1966: A Landmark Year for Fowlers and Honda

This year, Fowlers turns 100. A century of motorcycles, of brands that have come and gone, and of technology that would have seemed like science fiction to those who first opened the doors in Bristol back in 1926. Over that time, many pivotal moments have helped shape both the wider motorcycle industry and Fowlers’ own journey. Among them, 1966 stands out as a noteworthy year.

During this period of rapid change and innovation across the industry, Fowlers expanded its range of manufacturer partnerships — including the addition of Honda to its lineup. At the time, Honda was still building its UK reputation largely on smaller commuter machines: reliable, economical, nothing to trouble the established order. But 1966 was the year Honda made clear that bigger ambitions were very much on the agenda.

Their opening statement was the CB450 ‘Black Bomber’. It arrived in UK showrooms in early 1966 priced at £360; the going rate for a British 650cc parallel twin. The engine was unlike anything else available: a 444cc twin with twin overhead camshafts, with an unusual method of valve control, which used torsion bars to control the valves’ return rather than helical springs. A 180-degree crank substantially reduced vibrations compared to British twins, and it had both 12-volt electrics and an electric start. With 45bhp and a genuine 100mph capability, it was a serious machine by any measure.

Honda had been shrewd about the positioning, too. By keeping the engine just under 500cc, they neatly sidestepped direct displacement comparisons with the British 650 twins that dominated the market. The Black Bomber didn’t immediately outsell the Bonneville, but it shifted something important: the assumption that Japanese motorcycles were sensible transport for sensible people. Here, clearly, was a manufacturer that could build performance bikes.

On the race circuits that same year, the message was being delivered even more emphatically. Mike Hailwood — already one of Britain’s greatest ever riders — was winning World Championships for Honda aboard the extraordinary RC166 six-cylinder. Road bike and race bike credibility arriving simultaneously was exactly the combination Honda needed to cement their reputation in the UK, and Fowlers were ideally placed to make the most of it.

The Black Bomber’s legacy extended well beyond its own sales figures. It gave Honda the platform and the confidence to push further into big-bike territory; a trajectory that led, just three years later, to the CB750. That machine defined the superbike era and changed motorcycling permanently. The CB450 planted the seed.

Fowlers had a front-row seat for all of it. Sixty years on, Honda is still on the floor at Bath Road, and as we mark a century of the business in 2026, it feels like the right moment to look back at the year that started it all.

Browse the full range of Honda motorcycles online or visit us in store: https://bikes.fowlers.co.uk/honda