Classic Bikes Of The Seventies – Honda CB750
British, American and the European manufactured motorbikes enjoyed world wide dominance until the late 1960s.
The Japanese were coming however, and had indeed made significant inroads into light and middle weight classes since 1948.
1968 will, for many, be remembered as the year when the Japanese motorcycle industry changed the rules. Having decided that the Japanese would never try and assault the top end of motorcycle making, European and American manufacturers were about to have the shock of their lives.
In October 1968, against a backdrop of Truimph’s earlier launch that year of their 750cc, 58bhp Trident, which was thought to be a potential huge earner for the company, things changed.
In late 1968 Honda took the big bike world by storm, launching the CB750. Four exhausts, electric start and styling like nothing seen before, along with a super smooth new engine meant that Honda had not just caught up, it had completely overtaken the competition.
Honda had wanted to design a bike “the bigger the better”. Huge amounts of research were directed at getting the engine right in both size and configuration, the goal being low vibration and suitable for long journeys.
Vibration was found to be a problem in engines over 500cc capacity in the common parallel twin configuration. V twins and boxer style engines were tested, and the result was the inline four configurations at 750cc.
This was one of the first bikes to lose “character”, in that improved seals meant no more leaking oil! It was an instant success, indeed the first batch to be imported to the UK were all sold before arriving in Britain. Honda engineers had achieved what they had set out to do, a modern, reliable and good looking bike that revolutionized biking.
In fact, it could be argued that the Honda CB750 was the start of the modern era, and the first true superbike.
Bikes are Zac’s first love. He loves nothing as much as riding, cleaning and servicing his collection of bikes, and knows how vital it is to store them correctly. He uses genuine Harley Davidson motorcycle covers. For more information and fantastic deals on bike covers, visit www.harleydavidsonmotorcyclecovers.net.
categories: motorcycles,motorbikes,superbikes,bikes,biking,Motor vehicles,automotive,bike riding,biking,hobbies
Aug272010
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