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Honda CB450 Police Special

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Make Model

Honda CB 450 Police

Year

1966

Engine

Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder

Capacity

445 cc / 27.1 cu-in
Bore x Stroke 70 x 57.8 mm
Cooling System Air cooled
Compression Ratio 9.0:1

Induction

2x 32mm Keihin carburetors

Ignition 

Coil with auto-advance, twin contact breaker
Starting Kick

Max Power

45 hp / 32.8 kW @ 9000 rpm

Max Torque

37.4 Nm / 27.6 lb-ft @ 7000 rpm

Transmission 

4 Speed 
Final Drive Chain
Frame Tubular semi-duplex cradle with single front down-tube

Front Suspension

Telescopic forks with two-way damping.

Rear Suspension

Swing arm, shock absorbers with adjustable preload

Front Brakes

Drum

Rear Brakes

Drum

Front Tyre

3.25-18

Rear Tyre

3.50-18
Wheelbase 1,300 mm / 53 in
Dry Weight 187 kg / 412 lbs

Wet Weight

204.0 kg / 449.7 lbs

Fuel Capacity 

14 Litres / 3.7 US gal

If you saw one of these rare motorcycles on the road in the 1960s, you were either very lucky or very unlucky. It all depended upon whether that set of red lights was flashing in your rear-view mirror or someone else's.

Honda imported a mere 25 CB450 Police Specials to the United States in 1966 in an effort to crack into the law-enforcement market. So if you came into contact with one, you could certainly count it as one of the more unique bike sightings of your life.

Based on Honda's "Black Bomber" CB450, introduced in 1965, the Police Special was entirely normal in its engine and running gear. But it incorporated some nifty anti-crime devices.

The large speedometer, for instance, was calibrated in 1-mile-per-hour increments. And with a flip of a switch, Mr. Policeman could lock the speedo reading to preserve the evidence of your illegality.

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Then he'd switch on the lights and pull a lever on the left handlebar that worked the unusual siren-activation system. The lever brought a rotating steel drum into contact with the rear wheel, much like those old electrical generators on bicycles. The only difference was that this drum drove a flexible steel cable that snaked forward to spin the siren.

The Police Special also came with a solo seat backed by a small metal box for carrying an officer's ticket book.

Honda's Police Special took on Harley-Davidson for a place in America's law-enforcement community…and lost badly. Even though Honda billed it as "a big bike with a big ride," the 450 couldn't make a dent in a market that had been dominated for decades by American V-twins. So the initial U.S. shipment of 25 was also the last.