Topic: The first time I laid eyes on a CB750

[Doobie]

In Sept. 1970, I saw a candy blue-green parked in front on my college in Paris. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen and I had been around all kinds of motorcycles already by that time. The color was stunning in the bright sunlight; the exhaust left me  speechless. It oozed quality in every nut and bolt and suddenly made Triumphs, BSAs, Velocettes, Vincents, BMWs and every other bike I coveted look like creaky antiques. I swore right then I would own one. It took me far longer than I thought it would to buy my first CB750 (acquired a 1977 in 1999) and I've had four since, but I still haven't got that blue-green one yet.


What's your when and where story?

[MauiK3]

I was in college in Jacksonville, Florida. I had a 350 Honda (for a short time) and my friend bought a candy red K0. I took one look and heard it for a few seconds and went down and bought a non sandcast K0 I candy blue green.  My friend and I proceeded to ride all over north Florida and South Georgia when there were pretty much sleepy towns and small roads. I lost the K0 when someone cut me off, I was ok and insurance bought me a new K1. I drove it coast to coast twice. When riding with my friend I used to like to be behind him as we easily exited corners so I could listen to the exhaust rumble.
When I recently purchased my current K3 from the original owner I decided to renew the consumables and make it look mostly like my candy blue green K0. Glad I did.

[ekpent]

 I did not have much of a romance with CB750's when I was younger. I grew up a Suzuki 2 stroke guy with dirt/moto bikes. My dad had a T500 and then a GT750 water buffalo. I got a 1973 Sazook GT750 when I was a senior in high school (1977) and rode that till I had a bad crash and almost totaled it out.Fixed it up after sitting for a year and sold it. Around 1981 I felt the urge for another street bike and happened on a 1976 CB750 for a good price and snatched it up. I really liked it. I still have the engine from it in another bike as it eventually got an RC836 kit and a cam. Rode it for a long time till a friend totaled it and himself somewhat. Bought another and then another and another and now I got a barn full of them  Since I have had one in the stable continuously since 1981 I do not see that changing any time soon. Fun easy to work on machines that just keep going !

[Keith]

I had an XL250, and traded it in on a cb550 in sunrise orange. It developed a cam noise, #4 valves would not stay in adjustment. Dealer said needed a new camshaft, traded it in for a cb750 K6. Loved that bike! At the time the fuel tank seemed SO big. I almost killed myself  the first day. Visited my friend in New Milford CT, going home to NY on Route 7 at dusk I decided to open it up a bit. A the last minute I saw a car sitting in the road, dead, no hazards. I was hauling ass leaning into the curve...i grabbed the brakes and must have hit the rear a bit too hard. I missed the car, I don’t know how, but I was all crossed up and sliding. I stopped, got off the bike, my hands were shaking. I eventually lost my license (GTO) and, sold the bike.

[HondaMan]

I was working for General Foods when I went to the local Honda shop (Spring Street Honda) for sparkplugs for my SuperHawk and saw the Candy Blue-Green 750 through the front window. I couldn't buy it ('twas sold already), but I applied to the shop as a wrench and got the job in a week. I immediately paid my down payment on the next 750 they were supposed to get (they were on allocation in 1969-70 because the demand was so high: big shops got more than little shops like this one was), but lots of folks wanted one: I wanted the Blue-Green one. The next one in was Candy Red: I wasn't in love with the color, but oh, well...the shop owner sold it to his brother-in-law before I got to work the next day (he sold it to him at 10 PM the night before, after we had prepped the bike for running). I was mad, but it WAS Red, and the shop owner promised me the next one...so, OK...when the next one came, it was Valley Green, gorgeous in my eyes even though not blue: the senior mechanic prepped it and I made arrangements to have someone else drive me to work so I could ride it home the next day. When I got there, the bike was gone: the owner sold it to his friend, the shop's banking officer who handled the Floor Plan financing for the shop. I not only had no ride home, I was pissed...I called our main competitor, Mannheim Honda, to see if they had one: a customer there had just lost his financing to buy it, but they had a Candy Gold one available. I called my parents to come and get me to take me to the bank and Mannheim Honda, walked off work about 10 AM and went and paid for the bike in cash - NO ONE did that in those days, so Mannheim brought in a bank clerk to verify they really were (3) $500 bills and a some $100 bills ($1736 even, out the door), and I rode the bike back to work. No one talked to me all afternoon. When I got ready to leave at 6 PM, as I was the 'new guy' so I had to work the 5-6 PM part of the days, I went to leave and discovered the shift lever was gone from my new 750. I walked back in and found the manager/owner and told him about it: he looked kind of sheepish and helped me look through the whole shop to find it. Someone had put it in between 2 parts bins in the Parts Rack. I took it out to the bike, reinstalled it, rode home, and the next day drove my car back to that shop, collected my tools, pay, and quit. I had worked the entire summer there by then, trying to get a 750.

