It’s been a little while since I’ve featured one of this engineering jewels, so let’s rectify that! The Honda CB-1 was a wonderful mid-sized standard in a time of replica racers. Originally built for the Japanese market, it was a beautifully balanced motorcycle that lost out in an American market that was obsessed with having as much horsepower as possible.
Cycle World called this “a great motorcycle that never found an audience”, and with hindsight, it’s easy to see why. A healthy 55 horsepower was enough to take this 400 pound bike up to 118 miles per hour, and the upright seating position lent itself to comfortable commuting or canyon carving. (How’s that for alliteration?) General consensus at the time was that this bike the perfect “street weapon for the masses”.
You can quickly identify the 1990 vs the 1989 bike as the former has red tank lettering (vs. black) and lacks a center stand. This example has 7,222 miles and is claimed by the seller to “near museum quality”. It sure looks great in the photos!
Find this CB-1 for sale in Austin, Texas here at Cycle Refinery for $4,495 (does not include TT&L).
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Jesse L!