Topic: Honda's new CB750

[eldar]

I dont know. It could happen again. I mean many people are getting tired of all the bikes looking the same.  people are getting tired of the cookie cutter choppers and cruisers and rockets. There was a suzuki that was a bit retro looking that is on their site now. It is liek a cross between these hondas and a rocket sorta. It is at least something different.  the main problem is kids all want the rockets, then they out grow them but feel they need a huge cruiser to look cool and manly to their friends. big bikes are not for everyone.

I saw a woman on a some big vulcan and I'm sorry but it was WAY to big for her. She barely passed her exam with it. Me on my 78k blew thru the exam like it wasnt even there.  I would have lost points on a part cause I was supposed to roll thru a part but instead hit the brakes. I stopped so well though that they gave it all to me. I lost no points at all!  So much for big bikes being better!

[ProTeal55]

It would be nice if Honda came out to battle the Thruxton.
Could be a battle of the retro/cafe bikes all over again !

be nice if the thruxton was selling.

I dont know where you live but in the summer months you can't go for a ride without seeing atleast 4 Thruxton's around Chicago.

[mlinder]

The pendulum is swinging. Smaller standards, and the 'mods' (cafe and bob) we do to them will become the fad soon enough. It's already happening. There's a thousandfold more links and information regarding these bikes and others like them than there was even 5 years ago.
Prepare to be commonplace.

[mazingerzeca]

The 750 looks definitely too eighties; much more better the 400. I saw these photos of the Tokyo Motorshow 2001, and always had the hope that Honda would resurrect their Honda cb 750 on a "retro" style. This could be a good moment to do something for the people which would buy a Triumph Bonneville, a Ducati Paul Smart or a new Norton.
Being purist, maybe some of us wouldn't want a resurrection of our cb; I mean, a 70's bike is a bike produced in the seventies, not a 21 century bike with a 70s make-up, but, personally, I would like to have both.
What could we do to encourage Honda to produce 2001 prototype of these pictures?

[Jv550]

Change the tank on that 750 and it looks a lot like an '80s GPZ. Of course even '80s looks qualify as retro now. I'm loving that 400 though...

[cosmo]

You may just get your wish, there's a niche in the market for Honda America right now, with the CBR600F4i and 599 not in production for 2007. 

[Raul CB750K1]

That's not a "new" CB750. It has been sold in Spain for at least the last 15 years, and it's discontinued now because the model is just old and will probably be revamped.

I posted about it a while ago. We have never had the 400's here though...

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=4818.0


Raul

[kuyarico]

This needs the cafe treatment..

 

I agree. We need more pics of this bike.

[DammitDan]

Mmmm...  Paul Smart...

I sat on a 2006 Ducati Paul Smart the other day, it was a beautiful bike but uncomfortable (though I am 6'2, so I'm not surprised).

[MotoRico]

I believe the 599 is still produced - for Europe.  Seems like we get the hand me downs.  I love naked street bikes, but there are relatively few of them in the market.  All cruisers that are too heavy or plastic wrapped race repllicas. 

I would love it if motorcycle companies took a clue from Victoria's Secret and got rid of the superfluous baggage.

I'd jump on a Sportster that weighs 100lbs less.  Get it down to 450-460 and it would be in my garage.  The Sportster and the Bonneville are about the only 'classic' standards on American the market.  That is a shame.   

[ProTeal55]

Word on the "street" is that HD is comming out with a dual-disked/cafe seated Sporty sometime this year..Something like this would be wicked-ass kool --->

We shall see what they come up with...

[mlinder]

Word on the "street" is that HD is comming out with a dual-disked/cafe seated Sporty sometime this year..Something like this would be wicked-ass kool --->

We shall see what they come up with...

American Cafe Racers, the 'company' that made that bike, seems to have gone under. Too bad. They wanted a lot of money for that bike.

[Geeto67]

Word on the "street" is that HD is comming out with a dual-disked/cafe seated Sporty sometime this year..

Bike has been in all the major mags, I think HD made the formal announcement for the european market already:



http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/10/10/new-harley-davidson-xr1200/

I liked the storz conversion better:
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/05/10/storz-xr1200-conversion-kit/

besides which, harley already made a sporty cafe racer....XLCR, anybody remember them? The french are still building them and those bikes are better than ever:
http://www.mecatwin.com/en/motos/hd/xlcr/index.htm

As for the thruxton, I live in NYC and I see more than a couple around town. But I used to work for a shop that at the time was obtaining triumph. Word from triumph was that the thruxton was not selling as well as they had hoped, although they seem to be doing best in urban markets. Most of the dealers I spoke with outside NYC said the bike was not a big seller either. I like the bike, I really do, and I wish it was doing better numbers.

Of course it doesn't help that the mags of late have panned it as a motorcycle, preferring the ducati sport 1000.

As for the japanese, list all the bikes that were retro and a commercial failure and you'll come up with a lot, list that were a success and you can count them on one hand.

here I'll start:

Retro jap bikes that didn't sell well:

GB500
Zephyer
CB1000
W650
sr500

Retro jap bikes that sold ok:
zrx

any others?

