Commuters, also-rans and alternatives: Honda’s other inline 750s
It’s probably fair to say that Honda’s seminal CB750/4 has been done to death by the bike press. Everyone knows it as the original superbike, the game changer, the benchmark, the first – the epithets just simply roll on and on ad nauseam. And yet Honda itself knew that within just a handful of years the mighty 750 had become yesterday’s hero.
By late 1972 Kawasaki had ascended the throne; the king is dead, long live the king, etc. Inside just a few more years Suzuki would have its own 750 and maverick Yamaha would launch the singularly unique, ohc 750 triple. Something needed to be done.
Shaken from its lassitude, Honda had to come up with a new flagship model – and rapidly if it was to maintain its role as Number one motorcycle manufacturer.
And, simply because it could, the Big Aitch launched two all-new jaw-droppers. Well, three, actually...
Top dog was the jaw-dropping CBX1000 inline six, supported by the dohc 900 and 750 fours. The latter pair had been influenced by Honda’s RCB1000/RS1000 endurance racers which would prove to be hugely competitive. The 750 and 900 established itself as immensely popular with riders who didn’t want or couldn’t afford the big six. The two fours had strong motors and were graced with class leading road manners for the time.
Keen to cover as many bases as possible, Honda offered two complementary styles – the sleek so-called Euro style of the CB900F/ CB750F, and the more conventional and conservatively styled CB750K which ran four separate exhausts. The K version was pitched very much at riders who liked the look of the old 750/4 but wanted something modern in terms of technology. Although sometimes cursed with cam and cam chain issues, the dohc fours helped to re-establish Honda’s reputation and would go on to lay down the foundations of what is still considered to be the apogee of the air-cooled four – the hugely impressive CB1100R series which were, in essence, production race bikes for road use.
The next step along the road of air-cooled three-quarter litre fours was as much an insurance policy as it was an all-new model. The firm’s near obsession with mass centralisation had almost brought its motorcycle division to the brink. Simply put, the various liquid-cooled V-fours from the early 1980s had proved to be near toxic. The abject failures of two successive 750s models had seen the rest of the V-four range pronounced ‘guilty by association’ and Honda was desperately in need of salvation by whatever format. The shame, the loss of face, the collective embarrassment was palpable.
With what amounted to one final roll of the dice Honda launched not one but two 750/4s at the same time; the ultimately sublime VFR750 and the safe bet CBX750. The latter was there, effectively in the wings, just in case the V4 bombed which, of course, it never did. And, for many, the CBX750 was just some anachronistic air-cooled four which was immediately obsolete at its birth simply because the VFR750 was just so damn good – which rather does the CBX750 a major disservice.
Some might consider the CBX750 to be a hastily concocted lash-up made from various older machines and yet, in reality, it was an all-new design. The 16-valve dohc engine delivered an impressive
91bhp and 52ft/lb of torque, putting it into a new league. Hydraulic tappets reduced maintenance, and weight saving had been a major theme during the bike’s inception. In a marked change of direction, primary drive was via gears and not the Hy-Vo chains that had featured previously, while mounting the alternator behind the cylinder block and beneath the carburettors substantially reduced the engine’s width.
Styling was super sharp for Honda and even now the bike’s lines still look fresh. In road tests the press loved the bike and were very impressed by its performance, handling and manners. Finally, Honda had a modern sports 750 with power and style but, of course, it was – and would remain – totally overshadowed by the VFR.
In instantly recognisable form the CBX750 would run, in various countries, for just six model years before being pensioned off. Yet various governmental institutions immediately saw long-term value in the bike. After it had been removed from general sale the bike was still made and sold to police forces as the CBX750P with the likes of Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Turkey, Gibraltar and Ireland all opting to purchase this remarkably effective machine.
In parallel to the police version, Honda substantially redeveloped the CBX750 as a naked, general purpose, do anything machine variously sold as the CB750F, CB750 F2 and CB750F2N 1992-2001. Some potential buyers failed to see the bike’s purpose or worth, yet once ridden the machine’s star qualities shone through.
The legendary Honda build quality was there and inherent; its long distance capabilities utterly proven; day long comfort assured and oh such more. The bike’s detractors might say it was and remains bland, but those that have owned one will tell a different story. The model is viceless, dependable, fast enough for most and built to an extremely high standard – not dissimilar to the original CB750/4, then!