Ken Tropasso aboard his CB750 leads the pack of Vintage Iron Club members on a ride through their hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida, now hosting an annual bike festival that’s one of the best in the country.
This coming January marks the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Honda CB750-4, the bike that wobbled the motorcycle market on its axis. So how well did it do and how much is nostalgia worth these days? Back in February 2014, a Candy blue/green ’68 Honda CB750, one of four factory pre-production factory models originally sent to dealers to test the waters, was offered on eBay with an opening bid of $1,969. At auction’s end, seven days later, bidding topping off at $148,100.
Way radical, right…but wait. Four years later, just this past March 2018 at the H&D’s National Motorcycle Museum in the U.K., another of the near legendary pre-production CB750s, this one appropriately enough painted Candy Gold, sailed off the auction block at $223,000! What’s that equal to? Maybe two decent Vincent Black Shadows or a Brough-Superior 1100 or a Crocker?
As for the production CB750 models, the rest is motorcycle history. The now iconic first so-named “superbike” was first offered to the public in 1969, Honda producing only 7,414 in that first run and each featuring the now legendary “sand-cast” cases. Not quite as rare as the first Four, but the “sand casts”, in top original condition, more recently have garnered big bucks as well.
Checking back to ’69, you could visit your Meet the Nicest People dealership and ride off on a production CB750 for around $1,495. You got a transverse-mounted a 67 HP air-cooled SOHC four-cylinder motor, 5-speed tranny, electric start, front disc brake and about 125mph at a twist of the throttle plus comfort and reliability.
To say the bike was a hit with the public, garnered rave bike mag reviews and resulting skyrocketing sales would be an understatement. During the initial 9-year production (KI and K2) run, some 553,400 were sold. Variations of the CB750 designation continued until 2003 with its evolution spanning both single overhead cam and dual overhead cam models. In 1976 there was even an automatic version for some reason. The name “Nighthawk” crept into the line-up in 1982. In 2007 Honda brought at a retro CB750 Special Edition originally intended for Japan. Would a revived ’69 CB750 be a success in the U.S.? A lot of people say oh, yeah, do it Honda.
So bottom line, one there’s a bunch of CB750s out there in one degree of rarity or abundance as well as condition or another which makes them popular contenders for customizing on several levels. We rounded up just a few Variations on a CB750 Theme as you read on you’ll find a super inexpensive way to score a restored CB750 for yourself.
Very tidy stock pre-79 CB750 arrives for Clematis Street bike rally in WPB, FL.
By the way, did you know that the creation of the original CB750 was “caused” by an American? No kidding. Once upon a time, Bob Hansen, a famous tuner in the ‘40s-50s, went to work with Honda racing in the early 1960 and led them to their first Daytona 200 win in 1970. The story goes he was having a chat with Honda bigwigs who were telling them about a new twin cylinder they were planning. He stopped them in their tracks when he said, don’t do two, there’s already plenty, even three cylinders, build a four-cylinder. And as they say, the rest is history, Honda CB750 history.
Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s probably thousands of CB750s were transformed into choppers by home and professional builders, this example a more recent take on the theme complete with apehangers and a rear sissy bar. Kickstarter indicates pre-1979 as the SOHC ’78 CB750 was the last to include a kicker along with the electric start button. 1979 also saw the switch from SOCH to DOHC.
Mike Stafford added an extended swingarm, vintage pipe, reworked frame, seat, fender, etc.…looking long, lean and mean…and built in only19 days. Yes, still has the kickstarter along with the electric button so pre 1979 CB750.
A well-used CB750 rallies to the Hansen Dam Rally with rider wearing artful helmet.
Low, Lean, Clean and Mean Supercharged CB750 built more than ten years ago at original Garage Co. location on Washington Blvd. in Santa Monica.
Yoshi Kosaka of the Garage Co. takes the first ride aboard resurrected Tony Foale TF750 road racer as originally flogged in the 1970s around the famous British race tracks like Brooklands, Thruxton, Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Motor was nudged into classic Foale frame kit while Garage Co. did the resto in 2011 for owner Jay Reeves.
A couple shows up aboard their CB750 for the Santa Monica, CA, 2014 screening of the 88-minute documentary “Greasy Hands Preachers,” a cinematic ode to the soul-nurturing value of getting your hands dirty doing what you love, in this case building custom motorcycles and that saw the participation of several of the planet’s leading bike builders.
Second owner of the SOHC 1977 F2 Super Sport, Arthur Miranda, lives in San Diego. Asked how miles he’s ridden, without a pause he says, “46,628…the only thing I’ve done to it is add an oil pressure gauge and dogleg levers, otherwise kept it stock. These are workhorses, awesome machines that just keep going. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As for the missing original sidecover, people keep stealing them because they’re hard to find.”
