Faults:

Absolutely no problems. This is a great bike! I have, however, just developed a small oil leak around the oil pan, but no worries.

General Comments:

This bike runs really well. I'm currently riding 110 miles back and forth to work, mostly on 4-lane highways. The bike just purrs along, 4500 rpm @ 70 mph. I do think I should get a more comfortable seat for this kind of riding.

The bike has a Vetter Windjammer IV fairing and vented windshield and also a Vetter trunk. It's great for hauling groceries or anything else. The 10-speed transmission and 4 into 4 exhaust make for cool features of the bike. Too bad the previous owner thought to use an SOS pad to clean the exhaust pipes!

My main complaint about this bike is that if you let it sit for more than a week without riding, it is very cold blooded; it turns over fine but does not fire immediately. My mechanic told me that Honda's were known for this and the '82 CB900 was the worst. With it currently being a daily driver, I have no problems starting it.

Faults:

Replaced 2 clutch cables.

Tach drive seal and valve cover gasket.

Constantly readjusting cam chain.

Front brake master cylinder got stuck.

General Comments:

The first time I rode this bike, I fell in love with it. When I bought it, it had sat in a garage for a couple of years with only occasional engine starts.

Even the seat was in good condition with no rips or holes.

Over the years that I have had it, I have replaced the rear tire about 1 a year with about 9000 miles. The fronts go about 2 years each. Air ride both front and rear are trouble free. The bike also still has the original factory pipes that show no sign of rusting out.

During the summer I drive this bike daily, and on the interstate highway, and she just runs along at the posted speed for as long as I need it to, and when I need it, she has the power to spare. I get on average 43 MPG.

I feel this bike will run for as long as I keep regular with the maintenance, oil changes at 3000 miles and cam chain adjustment every 2000. This spring it got new paint on the tank and side covers. The old factory paint had started to peel and the clear coat was badly sun damaged.

Faults:

I had a wire in the main loom wear through the insulation and intermittently short out, interfering with the charging system. Quickly and cheaply repaired with a new piece of wire.

The headlamp in the Hondaline fairing is meager.

General Comments:

I had a 1973ish CB750 K3 with a hot set of gears. My 1981 CB900 Custom is just a 750 on steroids. It has enough power to get out of its own way and then some. I laid the lash to it the other day and was grinning for an hour. Hang on when it gets up and dances.

The unique 10 speed transmission allows you to pretend you're driving a cement truck. room.. shift.. room.. shift.. room.. shift.. room.. shift room.. shift..room.. shift.. room.. shift.. room.. shift room.. shift. Even BMW riders start counting on their fingers. I have visions of carpal ankle syndrome.

I love the balance of it. The ride is very comfortable but you have to keep an eye on your shock pressures if you change riding styles dramatically. One in the city or two with baggage cross country require different shock pressures. Once you get the shocks right, it will set down in a slot and go where you look when you look.

Mine is 28 years old with 29000 miles. Everything is original. It has the factory Hondaline fairing, bags, trunk and seat in outstanding condition. I had the bags and trunk painted last winter for 28 years of scratches all over. They leak badly.

The fuel tank is 5.3 gallon and mileage is about 35-45 mpg. That gives you about 150 miles comfortably, and maybe about 200 miles until you become a pedestrian.

Faults:

Blew engine of my CB900C at 68,000 miles because of engine cam bearing. Cost to fix the engine was more than the value of the bike.

Gas tank was too small.

Trouble starting it (especially in cold weather), if the bike sat for a few days or more. I remedied this by fabricating exterior battery posts, and then used a car battery and jumpers to start it the first time during the day. After that, it was okay. I suspect that the starting problem may have been that enough gas evaporated over time from the float bowls of the four carburetors, so that engine was initially starving for fuel.

General Comments:

The four cylinder engine was smooth and very powerful.

You could only go 120 miles before having to go on gas tank reserve. This was sometimes a problem on trips into remote areas.

Despite a few problems with this bike, I loved it. It was blindingly FAST, handled well, and the unique dual-range transmission made riding on twisty mountain roads a lot of fun. The low range of the transmission was very useful when riding steep hills in downtown areas, such as San Francisco or Seattle.

The brakes were FANTASTIC. It had dual discs on the front and single disc rear. When I first bought it, I damn near threw myself off the thing when I hit the brakes hard at high speed.

The shaft drive was wonderful and trouble free.

Relatively easy to do maintenance work on.

A fun, sporty bike for around town and nearby rural areas. If you're going to go on long road trips, get a Gold Wing.