New life, new bike: Is a Harley-Davidson Switchback the right choice for South Africa?

Harley Davidson FLD Switchback 2014. 

Well it's been a while since I posted here...

And lots has happened - I've spend few years in Dubai since 2012 - bikeless as it really 'ain't the right place for regular bike usage - and now here I am in South Africa, thanks to a job transfer.

The immediate attraction of the job offer - apart from more sensible temperatures - was the chance to get a bike back into my life.

And one of the first things I did was set about finding the right machine.

I took ownership this week of a 2014 Harley-Davidson FLD Switchback - the Dyna chassis with a sixties' Duo-Glide look that came up at the right money.

South Africa's massive and I felt something comfy with a bit of touring ability would fit the bill. Took a look at the

1,000 miles overlooking the English Channel

And so, the 1,000 mile mark is reached, good run too, along the English Channel through Folkestone and Hythe.

999 miles...

...1,000

Not quite two months on the road and...

Heading for the 1,000-mile mark on the new VT750... just one complaint

Now with 800 miles on the clock, pictured here at Dover overlooking the cruise terminal. Nothing to report really, she runs right and is good fun, my only complaint is the catalytic converter in the pipe which gets so hot anything that touches it melts.

Road Test and Review: First 500 miles on the Honda VT750S 2011

Castle Gate at Arundel in West Sussex

It doesn't matter who Honda claims the VT750S is likely to buy the the bike, you'll either love it or hate it.

If Harley still made the Sportster XL883, with the spoked wheels that it turned out through the nineties and early 2000s, then the VT750S would sell far fewer. Harley doesn't, so that's Honda's gain.

Five hundred miles after picking the machine up I felt it was time to give to write the review that I've had a couple of emails requesting.

Honda VT750S 2011 Specifications

Top speed I reckon is going to be about 100mph on the clock (which is 2mph out at 60mph according to sat-nav) and on the five tanks of fuel so far I've average 65mpg plus over the 500 miles, (that's 54mpg in USA).
It's still running in though but today I notched up 50 more miles and cruised for a while on the motorway at an indicated 85 with only half throttle.
She's booked in for first service on Friday (due at 600 miles), so I have to clock up a few hundred this weekend.
Tyre pressures are 29psi front AND rear. But 36 at the back if you have a passenger, according to the handbook.
(updated May 11 2011)
Full specification of the VT750S below:

Video of Honda VT750S with 200 miles on the clock

Review Honda VT750S Tricolour 2011 (or VT750RS Tricolor in the USA)

My new VT750S Tricolour, first day, it even has the original dealer numberplate fitted

 Picked this up on Royal Wedding Day... 200 miles over the first weekend.

Sold my 2000 Fireblade to purchase this after purely because I liked the paintjob.

It was easy using Honda's zero per cent finance from those very nice people in Hastings at J S Gedge and Salesman Neil was still prepared to do a deal as well.

First UK test of Hardknock Kikker 5150 200cc

Pic from Ancientcycles.com in the US. Workshop Chops test bike pictured at the end

Forget everything you've read or thought, the Hardknock Kikker is a unique motorcycle that manages to encapsulate the tradition of US bobbers, but has its own style and offers a riding experience like no other.

Writing this has taken me a few weeks but I can tell by the number of hits this site is taking that there is a huge interest in the Kikker.

So here is the first 'road test' in the UK of the 200cc Hardknock Kikker 5150.

Sold for just £385, a genuine good deal

So, she's sold. Last night 8pm. The buyer has yet to pick her up but at £385, it is a bargain.
What was interesting was the number of people who were watching - 62 - and yet only three chucked in a bid.
When you consider I bought her for £325 and have spent all the bits you can see here on the blog, the fella who bought her has a true bargain.

CB450 DX... she's for sale

You know how she was when I started and this is what she is now.

It was never my intention when I started this Blog but I've put the bike for sale back on eBay.

