Topic: Why SOHC4s?

[Uncle Ernie]

I'm very curious how so many- young/younger than me/people born durng or after the heyday of these bikes came to be interested in these bikes? I sort of assumed that the older bikes would turn to rust as newer generations seem less interested in older/classic motorised transport. I sort of goth the impression that 20-30 years from now old people would covet the first Macintosh. Might there be hope for AHRMA?

[Gordon]

For me, it was the styling (or lack of) that attracted me to them.  Everything about these bikes looks good, but it also has a purpose.  Nothing extra, nothing that doesn't need to be there.  You can tell just by looking at one that it was extremely well thought-out, and made well. 

When I got my first classic bike, all I was looking for was a 70's era Japanese.  The first one I came across was a 1975 CB400F, so I bought it.  After that, I was hooked.  There was no turning back.  I've owned many bikes in the past, but none that have affected me the way that 400 did.  I'm now on my 4th SOHC/4 in 4 years, and there will be many more to come in the future.   

[Tim.]

Well, for me it was opportunity.  When I started looking for my first bike, a project bike, I looked at a number of early 80's bikes that just didn't catch my eye.  Closer to cruisers - high bars, more rake in the front end, tank sloping up from the seat etc.

I found a 1977 CB750K that fit the bill.  That got me onto the original SOHC4 members site (greenspun).  I learned so much about the general SOHC4 family line, that my next bike (1973 CB500K) and then my current 1976 CB550F were natural choices.

If I had $4000 to spend all at once on a bike I'd probably look for a mid-70's BMW R75/5 or the like.  But, I love the styling of my Sunrise Orange CB550F and love the size.  I'm into the bike for a grand total of CAD$2,100 including a full top end rebuild (new pistons, bore, valve job, carb rebuild, points, condensors, etc. etc.).  I now know what's inside the bike and that gives me a good sense of comfort.  Kind of like my 90 year old house.  I'm not happy until I've ripped it apart and rebuilt it so I know what's inside the walls.

So, long story short, and it's a great credit to the community on this board - it's the SOHC4 Forum that kept me in the family.

[douglascoolgrey]

I lucked into mine. Guy down the street was selling a cheap, good looking motorcycle. I could afford it. First ride and I liked it. First time it broke down and I fixed it, I fell in love.

Now that I know more about the line and their place in history, I'm hooked.

(1976 cb550 f)

[SteveD CB500F]

Hey Ernie, I fit your profile perfectly.  I saw my first 500/4 at the local bike club when I had a CB125S in 1975 - fell in love and bought one as soon as I could afford it (and after obtaining requisite licence).

I would actually covet an early Macintosh, as an electronics engineer of that time, I remember them well.

I do have a 1973(?) Sinclair Scientific calculator in my desk draw.

[mcpuffett]

i got my 76 f1 off my mate for £500, roughly 14 years ago i was working part time and paid him £50 a week till i had paid it off then i took the bike , at the time i used to go to 2 or 3 bike rally's that were long distance and the 750 came along at the right price and the right time,i will never sell it as it still does everything another bike will do    mick.

[WVCB500F]

For me it was a no brainer...I was looking to start riding a few years ago and my wife's uncle had a 73 CB500F (that he had bought from my father-in-law) sitting in the barn...neither of them thought it was worth too much so it was given to me.  My first intentions were to ride it a year and buy something newer, but the combination of being able to work on/fix it myself (although a love-hate relationship at times when it's in the garage), the great group on this site, growing attached to it and just the enjoyment of riding this bike has changed my mind.

