How the Honda DN01 finally found its identity

In this December 2025 ‘Bit on the Side’ feature in ‘Old Bike Mart’, Mick Payne examines the Honda DN01, its Human Friendly Transmission (HFT), 680cc 52-degree V-twin engine, and the sidecar conversion carried out by David Angel of F2 Motorcycles using a Velorex chassis.

Mick Payne discovers one of Honda’s more curious machines which is having a new lease of life.

Honda’s Oddball Machines

I find Honda a bit odd. Basically, it brought us the typical UJM, the across the frame four-cylinder four-stroke motorcycle, but it’s also introduced some real oddball machines. Oval pistons, anyone? How about the overweight CX500 that made me buy a Moto Guzzi V50 after riding one, and that’s now a true survivor after a few teething problems? These rare yet importunate problems have marred several other bikes from the Big H, some of its inline vee engines having proven less than perfect in their early guises. But persistence and the ability to develop themselves out of a hole have paid off.

The DN01 and HFT Transmission

One such oddball is the liquid-cooled twin fitted to a great variety of products; in this case it’s the rare DN01. Although it didn’t stay long in the Honda line-up, it was a machine that really couldn’t seem to make up its mind as to its identity. It wasn’t a sports bike, it wasn’t a cruiser and it wasn’t a scooter (though, to my mind, it leant more to the latter), even having an automatic transmission mode labelled HFT. This stood for ‘Human Friendly Transmission’ which was a type of continuous variable transmission that could be manually selected as an option. With its 680cc, 52-degree V-twin giving it a top speed of around 110mph, it was no slouch. But it didn’t catch on. One wag claimed DN01 actually stood for ‘Do Not Order One’…

David Angel’s Sidecar Conversion

For all its quirkiness it did have its fans and one such enthusiast is David Angel of F2 Motorcycles, who says; “I do like quirky bikes and the first time I saw one I thought it would be great for an outfit. It’s flexible and the under stressed engine coupled with shaft drive is ideal. I love the clever transmission, and Honda even fitted a parking brake as standard.”

He did venture a little out of his comfort zone with this build and fitted a car rear tyre. “The bike has a 17-inch rim, so I reasoned that it caused less stress to the tyre than fitting a car tyre to a 15-inch rim”. A 15-inch motorcycle rim is actually larger in diameter than a car one, so requiring the tyre to be stretched, but the Honda’s 17-incher is slightly smaller than a comparable car type. Fitting of car tyres to motorcycle rims remains a contentious subject however, many claiming the rim profile is incorrect, too.

Another unusual ‘problem’ for David was the amount of bodywork in the way of sidecar fitting, as he explains. “It’s a used Velorex chassis I had in stock and it took a lot longer than usual as I had to cut holes for the fittings and ensure the panels could be removed with the fittings in place.” Standard Velorex fittings were used and he used a six point fixing on this one. as well as stronger, progressive fork springs and a heavier rear shock. “These were built to specification by Hagon after we discussed what I required and how I’d ride it. They got it spot on”.

On the Road

So, how’s it go, mister? “Every bit as well as I’d hoped,” reports David. “Once I’d learned to leave the gearchange button alone and left it in auto all the time, I found just how easy it is to ride. Relaxed, effortless and really comfortable with some lower back support from the seat and huge footboards. It gets to the UK speed limit in no time and cruises effortlessly. It also handles well and steers very nicely, I don’t need to alter anything. It’s just right”.

Conclusion

So, it appears we have a completely satisfied owner and a very useable DN01 F2Velo. Perhaps it’s found its true vocation?

Original article appeared in Old Bike Mart. To subscribe, click here: https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/old-bike-mart