1972 Honda CB750 Japanese Market

Tokyo Motorcycle Show, 1968: the unveiling of Honda’s CB750, the first four-cylinder superbike. The impact of this new model was enormous, gargantuan, game changing. There had been 4-cylinder bikes before, but they were for the wealthy few. This was a bike for the masses and the ripples it caused through the entire industry were felt almost immediately as retaliation models came thick and fast from Kawasaki, Triumph, BSA, Suzuki, Laverda…

The CB750 was steeped in high specifications: overhead camshaft, disc front brake, five-speed gearbox, electric starter, etc – making the opposition look obsolete overnight. And now, 50+ years later, it is still a useable classic with power, braking and handling that will keep up in modern day traffic.

The motorbike offered

The 1972 Honda CB750 offered here is a very rare JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) model. Some subtle differences from the US market bike are overshadowed by the wonderful and glaring red light on the dash between the gauges, which is set to illuminate once the hooligan rider exceeds the heady 50mph mark, accompanied by the shrill from a speaker hidden behind the dash.

Liberated from long term storage, the bike was checked for compression and completeness, but will need a carburetor rebuild, battery and an overhaul of the the cycle parts before returning to reliable road use.

A rarity in the US, Europe, and most ironically, Japan, these original superbikes in their homeland specs are proving to be a desirable and collectable machine.