Honda CB650

THE HONDA CB650 FOUR OF 1978 WAS THE LAST of an illustrious line, a swansong model with a new engine and frame, but partly thrown together using left over bits from older models.

Launched in 1971, Honda’s CB500 Four and the later CB550 had been big hits. Lighter than the CB750 by a long way and a good deal less intimidating to ride, they were lower, neater and had a well-balanced over square engine that revved freely with hardly any vibration. You could use it to tour, or commute or even street race with a bit of tweaking. It was a modern motorcycle that appealed to many. Having established the market for the middleweight four, it took rivals a good few