Builder Adam Gaspic gives the thumbs up to his Gasser Customs Honda 750.
Honda CB750 dressed all in hand-hammered aluminum, a masterwork of Shinya Kimura. He sums up the motivation behind his designs as “balancing the technical and the aesthetic and the powerful draw on us by the vulnerability and the thrill of motorcycling.”
1976 CB750 done up by Gerardo Guerra as displayed at Irwindale bike swap and show.
L.A. County Fireman Brian Kane usually works up custom Triumphs, as does his Dad, but in this case went for a stellar spin on a CB750 café racer as shown at one of the Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club (VVMC) events.
When showing up for a special pancake breakfast rally at the L.A. Petersen Automotive Museum, Drew Newman got rave reviews for his 1978 750 Café complete with clasic Kerker pipe.
Chris Kenner and Natalie are six months into riding their ’79 CB750K. Says Chris, “It’s the best…and the CB is the reason Natalie is dating me.”
Trick minimalist frame design enhances 750 powerplant, in this a post-78 DOHC series. And yes, we don’t need no stinkin’ fenders, this is SoCal and it never, never rains.
Full showbike pulls out all the stops thanks to Bob Star Customs in Henderson, Tennessee.
Don showed up on his take of the 750 as café racer at one of the frequent Deus ex Machina shop events in Venice, CA.
Ken Peltcher from and Jenny Jenewein from Temple City, CA carry on the CB750 tradition after Ken’s father who bought the F2 Super Sport model in 1978, then gave to Ken back in 1998 and he’s been riding it ever since, now celebrating his own 20th anniversary on the bike having clocked over 100,000 miles. Says Ken, “This is the first motorcycle I owned and learned how to ride on it. My father and my mother were riding on it before I existed.”
Color Coordinated CB750 Super Sport
Full kitted out rider and racer ready to do battle at the famous Willow Springs Raceway.
Alain Bernard of Santiago Choppers based in Riverview, Florida builds one-off mind-bending beautiful hotrod customs based on Ducatis, Buells, Moto Guzzi and in this case the Honda-Four.
Back in the day, shop honcho Yoshi Kosaka and ace wrench Kiyo of the famous L.A. based Garage Company fashioned this pair of psychedelic 750s whiles on Washington Blvd. location in Santa Monica, CA before moving to his mega-digs in El Segundo. Kiyo now has his digs in Glendale, CA.
While this is not a CB750, it gets a shout-out as the last of the “retro” traditional style CB lineage before Honda went full swoopy. In this case it’s a 2014 CB1100 and last year available in all black. It belongs to Wes and Kimberly Osburn who just arrived in L.A. a few weeks ago from their previous home in Houston, TX. Wes “rescued” the bike from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey after finding it in 8 feet of water and buried in mud, then bringing it back to rip-roaring health. Definitely a “survivor bike” so had to mention the bike.
Now Win One!!!
$10 Raffle Bike – Honda CB750 Tribute Bike
The Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club honors the 50th Anniversary of the Honda CB750. Since the original ’69 bikes are going for their weight in gold, VVMC’s Shannon Sweeney of SS Classics has orchestrated the ground-up cloning restoration replicating the iconic Honda based around a 1971 CB 750 K1. The project has included a complete motor rebuild, new powder coat from Safeway Sandblasters, period correct 1969 Candy Ruby Red paint, new rims and stainless spokes, polished hubs and engine cases, new K0 seat, and lots of new and restored bits, making this bike ready for one lucky winner to ride her home!
The winning ticket will be drawn at the 11th Annual Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club on Saturday, September 22nd 2018. YOU NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN (but we sure hope you are!) More Info and Raffle Tickets at https://www.venicevintage.com/store/vvmr11rafflebike
On Sunday, August 19, the Raffle Bike made its first public appearance while displayed at the Venice, CA location of Deus ex Machina, one of the sponsors of the upcoming Sept. 22, 2018 VVMC rally and bike show during which the winning raffle ticket will be drawn. Seen with the blast from the past is Shannon Sweeney of SS Cycles who orchestrated the project with the support of several VVMC members and sponsors.
The build included a super rare original ’69 rear fender and tail light as well as factory decal…and those rare as dragon’s teeth mufflers are also the real deal as are the minty gauges.
A few details will be completed and then with a push of the button, or a kick of the starter lever, a lucky winner will ride off with a very nice piece of history…and all for ten bucks. Raffle Tickets at https://www.venicevintage.com/store/vvmr11rafflebike.
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