Forgotten classics are becoming popular

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Purchasing classics there

The nicest example we see in the corner: Now that Ugly Ducks have become unaffordable because some young dynamic Randstad people want to express their Life Style with it, the R4s suddenly become more expensive. Because you can still dance, even if it is not with the bride.

We see the same thing happening on two wheels: the forgotten classics are becoming popular

First the tone of Japanese engine ingenuity started to rise because all German, Italian, English and American masterpieces were occupied. And recently we saw a - really beautiful - Honda CB 450 for which € 14.500 was asked. Asking prices are of course not late prices. But the tone is set. A very nice, early CB 750 can also easily yield more than € 7.500. In fact, the high prices for top pieces are of course not so strange: In their time, those toppers also remained dream bikes for most of us.

But what we see now is that the 'middle class' of then, now for lack of top players, now get the attention they already deserved. That is heart warming and it has its advantages and disadvantages. The profit is on the purchasing side: Honda CB 350 twins (up to and including the CB 250 / 350 from 1974-1976 and - very carefully: the CB 360) or four-cylinder are still reasonable and can be found at well-arranged prices. The models after that up to 1984 cost almost nothing) But the small four-cylinder models have often been sprayed matte black a few times, with a four-in-one and a low steering wheel. The spraying in original colors and the purchase of a NOS or replica exhaust system, that requires a lot of love for the brand.

Revolutionary and rap

The (175), 250 and 350 cc two-cylinder units play there in a completely different division. In their early days, they were wildly fast middle class players. And as was often the case with Honda, the first series were the most vigorous. Those pieces of precision technology turned to 10.500 rpm, roughly twice as many revolutions as a British 500-650 cc machine could handle in practice. And such a Honda stayed with it and ran immediately after two hundred fast highway kilometers when the gas was off.

As a result, the machines ended up with riders that were not pre-programmed by history, who in any case ran smoothly and took good care of them. In the times, the handling of those machines was really not as dramatically bad as that later Gurus swore. But of course, such a mass-production frame of pressed sheet metal parts was a lot less horny than a British traditional frame. And that feeling naturally also counted.

The problems with the machines with their overhead camshafts only started from the third owner. From that moment on the front fork and rear fork bearings were no longer checked and the front fork never got fresh oil again. And that engine block that was once high tech? From the fourth owner there was only interest in the lowest possible steering wheel and as much exhaust noise as possible. And such a twin could scream like a squirrel that had to give birth to a bathtub. The speed was not the problem, but the fact that the oil was no longer changed and that the camshaft was mounted in the full aluminum of the head, that caused many OHC twins to die.

The funny thing is that the ones that were neatly ridden and kept are still 100% everyday. But because they are now also convincingly classic, it is less convenient to use them for five minutes' trips to the Aldi. And strangely enough, some nice, cool survivors still appear on the market. The very early red / creamy white (1968-1974) are not that often, but that doesn't make the fun less. And somehow the Belgians love the CB 250s.

The inside

Of course the state of the block is important. It must be oil-tight, so the camshaft is the pain, and the camshaft tensioner does not have eternal life. The blocks were also excellent for their time. And the enthusiasts who 'clicked through' 10 x first made sure that the camshaft never started its work dry. Be sure to keep an eye on that when you wake up a barn find! With normal E-starting it is advisable to run the engine at no load for a minute to get the oil back in the head.

There are people who say they can hear when the time comes. After a kilometer or 20-30 the gas can be used. The early 250 / 350 cc twins had the red line on the counter at 10.500 rpm. The 350 was specified for a top of 170 km / h. That did not save you from being a European, but it was achievable. And if you had a big heart, you could do the pilots of the then-heavy! - Make 500 cc machines pretty difficult.
The later 250 / 350 cc Honda two-cylinders became more touristy. The 'red line' has become a red area between the 9.000-11.000 rpm. That gives the rider more choice ...

The outside

But the optical parts are also important. The fact that this market has not completely gone down is pure profit. Exhausts were not only silent, but also rather sensitive to rust. And where there are (expensive!) Replica OEM systems for CB 450s and CB 750s, the (175) 250, 350 cc twins still regularly display NOS (new old stock) parts.

And with a little faith in humanity, these things are still available at surprisingly low prices worldwide via the internet. Even if you take the shipping costs into account. It is a thicker plus if the color parts are still good / beautiful. Not every sprayer, for example, knows how to put the golden candy color on it as Honda intended. Which is funny again: The finish of such a freshly sprayed tank with the 'wings'. You can already buy foil stickers for a few dollars in the USA.

The driving

As a European, you're not bad at all on such a twin. The driving position is quite active. With good steering and rear fork bearings and on modern-classic tires, such a Honda is still a crazy rap thing on winding roads.

Forgotten classics

 

 

 

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2 comments

  1. That is not going to be him! My Bokito factor is a bit less. So the ratio to the engine is slightly different. But you can forget about highways. Not very. They are not fun anyway. But it's about your resilience: On a CB125 I was once told “Hey. there you have Dolf on a motorized hemorrhoid ”

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