Japanese Bike Guide
WELCOME TO THE Japanese classic bike guide! No doubt many readers grew up with Japanese bikes, just as earlier generations spent their formative riding years on British machines. They felt familiar, were reliable and gave us what we wanted. Now, as classics, they offer all those benefits and so much more. The excellent Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (vjmc.com) and the numerous superb marque clubs are all really helpful, there are more specialists making new parts and some new-old-stock (NOS) parts are still turning up!
You’ll have to be creative with some parts thin on the ground, like rotten exhausts or bodywork panels, and the Japanese manufacturers had a habit of changing details every year or so – so you need to do your homework, but they use metric fasteners and manuals are generally available.
Prices are rising, but you can still find a bike for your budget. And the smaller capacity bikes are as much fun, if not more than the larger machines! Some importers are bringing in from the USA and other countries and being generally so useful and reliable, a Japanese project bike should prove worth any hassles doing it up may encounter. So two-stroke or four, scrambler, cruiser or sports, there is a Japanese bike for you. Go on, you know there’s a little more room in the shed.
C100, C50/70/C90 Series
Engine: 50-90cc four-stroke, push rod OHC singles
Weight: 70kg
Top speed: 55-70mph
Year: 1958-onwards
With more than 60,000,000 examples made, it is the world’s most popular motorcycle. Originally push rod motors (C100 etc) the OHC unit, semi-automatic, three-speed Cub just keeps rolling on. Given basic servicing and clean oil, little stops it. The rear section of pressed steel frame can rot away over time but with so many out there, buying a good one isn’t hard. There’s a vast range of sub-models from basic commuters through to trail-based models.
CG125
Engine: 124cc four-stroke, push rod single
Weight: 114kg
Top speed: 65mph
Year: 1976-2008
Designed from the outset for third world use, where Honda knew the bike would be regularly overloaded and abused, the CG125 was designed to be bomb-proof. Sold globally, it became a learner school favourite with UK learners. Production transferred to Brazil in 1985, 12v electrics arrived the same year and electric start in 2001. Copied by Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean firms, they are also made by Atlas Honda in Pakistan. A modern day Bantam with charm and character.
C92/C95/CB92
Engine: 125-154cc four-stroke OHC twins
Weight: 110-120kg
Top speed: 62-80mph
Year: 1958-1964
Outrageous for the time, the CB92 made anything below 350cc look slow. With just six volts the super-efficient electric starter wowed customers. The cooking version C92 and its 154cc C95 brother majored in period charm, yet they are still completely usable as modern commuters. Quirky period styling just adds to the charm. All thrive on revs yet still remain reliable. The CB92 is mega-expensive but C92/95s remain attainable.
CB160/175/200
Engine: 160-200cc four-stroke OHC twins
Weight: 112-132kg
Top speed: 77-81mph
Year: 1964-1977
A key model range that began as a feisty small sport twin and finished as a good general all-rounder with a decent turn of speed. Next generation on from CB92 et al and supremely sophisticated engineering. 160 runs old-world styling while 175s got annual cosmetic overhauls and upgrades. Fun reliable and viceless, any models make for a good introduction into reliable Japanese classics. Rare street scrambler version sold in US. Electric start.
CD175/185/CD200/CD250
Engine: 175-250cc four-stroke OHC twins
Weight: 112-132kg
Top speed: 77-81mph
Year: 1967-1993
A range of good honest, no nonsense workhorses. All except CD250U run single carburettor for ease of maintenance. Earliest CD175 Sloper is a genuine classic and so easy to ride. CD175 became the backbone
