"Four" & F - The HONDA CB Series

How can a motorcycle which was in production for 2 years be termed a legend? Well, read on.... Honda gave the world many a innovative and revolutionary things in the world of automobiles. One such thing was the four cylinder engine and we all know the history of the CB 750 in-line four which is considered to be the 'Greatest Motorcycle in History'.

The CB 350 'Four' was in production from 1972 to 1974. In 1972, Mr. Honda (Soichiro Honda) had visited the Isle of Man with Mrs. Honda in 1954. And he decided that unlike the singles and twins racing in the Isle of Man, Honda would be building 250cc Fours (something unimmaginable during that days) which would later change the face of motorcycle racing forever. He always was able to see the future and one of his brilliant foresights were that eventually a 350 Four, because of its lightweight, high rpm, power and torque would be the ultimate GP engine. Moreover, one fine Mr. Jim Redman won every Grand Prix of the season in 1965 with his 350 cc Honda which gave Soichiro Honda's dream even more determination.

At that time, Honda already had the 325cc CB350 Twin. This little bike was the best-selling American bike in the company's classic period and Mr. Honda knew it would be a direct competition to his dream and more so because he knew that the CB350 Twin had a bullet proof engine and was easy on the pocket. So he needed to build a bike which was even better than this. But a 4 cylinder would obviously weigh more and cost more, so he had to do something which would make people shift from the Twin. That was a problem as the Twin had similar spares and build like the successful 250cc.

What then Mr. Honda gave the world was (as they say) 'the most civilized motorcycle of its time'. The engine was electric smooth all the way up to the 10,000rpm redline and the power curve, gentle and progressive. You can cruise on it, speed up, do whatever you felt like. The styling was traditional and so was good on your eyes, it was small beast but fully tamed. It was elegant and sophisticated, it handled well, never tried to scare the rider like the other Japanese bikes would, say a Kawasaki or a Yamaha and this one was criteria which Honda exploited to the maximum.

You see, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha gave some bikes to the world that were outright evil! Monsters that mere mortals wanted to ride, but was always being ridden by the bike. Honda always tried to give the public what the public would be capable of. While the other manufacturers wanted the rider to get adjusted to the bike, Honda made bikes which adjusted according to the rider. And this was Honda trump card! The CB350 'Four' gave the genral public a feel of power and performance at a good price. But after two years of production, the 350 "4" was phased out. Why? We are coming to that. And so how can we term it a legend? We are coming to that too!

You see, if you search/ google for CB 350 'Four', you will find most of the posts are written by past and present owners of the CB 350 'Four'. They have been singing praises about their priced possesion through the roof, how efficient it is, how smooth it is, how responsive it is and everything you would want to hear about your bike. Bottomline, it seems that the owners felt that among all the bikes they have ridden, the CB 350 'Four' was by far the best.
And this was what Mr. Soichoro Honda knew, he saw the future much before anyone could. He had given such a brilliant engine that not only was it eating other manufacturer's market, it was also eating Honda's own market of 250cc to 750cc bikes, people were shifting from all these categories to the 'Four' and why not, it had everything these bikes provided but with a migh better engine. And so Mr. Honda thought it would be the best way to deal with its popularity. STOP production. And so it was not an instant legend. 30 years from then, the CB 350 'Four' will cost you a lot and now it has grown into legendary status.

So what was the CB 350 'Four' replaced with?
It was the CB 400F. It directly evolved from the 350. The bore was increased from 47 to 51 mm and the same stoke of 50mm gave a output of 408cc. A sixth gear was added and so was the compression ratio to 9.4:1, while engine internals like the crank, rods and the four 20mm Keihin carbs were retained. Well as you can see, the 'Four' was a miniaturute CB750, so the new CB 400F was given a new look. New tank, new bars, rearranged foot controls and a neat 4x1 exhaust who sounded like music to ears. Performance was ofcourse aided by the extra cog, a 50cc rise in capacity and also a 3 bhp rise from 34 tp 37 bhp. It had the phrase 'SUPER SPORT' neatly inscribed in the beautiful tank.

