... I'd been riding a Honda VT600 for two years and previous to that I'd been hammering around Southern England, (whilst working on racecourses), on a Suzi 450E that I had for seven years (and was my best buddy) and various other meaty machines for the ten odd years before that. The Suzi had been ... Read review
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A review by manofcatrine on Honda c90 February 13th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Comfort
Satisfactory
Handling
Good
Looks
Poor
Features
Poor
Fuel consumption
Excellent
Advantages:
Cheap to buy and run, reliable .
Disadvantages:
50mph top speed . Acceleration 0 - 50 in 3 1/2 hours .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
In 1995 I grew up. I'd been riding a Honda VT600 for two years and previous to that I'd been hammering around Southern England, (whilst working on racecourses), on a Suzi 450E that I had for seven years (and was my best buddy) and various other meaty machines for the ten odd years before that. The Suzi had been bulletproof and so, so reliable and fast enough whilst being good looking without any plastic wraparound multicoloured mush so enamoured by the boy racers.
But in '95, yes, I grew up. A change of job, closer to home and it was Mr. Sensible time, so I paid 1599 quid for a C90, the butt of all two wheeled jokes, the Reliant Robin of bkes, the machine that supposedly handles like a supermarket trolley and has the acceleration of your average slug. Oh how they laughed....
13 years on, I can say hand on heart that my C90, Egbert, is the best damned motorcycle this side of the Mississip'. He has only let me down once, (with a puncture, that was not his fault, some stupid with a bag of nails and a white van), and is so cheap to run it's almost embarrassing.
The total running cost of Egbert, who has been in daily service these past thirteen years is £300-£400 a year, petrol included.
That's £60 insurance, (without the additional £10 theft lawyery add-on bit); £15 road-tax; £100 parts and MOT (including tri-annual mandatory exhaust pipe blow out - hole as always just by the inlet - that turns a few heads as he emits the noise not unlike a continuous fart that is so popular with the cowled cowards on their scooters); and about a hundred or two on petrol, which at about 100 miles a gallon (what are these litre thingys?) does us fine for a few miles a day.
The Little Shrimp was at first a little embarrassing as I still wore leathers and stuff when I got him and drew a bizarre look from an hell's angel once, a cross between displeasure and 'look at the new starter!' , but now I tend to ride Egbert with waxed coat and corduroys now, as I am rising 48.
He handles just fine, I lean into corners with little fear and wind him up to his staggering 50mph with ease on a very long road with no head wind, and I'm not joking, a strong wind slows him up!
But the point is, why would anyone want anything else on two wheels at my age unless they've got something to prove, (or rather have something a-lacking). It's reliable, cheap and no bother, It's the best £1599 I've ever spent and even though you can't buy them anymore, when Egbert's carb finally stops and he's off to the great highway in the sky, I shall buy another, the future Egbert II, second hand.........
Advantages: 120+mpg Disadvantages: erm... there are none
...It is a 1982 Honda C90ZZ. Light blue in colour, with a genuine 4800 miles on the clock. It runs superbly, and is completely rust free.
Anyway...
The Honda C90, C70 and C50 range was introduced in 1967? I think, and was instantly a hit... so much so some band released a song about the bike... (The Hondells - Little Honda)
The colour available were 'elephant' grey, red and blue... although I think there were a few others available occasionally too.
... ...The basic price for a Honda 90, 70 or 50 is.. well... if its an old rusty heap with no MOT, absolutely nothing. With an MOT, starting at about £100ish. Tax is £15 a year, and Insurance is dirt cheap too (£51.45 a year TP with Zenith)
Fuel consumption is 120mpg. At least. That is fantastic. That is what makes these machines sooooo darned popular. The tank takes around £3-4 to fill up, and that will last you forever, like I said. An honest top speed ...
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Advantages: Cheap, user friendly, unkillable. Stands up to neglect well Disadvantages: You might want a tinted visor so your friends dont recognise you!
Stuff it down the back of your boot! The kickstart has a habit of kicking back!
As a courier of many years, I have always had one of these wee beasties in the back of the garage. When its wet and cold, and nothing else will start. You can depend on one of these little things to get the job done.
I was frequently embarrased by the piffling amounts of petrol needed to fuel it - garage attendants trying to remind me there was a minimum at most petrol ... ...you can get four Dachshunds on one? but that is not a story for either here or the faint hearted.
Firstly, they seem to run on fuel vapour. One sniff of the old four star, and you are well on your way to John o groats via Landsend. You can ignore them, abuse them, forget to clean them, be totally ignorant of the words "maintenance" and "oil". Howe do they repay you? By starting every time, first time (though not always with the starter - a good ...
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Advantages: Fuel Efficient, Same as c90. Disadvantages: Slow, about 50 at a push
.... The steering is superb, it handles like a dream (Actually, it handles like a superdream!) the fuel economy is excellent, they last forever and spares are plentiful and cheap. Actually, it's usually best to buy 2, 1 as your bike and 1 as a spares bike. This way, you can avoid having to shop around for parts.
The 3 c models were introduced in the mid sixties, ad still have the vague styling.
The colour options are red or blue, not alot of choice but you could always respray it.
The seat is very comfortable, and the hadlebars are positioned just right for a comfortable ride.
These bikes are 4 strokes, making them slightly harder to maintain than a 2 stroke, but they do use less oil.
Overall, I would say the Hondac50, c70 and c90 is a good choice for a fun little bike....
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Advantages: Cheap, ultra reliable, comfortable, easy to maintain Disadvantages: bit slow, bit ugly, no good for posers
...(Honda CX500, C90, CG125, Kawasaki GT750, Yamaha XJ900 and Diversion) at one end, and at the other bikes that are very stylish but have no discernible use other than posing (Triumph T595, Yamaha R1, Honda Fireblade, everything by Harley, Big off roaders, all modern Sports bikes). A special few sit right in the middle (see my review of the VFR750) and satisfy both requirements...
Don't get me wrong here, I love the quirky 500 Hondas, in fact behind the VFR750 I think the CX is Honda's best road bike. But it is designed for a purpose, and that purpose is transport, not posing, pulling girls, or pretending to be Mike Hailwood/Freddy Spencer/Eddie Lawson/Valentino Rossi * (* - Delete as appropriate to age!) by wearing the same helmet and knee sliders. And it's no worse for that, despite often beig lambasted by those to whom style is not only...
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