The Honda CM450A is a
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
made by
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
in 1982 and 1983. It was based on the
CB400 and
CM400 models (1978–1981), especially the CM400A Hondamatic (1980–1981). It had a
SOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
parallel twin
A straight-twin engine, also known as an inline-twin, vertical-twin, or parallel-twin, is a two-cylinder piston engine whose cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.
Straight-twin engines are primarily used in motorcycles; ot ...
engine with two
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
s and a two-speed transmission with a
torque converter
A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque converter connects the power ...
. It was not a full automatic, however, because the rider had to manually shift between low and high. It is called automatic because there is no clutch required due to the torque converter, and shared the
Hondamatic
:''See also list of Honda transmissions for other Hondamatics''
The Hondamatic (also called the H2) was Honda's first semi-automatic transmission. It was produced from 1973 through 1988. The ''Hondamatic'' name continued to be used on fully-au ...
trade name with Honda cars that had true automatic transmissions. The chain-driven CM450A had a top speed of and weighed .
Both models had a front
disc brake
A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...
and a rear
drum brake
A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum.
The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...
. The suspension consisted of two shock absorbers at the rear and
telescoping shock-absorbing front forks. The fuel tank had a capacity. The exhaust was routed through a separate pipe and baffle on each side of the motorcycle, although both exhaust pipes shared a plenum under the motor. It had an
electric
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
start with a
kick start
Kick start is a method of starting an internal combustion engine (usually that of a motorcycle) by pushing a ratcheting lever with one's foot. Kick start mechanisms were almost universally a part of motorcycle engines before the mid-1970s, and w ...
as well.
References
CM450A
Standard motorcycles
Motorcycles powered by straight-twin engines
Motorcycles introduced in 1982
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