The Honda CM series was a street bike precursor to the Honda Rebel series of motorcycles produced from 1979-1981. These bikes had a 395cc parallel twin engine that was air-cooled. Features included electric start and electronic ignition. Models included the following:
- CM400A (Automatic)
- CM400C (Custom)
- CM400E (Economy)
- CM400T (Twin)
The Honda CM series all generally resembled the older-style flat-seat bikes from the 60s and 70s, with the exception of a slightly raised passenger area seat and small plastic fairings for the battery and electrical. These are "standard" style motorcycles but do have some elements of the cruiser (stepped seat, increased fork angle, extra chrome).
The CM400 series includes only a speedometer and three indicator lights (neutral, oil pressure, high beam) with a tachometer for the C and T models. The E (economy) model had wire wheels and drum brakes, while the others had "Comstar" alloy wheels and a front disk/rear drum braking setup. While not particularly powerful, the CM400's handling makes it one of the great starter bikes.
Many engine components are common with the Honda CB400T models from the same year. The parallel twin engine has three valves per cylinder (two intake, one exhaust) and a five-speed manual or two-speed automatic transmission. In 1982, the CM engine was bored out to a 447 cc engine with six gears, and the series was renamed CM450.
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