[hymodyne]

I grew up in the 70's in the midwest around bikes, although most were dirt bikes. my first motorcycle was a cb100, which I chucked after I got my first triumph motorcar, a spitfire for about 600 bucks. After moving to new england to teach a few years ago, I saw a cb400 for sale and liked the looks of it. I'm a tinkerer, and need things to keep my hands occupied and provide a break from reading, writing and grading (I'm an assistant professor of english and black studies at a small private college). I'm finishing my dissertation, so working on my bike ( I took a frame rear wheel and engine from a cb 500 off a junk heap in november) provides a nice change of pace to pouring over yet another book or looking at my thesis on this ^$%#$& computer screen.

besides, these bikes are simple, yet elegant. I'd stand them against any new "instant vintage" model of today anyday.

cheers

hym

[cb750_chris]

I just love Japanese Fours.  From the first bike I could afford for a thousand dollars I was hooked.  You can't get a better bike for any kind of money.  Then I learned that some of them are actually valuable.  Got myself a buyers guide and learned that the cb750 is the dady of em all.  I'd have taken lots of others if I had the luck to turn them up.  As dumb luck would have it my first find is my sandcast.  I have a whole list of vintage bikes I would like to turn up.  Honda SOHC4's and DOHCtwins are among the top of them.   

[rob]

Luck of the draw for me.  A friend of a friend wanted to get rid of his bike, and I wanted to get one.  It was an '81 CB650 with 60,000 km on it and in pretty good shape.  It turned out there was a lot of online resources and a great devoted online community built around the bikes, so I would definately get another SOHC 4 if and when the opportunity comes.

Rob

[MetalHead550]

I bought my 75 550 right after I turned 22, Im only 23 now.  First off Ill say that I'm very much an individual..to the point that anything mainstream generally repulses me.  I feel that people who do what everyone else is doing are meek of mind and either dont know who they are and what they like or are afraid of not fitting in if they do something different.  I have yet to see another person of my age riding a nice example of a 500-750..or any classic Jap/Britt bike.  So the fact that you dont see these things on the road anymore and the fact that I bought it and ride because its what I like and dont give a flying F what the douches my age riding crotch rockets think fits me rather well.  I love these bikes first off because they were disigned with performance, practicality, and functionalty in mind and therefor look cool because they have nothing more than whats needed to be a good bike.  No big plastic crap with flashy decals or big flared finders and chrome to say "look at me."  Its like an F-16...they look awesome!  And they look that way because their design is based on finely tuned, performance oriented physics.   I like the standard upright riding position because it just makes sense..its comfortable, youre ballanced and in control.  I also did my research before purchase and found that Hondas SOHC4s are very reliable bikes and easy to work on.  And its true.  I also read that the 550s where the best handling jap bikes you could get at the time.  The 550 is docile at low rpms so it makes a perfect beginners bike, but is peppy enough when master it to be fun as a daily rider.  The 75 was my first bike so it was perfect for me.  Now I'm in love with and will never sell it.

[jbailey]

I graduated from High School in 1979.  My first bike was a 1981 Suzuki GS450.  My oldest brother had a friend who had a 1968 Triumph 650 Bonneville.  I thought the Bonneville was (and still do) the nicest looking bike made.  I still love the old BSA's and Triumphs.  Problem is I wanted something to ride, not spend the majority of time repairing.  I decided to buy a Kawasaki W650, but upon going to the dealer found out that "it didn't sell well enough and has been discontinued".  I told him that they had given it all of two years with NO advertising and now that I found it some idiot decides it's not selling well enough!  The best part is that they still sell them in Europe.  Why not let people order one if they want?

Anyway, I began looking for a used bike since I'm not into Harley clones and crotch rockets, and had about given up when a guy down the street had a 1975 Honda 550 in the front yard for sale.  I stopped and test rode it and promptly fell in love with it and the price!  It now resides at my house.

Unfortunately the previous owner had installed some nice high rise bars and sissy bar (circa 1975) and painted it "because the original color was ugly.  I did find a nice set of handlebars and reinstalled them.  I trashed the sissy bar and handlebars.  I installed a unifilter and NGK iridium plugs, replaced the rear sprocket with a 34 tooth and new chain, cleaned and set the points and replaced the flasher and voltage regulator with up to date electronics.  I also installed a halogen light so I could see more than 5 feet down the road at night!

The bike runs like a swiss watch and gets about 50 MPG without driving like an old lady.

The next project will be to install a loobman oiler and maybe replace the Cheng Shins that came on it.  Oh and get a sheepskin for my aging butt!

