The most desirable CB...?

J

Jfishsolevibe

Coast to Coast
So of course, the 750's are awesome. Big motor, great sound, revolutionary bike.

But aside from them, whats the consensus on the smaller CB's? The Four's? The Two's?

Interested in learning a little mo' about 'em in that regard, since I am of course a newb!
 
Top of many people's list is the original CB450 K0 aka The Black Bomber.

honda450repair.jpg
 
I'll second that, the Black Bomber is a cool bike, the 305 scramblers are pretty cool too.

If you are building a cafe racer a CB350 or 450 is pretty desirable. They have the classic British twin look, little easier to work on, and not as heavy as a CB750. If I was going for a four cylinder bike I would get a CB550 or a CB400

The single cylinder CBs are cool as well but not practical for everybody.

The least desirable for me would be the CB650, CB500-T, and the CB350-4. I actually like the 350-4 but parts are not as easy to come by and it could be hard to resale.
 
I have a Kwak 1000 4 cyl and won't be selling it anytime soon, but it will be my last bike with more than 2 cyls. I have 3 other ridable bikes and a project that are 1's and 2's. From my perspective, 1 and 2 cyl air, or air/oil cooled motors are generally easier and cheaper to repair, maintain, and insure, simpler for a below average mechanic (me) to work on, better to listen to and look at, and more fun to ride.
 
+3 on the Black Bomber. Also the 400F is considered a sought after classic. The 550F is also a pretty sweet bike, one I would have chosen for a first bike if I didn't come across a 750 first.
 
+1 on the bomber... Even better if you can get your hands on the elusive original cb450 Red Dragon...
 
Yess, that 550F is one Im hunting down. Id love to have that be a future project. the smaller displacement and the 4 cylinders is just too sweet.

Whats it like for parts on them?
 
For the 550 parts shouldn't be hard to find at all. They're far more common than the twins I believe.
 
CB550f, easiest to work on, probably most tolerant of abuse, transmission sorted, lighter than and much narrower than CB750, fits people better than 400f.
450/500twin isnt easiest bike in the world to work on and does need cam chain split to remove cylinder head (then riveted back together)
Almost wish I'd kept special tools for it. ;)

PJ
 
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