1958 Honda CB92 Benly
(Page 3 of 5)
March/April 2007
By Roland Brown
The ignition key is in the side of the headlamp, and even before I pull away the Honda makes a good impression. This little sports bike has the convenience of an electric starter — and one that worked the first time. Just in case, there’s also a kick-start lever for emergencies. Once warmed, the little twin immediately settles into a smooth, steady idle. Such characteristics are taken for granted these days, but that effortless starting, like the fact that this bike is rattle-free and oil-tight, was worthy of comment when it was new.
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Despite its parallel twin layout, the Honda engine is reasonably smooth, even when revved hard — and you certainly have to do that. As might be expected of such a racy small-bore bike, almost all the performance is in the upper part of the rev range. Peak torque of just 7.7ft/lb is produced at 9,000rpm. Without the benefit of a tachometer (which should perhaps have been a standard item) it’s impossible to say exactly where the power kicks in, but there’s a distinct step at maybe 7,000rpm, and to go fast you’ve got to keep it above that figure at all times.
On a flat road, the Benly is quite content to keep up a steady 60mph in the highest of the gearbox’s four ratios, with a bit of gentle acceleration available provided you don’t mind getting tucked down out of the breeze. But I can’t afford to change up into top gear too early, at say 50mph, or let the cruising speed drop to that figure when battling against a slope or headwind. If I do the engine suddenly goes flat, the revs and speed drop further, and I’m forced to tread down to third to build the revs and the bike’s momentum once again. At least the four-speed gearbox, with its conventional left-foot, up-for-up shift pattern, works very well aside from a couple of false neutrals. The clutch also seems well capable of taking the high-revving abuse required for a rapid getaway.
If the engine is predictably impressive, the Benly’s handling is also better than I’d expected given the bike’s age and reputation. When new the Honda was criticized in road tests for its hard, under-damped suspension, a typical fault of early Japanese bikes. But on the generally smooth Florida roads I’m riding, that isn’t really a problem. Although the ride is quite harsh, the CB92’s firm feel at both ends is in pleasant contrast with the soggy suspension of many other bikes of similar vintage.
King of the corners
By modern standards even this tiny bike, with its 30-degree steering geometry and 18in diameter wheels, isn’t notably quick-steering, and its inherent stability makes the bike seem unlikely to need the friction steering damper at its headstock. But for all that the lightweight Honda is an easy enough bike to throw around. Its cornering ability, enhanced by generous ground clearance, had much to do with the CB92’s giant-killing performance.
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