My girlfriend's passed her test and what was perfectly adequate to keep up with her while she ran around on a GS125 on L plates is now not enough as she's rapidly progressed from passing her test, to an XJ600 and now a CBR600.

If you are interested in buying, by all means take a look on eBay, search 'CB450 DX' or click the link below.

Those of you who have been regular visitors will know she's been pretty well cared for and if nothing else, this site should act as a decent resource for finding bits and places to go for anyone looking to keep one of these undervalued machines on the road. If you look for a picture on Google of a CB450 DX, the pics on this site are in the top dozen and searches for information bring this site up regularly.

How to get a workshop manual for CB450 DX

I've noticed some visitors here are finding it when searching for a "Honda CB450 DX workshop manual" on Google.

I needed a manual too when I first picked the bike up in January. There isn't one BUT, as I've suggested in an earlier post, David Silver Spares will help.

The original reason for this site was to get some more details out there on the web for people picking up this unloved (in the UK at least) bike for the first time.

What links the CB450 DX with a Formula 1 legend?

A few posts ago I mentioned that the Brazilians got a special edition Nelson Piquet version of the CB450DX.
Intrigued, I went searching - the internet's not all about porn you know - and I found this on a Brazilian biker site where they were raving as usual about the CB and I repeat here, exactly, the fella's post (translated by Google, so it loses something of course).

Is this a case of more is less?

Laugh? I nearly fell off my chair. This is curious, but as ever beauty is in the eye of the beholder etc etc.
But then, when you look closely, you can see there's a bit of work in it. Surely this can not be a proper production model,even if the Brazilians managed to palm off the old jigs to Indonesia or something...
Anyway, anyone who can translate for me and help me under stand what this is about would be extremely welcome.

Why the CB450 DX makes one South American want a real Superdream

Ok, you few regular readers already know that the Honda CB450 DX-K, as it was known in the UK, was built in Brazil.
But while it wasn't that popular here, it's interesting to see what our Brazilian pals think. And this excellent piece by 26-year-old Chico Rasia, from Curitiba in Brazil is worth a read and gives an insight into a biker's dreams on the other side of the globe.
He confirms the CB450 was built in Brazil for a decade from 1984 (as the military dictatorship stepped aside).
He writes: "So Brazilians got to know the CB450DX, with triple disc brakes, the CB450 Luxury Sport.
"There was even a CB450 Nelson Piquet, in honour of the famous F1 driver. The CB450 remained in production until 1994."
Right click here tell him we sent you.

A bit of CB450 DX history

Top: CB450S '87
Middle CB900F '83
Bottom CB450 DX-K

Righto, it's come to my attention that we've digressed a little from the original purpose of this site which was to help you IF you were considering the purchase of this unglamorous machine.
Well here's what I've gleaned over the past couple of months and if nothing else it'll make a better Wiikipedia entry than exists presently. Yes, I know, I could bother to write it myself but if anyone wants to copy and paste any of the info here, that's fine by me.

Cleaned up

Did some new pics today and went for a 40 mile run this afternoon. All coming together quite well. Not too happy with the way the Motad downpipes are colouring up but you can see the CB450 DX is cleaning up OK. As always, pictures make bikes look better than they are (so make allowance when buying on the net, especially on eBay). Adjusted the clutch cable today and I'm still not too happy with the reach on the front brake lever. There's more feel than when I bought the bike a month ago though... probably just because it's being used

REVIEW: Day One, the eBay 'bargain'

I originally wrote this for Reviewcentre.com which can be pretty useful. But the people there can't be bothered to put it up. And the two bits I've written in the past suffered at the hands of their 'editors' so while they continue to worry whether they can be seen to suggest anyone ventures over 70mph on the motorway, here were my intial thoughts on Dog after buying it at the end of January.


So you want to get onto two wheels cheaply. Then the CB450 DX-K built by our Brazillian chums has got to be a winner.
You need this review because there's just not enough stuff on the internet about the last Superdream.