24 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2017
Good, but heavy
In its March 1970 issue, Cycle magazine ran a shootout between
seven top-of-the-line motorcycles. The Honda CB750 was includ-
ed of course, and got high praise for its excellent (for the time)
front disc brake, its strong acceleration and its ability to turn fast
laps on the racetrack, but low marks for its weight — 480 pounds
with oil but no gas.
Most owners regarded the 750 as a fast tourer, and the reliabil-
ity of the four became a major selling point. However, drive chain
wear was a problem early on, the cause pinpointed to misaligned
sprockets and the low quality of generally available period drive
chains. Unfortunately, if the drive chain broke, it could break the
engine case, and Honda often replaced cases under warranty.
In many states, however, the DMV refused to let dealers stamp
replacement cases with the original engine number. This is the
reason why there are many early 750s with sand-cast cylinders
and unnumbered, die-cast cases. Don Stockett has found engine
case chain protectors retrofitted to many early machines.
The new Honda caused tidal waves through the motorcycle
market. Kawasaki was developing its own big 4-stroke engine
when the Honda four appeared, but the project was shelved
until Kawasaki could come up with a major improvement on theCB750. It is a testimony to the high standard
Honda set that it took Kawasaki until 1973 to
introduce the Z1 — a faster, better handling
4-cylinder bike. Yamaha and Suzuki eventu-
ally came out with their own 4-cylinder mod-
els, similar enough to the Honda to give rise
to the term Universal Japanese Motorcycle.
Honda continued to build the single over-
head cam version of the CB750 until 1978,
and then moved to a double overhead cam
version for the 1979 model year. The later
Hondas were more refined and comfortable,
while the earlier bikes had better lap times.
The earlier instruments had plastic housings,
which were prone to cracking, while the later
ones had metal cases. One major improve-
ment, introduced in 1971, was in carburetor
control. The original 1-into-4 throttle cable
system made it difficult to keep the carbure-
tors in tune, since the four cables stretched at
different rates. The next generation dual push/
pull throttle cable system, with a stronger,
improved carburetor plate and an improved
linkage, helped to keep the carbs synchro-
nized and simplified tuning.Don’s CB750
The first-year sandcast CB750s have been collectible for some
time. More recently, larger numbers of people have realized
how classic most early Hondas are. This is good news for Don
Stockett, who retired a few years back, and with motorcycle expert
Geoff Sprague opened Vintage Motorcycle Rescue, a restoration
facility dedicated to 1960s and 1970s Hondas. In between work-
ing on customer projects, he has snuck in a few of his own. This
1970 Honda CB750 K0 is one of Don’s projects, and one he is very
proud of. “The Honda 750 was a watershed bike, with numerous
improvements to motorcycle design and features. This bike has
had such tremendous influence on motorcycle design, and it is
still influencing design today,” Don says.
Don decided to find and restore an early CB750, and looked
at a lot of possible bikes. After his experience evaluating what
he found for sale, he has some advice for other enthusiasts who
want their own Honda CB750. “If you are looking for a Honda 750
to restore, you will often find bikes for sale with aftermarket fair-
ings. This is good news. The fairing shields the instruments and
the top of the tank from sun fade. Also, people who put fairings
on their bikes are usually tourers, and people who go touring park
their bike in a garage. They also tend to take very good care ofThe 4-into-4 exhaust system (left) is a
defining visual feature of the CB750.