Honda CB450/500s

I’ve just read the report on the above bikes and I’m sure others have noticed the silencers on the 450 are standard and not Dunstalls!

I can remember only one choke lever and not as reported as being on each carb. Unless I’ve misread it the bike pulls well in lower gears – 9000rpm is stated as “that’s when everything starts to happen”. Well it’s happened before that I suggest, as its red-line is 9k!

Lastly, Oli comments that the 500T was far less reliable than the 450; however, he reports that he didn’t even have to clean the points on his thrashed model as a 20-year-old youth; confusing.

I have a 500T that Steve Cooper rode for a report in Classic Motorcycle Mechanics and have owned 450s in the day and since, and I’m not familiar with the unreliability issues he mentions. I’ve sorted the disc brake problem on my 500T; fitted a CL450 wheel and twin leading shoe brake; brilliant.

Good luck with the RRS Matt, I still have mine.

Karl Chadwick

Karl, hope your brake fix helps other CB owners – thanks. Oli spoke to several specialists to get his information – as well as his own opinions and memories – apart from the revs, which we got wrong. Oli’s now sulking in shame and I’m off to play with my BMW… Matt