1980 GS450E vs Honda Civic

[davidduarte]

Friday night, on my way home from work, a Honda Civic with a coffee can exhaust pulls up next to me at a light, revving his engine. So I blip my throttle, light turns green, he takes off. He got about a car length away before I flew past him. He was reading my license plate up to the next red light. I don't make a habit of doing this, but it was fun. Don't underestimate 30 year old small displacement motorcycles!

 

[850 Combat]

A GS450E was a 14 second bike in its day, as I recall. An older Civic would require significant laying on of the hands to accomplish that. A new Civic SI has close to 200 hp and probably hauls ass.

Top end of a Civic is probably very similar to the 450.

I like the slab sided '80 450, especially the one with the little fairing and relocated foot pegs. I like the '83 a lot too.

How about posting some pics of yours?

 

[davidduarte]

I took the milk crate off, but I still have the windshield on:

 

[kirkn]

Hey, that's a sweet-looking machine!

I remember the very first Cycle Magazine I bought with my own money in 1981. I was 16. It featured a test of a Honda CB400T Hawk (I know, I know; NOT a GS...) and the very first paragraph mentioned how it was quicker stoplight-to-stoplight than nearly any car you could buy brand new at that time. There were a few ringers, of course, but not many, and it was only a 400! That's stuck with me all these years...

I'm surprised you were bold enough to take him on. Those fart-cans are good for another 50~75 HP easy. "R" decals add another 10....

 

[steve murdoch]

Friday night, on my way home from work, a Honda Civic with a coffee can exhaust pulls up next to me at a light, revving his engine. So I blip my throttle, light turns green, he takes off. He got about a car length away before I flew past him. He was reading my license plate up to the next red light. I don't make a habit of doing this, but it was fun. Don't underestimate 30 year old small displacement motorcycles!

Squid!
[good for you]

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

I used to run light to light against cars
very few cars even hot rods can beat a bike
mind you if they are high and drunk and idiots

which they likely are

they can roll right over the top of you when there car gets into its best acceleration ranges.

I recall the guys in berlinetta camaros being the nicest of all
raced a guy with an lt1 350 spec v8 and was utterly humiliated at the end of the 1/4 mile

 

[hacksaw55]

Thanks for the laugh kirkn!

 

[tkent02]

A GS450E was a 14 second bike in its day, as I recall.

It still is.

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

It still is.

nope seconds are longer now what with the slowing of the earth's rotation in the past 25 years or so.

 

[sam78gs750]

Those fart-cans are good for another 50~75 HP easy. "R" decals add another 10....

Classic! I love when guys put the "fart in a soda can" exhaust on their honda civics or whatever jap car and do absolutely nothing to the car besides that and putting a few decals on it.... looks and sounds quick until they pull away from the light and are screaming in second gear and only going 15 mph.....

 

[Guest]

David, I'm jealous... your 450 is almost identical to mine except that mine's in a million pieces at the moment... and yeah they're great bikes

 

[Tim Tom]

New Civics are still slow

New Civics are still slow

A new Civic SI has close to 200 hp and probably hauls ass.

Civics will never be a fast car, no matter how much plastic is strapped on the bumpers and trunk and how loud (yet crappy) the noise it makes is.

Case in point, the other night a nice, new civic SI rolled next to me at a stop, whined his engine a bit. I responded with the 850G's nice howl. The light turns green and I'm doing about 50 in second gear and probably 150 feet down the road before he got across the street :-\\\

Very VERY few cars can come close to the acceleration of a bike. Even the vintage ones

 

[1100E]

I'm surprised you were bold enough to take him on. Those fart-cans are good for another 50~75 HP easy. "R" decals add another 10....

I have a Charger R/T and have "tuned" my 5.7L Hemi up to about 390 BHP, I wouldn't even consider racing a GS450E, bikes are almost always faster than cars. I hate it when a worn out "ricer" with a crap-can exhaust tries to run my Charger, they're just pathetic!

A buddy of mine had a candy-apple red GS450S with bar-end mirrors and a cool fairing, that was one pretty bike :-\\\

 

[donimo]

That is the best part of owning a bike, no matter how small you go they are still fun, can't say that about my base model 1995 cavalier...

 

[davidduarte]

That is the best part of owning a bike, no matter how small you go they are still fun, can't say that about my base model 1995 cavalier...

No doubt. There's a saying, and I think it's quite profound: It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow.

 

[slow_heavy_750]

Civics will never be a fast car,

Thats a joke, right?


Dont get me wrong, there are some retarded people out there in civics (among other cars), but there are also some damn fast civics out there, built for not a lot of cash.


If that comment was aimed more towards the dumb dumbs who strap body kits to their cars, then disregard what ive said. :lol:

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

Thats a joke, right?


Dont get me wrong, there are some retarded people out there in civics (among other cars), but there are also some damn fast civics out there, built for not a lot of cash.


If that comment was aimed more towards the dumb dumbs who strap body kits to their cars, then disregard what ive said. :lol:

hmm yeah even stock a vtec civic is a damned fast car

 

[davidduarte]

the car in question was an older 2 door hatchback Civic, I'm not sure what year.

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

the car in question was an older 2 door hatchback Civic, I'm not sure what year.

Ah some dread base model with an automatic never revved over 2lrpm for 5 years

there are a lot of sad little cars that neveer stay loose and clean cos grocery getters are no damned fun.

 

[Guest]

Thats funny. Around here the ricers use neons more than anything which makes it even funnier when they rev at a bike. I like getting them going with my F150 even better because they see a full size 4x4 and think they got it beat until the light turns green. Cant wait till I get my 1000 going so I can give them hell with a bike older than the rider lol

I did race a mustang cobra one time but i was on a 2003 vtx 1800. He gave up at 130