Tim Finn posted this shot of a bike that is deeply familiar to me, and a former object of desire. These were absolutely everywhere in Iowa City in the early seventies, even though they had been replaced by the CB125 by then. It was the VW of motorcycles: common, cheap and durable; in other words, perfect for students and other young folks to get around town.
I wanted one too then, and I did end up with a Bridgestone 90, looking rather similar but with a two-stroke engine. I’ll have to save that crazy story for another day. Meanwhile, let’s celebrate this one with some vintage Honda motorcycle ads, which were as catchy and successful as VW’s ads in the sixties.
Honda’s ads were all about projecting a wholesome but sexy image. Buy one, and you’ll never have to ride alone.
The S90’s 89.6 cc OHC single generated 8 hp @9,500 rpm and 4.7 ft.lb. of torque @8,000 rpm. Yes, you had to wind them out to get full benefit of its power, but it was also quite happy to chug around at more modest revs. If you didn’t push it real hard, it was easy to get 100 mpg. Maximum speed was listed at 62 mph. It was built between 1964 and 1969.
I rode my Bridgestone 90 on the highway a couple of times, flat-out at around 60, but I can tell you it was not fun. It just felt too light for that speed, as well as a bit strained. These bikes were in their element around town as well as cruising the smaller rural country roads at around 45 or so. With a girl on the back, of course, heading to a quarry to go skinny dipping on a hot summer Iowa night. With the wind in your hair, which of course was flying free, as helmets hadn’t been invented yet, or something like that. And no, we weren’t dressed like that, and I doubt these two are off to go skinny-dipping.
Ooh baby; that S90 is a sexy beast!
Of course sometimes that girl on the back really was a girl.
You meet the nicest people on a Honda.
My father had a Bridgestone 90 before I was born. The mental image of a 6’2” over 200lb
Man traveling fairly long distances on that thing is interesting.
Once Again: Paul and I agree.
#GMTA
Fun part about all this? It’s the OHC 50/65/70 engines that prevailed. I am 55 years young and have been building Honda horizontal singles since I was 14. I can pull an easy 10hp out of a 70. The 90/110 faded away for good reason. They were not as good as the 50/70 engines.
I’ve often believed that the 4-stroke Honda horizontal single was one of the greatest engines of all time. Dang near 1.5 HP per cubic inch was almost completely unheard of in that era.
Chain-driven OHC engine with a roller-bearing crank? Completely unheard of at the time.
The early Honda 50s were pushrod engines; the OHC came in 1965.
I think you’re not aware that roller bearing crankshafts were once very common. Even the dirt cheap Austin 7 of the 1920s used them. They were almost ubiquitous on motorcycles, including just about every Harley Davidson until the 1990s or so. Giant diesel engines, airplane engines, cars, bikes, etc.. Plain bearing technology was crude until the 1950s or so, and has gotten even better since. Every early Porsche had a roller crank until 1954, and 1957 for the Super.
And of course OHC heads have been around since the dawn of the 20th century.
Both were very old hat by the 1950s or 1960s.
Of course none of that takes anything away from the brilliance of Honda’s engines. He made those technologies work better than others.
Yes, I wasn’t aware of many of those facts. At least we agree the engine is brilliant!
I like nice people. Anyone help me find some?
I remember these ads—like VW’s—-feeling very contemporary and well-targeted. Likewise, I remember when these Hondas were everywhere.
This is a C90 ad (1966); in another forum with music-friends we figured which maker/model French horn that was, and also what Cali high school’s marching band uniforms we were seeing, 55 years on….
Strange: I could have sworn the upswept pipes on my ’69 Honda CL 350 (all 315cc of it!) were on the LEFT side???
As far as the Honda S-90 is concerned, it has always been one of my favorite 2 wheeled Hondas visually. The shapes and proportions just all came together into a very graceful, “rapid” looking design, 🙂 My own S-90 was “built” by combining parts derived from 2 different ones to form a single, restored and briefly running S-90.
Briefly running as I got to ride it around my local Honda dealers lot-where the majority of the work was done-one day b4 I went in for a quadruple bypass. Since then the handsome lil bike has been sitting in my “Toyroom”, drained of gas. Maybe someday…out for a ride again?? :):) DFO
You are correct. The exhaust pipes of the Honda CL350 were on the left. Note that this pic is a reversed image with the identifying side panel script reversed. Maybe she’s riding quickly to find her clothing.
I had a Honda Sport 50, got it summer of 1968 when I was 14 years old. Actually, my older sister bought it and it “became” mine. In my state, back then, you could get a motorcycle license at 14. So I did. Me and my friends had so much fun on that bike. We went everywhere, much further than our bicycles ever carried us. And then, it just felt so good to have a girl riding on it with me. Other boys around had the 90’s and Scrambler 305’s, we all rode together. I really wanted one of them, but under the circumstances, I had the 50. It got raw-hyded pretty good and sold it in 1970. I was into other rides by then. I have looked for one for sale, but haven’t found even a trace of one. I’d buy one, or a 90, or a 305.
Nice bike ! .
I wonder how much they were asking for it ? .
The early S90’s came with a three speed tranny, many were brought home my returning Servicemen and had a “Rotary Shift” meaning there was no stop after top gear so you could carelessly shift into first gear and maybe launch yourself over the handlebars….
The 1967 > models had the chromed fenders and winkers .
I too had a Bridgestone, IIRC it was a 100C.C. but not the legendary one with chrome lined cylinder .
