Vintage Honda Parts Heaven
Western Hills Honda
By AMCA Staff

This restoration game can be a complicated one. Depending on which make and model you choose, parts suppliers can have every nut, bolt, cotter pin or decal you could ever need or, in the case of many Japanese models, very little at all. The reproduction parts industry has yet to mature for many Japanese models, and in many instances might never. Changes were numerous and some models only saw a year or two of production. As an example it might be a stretch for someone to gear up and make the hundreds of reproduction parts needed to restore a late ’80s and early ’90s Honda Hawk GT 650 or GB 500, when they come of age in our antique world.

Fortunately, many club members who have an interest in Hondas from the ’60s and early ’70s might fare a little better. There are currently several sources for vintage Honda parts. In the U.S. two of the largest are Ohio Cycle (www.ohiocycle.com) vintage Honda parts from 1959 to 1969 and Western Hills Honda (www.westernhillshonda.com) which runs the gamut from the late ’50s to 2006. In England, David Silver Spares (www.davidsilverspares.co.uk) meets their customers’ demands for vintage Honda parts from the late ’50s on up.

We recently had an opportunity to spend an afternoon with Herschel Benkert, owner of Western Hills Honda. Herschel provided a fascinating look into his vintage parts business.

One would think that Herschel, who signed on with Honda in 1962, would have had a low dealer number but not so. When Herschel and his partner scraped together the $3,000 for a Honda dealership, they were rewarded with number 1214. This is not what we would have expected. It proves that Honda was hot in their quest to meet the nicest people. As such, 1960, ’61 and ’62 were the real growth years for the company.

“Our first store location was just 20 by 80 feet. Our landlord charged us $85 a month rent which included heat,” Herschel commented. “Business was crazy right from the start. We had customers who would show up when they saw the delivery truck pull in. They would even help us put their bikes together!” There is no doubt about it, Soichiro Honda had revitalized the motorcycle industry worldwide.

The way Herschel tells it, he has been interested in vintage parts from the get-go. But he admits the madness really began in 1980 when he bought out a dealership in Cincinnati. Suddenly he had an extra warehouse full of parts to deal with. The sight of a warehouse full of parts had a certain appeal to him so it wasn’t long before a second dealership’s inventory was added to his growing vintage parts business. Western Hills Honda was becoming known as the place motorcycle dealership would call when they were closing up shop, which wasn’t too uncommon during the bust days of the early ’80s. To date Herschel estimates he has purchased 50 to 60 Honda dealerships’ parts inventories. In some cases the fallen dealerships were multiline shops. In these instances Herschel would sell off anything not wearing the Big Red logo. This is interesting considering that Western Hills Honda is also an authorized Yamaha dealer. “Speed and Sport in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, is where I send my vintage Yamaha parts. They do a great job with Yamaha parts.” Herschel said.

In one rare case it wasn’t so much that a dealer went out of business as it was having to deal with moving all that inventory. “Anderson Honda in Detroit closed one of it’s retail outlets and simply didn’t want to move all those parts. I received a call from our local Honda rep about this opportunity. I wasted no time in heading north to the Motor City. It was a real home run. NOS mufflers, rims, gas tanks, you name it,” Herschel said with a smile.

Initially, Western Hills Honda sold most of it’s vintage parts locally. Then in 1999 they put up a web site devoted to vintage Honda parts. Suddenly they had to run to keep up with the flood of orders coming in. As it stands today they sell as many vintage Honda parts as they do current Yamaha and Honda parts and accessories combined. It shows no signs of slowing down. Vintage part guru, Terry Williamson, calls this job security.

“We have a simple system. I buy the parts and stock the shelves, while Terry Williamson does the selling. Together we make a good team. I’m really hooked on these vintage parts. Some nights, when I wake up at 2:00 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep, I come into the shop to sort and stock the parts. My wife appreciates this. At least I’m not keeping her up. I spend 90% of my day putting away parts,” Herschel said.

Terry and Herschel never know what's coming until the phone rings. From Mini Trails to CB 750 Fours, two models which are currently hot, they can supply a dizzying array of parts. Most items go out the door at current retail prices. Herschel admitted, though, there are a few items, extremely rare parts, that command a bit of a premium.

As one might expect there are some NOS parts that aren’t hot sellers or that they are just seriously overstocked on. Owner’s manuals are one such item. They have boxes full of them. These are trucked to AMA Vintage Days each July, along with other overstock items, with the hopes of finding a good home. Other items like gas tanks are always in demand. In the past two years Terry and Herschel have sold over 150 of them.


This 1971 Honda CB 750 is a fresh restoration thanks in part to Herschel and Terry at Western Hills Honda.

We asked Herschel what the future might hold for restorers of vintage Japanese bikes. He didn’t paint a rosy picture. “When the sources for NOS parts dries up it’s going to be tough going. I don’t see manufacturers stepping in to produce the parts. There were just too many changes over a short period of time, Herschel said philosophically.

So what does a man do who eats and sleeps vintage parts do for excitement? Herschel spends his weekends on a vintage 450 Honda at Lawrenceburg Speedway running in the old-timers class. An activity he has been involved in since 1966 before he was an old-timer.


A Honda Hobbit. No, we had never heard of this model either. Herschel mentioned they only sold one or two in the mid ’60s.

If you need help getting that old Honda back on the road, give Herschel or Terry a call. They’re there to lend a hand. Western Hills Honda-Yamaha, 3110 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211. Phone: 513 662-7759, fax 513 662-7912. E-mail: parts@westernhillshonda.com. On the web at: www.westernhillshonda.com.


Honda Mini Trails are hot now but Herschel predicts it’s just a fad and something else will take their place in time.