1989 Honda CB450DX from United Kingdom
Summary:
OK if you're not fussy
Faults:
Nothing.
General Comments:
Comfy but slow. I used a company CB450DX as a despatch bike for nearly a year. My own bike was the CB350S, and though newer, the 450 looked more old fashioned.
Top speed on the flat, 2 way, was the same on both bikes (85), but the 450 definitely had more go in the mid range.
The 450 had a fat seat like off a CX, so was very, very comfy. It was also very nimble with wide bars and good mirrors. It always reliable and the finish stood up to all weather use pretty well, so doubts about Brazilian quality are unfounded. I saw another parked up in 2005 still on the OE pipes!
Well, that's where the good news ends - the brakes were crap, the economy for the performance shocking (45mpg), and for less money you could've bought a GPZ305. (This was 1991).
You still see them on ebay and even nice ones seldom fetch more than £400. If you're after comfy reliable bike on the cheap or you don't want to get your Harley wet, then yeah, why not?
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 11th March, 2010
20th May 2026, 03:17
I own a CB450DX and found this report misleading. Sure the top speed of the DX is slower than some at around 100mph, but you have to balance this with the bike's purpose. This bike was intended to be a reliable and cheap to run commuter and it serves very well at that. The report claims a return of just 45mpg and I must assume that the rider was thrashing the bike from the moment he got on to the moment he stepped off. OK I can`t pretend to be Rossi. I am 72 and am happy to enjoy more sedate rides these days, happily cruising at 60mph and I generally return 65mpg and this with a large Rickman touring fairing that is heavy and intended for comfort not speed. I find it is a super little bike that serves it`s purpose well. Yes it is heavy and it can`t compete with modern machinery and 80`s tyres don`t have the hold of modern bikes, but it was very much a bike of it`s time. It is has a very comfortable riding position, the mirrors are perfectly placed and I have found it totally reliable. I have a safe range of 200 miles on the 17ltr tank plus reserve and I don`t know many that better that. It is a cracking little bike that benefits from not having all the mental electronics you find on modern machines and I think it is all the better for that.