Topic: Why SOHC4s?

[Dave Wyatt]

The bike found me.  I had sold my last bike, a HD FLHS, in 1991 and was not looking for a bike at the time.  The kids were small and I had had a close call on the HD that took the fun out of riding.  One day in 1995 I was walking down a hall at work, in an area I don't get to very often, when I stopped at a bulletin board just to scan what was for sale.  Right in front of me was an add for the Hondamatic and the price was only $600.  I had always wanted one to use as a drag bike and thought this would make a good one.  One phone call and a trip to look, had me dragging a non running, barely rolling 6000 mile Hondamatic into the truck.  So far that's the only dragging I have done with it.

After a few repairs to correct years of neglect, it had been inside, I had it running.  A new set of tires later, it was on the road.  Guess what I found?  That joy of riding that I had lost one day on the HD!  Since I could have owned one of these bikes when they were new, it did not feel old to me.  The styling and feel were what I expected, so there was no dissapointment.  In my mind I was riding an almost new motorcycle, but without any payments!

Newer bikes don't have that same look to me.  SOHC's have a timeless look and style to them that will never go out of date.  The ease of repair is wonderful as is the availability of spare parts.  Although to be fair, other than a few minor things to get it going, most repair items have been for normal wear and tear.  Filters, tires, chain and sprockets, etc. 

The better question would be, "Why Not SOHC4's?"  They have so much in their favor over other bikes.

[sparty]

I bought my 1972 CB750 because my dad had one.  There is a picture of me (at six months old) in my dad's arms and we are sitting on his shiny new '72 CB750.  Plus, it is really cool owning a bike that is as old as you are.  When I told my dad that I got the bike he drove four hours to see it and take it for a spin.  

[Lumbee]

...I'd like to say the bikes found me, but I had to MAKE it happen.  1600 miles over a weekend to pick them up after a $900 winning bid off Ebay.  So how did I get into them?

I was ready to get my hands dirty on something.  I needed something with a good availability of parts, but not so expensive that I couldn't make a habit of it.  The SOHC 750 fit the bill to a T.  Lots of parts on Ebay (if somebody doesn't give you a truck load first.  I had an HD for a few years, and always wanted to "do some work" to it, but after paying 6 grand for it (cheap by HD standards) I couldn't bring myself to do it.  These bikes are cheap enough that you don't mind scuffing the aluminum, but reliable enough that you can rebuild one yourself, and put some real miles on it.

[joeson]

pure fun ,classic brit styling hues ,relatively easy to repair,and it was the bike I sold 20 years ago ,going for a scoot now instead of talking about it!! vroom,vroom ,rattle, slap, pop,my pant leg has oil on it and I smell like exhaust, but it goes like snot!!

[techy5025]

In 1969 I was riding around on a Honda dream.  A buddy told me about the "new"
Honda 750 and so we rode out to the dealer to check one out. They actually let me
ride it.....and I was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, they were selling so well that
there was a wait of a month or so to get one.  I remember thinking that the engine
sounded more like a car then a bike.

Not wanting to wait, I bought one from a guy whose wife decided he didn't need a
motorcycle......and I have been riding it for the last 37 years. I think it had about 600
miles on it when I got it.....$1,200 as I recall which was list at the time.

Now that I am retired, I can devote more time to the hobby....hence the sandcast
purchase.

Jim

[toycollector10]

Pick up any motorcycle trader magazine and you will find page after page after page of used cruisers and sport bikes. I can't tell them apart unless I read the advertisements.

Old school CB750's stand out like dogs' balls. Naked engine, no fairing or radiator or artsy fartsy styling that will just be 'last years model' in 12 months time.

Bikes that made history are the CB750 and variations, Kawasaki Z1, 500 and 750 triples, Suzuki T20 Hustler, maybe the Hayabusa, time will tell,  Norton Commando and variations,  Ducati 916, Triumph 650 and variations, BSA Lightning, Vincent Black Shadow, you know what I mean. The rest just get crushed and melted down because they just don't have the X factor.

So maybe one in 100 or so generic designs stand the test of time and for me the CB750 is the pick of the crop.

