HONDA ‘SL450’
The biggest version of Honda’s ’70s SL dual-sports model was a 350 – but Steve Pohl wanted to supersize that. Using a 1972 CL450 as a base, he created the Xtra Large street scrambler he thought Honda should have made in the first place...
The street scrambler Honda should have made, built by an enthusiast
When the opportunity arose to purchase a 1972 CL450 scrambler, I couldn’t resist it,” said Steve Pohl. “It wasn’t much in the looks department, but my intent from the beginning was always to build a special.”
Steve is retired, living in Alaska after working 32 years as a communications and control systems technician on the Trans -Alaska Pipeline. Before working on the pipeline, he was employed as a motorcycle mechanic in Anchorage. His love of bikes has always remained and he has a history of buying up old bikes and restoring them, often adding his own custom twist to the beautifully-prepped machines.
He told CB: “I’ve sold a few bikes that I’ve rebuilt, but mostly I keep them. They are all so cool it’s hard to let any go. I’m back up to more than 20 bikes now, which is about the limit of my storage building. All of my bikes are riders, although some get more miles than others.
“One bike I restored was given to me by the original owner as he wanted it to go to a good home. It’s the oldest Bridgestone 350 GTR known to exist, serial number 37. Other bikes include a ’68 Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor, a ’75 Kawasaki Z1B and a ’73 H2A, two 1968 Triumph TR6RS, a ’69 T100C and many more. I like bikes from mid-’60s to mid-’70s.”
But back to the CL450. After initially servicing it and fitting new tyres, Steve enjoyed riding it in its original state. “I’ve had five Honda 450s through the years,” he said. “As a kid, going from an SL100 to a CB450 was a very impressive performance gain. It was amazing and I’ve loved the 450s ever since. With the CL450, I was originally thinking I’d recreate the first Honda 450 custom I built as a teen.”
Between occasional rides, Steve’s 450 sat in the corner of the workshop for several years while he contemplated what to do with it. Then an idea came to him after restoring a 1970 Honda SL100 he had owned for more than 30 years. “It was my online mate Joe Banks who came up with the idea, actually,” explains Steve. “Uk-based Joe [who CB readers might recall was featured in the May 2020 issue with his speedblock-liveried, Kenny Roberts tribute tracker] is an internet mate who shares common motorcycling interests. We correspond regularly and help each other out.
“As a kid I had an SL100, but soon upgraded to a CB450. Both bikes hold great memories for me of life in a simpler time. It was decided – the little SL100 would get a big sister. The CL450 would come back as an ‘SL450’, with the fuel tank and paint scheme for a 1970 model. I aimed to build the bike as I envisioned Honda would have, but without getting carried away. I always loved the Honda SL line-up;
‘THE CL450 WOULD COME BACK AS AN ‘SL450’, WITH THE FUEL TANK AND PAINT SCHEME FOR A 1970 MODEL’
from the SL70 to the SL350, it was a whole new look.
“It was such a dramatic break from toaster tanks and shrouded shocks. The tight-fit flared mudguards and rubber fork boots were gone as well. Honda was ushering in a completely different style for the ’70s. With high fenders, sleek styling, and an undeniably off-road-capable look, the SLS might be considered Honda’s first dual-sport bikes. “I started to wonder: why did Honda stop with the SL 350? While it’s true the SL350 wasn’t much of an off-road performer, it did have that cool look and was very popular. I thought an SL450 might just look cooler yet, but Honda never went that far. Which is strange, because we all know that the dohc 450 was a powerhouse that out-performed many larger-displacement bikes of the day.”
The die was cast. Steve had to create his own SL, so building it was going to require some donor parts from the SL family to authenticate the look. The frame would need to go from black to silver, and trials tyres would be mandatory.
“The original bike was in decent shape, a pretty clean survivor,” said Steve. “The engine received new piston rings and a valve job. It was mainly disassembled in order to clean and polish every piece to make it look new again. Most of the parts for the build came from salvage sellers on ebay or are OE parts from Honda.”
The stock 32mm Keihin CV carbs were replaced with 32mm Mikunis and billet intake mounts that came in a conversion kit from Niche Cycle. “It wasn’t completely plugand-play, so required some alteration to the side covers for fitment,” Steve explained. “Good thing I was planning to paint the covers – you couldn’t just bolt them back on. It was worth the effort as the throttle response is now much better.”
The electrical system is pretty much standard, running points and condensers for the ignition. Some minor repairs were made to the standard loom, and the selenium rectifier was replaced with a silicon diode unit.
The standard chromed high-level exhaust system was replaced with more conventional matt black silencers, built to mimic the SL style with heat shields from an SL100. The petrol tank is from a 1971 CL450. “Honda changed to what I call the ‘bubble’ tank for ’72 – I hated that look so it had to go,” said Steve. “SL350 fenders, headlight ears, and tail light were just the ticket to complete the look.”
The deep red tank and side panel paint looks lustrous. Steve, who did the work, proudly says: “No picture seems to do the paint justice. I used my original-paint SL100 for guidance. The bike looks like a sparkling gem in the bright sun, but is very hard to photograph for some reason. It’s actually a modern Honda colour called Iconic Red. There’s the metallic base, then a tinted ruby clear coat followed by a clear top coat. The white stripe was then painted before another clear coat was added.” The only paintwork outsourced was the silver powder-coating.
The original CL seat pan was also powder-coated, then reassembled with a new cover. He went with a 1970 CL seat cover, since it most closely resembled that of the SL. Original SLS were all single-seat, but Steve justified the longer seat, thinking Honda might have gone down that route as the bike had the power for two-up riding.
The standard yokes were originally black. The lower yoke was powder-coated in silver like the frame, while the upper was stripped of paint then polished for the SL look. The forks and front brake remain stock. Steve also retained the stock wheel rim sizes, with a new 19in up front and 18in at the rear. “Finding trials tyres proved challenging,” he admitted. “I ended up with Shinkos – a 4.00-18 rear and a 3.50-19 front. The stock size for the front was 3.25, so the 3.50 does look a bit more rugged. I think it adds to the off-road-capable SL look. Besides, it was either that or a 2.75, and that would have looked wimpy.”
Steve had the original bike for two years before getting round to the ‘custom’ work. “I usually build one or two bikes a year, mainly in the winter months,” he said. “This build took just shy of three months, starting in late December and finishing mid-march. It runs very well and is just about run-in now. The dohc 444cc engine makes 43bhp, which makes it really fun for a smaller bike. I’d have no problem taking it on dirt roads, but it’s a bit heavy for any rugged trail riding. I’m happy with the way the bike turned out; it’s already had some people scratching their heads, trying to remember Honda ever building an SL450!”
‘I’D HAVE NO PROBLEM TAKING IT ON DIRT ROADS, BUT IT’S A BIT HEAVY FOR ANY RUGGED TRAIL RIDING’