VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P139
The Honda was a fine-riding
scooter. "The bars, medium
height and rather narrow, were
very comfortable. The seat width
and padding were better than
we expected. A small amount of
vibration is felt throughout the
rubber-mounted handlebars and
the footpegs, but it isn't enough
to bother. Altogether, the com
-
fort rating of the bike is quite
good."
There were a few niggling,
small-bike problems that the
staff mentioned, including
the turn signals, whose pace
seemed to match that of the mo
-
torcycle's forward motion. Speed
up, and the blinking tempo
increased as well, to the point
that revving the bike up to 9000
rpm would present the nighttime
street crowd with "a lightshow."
Reducing the rpm and the blink
-
ing rate would slow as well.
Another problem was the
horn. Today's road tests feature
nary a mention of the motor
-
cycle's horn, but turn back the
clock to the 1970s, and most
magazine staffers will mention
the efficacy of the push-button
tooter. Were the automobiles
that shared the roads in the
'70s louder? Are the drivers less
aware of motorcyclists? Perhaps
the car stereos, blaring "Come
and Get Your Love," were creat
-
ing chaos that demanded the
use of the cycle's horn? What-
ever the situation was at that
time, horns were a big deal to
the magazines, and the Honda's
version was subpar, "accept-
able around town but not loud
enough for freeway use."
Miles per gallon! Saving the
best for last. Once upon a time,
a dedicated curmudgeonly mo-
torcyclist groused that "anybody
who talks about the kind of gas
mileage your motorcycle makes,
just really isn't getting it." To be
sure, when an Isle of Man racer
crests Hailwood's Rise or hits
170 mph at Sulby Straight, it is
unlikely that squeezing more
miles from a gallon of petrol
is making him feel tingly all
over. But this is 1974, when 45
cents can buy two hamburgers
at McDonald's. There is an oil
shortage, and new motorcyclists
are coming into the fold. They
are looking for frugal ways to
get around.
"The worst mileage we got
out of it, redlining in every gear…
was 60 miles per gallon. The
best we got, deliberately trying
to squeeze out every drop, was
63 miles on one half gallon."
No need for a tiger in your tank.
The Honda drank fuel like a kitty
lapping up warm milk from her
dish.
At just $915, the Honda was
cheap. Cheap to buy, cheap to
own ($5.64 for a piston) and
cheap to ride. At a time when a
Ford LTD was netting about 15
miles per gallon, the Honda was
another 50 miles better. If that
doesn't get you to your friendly
Honda dealer, as Redbone sings,
"What's the matter with your
head, yeah?"
CN
Subscribe to more than 60 years of Cycle News Archives issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives
It could even
wheelie! A big
deal in 1974.
The CB200 was an
excellent bike back
then, selling for $915,
which is roughly
equivalent to
$6000 today.