That's just how it was! It didn't get better until 1972, by which time you could usually get one in about a month.

[dhall57]

Even though I didn't get my first CB750 until many years later I first saw one in person at a Honda dealer in Greensboro, NC around 1970. Being 13 years of age I thought the 4 cyl engine was huge. I knew a bike that looked that good had to be fast. Not sure why I never got a CB750 in my youth, but waited until 2009 some 39 years after I first laid eyes on one.

[scunny]

It was the 500 that caught my eye, always considered the 750 to be "a wide hipped country girl"
oops, there I said it. Still do actually, but each to their own, if we all liked the same thing, the world would be a very boring place.

[Short shins]

It was the 500 that caught my eye, always considered the 750 to be "a wide hipped country girl"
oops, there I said it. Still do actually, but each to their own, if we all liked the same thing, the world would be a very boring place.

There is a reason I call my CB750 Ermintrude.. I had the use of a 750 back in the day and with me stepping off a Suzuki T350 the CB was a bit of a whale.. my first SOHC was a CB550 but something drew me to my 750. To answer the OP I cant really recall seeing my first 750 I was aware of them just never really noticed. weird or what? considering I have been a 750 owner for over 10 years now

[PeWe]

First CB750's I saw was early 70's. My memory has photos saying K1 side covers. They looked huge from the angle of an 11-13 years old kid not very tall. I remember the front left view with all 4 mighty pipes.

I started to look for a "heavy" (over 125cc) bike late 1978 visiting bike shops in my town. A friend had bike and had ideas about a first bike for me. I have had mopeds before I had modified from legal 1hp to 5-6hp/80kmh. A Zundapp KS125 for training.

I had 500cc in my mind. Saw Ducati and a Kawasaki 750 2-stroke I was warned for.
One very cold day in January 1979 we were 4 people that went by car to another town with a big Motorcycle centre. Car was an old Beetle with ice inside all windows all 4 had to scrape during the 80km journey.

At that bike shop they had lots of bikes. I had an eye for a Kawasaki green Z650, Ducati 500 with its special valve train, several CB750K6 in the dark red color and new K7.

Then I saw a very beautiful very special bike, a blue CB750K6 that looked fantastic! Love at first sight, a must have! My friend was a little bit worried about that as first bike but knew how good they were and he had one before. The good thing was all aftermarket parts for the CB750. Rebuild was a must then!
No other bike caught my eyes like that one. This is the same bike I still have my blue K6.

So I decided for it, reserved it with $70USD fee, not refundable if I should change my mind.
Months after that I sent money to the shop at each salary until May 15 where we went back for final payment for the cash to be paid, wrote contract for 2 years payment.
My friend drove the bike, I sat behind back home.
We trained driving following weeks and exactly one month later I had my license. The licence test on a CB125

The world really opened on a bike, a good bike I could go everywhere.
A week later I followed other bikers to festival city 300km away near the east coast camping and party.
I met a curvy platinum blonde I quickly got to know better rather instantly in a tent. She had followed another guy on a CB500, only friends. But she did not like to sit as a passenger on the CB500, CB750 much better for her so we escaped the day after for other adventures.

It were nice biking days then and the years to follow. All bikers waved heir hands when meeting on the roads or just talking on all cafes that were spread all over the country with jukeboxes and nice food. Most of them are closed since late 80's.
The bike was rebuilt every year the following years. 4 long holiday tours in Europe around 6000km each.  Really fun bike meets from 1979 to circa 1984. One bike club had a contest where all teams got a map with stations to find in the forest. At each station a container with something to drink that we had to guess what it was. Only one chance to drink as much you could. If taking it down no more. none of us remembered that contest the day after when we were announced as winners!

