DAVIES MOTORSPORTS HONDA

WELCOME TO A NEW section in MOTORCYCLIST, where we look at some of the great bikes from the days when we were often only dreaming of owning such machines.

DAVIES MOTORSPORT has turned Honda’s humble 500/4 into an exotic racing machine, potent enough to take the challenge to the Europeans.

Honda’s 500/4 was the first production road motorcycle to hit the magic 100hp per 1000cc with 50hp, on paper at least, making it a pretty quick motorcycle in the early 1970s. With good handling and strong engine internals, it became one of the most popular motorcycles Honda ever built. And the mid capacity Hondas, including the 550/4 and 400/4, remain sought after today.

They were never really designed as racing bikes though, with Mike Hailwood’s 297 and 500cc works machines doing that job. The factory 500/4 that Hailwood raced had 500cc and four cylinders but that’s where the resemblance ended.

THE COMPETITION

These 500cc four cylinder racing machines back in the day, like the MV Agusta Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read rode, and the Gileras of Geoff Duke and Bob McIntyre,