

Web links

Commons : Honda SS50  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Honda SS50 information forum Buy spare parts Motor tuning. In: cb100.de. Retrieved April 21, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Downdraft carburettors for mopeds . In: Motor vehicle technology 11/1962, pp. 478–479.
  3. ↑ The motorcycle. No. 6, March 23, 1974.
  4. ↑ "Restored - Honda SS50." in: Oldtimer Praxis 11/2017, pp. 94–98