Visual Gratification - DUCATI Sport Classic

For more wallpapers of this stunning series or information, read about it HERE. Some of you might be aware that this post is repeated as the same post lost all the images for reason best known to Google Blogger. I regret that some of the wallpapers have been lost in trasit time, but none the less THANKS to Google Blogger that I have been able to share my passion freely with like minded bikers.

The VINCENT is Back !!!.... Again!

This is one brand that bike-lovers just wont let go. Well, how could they? Sitting with a laptop and writing this blog, I can say I have fallen for the Vincent by just reading about it in magazines and the net. And I have never seen it in the real world! And for those selected few people who has actually ridden this bike, I can very well understand how passionate they can be about the Vincent. After all, its the VINCENT HRD...

I made a post about Mr. Li creating his version of Vincent and why he had choosen a Honda engine over the original one, but most of the hardcore passionate freestyle bikers believe that Mr. Li's Vincent is just a Honda because how can a Vincent be a Vincent without the heart? Point taken. Anyway, Mr. Li's dream has somehow stalled since 2005 although production and coming back to the post, now it seems that the lovers who had been yearning to have a Vincent at any cost can finally realize their dream, of course at a cost of a bomb, but thats why I said, AT ANY COST.

In 1999, one Mr. Ken Horner, lover of the Vincent, thought of rebuilding the Vincent for personal use. Later his desire changed for the better, why not rebuild it to 21st century specifications? Lots of enthusiasts shared their experience and with helps pouring in from technical guys, the project started. Mr. Horner is part of KHE and being a highly euipped unit has taken on this project without outside shareholders or investors. And now, the project has become the focus of enthusiasts and is seen as a business oppurtunity and as such the world is awaiting with anticipation to see the complete product by this month, that is March 2008.

The project and thereby the bike is aptly titled IRVING VINCENT after the great Phil Irving and Australians Ken Horner, 53, and brother Barry, 52, have taken on to themselves to revive the hallowed marque of Vincent under the Irving Vincent name.
Ken Horner, a successful sidecar racer of the 70s with a 1300 Vincent engine started the KHE (K.H Equipment) company in 1977 in Melbourne, Australia. In 1971, Ken met Phil Irving.
Although Phil Irving passed on 1992, and he actually never knew about the project, the brothers took inspiration for the great man and particularly about an incident when Phil mentioned about Vincent heads and started working on it for themselves.

In 2003, Irving Vincent made its first appearance in Phillip Island, a model entirely manufactured by K.H. Equipment. The engines were based on the original design with only increase in the capacity and named it Irving Vincent. Ken explains “We didn’t want to call them Vincents because of having to pay royalties to the Holder family, who own the Vincent name, if we did. So we decided instead to call them Irving Vincents, to underline Phil’s contribution to the marque, for which he never got due recognition. We got approval for doing that from his widow, Edith, before registering the name.”

Well, the response to the project has been so overwhelming that Ken and Barry decided to start a limited production of 10 bikes a year. But they are neither promising anything nor taking any orders as they want their time to rebuild this machine and they work with passion!
The bike photographed here with the rider is the 4th of the series which is a 1,295cc version with a 50-degree V-twin, high-cam, overhead-valve Vincent dry-sump engine. The starter motor and alternator are sourced from Nippon Denso. The plain-bearing crank and Carrillo rods are made in EN26 steel, with Nikasil-bore cylinders housing JE pistons running a 14:1 compression. The cylinder heads have been designed by Ken Horner himself.
This engine is installed in a chrome-molybdenum replica of a period Vincent spine frame. A set of 38mm Ceriani forks — fitted with Kawasaki motocross dampers and Ohlins springs controls the steering with a 52/48 percent distribution and weighs 407 pound (dry)

Rear suspension consist of a fully-adjustable Ohlins monoshock fitted to a traditional Vincent cantilever swingarm with disc brakes all around with twin-piston Grimeca calipers.
Read about the test ride which was found to be magnificent on the Motorcycle Classics feature.

