THE BEST MOTORCYCLE I HAVE EVER OWNED

My favorite motorcycle has been and is a 1980 Honda CM400a with an automatic transmission. I purchased this motorcycle new in 1980 and still own it today. The best thing I liked about this motorcycle is the fact that it has an automatic transmission called Hondamatic. This transmission has two ranges, low and high. Low is for heavy work; high can be used for all ordinary riding.

Before this motorcycle, I owned about a dozen motorcycles of various sizes and purposes, all Honda. The smallest was a Moped and the largest had four inline cylinders. This one has provided me with what I wanted most in a motorcycle and that was ease of use.

The CM400a Motorcycle is a two-cylinder bike with a capacity of about 400 cc. It's air cooled and weighs about 400 pounds. Its horsepower rating is about 42. Its gas tank takes about 2-1/2 gallons. Top speed is well over one hundred miles per hour. I don't know what the miles per gallon is but I do know that the cost of gas is not painful. I don't believe Hondamatic requires a great deal of extra fuel over the standard transmission.

The automatic version of the CM400 was built for only a couple of years. During this time the CM750a was also being built. This was a heavier machine and much more powerful. Honda ceased production of both motorcycles at about the same time.

The CM400a has no clutch. In using it, I start it up, shift into high range with my left foot, then apply some throttle with my right hand and I'm on my way. What could be simpler? There is no shifting needed for the rest of the ride. I have been made to understand that "real" motorcyclists don't drive this way. I think this is the reason Honda stopped making the machine. I think Honda loudly heard the message from bikers that the only way to use a motorcycle is to start, preferably with a powerful kick, then quickly shift, shift, shift, all the gears varooming as fast as it will go in every gear and making as much noise as possible. I don't drive this way and I'm super happy that I purchased one of these automatics while they were still available.