Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => Project Board => Topic started by: taysidedragon on May 20, 2022, 02:07:50 PM
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Here's a combination that I never thought I would see!
In this month's Classic Bike mag, a 400f engine squeezed into a Douglas Dragonfly frame.
It's nicely engineered, but I can't help think, Why? The owner said he wanted the ease of electric start in a good handling bike. That's what he had with the complete 400f project bike that he bought off DS. 🤪
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Wonder if he put the Douglas motor in the Honda? Would probably have had the same pointless attraction….
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Maybe the original engine was knackered and the electric start was a bonus / excuse.
Looks like the Honda bars were fitted! 🤔
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What's the betting the Douglas Owners club shun him for his sacrilege. He's made an old bike modern day rideable, what's not to like about that? probably better lights, better indicators (yep he used the Honda ones as well) and handling that suits him. Plus miles better brakes than standard, so whilst the other Douglas owners are going into the back of lorries he's staying alive and avoiding that as well.
Not mentioning the performance upgrade although TBH I don't know how good the original engine is but I'm betting it wasn't as quick.
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Just looks wrong! Nice bit of work! Not the same flow with the down pipes.
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If he painted the crankcase the same colour as the frame it might blend in better.
He cold call it a Hoglas.
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Nope, nice engineering but thats bloody awful and as already said........a waste of time but horses for courses and all that :-\
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If he painted the crankcase the same colour as the frame it might blend in better.
He cold call it a Hoglas.
Or perhaps a DOUG-DA ;D
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Or a Hondoug ;D
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or a Doug-loss.
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..or a Do(u)gs-dinner.
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i think its a very nice job, but i've always liked oddball bikes. i have the VERY rusty remains of an ariel leader which may be honda-ized at some point
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..or a Do(u)gs-dinner.
Should have "Doug" a hole for it!
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i think its a very nice job, but i've always liked oddball bikes. i have the VERY rusty remains of an ariel leader which may be honda-ized at some point
I always liked the handling of the Ariel Leader owned two back in my youth then eventually an Arrow with a Golden engine. For an old tall bike I thought they were ahead of their time. Modern brakes might be difficult to fit on that leading link front suspension design. They seem cheap for a tidy one last time I looked.
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And just think, with a 400 motor in it will be almost as quick as the Douglas…..incoming🤐😞🔥💥🌪
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Depends which cliff you drive it off
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I owned a 400/4 back in 1977/78, but sold it to buy a GS550 E…never regretted it. The 550 was superior in every department…no dispute there. It’s not that I didn’t like the 400/4 and I had lots of fun on it, including a dawn fast lap round the IOM TT circuit, which was a real eye opener. The same year I bought the 550 I Chanced upon a bloke in Blyth, near Newcastle riding a tuned 400. I seem to recall it was called a ‘Mohawk’ (mocheck maybe?) or something similar. It was tuned to the bollocks: big bore, cam, exhaust, modified airbox, head job and raised compression. Anyway after his 30min self promotional lecture on the benefits and wisdom of the investment, I suggested we might test it, purely for scientific reasons you understand. It couldn’t get near the GS and after about 15 miles or so I’d lost sight of him in the mirrors. Out of concern I turned round to check the situation out. The bloke was heartbroken as the bike had dropped a rod and there was a massive hole in the crankcase and sump. Maybe he’s on this forum?
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I owned a 400/4 back in 1977/78, but sold it to buy a GS550 E…never regretted it. The 550 was superior in every department…no dispute there. It’s not that I didn’t like the 400/4 and I had lots of fun on it, including a dawn fast lap round the IOM TT circuit, which was a real eye opener. The same year I bought the 550 I Chanced upon a bloke in Blyth, near Newcastle riding a tuned 400. I seem to recall it was called a ‘Mohawk’ (mocheck maybe?) or something similar. It was tuned to the bollocks: big bore, cam, exhaust, modified airbox, head job and raised compression. Anyway after his 30min self promotional lecture on the benefits and wisdom of the investment, I suggested we might test it, purely for scientific reasons you understand. It couldn’t get near the GS and after about 15 miles or so I’d lost sight of him in the mirrors. Out of concern I turned round to check the situation out. The bloke was heartbroken as the bike had dropped a rod and there was a massive hole in the crankcase and sump. Maybe he’s on this forum?
Pangs of guilt? Or did you have a little titter?
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Definitely had sympathy for him. But it did reinforce the lesson that if you want a ‘significantly’ better performing bike, leave it to the manufacturer.
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Yes. Not nice to happen to anybody. But did wonder if these engines were already stressed without “go faster mods”