[Heirborn]

The cb750's look a lot like the Nighthawk S. I bought an '84 S back in October, and ended up selling it a month later. Cool bike, fun to ride and very quick. I wanted a bike to ride when and if my K0 was down. The S is pretty much maint free, just not retro or old school enough for me. My wife got me an '07 Bonneville for Christmas and I am loving it. Turns as many heads as my K0 and almost as many as my wife's '72 CL70. I can now focus on my K0 and turning into a rat/cafe bike....need to get the stuff back from the painter and start putting it back together.

[paxtonpony]

Man, that blue, white and red 750 has my name all over it!  All it needs is a duck tail on the back and I'd fly to japan and get one!  LOL!
I could see them bringing those bikes over here if they passed emissions.  The street fighter craze has japan brining over some real interesting bikes right now.  These could easily sell if they were priced right and had good performance.  Problem is, they're gonna need at least 120hp for anyone to even look at them.  I kind of feel like that was a reason for the GB500 failure.  Really cool looking bike but it no hp.  I passed up one just a few months ago mostly because it's a dog.

[WJL75]

The 400 is a nice looking bike.  It definately has cafe potential.  I think the 750 is a bit too eighties for my taste.

[CaféElite]

I think the there is a lot of potential in the states for bike that dont fall in the cruiser and rocket circle. Look how dual sports, motards and mopeds are really starting to take off let alone the crazy custom scene we have.

I think that HD cafe sportster has the ability to please to the younger crowd for HD but there is one company I am blown away that has not kicked out a cafe bike and that is buell... For the love of god they could actually pretty much take a stock lighting and make a cafe variant of it(Clip ons, different sear and a few little tweaks).  Thats what I would like to see.. I would pick it up in a second.

[KB02]

The thing that I love about these bikes is that it's a return to the "Standard".  I work with a bunch of guys that all ride cruisers, mostly metric with a couple Harley's thrown in, I'm constantly having to explain my desire to restore my CB, rather than buying something like theirs.  They don't seem to understand that the motorcycle world has been reduced down to (with damn few exceptions) only 2 styles... Cruisers and Squid bikes, and these aren't for everyone.  Frankly, I'd rather restore a 30 year old CB than ride one of these newer bikes.  The previously mentioned exceptions are, alas, too rich for my blood. ($)  I welcome a return to the standard bike, one that you can customize as you wish rather than owning a cookie cutter "custom" that costs you twice the price of the bike in factory "catalog" parts to make it stand out from the other 2 million cruisers out there.  If Honda is smart enough to bring this machine over here, I may have to rethink my attitude of never owning another new bike.  I hope others follow suit.

PS, This doesn't mean I'd get rid of my F2, at least not till they pry my cold dead fingers off the throttle...  

AMEN, brother. AMEN!!!

[SD750F]

I agree. The CB400 has the right look and can be modified for all the Cafe riders. And the new 750 looks way too much like the eighty's Shadow including the tank/side cover sweep...

And then you have to consider that it would be really sweet of it was a SOHC! Not the DOHC that has more moving parts... I am a believer in KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) in everything except electronics...

Scott

[yamasarus]

I have emailed Kawasaki about the 1100 Zephyr. I will buy that bike if they bring it here. Modern performance with Retro looks! How can you not like it? The list of previous retro bikes lacked one important detail. Performance! It would seem that this bike can offer that. Kawasaki is fortunate in that they have an icon vintage bike that lends styling to a modern performance bike. Ducati is blessed with the same situation. The other Japanese manufacturers may have a problem making that cross over.

[Geeto67]

I have emailed Kawasaki about the 1100 Zephyr. I will buy that bike if they bring it here. Modern performance with Retro looks! How can you not like it? The list of previous retro bikes lacked one important detail. Performance! It would seem that this bike can offer that. Kawasaki is fortunate in that they have an icon vintage bike that lends styling to a modern performance bike. Ducati is blessed with the same situation. The other Japanese manufacturers may have a problem making that cross over.

you can get used zephyrs in the states pretty cheap these days, they weren't that hot a selling motorcycle when they were imported here. Then it is just a matter of cosmetics: Repainting all the chromed plastic black, chainging the paint scheme, and doing something about those godawful brushed aluminum rims that the US models all wore here (maybe a zxr wheel swap or something).

here's a 93' 1100 for $1500 in dallas:
http://www.zephyr-zone.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=forsale;action=display;num=1169498801

the zephyr zone is a good place to learn about these bikes (apparently a slab sided gsx 1400 motor is the popular swap in england)

http://www.zephyr-zone.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

An interesting note: the 400 thru 750 zephyrs were actually an evolution of the kz engine. The 1100 was a conversion from a watercooled powerplant and is the onyl with with dual plug heads. In the states the zephyr was replaced with the ZRX, and it is rumored some parts swap over. It would be nice if kawasaki built one with the zrx1200 w/c motor - then you would have real performance.