It is impossible to speak motorcycle without addressing the one that has changed everything (or almost): 4-cylinder in line, disc brake, design, manufacture, performance and grip, the "oven" laid the foundations of the modern bike.
HONDA CB 750
To understand the shock provoked by Soichiro Honda, we must immerse ourselves in the 1969 Special Summer Motorcycle Review. Here is what was written: "The Honda crystallizes most of the modern motorcycle. It's the big engine that the motorcyclists were waiting. The 750 is a very beautiful bike coupled with a superb piece of mechanics. Honda has just given a new direction to the "Moto" with a big Mr. Si in 1965, its CB 450 rivals already with the English, the CB 750 K0 is ahead of the competition with this machine that some already saw straight from Mike Hailwood's RC181. But in the absence of a double ACT engine, 24 valves and horses to know more than what to do, the brand unveils, in spring 69, a 4-cylinder with single ACT and 8 valves of 67 horses. And if, on paper, this does not seem to be a revolution for the end of the 60's, it's actually a big step towards the modern motorcycle produced in mass production. Solutions such as the compact 4-cylinder long stroke (with dry sump) inserted into a double steel cradle frame, and the presence of a hydraulically operated disc brake attest to this.
The 4-cylinder dry sump develops 67 horsepower. A real revolution as mechanical as aesthetic. Character, performance and style that will open a new path and give birth, a few years later, pure and hard sports.
A real break in the motorcycle world
"From 5,000 rpm, the speed at which the horses really come in numbers, the reps on all the gears are extraordinarily nervous and allow instant overruns. Roadholding and braking perfectly meet the expectations of a major road sports owner. Mass is said and yet, Honda keeps reviewing its copy. Between June 69 and June 70, the CB 750 will receive 300 changes! Then, new versions will come with the K1, K2 and K6 then the F1, K7 and F2, the latest produced in 1971. For information, the K series is characterized mainly by its 4-2-4 exhausts, when F have a classic 4-in-1. In total, 553,400 units will come out of the world's No. 1 channels. But for the purists, K0 represents the symbol of a major shift in the world of motorcycles. There is undoubtedly a before and after CB 750.
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