Classically exposed: The Honda CB 750 (1969-1978)

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Classically exposed: The Honda CB 750 (1969-1978)

The motorcycle that gave motorcycle riding a new dimension. The first really strong, fast heavy engine that was also reliable. The final blow to the British motorcycle industry. The "engine of the (previous) century".

A benchmark for entire generations of motorcyclists. A legend. The Honda CB 750 F from 1969 to the present. Then a topper, now one of the most useful and stylish classics. And if you ever feel brave, you will still see a lot of fellow drivers on your CB. Because a Honda CB 750 whose front and rear suspension have been fine-tuned (Hyperpro!) And that is on modern tires? That is still an engine to be reckoned with. It is beautiful, fast enough, the handling is fine.

Buy a copy that is as original and complete as possible. Thanks to suppliers such as global mail order company CMSNL.com and other specialists, the restoration of a classic Japanese is often easy to do nowadays. But the prices for new parts for old Japanese are often seriously high. That certainly applies to pre-color and chrome parts. A complete set of exhausts, for example, quickly costs € 2000, - And spraying the candy colors is also not given to everyone and therefore costs a lot of money. And order stuff by frame number / block number. Over time, adjustments / changes have been made that make the difference between 'original year of construction' and 'original year of construction not'. Some technical adjustments also make ordering 'by number' very sensible.

In their early days there were cheerfully tipsy people at campsites who let their CB roar at no-load until the contact points started floating. This resulted in a block whose ignition was so uncontrolled that the exhaust sound sounded like a firing squad on a national holiday. But the blocks remained intact. The only point of pain was that the nozzles that provide the cam lubrication when using aftermarket oil filters and elastic maintenance intervals could close down. Then the crankshaft could break and the CB 750 suddenly became a two-cylinder with half the cylinder capacity.

The very first generation had - because Honda did not yet know how the model would hit, sand-cast engine blocks. The scholars are not yet out, but a few thousand specimens must have been made with sand-cast carters, not 'a few dozen', as is also claimed.

The rarity factor makes those specimens more expensive. For early models, also take a look at the crankcase at the height of the rear sprocket. In the early 70 years, a chain sometimes broke under all that brutal violence. (76 hp!) Because at that time the gas had only two positions: 'open' or 'closed'. The most common, most practical examples are the candy-yellow K2 (and K3) models. When ordering spare parts, always state the year, number and type. In the course of production there have been some (minor) changes in production, hence. For the purists: pay attention to the right counters, the correct color, the right set of exhausts and the buddy that belongs to the year of construction. And a K2 has no 'splash cap' on the front brake, a K3 does.

Maintenance of these machines is still easy. But for synchronizing the carburetors, an absolute hearing is no longer enough, the vacuum meters have to be added. Deviating from the original, but very sensible: the purchase of an electronic ignition.

Technical data Honda CB 750 Four (1969): air-cooled, four-stroke in-line four-cylinder, displacement: 736cc, maximum power: 67 pk @ 8.000 opm, gearbox: five-speed gearbox, secondary transmission: chain. Frame: double cradle frame. Brakes: front disc brake, rear simplex drum brake. Weight: 218 kg. Top speed: approx. 180 km / h. Price indication: € 5.000 - € 8.000 for a beautiful item from the first half of the 70. But we have already seen an asking price of € 13.500

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A reaction

  1. It was a great time when in motor country with of course the CB 750 which was also quickly converted to 900, the YAMAHA TX 750 that were the bikes to enjoy.

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