![]() ![]() Not surprisingly, it proved to be very popular in its day, and is now a collectible classic. The S90 is one of the machines that built Honda’s reputation for quality and reliability. A period anecdotal report puts the consumption closer to 90mpg with “spirited riding,” for a range of 165 miles. As tested by Cycle World in 1965, “A top speed of 65mph was achievable, with the all alloy engine remaining cool even at sustained maximum speed.” It was also miserly on gas, returning a claimed 176mpg (factory advertisement), giving the S90 a rather optimistic range of over 300 miles from its 1.84 gallon gas tank. Weighing just 180 pounds dry, the S90’s 8 horsepower gave it a pretty lively performance. Although no tachometer was fitted, the maximum speeds in each gear were marked on the speedometer. ![]() The list of standard equipment was impressive for a small bike, too, and included a large, replaceable-element air cleaner, turn signals, a tool kit stored under the seat, dual mirrors and a passenger grab strap. Slender, contrast-colored fenders and a streamlined gas tank with chrome side panels completed the sporty look. Ignition was by coil fed from an alternator and a 6-volt, 6-amp-hour battery, which also powered the lighting and other electrics. The chassis ran on 18-inch wheels front and rear, both with 2.50 x 18-inch tires and single-leading-shoe drum brakes. Front suspension was by hydraulically damped telescopic fork, with a swingarm with two spring/damper units at the rear. The compact drivetrain was bolted to a pressed steel beam frame. Claimed output was 8 horsepower at 9,500rpm - an impressive rate compared with most of its contemporaries. Drive to the wet mutliplate clutch was by gears, passing from there to a 4-speed constant mesh gearbox with left side foot control (one down, three up). The “wet” sump held a quart of oil, which it kept clean with a centrifugal oil filter. The built-up crankshaft ran on two impressively large ball main bearings with a caged roller bearing big end. The S90’s “over-square” (50mm x 45.6mm bore and stroke) 89.5cc engine was arranged with its iron-lined alloy cylinder almost horizontal, and capped with a light alloy cylinder head containing the single camshaft. Each rocker had a screw adjuster for straightforward valve adjustment. Honda’s innovative design used a single chain-driven camshaft in the cylinder head operating the valves by a pair of rockers. The downside was that overhead cam engines were typically more expensive to manufacture and valve clearances more difficult to adjust. The advantages of the design - a lighter, more direct valve train - meant Honda’s engines could be tuned for more power at higher revs, also making them more efficient. Honda wasn’t the first motorcycle manufacturer to produce street bikes with overhead camshaft engines, of course, but Big Red did take them fully mainstream. Then in 1964 came the sporty S90 with an all-alloy engine and overhead camshaft. It also looked more like a traditional motorcycle, though with a pressed steel spine frame. The first 90, the C200, arrived in 1963 with an iron cylinder and head, pushrod valve operation and a conventional 4-speed transmission instead of the Cub’s 3-speed automatic clutch unit. Honda’s twin-cylinder range of CA touring and CB sport bikes was well established by 1964, but there was room in the market for something between the Cubs and the twins. And while the step-through, 3-speed 50cc Cub worked perfectly for urban commuters, motorcycle enthusiasts, especially in the U.S., wanted more. in 1958 and was an instant success, selling 24,000 units in its first five months. Honda’s most easily recognizable motorcycle first hit the streets of the U.S. ![]() Transmission: 4-speed gearbox, chain final drive Weight/MPG: 176lb (dry)/70-90mpg Price then/now: NA/$700-$3,000 ![]()
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