For the past twenty years I have been riding CD Hondas. It started with a sixties CD175 that went much faster than its looks suggested and was reliability incarnate. That machine got me hooked on the CD line. Then there was the 1973 CD175, admittedly not a fast machine and no use on motorways. but one that with a change of camchain at 58000 miles went into six figures and is occasionally dug out of the back of the garage Next, a CD200 that had the speed of the earlier CD but its chassis disintegrated underneath me in the five years and 62000 miles I got out of it.
Finally, a practically brand new CD250U. picked up for £1400 with 950 miles on the clock from an old codger who had suffered a mild heart attack and been warned off the dangers of motorcycling. Myself, I could think of no more pleasant way of exiting this world than from the seat of a bike in my eighties.
The CD250U is certainly the best looking of the CD models and comes with the distinctive luxuries of front disc brake and electric start. My first impressions of this bike were that it had more go than any of the other models. handled better and gave off a curious feeling of quality. I parked it up outside the house and a couple of neighbours came out and made some complimentary remarks, something that never happened with the other bikes.
The next day it was thrown in at the deep end. A 300 mile thrash down to London and back from my residence in Gwent. I took the meandering A48 as far as Chepstow rather than the traffic logged M4. At a steady 75mph the Honda felt relaxed and capable. The twin cylinder OHC motor whirred away happily, stuck well into its power bend in fifth gear it would hold that speed up the steepest of hills the A48 could offer. Running past cars along the dual carriageway sections was a breeze with 85mph up on the speedo, no problem.
The few times I had to brake heavily, the single disc worked well, the power a revelation after the old Benly’s drum but sensitive with it. The rear SLS drum was used just to balance out the braking, it too was sensitive. Across the Severn Bridge want we. through the tell, no need to pay, and on to the long distance craziness of the M4. Here the bike was in a bit of trouble. even the slow lane was running along at 85mph and I had to cane the engine wickedly to avoid becoming dead meet under the bumpers of various artics.
Up one long, long hill into a strong head wind, I was down to 4th. the motor vibrating viciously as it went way into the red. l knew from past experience that these little Hondas thrived on such abuse so I had few qualms about thrashing my new toy. A rain shower had little effect on vehicular speeding but made the Honda, on non standard Avons, more than a bit skittish and I developed a strong disinclination to lean over into the long sweeping curves but short of cutting on to the hard shoulder I had little choice but to ride the Honda flat out.
The wind and rain had disappeared just past the last Bath exit as if to indicate The South proper would not tolerate any of that nonsense. Seventy miles into the ride. the seat begins to bite into my backside, the bars are a bit too high and the footrests a bit too far forward for sustained speeds of 80mph and more At 70mph the riding position is fine and the motor purrs perfectly, but the bike is a traffic hazard.
I pondered turning off at a motorway service station but decided to keep going. Once into a ride I like to carry on to the and whenever possible. 90 miles down the road and I'm standing on the pegs to relieve the tension in my muscles - the bike doesn’t approve of such 80mph antics and flies into a frightening weave which disappears as soon as I sit back down. 30 miles later and I'm in real agony, my backside hurts like I've been taken captive by some arab terrorist group and both my legs have developed cramp Mind over matter, l tell myself. and use the pillion page to redistribute my body over the bike.
Temporary bliss.
As soon as I could I turned off the motorway and hit the outskirts of Central London; Pulled over and had five minutes; walk, a Mars bar and looked ti: bike over. Bit dusty but no leaks. Into London the bike came into its own. Light, flickable, narrow and powerful enough to lead the GP charge from the traffic lights. Once I'd adjusted myself to the manic pace of the driving, l was able to make good tithe to my destination. 154 miles in just under three hours, not bad going, especially as it seemed to be doing a credible 72mpg at the same time.
The ride back home showed up one of the bike's weak spots. The front light was certainly brighter than the pitifully pathetic items fitted to previous CDs. but as the sun disappeared 50 miles from home I soon found the only way to ride fast was to follow the car in front and hope that the road surface wasn’t shot to hell. Still, I carved about 10 minutes off the time for the return trip. I was less tired on the way back, perhaps because as soon as I was an the motorway I started using the pillion pegs to give an alternative riding position.
The next day, suitably impressed by the capabilities of the machine. I fitted some flatter bars, checked the chain and kicked the tyres. For the next six months the bike was employed as a basic commuter, a 20 mile round trip through a mixture of road and traffic conditions. It handled everything as well as could be expected. Tyres didn't seem to wear, the chain needed one slight bit of attention and everything within the engine stayed in perfect adjustment. l just changed the oil every 1000 miles. Fuel consumption varied between 70 and 85mpg. I was a happy man, able to put down various car owners at work with tales of vastly superior economy and how much fun I had each day sweeping past huge traffic jams.
My second mod to the bike was to fit some rear-sets I had laying around in the garage Originally intended for a CB250K3, with a bit of hammer, file and drill work they were soon installed. With my body in the correct position, the weight bearing down on the seat was relieved and comfort increased drastically. It was then possible to do 200 miles with barely a twinge of discomfort, and maintain 80mph cruising without feeling like my arms were going to be torn out of their sockets. Why Honda couldn't do that in the first place I don't know.
Suitably inspired by the new found usefulness of my mount I decided to do, once again, the 2600 mile Continental jaunt I had undertaken on my sixties CD175. Before I went, though. I did some work on the suspension, which with only 5000 miles up had become rather floppy. A few washers to act as spacers and thicker oil were added to the front forks.
The rear shocks were thrown away and a used set of Konis fitted straight on. This eradicated the weaves and wobbles that had started to develop on bumpy country roads. Just as wall I did these mods. by the time I had added all the camping gear, clothes and kitchen sink there was little room left for me to sit. and the old suspension would’ve been down on its stops.
The overloaded Honda felt top heavy at first, but I soon became used to this and performance was only affected up the steepest of hills when I needed to drop down to fourth. Fuel consumption did dive a bit, though, over the whole trip, through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, it averaged only 68mpg. Apart from two oil changes I did absolutely nothing to the motor. The chain and tyres wore a bit but not so much that I had to even think about replacing them. Only the front brake pads needed replacing when I returned to the UK.
The trip was not as enjoyable as my first one. Nothing to do with the Honda, it was just that I was twenty years older and camping wasn't too much fun any more. The roads were also more crowded and finding back roads deserted of tourists was hard going. The longest mileage I did in a day was 460 miles which one Gold Wing owner refused to believe was possible I had the distinct impression that he wouldn't have run down to the corner shop without the latest stereo, an acre of plastic storage systems and a plentitude of flashing lights. I think he was really pissed off because I told him how much I paid for the Honda and how little it cost to run. Takes all sorts.
The bike was a little lost on the one stretch of German autobahn I tried. Talk about fast, the way everything sped past I thought I was going backwards. I soon turned off and took to some B type roads that were hugely enjoyable, so much so that I went way off my planned route (which was vague to start with) and ended up staying in a delightful hotel in a small village where the evening was spent with the owner who had a collection of old BMWs. As the lagers were consumed our tales became taller and taller. That's the joy of a motorcycle, you can wander off and meet new people so much easier than in a car.
By the time I was back in the UK I had decided that the CD250U was Honda's best commuter so far. It looks so mild you can convince the wife it's a perfect tool to save money commuting whilst knowing full well there's enough power and chassis integrity to have loads of illicit fun both on the way to work and at weekends. Shame about the two grand plus new price, though.
Alex Huntingdon