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The CB450 Black
Bomber (K0) was launched in 1965 and was considered by many to be the
most
advanced mass produced road bike of its' era. It was initially banned from production racing on the grounds that the twin cam engined belonged in a factory racer. The all alloy 4 speed engine was completely oil-tight and extremely well made. Honda's 180 degree crankshaft was balanced in four big caged roller bearings. An extremely long chain worked its way though sets of rollers to drive the two camshafts. Two valves per cylinder were operated by torion bars instead of the more common coiled springs. The Black Bomber was the first Honda to use Keihin CV carbs. The CB450's main weakness is that it is very heavy (at about 430lbs) and the original 4 speed gear ratios are quite closely spaced with a low top gear. It survived in that guise until the release of a totally revised K1 in 1968 which featured a 5 speed gearbox among other improvements. The CB450 continued in production until 1974. |
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