The Honda CB92 has become one of the most collectable of the early Hondas.
It has a 125cc twin cylinder engine sporting a single overhead cam and single carburetor.
The machine was introduced in 1959 and was available in two versions, the standard CB92
fitted with a dual passenger seat and full mufflers was sporty for its time, but was still
a small, well behaved quiet bike.
Honda also produced an “R” model of the CB92. The machine could be purchased with a racing seat, megaphone mufflers, and other racing options directly from the factory or the options could be ordered and assembled by the dealer. Fitted with a tachometer or speedometer, the little CB92R produced 16HP with a redline near 10,000 RPM. For its day, it was a formidable machine that brought many 250 cc singles to their knees.
I met the salesman who sold this bike to the original purchaser. We were at a special dealer
meeting held at Laguna Seca Raceway when the US GP races returned to the USA. This machine is
an original, un-restored CB92R that was purchased in Sacramento, California in 1962. Equipped
with the “R” options, it was not a good candidate for street use and was traded back in to the
dealer some weeks later for a street version CA95. The bike had 270 miles on it when it was
traded back in. It sat in the showroom for most of 1962 since nobody seemed to want a used CB92
that they could not ride on the street. This bike made its way to a back room, and was still
sitting there in 1985 when the dealership sold. I bought the bike that year and have had it on
the track at Laguna Seca, Sears Point, Mid-Ohio and Powell speedway, all on vintage laps during
race events. The odometer now shows a meager 336 miles. It may be the nicest un-restored original
CB92 in the US. I have certainly not see a nicer one in my travels.
