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50cc of Around-Town Fun
By Kent Taylor
It is Daytona Bike Week, circa 1982, and Yamaha rider Graeme Crosby is on his way to an almost certain victory in the 200-miler. Not far away, however, another racer is riding at his own speedy pace on a machine that in many ways mirrors Crosby’s TZ750. This rider’s mount boasts a nearly identical compression ratio of 7.9:1. Revving to 10,000 rpm, the rider is speed-shifting through the five-cog gearbox, and Cycle News reports that “even under WFO riding, the engine stayed tight,” and it surprisingly vibrated only slightly. Like the Yamaha TZ, the race bike sports 18-inch wheels at each end, and front disc brakes are used to slow it down. Will Crosby be able to hang on for the victory?
Graeme Crosby gets the win! The other rider? Well, he’s not even in the race—like literally, not in the race. It’s a Cycle News staffer, a motojournalist who spent the week screaming around the Daytona pits aboard a 1982 Honda MB5, a 50cc two-stroke, their test subject in the May 12, 1982 issue.
The Bible (Luke 12:48) tells us that “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” We can only speculate about the spirituality of the 1982 CN staff, but it seems they followed Jesus’ teachings in their road tests. Costly streetbikes and rapidly evolving motocross machines were held to high standards; they were given much (suspension and horsepower), so they were scrutinized accordingly. No quarter asked. None given.
The MB5? Honda blessed it with bicycle tires and a two-stroke engine similar to one that would power an average-sized weed whacker in 2026. Little was given, and little was required. The CN team first used the bike as a pit bike of sorts during Daytona Bike Week before taking it along to Atlanta, where the crew logged at least 25 miles per day on the Honda. “The first guy who rode the bike said it felt like he was sitting on a food processor set on puree,” wrote CN. An auspicious beginning, but the vibe quickly changed, as the staff began to warm up to the bike as time went by, and soon they praised the Honda as “an economical and unique way to get around town, while having a good time doing it.”
The MB5 was no pretender. It “can’t be classified as a minibike or grouped into the high-mileage scooter type of machine, either.” And despite the disadvantage of carrying its plus-size rider, who huskily moved the needle to well past 200 pounds, the front disc and rear drum brakes did “an exceptional job of bringing the bike and rider to a quick halt.”
The Honda squeezed 57.5 miles out of each gallon of petrol—good, not great, though the crew acknowledged that a more svelte rider might’ve helped the little bike burn less fuel. Also, it was pretty clear that the team was indeed pretending to be like Graeme Crosby during their adventures with the MB5 and that a more conservative riding style might have bumped that mpg number up a little higher.
Though lightweight at just under 175 pounds, the Honda really wasn’t a little bike. “A seat height of 31 inches, coupled with a handlebar height of 40.4 inches, makes the bike comfortable on short trips.” The saddle, by the way, was “firm and easy on your bottom.”
It carried a price tag of $798, about $2700 today, which is lower-end scooter money. The Honda MB5 was not really a gas miser and certainly not a high-performance roadster. Little was given, little was asked, thus making it the kind of crock bike that should have space in every motorcyclist’s garage.CN
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