The CB92 was the king of its class in its day and was produced by many of the same Honda employees that were behind the marque’s first ever RC racer. Soichiro Honda released the CB92 – aka Benly Super Sport – in 1959, just a year after the RC71. Supposedly, 24,251 examples were produced from ’59-’65 (although some sources say production ended in ’62), and according to American Honda, only 599 units were imported to the States (though this example is in the UK). Like Honda’s first GP machine, the CB92 was powered by a twin-cylinder engine, and aside from the RC110/11 that immediately followed the RC71, all of Honda’s RC bikes utilized a twin until the 1980’s. Because of its performance, the Benly was a popular choice when looking for a small displacement racer, so much so that Honda even offered a factory race kit for these bikes to make them even more track oriented.
Soichiri happened to attend the Isle of Man TT in 1954 where he witnessed the German NSU’s quarter-liter Rennmax parallel twin bag its second of back to back World Championships. This is supposedly what became the inspiration for Honda’s first twin-cylinder model in the form of the C70. Though the Honda was sans gear-driven twin cams like the Rennmax, it did still boast features such as parallel cylinders angled forward and a similar displacement. The C70 would debut a couple years after Soichiri’s trip to Europe, but on the heels of the inaugural twin was the C92 Benly, a 125cc twin that made 11.5hp at 9,500rpm which at the time was something to write home about. The next year Honda unveiled several variants of the machine such as the CS92, CA92 (The US model), and CB92 with the “B” meaning it was the sport spec. These are the early machines whose successors would be the legendary 1970’s CB models.
The CB92 helped put the Japanese manufacturer on the racing map and demonstrated its ability to produce a competent and competitive race machine. Honda’s first ever Isle of Man appearance was in 1959 in the 125 TT when the marque entered bikes that closely resembled the Benly with two and four-valve twins, resulting in Honda taking home the team prize. Big Red did take some criticism for its machines being such blatant copies of the NSU power-plant, but the Japanese manufacturer further proved itself in 1962 when it would sweep the 125, 250, and 350 GP championships.
The CB92 was powered by an air-cooled 124cc single-overhead cam parallel twin, with the pair of 44 x 41mm cylinders reportedly making 15hp at 10,500rpm. The eighth-liter Honda had a four-speed gearbox, a dry weight of 242 lbs, and a top-speed of around 75 mph. The CB92 used an early and fairly primitive pressed-steel frame design with the rear-end making up something of a deep rear splash/mud-guard. Suspension on the Benly was handled by a pressed steel leading-link unit up front and fully-enclosed telescopic dampers in the back. The early CB’s 16-inch wheels were slowed via front and rear six-inch single-leading-shoe type brakes in full-width hubs.
This particular example is in full factory race trim, including the unique low-hanging handlebars, 14,000rpm tach, five-speed gearbox, twin-carb setup, racing seat and exhausts. The seller says this ’61 Benly; “Doesn’t seem to have a frame number but is a genuine CB92 frame, modified to accommodate the race trim.” The eighth-liter screamer on this example is said to be “highly tuned” and according to the seller, starts and runs great. I don’t think I would call this example museum quality but it is a remarkably clean machine for being more-than half-a-century-old, especially looking at the engine and rims. The ad doesn’t specify but I imagine the fork and frame were painted or powder-coated in the not-so-distant past as well.
Some of the early Honda models weren’t the most pleasing on the eyes, but the CB92 – especially in race trim – is one damn fine looking vintage Honda. The fact this example is adorned in Honda’s classic silver/red/yellow livery is just the icing on the cake. I’m not sure if the fuel-cell on this ’61 Honda is from a factory race kit or a different Honda, but it’s definitely not the stock tank from a CB92. Honda Benly examples that are in good condition routinely go for five figures, though I’m not sure if this example’s factory race kit conversion and frame modification have raised or lowered its value. In 1961, the CB92 sold new for $495, which translates to just over $4,000 in 2017.
You can find this 1961 Honda CB92 Benly Super Sport for sale here on RaceBikeMart.com in Cheshire, England with a price of $7,250.