71,744
edits
Difference between revisions of "Honda CD175/reviews"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
no summary specified
m (no summary specified) |
m (no summary specified) |
||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
The gearbox is mounted in unit with the engine and is gear driven. Four speeds are provided, with the pedal on the left, splined for adjustment, and operating up for up. Starting is by foot as no electric starter is fitted. Unfortunately the kick-starter operates on to the gearbox, not the clutch, so that one has to be in neutral to start. Final drive is by chain and this is nearly fully enclosed, only the inboard side of the rear wheel sprocket is exposed. While this is a great improvement and does help to keep the chain clean, it is a pity that it is so near being fully enclosed but isn't. | The gearbox is mounted in unit with the engine and is gear driven. Four speeds are provided, with the pedal on the left, splined for adjustment, and operating up for up. Starting is by foot as no electric starter is fitted. Unfortunately the kick-starter operates on to the gearbox, not the clutch, so that one has to be in neutral to start. Final drive is by chain and this is nearly fully enclosed, only the inboard side of the rear wheel sprocket is exposed. While this is a great improvement and does help to keep the chain clean, it is a pity that it is so near being fully enclosed but isn't. | ||
The engine/gearbox unit is housed in a welded frame comprising both tubes and pressings. It is neat and the welding is good. Front suspension is by telescopic fork and the rear by pivoted fork. Unusual for these days, the rear-suspension springs are fully enclosed, as they should be, to keep dirt away from the damper rods. Deep, generous mudguards are fitted and the wheels carry 3.00 x 17in Ohtsu | The engine/gearbox unit is housed in a welded frame comprising both tubes and pressings. It is neat and the welding is good. Front suspension is by telescopic fork and the rear by pivoted fork. Unusual for these days, the rear-suspension springs are fully enclosed, as they should be, to keep dirt away from the damper rods. Deep, generous mudguards are fitted and the wheels carry 3.00 x 17in Ohtsu tires. Both brakes are single leading shoe. | ||
Handlebar layout is standard Honda with alloy ball-ended levers for clutch and front brake, both having adjusters built in. The left-hand unit carries the flasher switch and horn button, and the right the lighting switch with positions for off, dip, park and main beam. A mirror is fitted to the right-hand bar and the left has provision for one, the tapped hole provided being neatly blanked off by a small moulded insert. The twist grip is one of those annoying axial things which operate by pulling the cable through the handlebars and the Honda version is like all the others, a little heavy, no friction control, excessive backlash and requiring far too much movement to obtain full throttle. | Handlebar layout is standard Honda with alloy ball-ended levers for clutch and front brake, both having adjusters built in. The left-hand unit carries the flasher switch and horn button, and the right the lighting switch with positions for off, dip, park and main beam. A mirror is fitted to the right-hand bar and the left has provision for one, the tapped hole provided being neatly blanked off by a small moulded insert. The twist grip is one of those annoying axial things which operate by pulling the cable through the handlebars and the Honda version is like all the others, a little heavy, no friction control, excessive backlash and requiring far too much movement to obtain full throttle. | ||
| Line 62: | Line 62: | ||
The brakes on the Honda, although both are single leading shoe, are quite adequate for the speed and weight of the machine. The extra weight of a passenger does not worry them either. The front one is nicely progressive without any tendency to snatch or grab; one just squeezes the lever harder if one wants to stop faster. The rear feels rather dead and needs a firm foot to obtain retardation. Due to this, it has no tendency to lock up even in greasy conditions. In town there is little likelihood of brake fade occurring anyway but although the brakes have not been pushed to the limit there is no indication at all that fade will occur. | The brakes on the Honda, although both are single leading shoe, are quite adequate for the speed and weight of the machine. The extra weight of a passenger does not worry them either. The front one is nicely progressive without any tendency to snatch or grab; one just squeezes the lever harder if one wants to stop faster. The rear feels rather dead and needs a firm foot to obtain retardation. Due to this, it has no tendency to lock up even in greasy conditions. In town there is little likelihood of brake fade occurring anyway but although the brakes have not been pushed to the limit there is no indication at all that fade will occur. | ||
Road holding, steering and comfort tend to be personal matters with any machine. The Honda, like many other Japanese machines, is let down in the road holding department by its | Road holding, steering and comfort tend to be personal matters with any machine. The Honda, like many other Japanese machines, is let down in the road holding department by its tires. In the wet and windy conditions prevailing during December, and over slimy, greasy and muddy road surfaces near some local road works, the machine was not as happy as it should have been. In the dry it handles well enough whether the road is smooth or bumpy but in the wet the lack of grip starts to show. Fortunately there is nothing vicious about this and if the tires are near their limit, the machine just edges sideways slightly. A change to Dunlop’s is reputed to improve matters no end. | ||
Road holding is upset by high winds too. The first realisation of this occurred when accelerating away from some traffic lights. Circumstances were against the Honda as the change into second coincided with an abrupt change in road gradient and the wind coming round the edge of a tall building. The result was the front wheel stepping sideways about 6in! With the gales experienced in December, the Honda became just a little too exciting to ride as it reacted badly in cross winds, particularly on wet roads. Again the | Road holding is upset by high winds too. The first realisation of this occurred when accelerating away from some traffic lights. Circumstances were against the Honda as the change into second coincided with an abrupt change in road gradient and the wind coming round the edge of a tall building. The result was the front wheel stepping sideways about 6in! With the gales experienced in December, the Honda became just a little too exciting to ride as it reacted badly in cross winds, particularly on wet roads. Again the tires did not help, but neither apparently did the mass of side area the front wheel and mudguard presented. It is possible that the areas in front of and behind the steering axis were the wrong way round as the wind appeared to try to turn the bars the wrong way for correcting the effects of the gust on the machine in general. | ||
The Honda's steering is good and completely neutral in that one points it where one wants to go and that is that. This is as one expects from a 70 mph machine and must be helped by the relatively stiff suspension. Front fork movement is 4in and at the rear only 2iin is provided so one would be surprised if the steering was other than excellent. | The Honda's steering is good and completely neutral in that one points it where one wants to go and that is that. This is as one expects from a 70 mph machine and must be helped by the relatively stiff suspension. Front fork movement is 4in and at the rear only 2iin is provided so one would be surprised if the steering was other than excellent. | ||