Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has ever owned one of these and wanted to share his/her thoughts about this bike in comparison to the Superhawk. My friend wants to buy one since he is in love with my Superhawk but wants a bigger bike. I really do not know anything about the CB450 except that maybe they were not as dependable. Thanks.
shotzy
Black Bomber CB 450Black BomberI had a 66 and I never did get both carbs working together for any period of time. When it ran it was fun but one or the other of the carbs always had a problem, I finally gave up on it.
I have never owned a Superhawk but I have a 65 Dream now and love it, so dependable and simple to fix if there is a problem. The 450's are fine, just a bit different when it comes to valve adjustment.
Go to www.hondatwins.com You'll find a lot more info there. I have a '66 Bomber that I restored over the past year. I didn't find any problems that seemed out of line for a 40 year old bike. Engine & carb adjustments weren't that bad... I just followed the manual. I did chase a rich running / high speed miss problem that was really ignition... but I think that could be on any bike. I really love riding it and it looks so awesome.
I had a '72 CL450 back in the early 80s. It's the same engine design. I rode it a lot, did little to it other than change oil and it never caused any problems. I am looking for a Superhawk so I don't own one to give you a direct comparison. In general, I have the impression Bomber parts, especially engine internal parts, to be more expensive and harder to locate than Superhawk parts. John Honda 450I owned a 5 speed 450 and some of the earliest ones had chrome side panels to the tanks which your friend would probably like.
My understanding is that the 4 speed 450s were brilliant when running welll and being properly serviced. They were supposed to do about 105 and could also achieve 60-70 mpg touring. The thing is that the motor is double overhead cam and the valves, and I believe the rockers, were MATCHED during production. The valves are closed by torsion bars instead of coil springs and the cams are set on eccentric spindles to 'aid' valve gap adjustment. Valve gaps are small. The cam chain has a long long run so the tensioners need to be adjusted often and properly. If the engine has warmed up and is still 'tappity' it's going to need attention. Easier than a Desmo Ducati anyway, better handling and quicker than a Superhawk but unless you are going camping, two up, the Superhawk would probably be powerful enough most of the time. Black BomberI would like to have a complete Black Bomber
If someone of this forum knows where to get such a bike for an realistic price, please let me know. Here in good old Germany it is very difficult to get such a bike. And if a bike is offered a lot of money is requested. sorry for my bad english. Best regards Rudolf
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