TC

[Ernie]

for me,i hadnt ridin a bike in 20+ years and i saw it for sale in a guys front yard and decided to take a look and when i got to lookin at it ,it was in such good condition and only 3500 miles i had to buy it,i may have spent a bit to much for it 700$ but its really grown on me.when i first saw it ,i thought my god its a fossil and i had no idea there were any of these old bikes  left on the road.so i brought it home and started cleaning polising and doin maintenance that hadnt been done in apparently years, after closer examination it wasnt in as good a shape as i thought but after a couple a weeks of work and another 500$ its really shaping up.i was gonna selll it after a year or two and get a bigger bike,that was the original plan,but now me and my wife have put so much tLc into it i dont think i'll ever sell it.I LOVE MY BIKE

[ElCheapo]

Mine was a luck of the draw deal.

After scraping out my first bike that started my biz (84 Honda VF 1000) I was looking to get back on two wheels again after not riding for nearly 7 years. I was checking out some rummage sales and as I drove I saw her, no not the jogger in skimpy shorts. I double backed around the block just about spinning my tires the whole way. I pulled up at a slower pace and got out nice and easy.. Did not want them to get too excited.

I walked over looked and there was a note paper on it that said that it had some electrical issues and that they wanted $200 for it. I attempted to hold back my excitement. Then countered with $150. A few minutes later we had a sealed deal. Then they came out with a pile of extra parts. I loaded them up in the car and said that I would be back later to pick up the bike as I did not have trailer at the time. With only 6 blocks to the house I figured it would be an easy push. Boy I was wrong...

By the time I got within 2 blocks of the house I thought I was going to turn green, pass out, and have the bike fall on me. After some searching, finding this site and getting signed up, and testing some stuff (45 minutes) and over filling the oil to make a lovely oil slick, she was running. To rub it in I rode by the garage sale about an hour after that. 

The rest is history......................

[750K4]

I got into SOHC4s in a roundabout way. Last year I decided to try to find a classic 60's or 70's British bike to enjoy on weekends and ride to work on sunny days. I hate Harleys (just can't get past the vibration thing) and the current batch of Jap bikes all try to replicate a Harley. I can't see myself on a Crotch Rocket at my age, and they look like they'd be horribly uncomfortable on longer rides anyway. I looked at Triumphs, BSAs, Nortons and about anything else from that period I could find. In talking to others the same common theme came up - the unreliability and relative crudeness of those wonderful old British bikes. A friend suggested an old Honda 750 or Kawasaki 900. They were excellent bikes when new, and have recently enjoyed a jump in popularity which translates into parts availability and stable or rising resale values. I have been playing around with Honda CT70s for a few years, so I was familiar with Honda parts and suppliers. So the CB750 came to the top of my list. I ran an ad in the local newspaper wanting a '69-'76 CB750. I got a few calls and eventually bought both a '69 and a '74. They have proven to be reliable, parts are readily available, and I just like the way they look. Seldom do I ride one without being stopped by someone who wants to look and talk about the one they had back in the day. I love mine, and will probably have on for the rest of my life.

[Stevearino]

I was 20 when I bought my 75 CB750F in 1984.  I put 30K miles on it by the time I graduated from college.  Sold it to a buddy, and moved 1000 miles from home.  Life happened.  Wife, job, kids, mortgage, etc.  Turned 40 and decided that my midlife crisis would be a motorcycle.  I know it is trite, but it really does happen, ie. what happened to my youth?.  Bought a diamond in the rough GL 1100 STANDARD!!!, stripped off the aftermarket crap, and love it, still ride it.  Always longed for another CB though.  Wasnt looking, but came accross a 77 550F SS.  Spent the winter standing in a cold garage, loving every minut of bringing it back to life.  Not done, but a respectable original.  Rides like I remember how a CB should.  Will keep after it.  Not to stray from the fold, but I found the other bike I always wanted.  75 R75/6 BMW.  Another classic in great shape.  840 RPM big bore kit, Boyer electronic ignition, Lester wheels, dual front disk Brembo/Ate.  At 42, it kind of makes me feel like a kid again.