Though Phil Irving never lived to see his name etched in the tanks of these masterpieces, he would have been very very proud. A brilliantly done bike, not just by the looks, but redoing the engine in a way what Vincent always stood for - Speed & Performance. This is a true tribute to a legend who has been the world's most iconic brand... ever! No doubt, the Horners are hardcore Vincent fans. This is a modern recreation which needs to be applauded not just for the product, but for trying and also succeding in recreating the 'God of Motorcycles'.

Yours for AUD$100,000. Yes, its not cheap, nor is it just a bike or for the matter just a collector's item. Its VINCENT, the name is enough for that price. Visit the official IRVING VINCENT website for more information and pics.

Pics Source - Irving Vincent, Motorcycle Classics, Tony,

Legend Killers from KAWASAKI (Part-2) - 'The Mach III' H1

Before the King (read Z1) was there, KAWASAKI was already turning tables with their high performance bikes. And before the Z1, there was the H1. And actually the King was a desendent of the Mach III. The H1 was of course a.k.a MACH III. The Kawasaki H1 was a 500 cc triple cylinder street motorcycle that changed the course of high performance motorcycling and KAWASAKI became famous because of continiously churning out 2 or 3 cylinder 2 stroke high performance bikes.

In the late 60s, the US was the fastest growing motorcycle market and they always carved for bigger bored machines. Honda and Suzuki were already enjoying success in the US with the CB450 & T500 respectively. So, in 1967, the Kwack honchos targetted to create a 500 cc engine and to satisfy the demanding public was to tune this engine to belt out 60 BHP. Kawasaki already had a successful 2 stroke engine planned to do this, the 42 BHP, 350 cc Kawasaki A7 Samurai. What they required was just to bore out the 2 engines, but what they actually did was develop a 3 cylinder engine for more power! which was developed with the assistance of Osaka University.

Kawasaki produced the first ever MACH III in September 1968. This was the original 'Pocket Rocket'. It blew away almost everything in its view. Imagine a 500 cc bike 60 BHP doing an 159kmph at 12.8 seconds! Not to mention that it became the quickest production motorcycle EVER! Even now, by today's standards, few production bikes are capable of those statistics. And if you say, it was a 2 stroker, then also think it was way back in 1968. In June 1970 Kawasaki launched a candy red bike with white stripes (picture above) and with a few minor changes, by September 1971, the H1A was launched. And typically KAWASAKI, the bike cost only a thousand dollars. It was this H1 that would typify what Kawasaki became known for - 'Innovation and Acceleration!' The H1 still creates excitement today.

And if you think that was something, then in 1970, came the H1R. This triple puny 500 cc engine belted out an astonishing 80 BHP @9500 rpm. The H1R was available worldwide as a limited production road racer which enjoyed worldwide racing success and KAWASAKI became associated with performance. Official record stats that during the 1970 Daytona 200 road race, an H1R piloted by Ginger Molloy was clocked on the banking at an unheard of 159.83mph (255.8 kmph)!

Then from 1972 to 1975, came the even bigger KAWASAKI H2, which was a 750 cc street motorcycle. The 750cc H2 was the top of the line of three cylinders. The H2 set the standard for performance, becoming the quickest bike available with quarter mile times of 12.28 seconds @ 110.29 mph. The H2 once again proved that Kawasaki was at the top of the performance market. It was also fondly called the "Widowmaker".

The H2R was a major contender winning three out of seven AMA races- more than any other manufacturer. The H2R produced between 80 and 100 HP, depending on port timing and compression ratios. The H1R and H2R became known as "The Green Meanies".

