Jerry's 1981 Honda CB900F

I've had this bike for about a year - it was in excellent condition for its age and has been improved by rebuilt front forks, new tyres, new front brake calipers (from a similar vintage VF1000). Also, the seat has been re-upholstered and I added the panniers and windscreen. The engine needed little work - just new coils and a carby cleanout (it had been stored in a garage for several months) and is now in lovely condition.

With the Honda's seat re-upholstered my wife Sharon reckons it's nearly as comfortable as the Moto Guzzi 850T that we had in Perth Western Australia. We've had a couple of great trips to Sydney recently - the bike just eats up the kilometres without a fuss. We have found that going through the tunnels on the tollways must be done at low revs to avoid deafening every vehicle within five Ks! That four-into-one exhaust has a lovely note :-)

Through the twisty stuff the big Honda is very controllable and has almost a small bike feel. Accelaration is smooth and able to keep up with most modern bikes

The luggage comprises a Gearsack bag and two hard fibreglass panniers. The latter I added after finding a mounting rack for them at a local wreckers. I added a rear cross-brace for stablity and wired in a pair of indicators. The pannier wiring is routed through quickly detachable plugs so that the panniers can be removed and used like suitcases when touring. Each pannier is held on with a bolt and a lock and they can be removed in about 30 seconds.

I also added the windscreen - it really cuts down on wind fatigue by keeping the wind off my chest.

Return to Home