I bought one of these back in August of 1981 and it was a 150 variant of the "Original" 400. Same chassis and engine, although the bores were sleeved down for the "Entry Level" or "Learner Market" which only allowed up to 250ccs for those without a "Full Licence" here in the UK. Mine was a standard manual transmission, with 5 gears. I had two others previous to this. The 250 Dream (Hawk) in the USA and SuperDream (SuperHawk) in the US. They were all great little bikes, ideal for the first time rider, without too much power, but could cruise all day at 50 - 60mph without any problems. Happy times, before they restricted even further to 125ccs and 12bhp. And a two part test, to get you "Full Licence" Most people by then went for a Full Car Licence. This was back in the early 1980's.
Just acquired a Honda 750 hondamatic fully bagged out with the vetter bags and the windjammer front fairing. With some elbow grease, good carb&tank clean, new tires&battery&plugs, this funky bad boy is gonna take my sport bike riding butt a lot further on much longer trips comfortably, while stylin right. Love your videos!!!!
I work at a honda dealer & ordered bikes as a salesman from 83 to 88 so I ordered a 1982 cb450t 6speed reversed comstars set it up myself Michelin hisports & Russell braided steel brake lines it was made 4 racing where as the [nighthawk] was more of a cruiser style ,I had a 1984 rz350 Kenny Robert's with Stewart Toomey pipes & airbox resets tuned the person that worked on my mx bikes back then the 450 handled smoother after suspension work moriwoki made a carb rejetting kit 4 all of the 78- 88 cb/cm motors that made em run alot better If u ever get a 450t in your shop do one of your great profiles. U meet the fastest people on a Honda. Lol
I've got the 78 CB400A and it is a blast to ride. So easy to get around with the no clutch feature. Only problem I need to solve is cold starting. If bike isn't started for a few days it takes 5 minutes to get it running.
Ken you do the best reviews,I actually bought one !Saturday ken you sold me on it,I also have a dozen other bikes this thing is fun!when all you wanna do is cruise,I live in Charleston sc this bike is so perfect for downtown criusing !
I bought one for my future ex-wife in 1982. She gone, bike still here. I call it my “snowmobile.” I’m considering buying one for parts that I found - hasn’t been registered for a couple of decades, back taxes due if registered. By the way, I can hear a noise coming from the engine that I believe to be the balancer chain. It can be quite loud, and on the automatic it’s a real pain, just to get to a simple nut, which you just loosen and tighten. Balancer chain, not the cam chain. Much easier on the clutch models. Needs at be done at intervals somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 miles, depending on how it’s ridden. It should not be ignored. Probably will need a gasket - CM400-450 on eBay for $10-$20.
So cool to see one of these talked about! I have one of these and am struggling hard to find some carbs for it. I made a booboo and wrecked my carbs. Anyone have any idea if the carbs off a CM450E would work on my CM450A? Part numbers are subtly different. Anyway, loved the video! Cheers!
I was looking to get the hondamatic hawk..motorcycle shop told me to not get it bc parts are hard to find and lot of transmission issues..any thoughts on this? I’m a new rider and don’t feel comfortable with shifting gears and have limited options for automatic
I got a 79 cm400t I’m working on I got for cheap. I can’t wait to take it for a ride I’m excited. Any one know a good motor oil and good place to get a new seat cover for them?
Dumb question perhaps, but since I never ridden an automatic (or semi-auto) bike Hell, I even never rode a scooter, just standard motorcycles, I am wondering: Does it still have a foot brake pedal too? 🤔 Very pretty bike, would not mind having one, although it's surely beyond my budget! LOL.
Just so you know, mufflers for an 883 sportster slip right on to those stock head pipes.😁. I really pissed off the local Harley dealer when I installed a pair on my ‘79 CN400A in their parking lot.
@@AliAnsariUS-PK it sold auction I think for $3600 usd, not a bad price for the lucky winner if you ask me. Go to ebay motors and check out their other bikes kaplancycles
My brother you have given me such an in I sight on This bike. I just got my motorcycle license and this would be perfect for me to just ride around the neighborhood on a Sunday. Here I. Florida I’ve been hesitant to get a bike due to the fact that these drivers now a days are in their device. This bike would be perfect due to the fact that the shifting is so easy. What do you think of these new 2014 Honda CTX 7000? I’d like to hear your opinion Sir.
Do they have spoked rear wheels for these? I have a manual transmission one with those star wheels, and I can find the front spoked wheel on ebay, but not a rear one... Mine is bulletproof. It's a heavy bike though and you're way up high, so kind of dangerous for me. If it leans to far out at a stop you're almost phuwcked hold it up, and man is it a beast stand ing back up if it ever falls on it's side. I hope I never have to do it. The center stand is nice for swapping out the rear tire but it's a job getting it up on it, there's kind of an art to doing it. Roll backwards and then slam it down. If you weren't going fast enough, try again... :-/ As far as why Honda only had it in the U.S. for 2 years, it was because of Harley Davidson. Harley was so worried about this bike taking away market share that they started lobbying congress to enact protectionist policies for motorcycles (the same way that trucks face a massive importation fee because congress was trying to protect american makers... which is why Toyota for instance built a plant in north america to build trucks here and avoid the fee). Honda did not want to be the catalyst for such a policy for motorcycles, and this was a major factor in the killing of the 450s.
I have that exact same knife. I keep it strapped to the right rear crash bar on my Harley Electra Glide ultra limited, and while it is indeed a very cool blade, technically it’s only supposed to be worn by men born in 1965. If you don’t meet this criteria please remove it.
@@KaplanCycles this will cheer you up... my Teddy and I were watching the Dilla videos. He turned to me and said " Daddy, when Ken is wearing the cape, he means business" he is 4 years old. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Feel better brother.