[Salem350F]

The first Motorcycle I rode was a 1968 Honda CB-350.  The first bike I owned was a Honda CA-77 Dream I’ve been on Harley's ,Benelli's, Moto Guzzi’s and had a commuter for several years, a 75 Yamaha RD-350, quite the screamer.  I was away from bikes for around 20 years till my son came home with his motorcycle learner’s permit.  Just the excuse that I was looking for to get back in to bikes.  I thought about what I liked and agreeing with cb 750 chris the DOHC and SOHC Honda are classics, beautiful and remind me of my younger days.

I love to go out and just look at the bikes like a sculpture, Simple, rugged and reliable and one can work on them.   Best of all I only paid $500 for each one. (And probably another 500 getting them the way I want them).  I have a hard time deciding which one to ride.

[Geeto67]

I am 27. My father owned about 10 cb750s most of them bought new. My uncle still owns the 73 he bought new. AS the son of a cafe racer I always liked notons and cb750s. After owning a norton I found out why people liked them so much...brit bike styling in a bike you can actually ride everyday. plust they are 1/4 the cost of any brit bike and tons of people I knew growing up had them.

[SCJIM]

i first rode a CB650 in New York
it was a 79 CB650Ca lil rough around the edges but i was impressed with the smooth ride.
the bike i had before was a yamaha 550 enduro "single" cylinder
when you get off of it you still felt every inch you just rode.

anyway i must have covered all of Staten Island, brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan with that 79 650.
but when i moved south i sold her to a coworker who kept her for a while and sold her to yet another coworker.

i went without for 10 years guys. I really missed my 650, and the road.

but opertunity met timing & finances and some Irony mixed in for good measure. I just happened to see an ad for
a 1981 CB650 i replyed and within the day of seeing the add i owned another CB650 Custom!

...and I dont think I'll ever give her up.

[jsaab2748]

I was lucky enough at age 16 in 1973, for my dad to aquire a 750 k3 that was a bank repo bike.
$1250.00 and about 4000 miles. Turned out ours was the only bid on it. Baccus Olive Custom......
It showed up in our driveway on a COLD cloudy day late in December. Soon as the old man got a ride back to work from a coworker, I noticed he left the key, still in the ignition. Windchill be damned..... I think it maybe only took a half a block before I was totally seduced by that fantastic machine. I think it was about 20 degreesF that day. And It just didn't matter. I've been lucky to own 4 different
ones (mentioned k3, Flake sunrise orange k4, Flake apricot red k5, and current planet blue metallic k5)
I guess the reason I ride one is because nothing else can deliver, for me anyway, that total satisfaction of ownership. The look, feel, sound, and history all combined. There are other bikes I'd like to have and maybe will someday, but I'll never sell my 750. That'd be like selling an old friend.

[cub]

The main reason for me was price. Old Hondas were cheap when I was 18 and was looking for a bike (that was some 15 years ago though). Also opportunity since my dad stumbled over a Honda CB450 -69 which was very cheap. Being in my Jimi Hendrix phase how can you say no to a bike from 1969?!

Today old Hondas are picking up in price over here, but it's still more bike for the money than newer plastic stuff.

[Bob Wessner]

Though more a statement for vintage bikes in general over modern (though I obviously favor SOHC/4's), as I was running some errands today I it dawned on me that all the current/modern bikes; a) look very much alike, and b) everything is hidden behind plastic shells. You can't see the heart of the machine(s) at all. Sad.

[chrometank]

Bought mine in about 5 cardboard boxes plus the frame and wheels.Paid the guy $400 .Hadnt had much to do with them but by the time i had put it back together and added a little of my own ideas to our japanese friends,I was a convert!!! These motors look as hot as they come and riding it around the motor to me feels like a big old 350 chevy .Ive had ducatis but you meet the nicest people on a honda  !

[TARKUS512]

I never own a bike before and finally was determind to have one. My bosses friend was getting rid of one that he didn't have time or space to deal with (I think it was the wife's idea) . So he sells it to me for $150 bucks on credit, delivered to my job sight unseen. Just happen to be a SOHC4. At the time it didn't matter what kinda bike it was, I had me a bike now. Since then, I've grown a special liking to the motorcycles that I remember oh so well from my youth. Now I've got the fever.

