The Bible (Luke 12:48) tells
us that "for unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be
much required." We can only
speculate about the spiritual-
ity of the 1982 CN staff, but it
seems they followed Jesus'
teachings in their road tests.
Costly streetbikes and rapidly
evolving motocross machines
were held to high standards;
they were given much (suspen
-
sion and horsepower), so they
were scrutinized accordingly.
No quarter asked. None given.
The MB5? Honda blessed it
with bicycle tires and a two-
stroke engine similar to one
that would power an average-
sized weed whacker in 2026.
Little was given, and little was
required. The CN team first
used the bike as a pit bike
of sorts during Daytona Bike
Week before taking it along to
Atlanta, where the crew logged
at least 25 miles per day on
the Honda. "The first guy who
rode the bike said it felt like he
was sitting on a food proces-
sor set on puree," wrote CN. An
auspicious beginning, but the
vibe quickly changed, as the
staff began to warm up to the
bike as time went by, and soon
they praised the Honda as "an
economical and unique way to
get around town, while having a
good time doing it."
The MB5 was no pretender.
It "can't be classified as a
minibike or grouped into the
high-mileage scooter type of
machine, either." And despite
the disadvantage of carrying
its plus-size rider, who huskily
moved the needle to well past
200 pounds, the front disc
and rear drum brakes did "an
exceptional job of bringing the
bike and rider to a quick halt."
The Honda squeezed 57.5
miles out of each gallon of
petrol—good, not great, though
the crew acknowledged that
a more svelte rider might've
helped the little bike burn less
fuel. Also, it was pretty clear
that the team was indeed
pretending to be like Graeme
Crosby during their adventures
with the MB5 and that a more
conservative riding style might
have bumped that mpg number
up a little higher.
Though lightweight at just
under 175 pounds, the Honda
really wasn't a little bike. "A
seat height of 31 inches, cou
-
pled with a handlebar height
of 40.4 inches, makes the bike
comfortable on short trips."
The saddle, by the way, was
"firm and easy on your bottom."
It carried a price tag of $798,
about $2700 today, which is
lower-end scooter money. The
Honda MB5 was not really a
gas miser and certainly not a
high-performance roadster.
Little was given, little was
asked, thus making it the kind
of crock bike that should have
space in every motorcyclist's
garage.
CN
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