I still have three CM91’s and a bunch of bedraggled CT90’s I saved from junk plies, yard sales and so on .
-Nate
It’s not for sale; it was shot at a bike show.
The Sport 90 all had four speed transmissions. You may be thinking of other/older models.
There was a local TV ad here in the islands in the mid 60’s That the announcer would always say “Get the nifty thrifty Honda 50”
These were great little bikes. As usual Honda improved upon the earlier pushrod 50cc engines. I drove a ’65 C110 50cc Scrambler that my Dad bought for a couple of years. It was a little too small and weak to mix it up even in suburban traffic. The 90 hit a real sweet spot for utility. My next Honda was a CB160 and that was finally a really practical small bike, with electric start I might add.
One of the most attractive things about smaller bikes is the lack of ego involvement by the riders, who could be just about anyone. They ride them as transportation, mixed with fun, and very low operating costs. Big bikes, especially Harleys, now have too much macho blustering attached to riding them. Big Sportsbikes have their own anarchic frenzy attached to them. There are still riders that ride for fun, low cost transportation. They can often be identified by the milk crate attached to the rear luggage rack.
I rode motorcycles for thirty five years as my primary transport.
“One of the most attractive things about smaller bikes is the lack of ego involvement by the riders, who could be just about anyone.” Exactly. One of the first Honda 50 bikes I saw belonged to the captain of our high school football team (6’3″ 220 lbs), and he rode it everywhere (in town). Those who did not have one wished that they did. This was in ’62-63. By the way, my first bike was the Honda Super 90 in black. And unfortunately 62 mph was exactly where it topped out (highway speeds back then were 65 mph).
My high school dream bike. Of course it took me thirty years to finally have one, given to me by a girl I was dating, who later became my second (and late) wife. It had been hers in college. Kept it for twenty years, was part of the collection I sold off to cover Patti’s medical bills after the funeral.
That last pic is the hippie girl from Vanishing Point IIRC
Good catch on the Vanishing Point reference. Supposedly, that girl got quite a nasty sunburn in a very private area from riding around during the shooting of that scene.
Not to mention the sand!
With chrome fenders and turn signals that was my first bike. Had it when I was in college where little Hondas and Yamahas were quite common. Fun times but a claimed top speed of 62 mph? How steep of a hill were they going down to get that out of a stock engine?
Well built, economical, fun, ah it is true that youth is wasted on the young.
Yep, love the S90…currently I have two…a blue ‘68 and one I’m building up as a replica of a Honda RSC racer…😎👍
The choice of that particular couple in the first ad seems fairly far fetched to me and improbable. I’m in the San Fernando Valley back in 1966-68 and can say I never saw that on the streets and I was looking. I remember the bikes as I had their brochures and also remember the place crawling with VW Bugs. This was also a time when mini bikes were all the rage and those I was riding on the back streets of the Valley back then. Thinking back on that here we are a bunch of 12-13 year olds riding fairly quick mini bikes on city streets without a license nor helmets.
Whoa..never thought I see the good old Honda 90.
First motor cycle I Bought and learned how to rode and enjoy.
The first of many..but I always have remembered the first .
Oh, how I lusted for one of those Honda Sport 90’s in the late 60’s. Had all the brochures. Three of my high school friends got motorcycles in about ’67 or ’68. I didn’t due to a parental ban and no dinero. One of them got a Honda Sport 90, another a Bridgestone 175 twin and another a Yamaha 180 twin. All of them rode everywhere on them. The Bridgestone and the Yamaha greatly exceeded the speed of the Sport 90. The Sport 90 rider upgraded to a Norton P11A Ranger.
Several years earlier, my local swimming pool parking lot was heavily populated by Lambretta scooters. These belonged to college students home for the Summer. By the next Summer (1965?) all were gone and replaced by even more Honda Cub 50’s. Same cost as a Lambretta, $215. Shortly after came masses of Honda Cub 90’s and Sport 90’s and Trail 65’s and 90’s. I did get to rent a battered Cub 90 at a gas station when I had my learners permit at 16. 36 years later, I resurrected a barn stored BMW R75/5 and began riding. In some level of denial of age, I am still riding.
Have restored several s90s and am amazed how overbuilt the engines are. Beautiful aluminum castings and huge bearings on what was a $400 machine.
Use my Benly 90 as daily transportation and always attracts attention and stories of youthful joy ,and in many cases, abused to death.
Have restored several s90s and am amazed how overbuilt the engines are. Beautiful aluminum castings and huge bearings on what was a $400 machine.
Use my Benly 90 as daily transportation and always attracts attention and stories of youthful joy ,and in many cases, abused to death.
Since it is a domestic model, has a metric speedometer.. Tell people it will cruse at 80 and have see 105. Lapped the track at MidOhio Vintage Days and was more fun than my Cb750.
I’d like to find one now, but they’re collector’s items and priced accordingly. Honda horizontal singles are amazing pieces of engineering. And great advertising too!
At 9 yrs old learned to ride on one that my uncle had. We had it at our house for a week after my dad brought it home from it’s 500 mile check up.
My brother and I shared a CT(Trail) 70. It was street plated and I had a license by then. Dad even drove it to work a couple of times when his car was in the shop. My own first bike was similar to the Bridgestone 90, a Suzuki TS90. While 10hp was not freeway legal in California, with a top speed of 70, it could easily keep up with urban Los Angeles traffic.
I have something kisses interesting a 1969 Yamaha yl 100 completely stock it runs with under a thousand original miles yeah check it out if I had a picture I would send it but it’s sitting in my garage right now