Bike parked in a barn 1990. Took it home 2009 when I opened an account on this forum (again, had one around 2003), started to look inside engine 2010. I still remembered how to work with it. I had taken the engine apart several times before.

2012 serious restore that was finalized sept 2013 and ready to start.
Season 2014 back on the road again. And as usual, rebuild it every year or more.
Thanks to all inspiration I got here, more to the stock look.

I have to remind myself today and some years back when I see all rebuilds "destroying" a stock CB750 about how I thought early years of my bike. Rebuild is a must, stock is for boring geeks! I love stock bikes today!
Fun with all parts today!
CB750 is not only a bike, it's a way of living!

[Deltarider]

Dutch television used to have a program Wereld op wielen (World on Wheels). It was about cars and in every episode they tested one, except this time... they tested the CB750. I remember the images of the Honda stored in an industrial freezer to test the koude start (cold start) just like they used to do with cars. The CB fired up rightaway without any hesitation. I'd like to have a vid of that test but, alas, I've not found it yet.
Which reminds me... we've had a similar thread before. http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,171945.msg2001931.html#msg2001931

[Doobie]

Which reminds me... we've had a similar thread before. http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,171945.msg2001931.html#msg2001931

You have a better memory than mine and I even posted in that thread. Sorry!

[Deltarider]

No need to apologise, we're all getting older? What's your name again?

[Keith]

Mark, I was working at a VW dealership around 1980 as a mechanic/tech. Flat rate. I ran out of gas on the way to work, and asked for an advance of $5.00 until payday. Now keep in mind I had just received an award plaque for the least amount of "comebacks" for the year. I was told flatly "no", while I watch a salesperson in their own demo vehicle pull up to the pump and fill it up.  I asked the dealership owner why? They could simply deduct it from my pay if they were so concerned. "No". I called my wife, please get a lift to CT from NY , bring a gas can. I quit on the spot. Lousy rat bastards.

[_mark]

Around 1999, in journal of classic motorbikes. Some years later (2015) I bought a 750. It was also my first motorbike ever.

[Nicklopic]

Feel free to flame me lol

It was September 6th 2019... I only know that because I took a picture so my phone saves the time stamp too.
Adirondack Nationals in lake George, wondering around during the cruise night I saw it parked on a side street and had to go down and take a look. Ive seen maybe 3 CBs in person since I got into bikes that I know of, never a 750. It was cool to actually see one in person. It looks clean and mostly all original

[Stev-o]

I did not have much of a romance with CB750's when I was younger.

I did not either.  Like Eric, I also had a Suzi Smoker, an X6 Hustler 250 that my Dad bought when my brother and I were young teens. Later, I bought a YZ 125 motocross bike and then my first "big bike", a Kawasaki 1000 LTD [great bike!].

Around this time, a couple of my buddies had CB750's, but with white fairings on the front, thought they were so ugly "dressed up"! [still do].  Sold the Kawasaki and bought a boat and a couple years later missed having a bike, wanted a vintage bike.  After doing some research, I fell in love with the 550F and that sexy exhaust!  The 550 left me wanting more power on the road so I sold it and bought a CB750. And another and another and another!!!!  Love 'em but still love my Kawasakis, Suzuki and Yamaha. 

[Don R]

  My brother worked at the local Honda shop as a parts guy. He bought a 250 suzi and let me learn to ride on it. Later he bought a 58 beemer and a cl450. One sunday he rode the beemer and I rode the 450 on an afternoon back roads ride. I was hooked and bought a new cb500 K2 in the spring of 73. Later he got a K4 750 and I bought a used K3 750.  Time passed and we both got away from riding, I sold my k3 but he kept the k4. Years later, he had been rebuilding and selling 750's from lost title bikes and wrecks and the city was giving him grief over the carcasses in his backyard. I went to help clean up the mess and bought home 3 to build a nice rider from. For free. We all know how true that was.
 I went looking for nice 750 wheels and saw a K0 with Lester mags listed on craigslist. I went after it and brought it home. While working on it a friend that was a local 750 guru let me check out his 70 for wiring and cable routing. Later he got ALS, and when he passed I bought his 70 and K2 drag bike at his estate sale. That bike, titled as a 70 is a sandcast and the Lester bike I already had is an 11/69 diecast.  A friend that runs a mom and pop bike shop remembers building the Sandcast from the crate, still owns the diecast that he assembled next and my Lester wheeled diecast is probably the third one sold here with 4,000 serial  numbers between each of the three. Top that story.
 Oddly,  I don't remember the first sighting.

