BUYING AND SELLING
Honda’s seminal superbike might be just the thing to put a spring in your step this month
A choice Honda CB750 and other buying bits and bobs
Since the Honda CB750 turned 50 last year, there’s been an explosion of interest in what many feel to be the first true superbike for the masses. Prices of the coveted, early ‘sandcast’ models have soared recently, with a pre-production example selling for a staggering £161,000 at an H&H auction in March 2018. Production sandcasts regularly change hands for anywhere between £25,000 and £35,000 – and the demand from serious collectors remains high. But if you want a CB750 to actually ride, you might be better off looking for one of the first diecast models – the CB750K0. The crankcases are stronger and some of the little foibles – yes, even Honda aren’t immune to them – of the sandcasts had been addressed by the time the die-cast K0 hit the showrooms in 1970.
The CB750 was a huge step forward for motorcycling in 1969 – and the four-cylinder engine set a new benchmark for performance and reliability. Horizontally-split crankcases, a forged, five (plain) bearing crank, chain drive to an overhead camshaft, a five-speed gearbox and a top speed over 120mph set the bar high for the competition. So too, did the disc brake, effective electric starter and indicators, while the four exhaust pipes and silences let the world know the CB750 was a four.
The bike was a hit from the off and development was limited to
fairly minor upgrades throughout the production life of the K-series models. The 1975 F1, with its four-into-one exhaust and total restyle, was the first major change, while the 1977 F2 got a very welcome second disc at the front and slightly hotter cam to restore some of the performance that had leeched out of the K-series bikes over the years due to noise and emission regulations.
But it’s the early K models that are most desirable – so if you can’t quite stretch to a sandcast, an early K0 with die-cast cases might be the answer. And K0s don’t get much better than this superb, totally restored 1970 bike being offered for
‘THE CB750 WAS A HUGE STEP FORWARD’
a quirky £19,989 by west London classic specialists, Motorcycles Unlimited. Everything about the bike is top drawer. Genuine Honda parts have been used wherever possible, the exhaust is a quality Japanese-made replica system, while the seat is a £600 Yamiya reproduction. No expense has been spared and you can see most of the specification on the Motorcycles Unlimited website.
Not the cheapest, maybe. But certainly this looks like one of the best early die-cast K0 models currently on the market. •motorcyclesunlimited.co.uk