[GroovieGhoulie]

Britbike styling
Japanese reliability
The prestige of Four cylinders
cheap tp buy
cheap to maintain
parts are plentiful and still made by Honda


When I started looking for a bike, I started looking at late '60s/early '70s Britbikes.  I REALLY wanted a 750 Commando.  But then I found the Hondas almost by accident.

Hmm...
Electric Start
Front disc brake
Overhead Cams
Four Cylinders
Doesn't leak oil and the electrical systems don't run on smoke.
WAY cheaper than a Norton or Triumph

It was a no-brainer.  Screw the Norton!

[ProTeal55]

I wanted a bike that met the following :

1. Cheap in price
2. Parts still available
3. Can be customized/modified
4. Reliable
5. Good re-sale value (not that I will ever sell it)
6. Was pre 1975 (Can't stand the look of the "newer" CB bikes, sorry guys)

The good ol' 1972 CB750 met all of these with flyin colors...

[robbiec]

     I think I'm in the "I can't afford a classic brit bike" group. The SOHC4s have all the brit bike classic styling (spoked wheels, nice chrome fenders, beautiful paint, open engine), Japanese reliability, power and they are still super affordable.

It will either be awhile or never before I can afford a classic car, and with my CB550K1, I'll get all the looks and satisfaction with less room and less price, 

I was also looking for a bike that was kick start and simple to work on. Well, the twin riders at work still aren't convinced that a 4 is the way to go, but they'll come around when I finally roll it in during our parking lot shows. 

[Ceej]

Im not sure exactly how i became interested in classic jap bikes, but for some reason they just appealed to me.  Nice classic styling, simple, reliable, and affordable.  I'm only 20 now, and i bought my first bike about 6 months ago (74 cb750) and I love it so much.  I ride rediculous amounts and I cant get enough.  I had been wanting a sohc4 since I was about 17.  The combination of living with my parents and lack of funds had held me back until recently.  I wanted to get a bike this summer, but when i saw my bike for sale i figured i had to go look at it, ended up going broke and buying it, but im glad i did. 

Most of my friends dont really get why I would want a classic bike, although a few of them love it.  I get a lot of interesting comments from my female friends.  Mainly things like "does it work?" and "youre going to die."  There is also the occational "take me for a ride" which is nice.  My parents were pulling the "its dangerous, dont get a bike" thing and i cant blame them, thats what parents do.  When i finally told them i got a bike and rode it over to their house, my dad told me about how he wanted to get a sohc4 back when they came out, so he was pretty stoaked.

[bill440cars]

                   One of the brand of bikes I grew up around was the Jawa/CZ and all of a sudden the
        jap bikes started showing up. Well, since I had the old 125cc Jawa, I got a Yamaha brochure
        and was comparing the specs. (especially the hp ratings) and there was no comparasion! Just
        a few years later, while in the Air Force, I was going to be sent to Japan and I told my
        Grandfather I was going to see about getting one of those Yamahas (by now, I was
        impressed by the 250s). My Grandfather told me that I should check out the Hondas. Well,
        when it was all said and done, there I was with my newly purchased 1 1/2 year old Honda 66'
        CB72 and that's how I got to where I am today. While I have some fours (which are project
        bikes), I do have an old 63' CB77 (w/ a CA77 motor somebody put into it) that's not in very
        good shape ( hope to get it going after I change the motor out or convert it all to CB77) and
        I want to give it the look of my old CB72 but, with some motor mods and maybe a 5sp trans
        (w/ info from HondaMan). Wish me Luck, I'm gonna need it. While I do like all kinds of bike,
       Jawa (because of my background with bikes) & Honda are the main ones to me.

                Later, I'll have to tell you guys about where I tried to store my CB72 in the winter while
       I was in Japan and my 1st Sgt. was not happy!

                                                            Later on, Bill
       

[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.