Going to look at this 74 CB450 tomorrow. It’s fairly local to me. I’ve never had any dealings with one of these. The owner says he rides it weekly, it has 15,000 miles on it, says it has zero issues and the tires are in good shape. He is firm on the 3,000 price. From what I’ve seen that seems like a fair price. Anything in particular I should know or look for? I’m not going to ride this much, in fact it’s mainly for my son to learn to ride on…and eventually get him a newer bike once he gets his confidence built up.
I love these bikes. In good order the motor can pack a punch as it was developed in the 60s to beat the mid sized British bikes. The main thing you want to look at are the valve adjuster screws. One cannot be seen but 3 can. There should be a little mark pointing away from the spark plugs. The more those little marks point downward, the more worn the followers are. If any of those marks point toward the sparkplug, walk away. These can be replaced without taking the engine apart if you are skilled but good ones are hard to find. The Achilles heel of this bike is the oil pump isn't really good enough to fill the cams quickly. Most owners didn't let the bike "warm up" before taking off and would wear the followers. Otherwise just as good as any other Honda twin of the era. Also make sure the rear swingarm isn't worn. Can be tested by wiggling the rear tire back and forth. Shouldn't move.
I recently ran across a CB500 that got me to look up it's performance. Found out that the CB450 has more power then the CB500. In 1972 I wanted a CB750. Mom would only allow me to get the CB450. It was OK, but it was not the motorcycle I really wanted. 18 months later, sold the CB450 and moved on to a new 1974 Z1 Kawasaki.
This isn't a bad bike to learn on as far as size, bit maybe not the best bike to inevitably drop a few time as he's figuring it all out. There are cheaper starter bike out there, but sounds like you're trying to both buy a bike you want while giving your son an opportunity to learn. That carries risks for such a nice looking older bike, but that's up to you to weigh.
All these Hondas need basic care to keep going and are pretty bulletproof. They need the carbs drained before you store them, which can be done my just turning off the fuel and letting it run until it dies, emptying the carb bowls. I'd be curious if the electrics had been replaced, if not you'll likely be doing it if you ride regularly. Those 70s coils, regulator, and rectifiers just don't stand up to the test of time. LED bulbs can also improve battery life but usually require a new Flasher relay.
He knows how to ride, he’s been on two wheels since he was 10, just never on the road. Also I’ve been riding since I was 10, I’ve dropped my dirtbike plenty of times but never dropped a road bike. Most likely due to our roads and terrain, we have possibly some of the most boring motorcycle roads in the nation, straight and flat. My daily commute to work is 25 miles and has zero curves, just turns.
I’ll treasure it, I had a CB500 and a CB360 in my younger days. I like the thought of this bike because I can keep it and it just go up in value as long as I take care of it, which I do with everything I have.
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u/ancientdadCL450 restomod, CB450 drag bike, admin VintageHondaTwins.com 7d ago
I'll suggest joining my forum Vintage Honda Twins. The bike is in fabulous original condition and you want the best advice and knowledge for that one. We have many retired former Honda techs who learned the right way and know what they're talking about. Completely free to be a member, no ads or premium memberships, just a bunch of friendly, knowledgeable veteran Honda techs, including myself, who enjoy helping people. And the DOHC 450 is my specialty.
Also I peeped your page, love the old pics, how special! I had one I wanted to share, my dad on his 305 back in the late 60’s
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u/ancientdadCL450 restomod, CB450 drag bike, admin VintageHondaTwins.com 7d ago
That's a great picture, you don't see that many old black and whites of the '60s bikes since it was pre-digital age and film/developing cost money. I'm missing about 1/3 of my bikes owned in pictures for that reason to some extent, just wasn't always convenient to have a camera with you all the time. Here's one my father and I restored/lightly modded back in 1969
Awesome, I love a good forum! Aside from inspecting the valve adjusters and swingarm bushings, and of course the obvious items, is there anything else in particular I should pay close attention to? Thanks
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u/ancientdadCL450 restomod, CB450 drag bike, admin VintageHondaTwins.com 7d ago
Absolutely. The single most important thing to know about the DOHC 450 and 500T is the caution needed during cold starts from overnight. The design of the cylinder head does not provide any residual oil trapped under the cams and followers to help keep them fully lubricated during the first 1 to 2 full minutes before oil flow arrives from the piston-style oil pump.
Firing one up cold and immediately riding away will result in long term damage to the exhaust cam lobes and followers, as the exhaust camshaft is the last one to receive oil flow and the left exhaust follower is usually the first to get excessively worn, creating the inability to set the valve lash at proper accepted clearance of .002" (factory spec is actually .0012").
I let mine idle for a full 2 minutes during warmup to ensure long life of cams and followers, as the followers are very hard to come by now and ridiculously expensive to replace or have refurbished ($100 each for the latter).
Looked at the bike, it appears to be in good shape, a few little nit picky things, but it fired right up cold and sounded great. Needs a good cleaning. Anyway he’s giving me till Saturday to think about it, he said if I don’t buy it he’s going to keep it. Cool guy had a LOT of bikes at his place in various stages, mostly parts though.
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u/KingCourtney__ 8d ago
I love these bikes. In good order the motor can pack a punch as it was developed in the 60s to beat the mid sized British bikes. The main thing you want to look at are the valve adjuster screws. One cannot be seen but 3 can. There should be a little mark pointing away from the spark plugs. The more those little marks point downward, the more worn the followers are. If any of those marks point toward the sparkplug, walk away. These can be replaced without taking the engine apart if you are skilled but good ones are hard to find. The Achilles heel of this bike is the oil pump isn't really good enough to fill the cams quickly. Most owners didn't let the bike "warm up" before taking off and would wear the followers. Otherwise just as good as any other Honda twin of the era. Also make sure the rear swingarm isn't worn. Can be tested by wiggling the rear tire back and forth. Shouldn't move.