[Stev-o]

  My brother worked at the local Honda shop as a parts guy. He bought a 250 suzi and let me learn to ride on it.

Hey Don...was it an X6 like I have?  [similar to my first bike]

[Don R]

 He had one like an X6 but it was an early model with a 5 speed. Our mother almost fainted the first time we rode off together on it. He had recently recovered from a bad wreck in Japan.

[Keith]

Come to think of it, my BIL had a 69 cb750 in blue green. He dumped it at a toll booth, and my sister burnt her leg badly. He also had a Kawi 500 triple.

[ekpent]

 A woman back then wore a burn/scar on her leg like a badge of honor !  A Harley pipe would give a good one also.

[pjlogue]

I got interested in bikes back in 74.  After convincing my dad I would be very careful he said OK and I bought a used red 72' CL350.  Learned to ride with it and it had a lot of spunk for a smaller bike.  I wanted something with a little more weight and oomph and I traded it in for a 73' CB450.  Rode that for a year and a half. Every time I went into the Honda shop I drooled over the 750's.   My dad started to get interested in bikes and in the spring of 76' he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.  He said if I taught him to ride he would buy the 450 off me and loan me the money for the 750.  Back then I think they were going for around $2,195.  I had some money squirreled away and he and I went to the bike shop and I bought the new 1976 750K.  I picked it up two days later.  I went with my dad down to the DMV so he could get his learner's permit.  The guy behind the counter (stub of a cigar in his mouth) barked to my dad, "Aren't you going to talk him out of this"?  My dad replied, "he talked me into it, the permit is for me"  The guy behind the counter burst out laughing.

I rode that 750 all over.  It was my freedom machine.  Sun, heat, freezing cold, rain, hail and even snow a few times.  That was 44 years ago.  After I got busy with life, owned a small farm and with work the bike sat in the barn for many, many years,.  Hay and dirt dust, bird #$%*, it looked in very rough shape.  I almost left it behind when I sold the farm.  A little voice inside me said keep it.  3 years later I went out in the garage and thought I would see if I could get it started.  One thing lead to another and once I cleaned on part the other parts looked worse.  I ended up stripping the whole bike down and doing a full restoration.  One of the first rides out after it was finished an older guy on a Harley, at a stop light barked at me "what year is that?"  I said 76'.  He said it was the best restoration of one of those he had ever seen.  That made all the work and sweat worth it.  I am so glad I held on to the bike all these years. 

I restored a 76' GL1000 two years ago.  Love it but the 750 is still my favorite. 

-P.

[ekpent]

 Nice story PJ, I enjoyed it. Not too many original owner guys here and am glad you kept it all these years.

[pjlogue]

Thanks ekpent.  I real glad I hung on to it too.  When I ride now I think of when I was young riding it and all the memories come flooding back.  I'm in central NY and the winters are just too long for me now.  The wife and I bought a home in NC last Jan.  I'm winding down to retire and join my wife down there this summer.  The thought of actually having a spring and fall to ride is wonderful.  I'm in the shadow of the great lakes and sunshine is a rarity here.  Winter starts in Nov. and goes to late April.  They are calling for the possibility of snow next weekend.    Riding brings me a lot of joy as does working on the bikes.  I just hope I'm lucky enough to be able to do this well into my 80's.

-P.

[Kevin D]

Hey Eric, I can't quite get this photo here and maybe you have already seen it, but I think you will like it: My K1 and my pals brand new Suzuki GT 750. Memorial Day 1972. Chuck and I were the advance group for our biking/camping weekend at Sleeping Bear. The photo is tucked in on the last page of the Member Gallery, or by this link.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;pic=55