These brothers in arms were downright fast, noisy and dangerous. The Norton Manx and Seely was put to place, these bikes produced such power and the best thing were anyone could go to a showroom and walk away with a GP kind of performance bike which didn't require any tweeking or tuning. It did had issues with the gearbox, the brakes, the handling, but if you are a good motorcylist, this was the bike! It was a bike feared even by hardcore enthusiasts! This bike needed to be mastered just like a wild cat. And again, it was Ginger Molloy who mastered this beast and took the "Green Meanie" to second place behind Giacomo Agostini's MV in the 1970 500cc World Championship. But then the age old factor of 'green' environment also caught this beautiful piece of machinary and KAWASAKI eventually bowed to it pressure and in 1976, the H1 was detuned. It was supposed to be the most technically advanced H1, but for hardcore bikers, it was the original which was their fast love. And the H1 stopped its production since.

Legend Killers from KAWASAKI (Part-1) - 'The King' Z1

The 'King of the Road' as the Z1 was known during its days in the 70s was Kawasaki's first four cylinder 4 stroke bike introduced in 1972. Built upon the lineage of the earlier 2s 3-cylinders H1 & H2, it was the first 'real' high performance production bike of the world.
It is said that while Kawasaki was planning for a 750cc 4 cylinder 4S motorcycle to be the world's first, HONDA had already launched the (now legendary) CB 750 in 1968. To beat Honda, Kawasaki honchos ordered for a even bigger bike (thats why the Z1 is 900 cc) which should be more powerful than the CB 750. Not that it only beat the Honda, this was a bike in altogether a different league. Stunning looks, aggressive, the best in performance and a bike not making a hole in the pocket. This bike was for the masses. "The King" had arrived. Such was its popularity, that all the manufacturers went into producing bikes keeping the fact that their bike must outdo the Z1 and thereby there were a lot of me-too clones in the mid 70s. This can be cited as the biggest factor leading to the fall of the British Motorcycle industry.

Yes! it was the Z1 which killed Ariel, BSA, Norton, Italian companies like Laverda, Moto Guzzi and made legends like Triumph and HD lie in their death beds. In the 80s, the Z1 capacity was increased to 1000 cc and then came the Z1000, the motorcycle which along with HD are still active in US police force. The 70s saw the emerging of 2 legends, the CB750 & the Z1. While Honda gave the world a practical, maintenance free good dependable bike, many hardcore bikers really really wanted something notorious, something obnoxiously fast with a devil of a soul and for them the CB 750 was just too sedate. What they wanted was actually the Kawasaki Z1. In fact as mentioned, the Z1 was to be born in 1968, lucky world, Honda came first with the CB 750 in the Tokyo Motor Show and so the hardcore bikers got what they lusted instead of the originally planned 750, a full blown high performance 900cc monster which was recording speeds of 160 km within 13 seconds! When the Kwack was tested in US in 1971, there were issues, the tyres didn't last, drive chains wore out, but there was one thing - the engine was bullet proof. Continious high speed runs in excess of 200 kmph also just couldn't put a dent to the engine. And this was Kawasaki's ace!

What added to its success was the fact it was a direct comparision of the CB 750 and anyone who didn't want the CB 750, went for the Z1. The styling of the CB 750 was generous and subtle with no frills, while the Z1 shined with all right curves with some delicious colours and not to mention high grade fit and finish. It was slim and vibrant.
But votes for the 'Greatest Motorcycle' just doesn't come from only hardcore bikers, there was the general public too. The handling was something which left a lot to be desired. The brakes haulting this monster were just not enough, the rear dampers were your back's arch enemy. When your bike is capable of 220 kmph constantly at any time, you need more assurance from a 81 bhp monster. And it was probably that factor why the Z1 was not voted as the greatest.
Now-a-days, bikers just fit after market branded shocks, branded brakes, branded tyres and with a little bit modification gun the throttle of this magnificent warrior for drags, racing and just showing off.