Topic: CB750K serial number

[willbird]

I have a bike that I have for some reason always thought was a 1973, not remembering why I thought so. Serial number on tag is CB750-22048xx and the date on the tag is 10/1972

Bill

[bryanj]

10/72 would be built in factory date, take account of sea and land shipping plus build and delivery time it probably was not sold till 73

[newday777]

CB750-22048xx is a K3

[ekpent]

One quirk a 1972 cb750 has is the turn signal mute button at the bottom of the left hand control. One year only deal at least here in the USA. I've used it on mine but a handful pressing it and doing the clutch etc.. 

[PeWe]

My K6 built 1976 in Japan and imported Q3-76 is registered as model year 1977.

Vehicles getting next year in registration very common. Maybe from Q3.

The serial number lists a good help to identify the bike to order  correct parts.

[willbird]

One quirk a 1972 cb750 has is the turn signal mute button at the bottom of the left hand control. One year only deal at least here in the USA. I've used it on mine but a handful pressing it and doing the clutch etc.. 

My 1972 on the original title has that button.

[PeWe]

One quirk a 1972 cb750 has is the turn signal mute button at the bottom of the left hand control. One year only deal at least here in the USA. I've used it on mine but a handful pressing it and doing the clutch etc.. 

My 1972 on the original title has that button.

My K2 got it too
Low cost version from Z1 parts.
https://z1parts.net/35250-341-672-CB750K2-Left-hand-control-switch/

I bought RH switch here as well.
Off Lo Hi

Sweden had another RH switch with PLH. Parking Lo Hi
Light on-off via an additional small switch beside the LH switch.
(I have both those for future upgrade. Bought Honda  NOS while still available $$$)

I added the buzzer to remind me about forgetting the blinkers on. I have had many close moments due to removed buzzer.

Sometimed good to press the button to turn off the buzzer as red light, car before me in queue can wonder

[willbird]

One quirk a 1972 cb750 has is the turn signal mute button at the bottom of the left hand control. One year only deal at least here in the USA. I've used it on mine but a handful pressing it and doing the clutch etc.. 

My 1972 on the original title has that button.

My K2 got it too
Low cost version from Z1 parts.
https://z1parts.net/35250-341-672-CB750K2-Left-hand-control-switch/

I bought RH switch here as well.
Off Lo Hi

Sweden had another RH switch with PLH. Parking Lo Hi
Light on-off via an additional small switch beside the LH switch.
(I have both those for future upgrade. Bought Honda  NOS while still available $$$)

I added the buzzer to remind me about forgetting the blinkers on. I have had many close moments due to removed buzzer.

Sometimed good to press the button to turn off the buzzer as red light, car before me in queue can wonder

I bought an el cheapo set of controls and they have the button, not recalling if it was 4:1 I got them from maybe ??

[jlh3rd]

I have a bike that I have for some reason always thought was a 1973, not remembering why I thought so. Serial number on tag is CB750-22048xx and the date on the tag is 10/1972

Bill

That’s because there’s not really a 1973 U.S. Honda 750. It may have been titled or registered as such….or in many cases, the same model was titled or registered in other years. This has left a legacy of confusion….so:
Honda adopted year policy in1973 and implemented said policy starting in 1974. Prior to that there were sell dates and release dates.
Notice that in the picture. Therefore, the K2 was available through early 1973 and the K3 also in 1973….So honda began to fix that starting in 1974 in the U.S.
Which is why the engine/frame #’s tell the tale especially before 1974.
Here’s the official statements

[jlh3rd]

See how this worked?

[willbird]

I have a bike that I have for some reason always thought was a 1973, not remembering why I thought so. Serial number on tag is CB750-22048xx and the date on the tag is 10/1972

Bill

That’s because there’s not really a 1973 U.S. Honda 750. It may have been titled or registered as such….or in many cases, the same model was titled or registered in other years. This has left a legacy of confusion….so:
Honda adopted year policy in1973 and implemented said policy starting in 1974. Prior to that there were sell dates and release dates.
Notice that in the picture. Therefore, the K2 was available through early 1973 and the K3 also in 1973….So honda began to fix that starting in 1974 in the U.S.
Which is why the engine/frame #’s tell the tale especially before 1974.
Here’s the official statements

I never transferred the title to this bike, 99% sure I never even had it in hand. I traded some engine parts for it and the title was in the name of a co worker that I traded the parts to. talked to the guy but never got the paperwork done. Need to go through the steps to get a title for it. The county title place told me to come over and pick up a "packet" that has everything I need to do and in what order......anyway I just wondered what it actually was.

It has been 30 years but I have always been sure it was a 73...that has me wondering if I actually had a paper open title at one time, I cannot lay hands on one now. I always kind of treated it as a parts bike or spare engine but for some fiddling around and $50 I'd rather have a titled bike in the end.

Bill

[jlh3rd]

Others in here have the titling an untitled bike knowledge.
Good luck with your DMV.

[willbird]

Others in here have the titling an untitled bike knowledge.
Good luck with your DMV.

I have read a bit here and there but I know the lady who answered the phone at the title place and it sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Might run over there tmw. Worst case I am right where I had presumed I was for years anyway :-).

Bill

[jlh3rd]

Good
My info is just FWIW and FYI. I’m sure that lady could title the bike as a ‘72 or ‘73. But armed with this new info can make it known that at least you know Honda workings and helps you appear knowledgeable.

[HondaMan]

The [CB750]22nnnnn series numbers indicated the K3, and they lost the "beeper kill" button on the left handlebar when compared to the K2, and got different-looking instruments - and the 'RUN-OFF' switch's lever got moved to a right-angle version instead of being inline with the pointer (not to mention 3 different carb calibrations, 2 different exhaust pipe innards and 2 different spark advancers in one model/year, the K3).

HOWEVER....since there were also 2 factories making these bikes after the K1 (approximately) 1/71 builds and until the K4 version, the numbers between about 4/71 and 9/72 got a little "mixed up" sometimes. This came about from bikes that were partially built but got new (or old) "kaizen" version parts, like differing engine pieces inside or electrical harnesses, because the demand outstripped Honda's ability to fill the orders for the bikes. Usually the more visible parts (tank, side covers, emblems, instruments) stayed very close to the "K" version that matched the title for the bike - that is, until American Honda started letting some of the larger dealers 'retitle' unsold bikes over into the next year, thoroughly confusing the "K model vs. year model" situation. This latter practice happened for sure in Illinois, California, New York, Indiana, North & South Carolina, and Arizona - but not everywhere, and this list might be incomplete, as differing State's Motor Vehicle Departments treated this practice differently.

[willbird]

The bike is for sure a K2+ because it has the later speedo tach mounting. I did not realize how pricey the K3 triple tree is, I’m glad I never got around to modifying the one on my K2 to mount an additional gauge or maybe a clock in the middle.

[HondaMan]

The bike is for sure a K2+ because it has the later speedo tach mounting. I did not realize how pricey the K3 triple tree is, I’m glad I never got around to modifying the one on my K2 to mount an additional gauge or maybe a clock in the middle.

Yeah, the 'rhino horn' top tree was [supposedly] discontinued in the 3/72 K2 version of the bike.
But, I say 'supposedly' as Honda's practice then was to put all good parts out the door, one way or another. This all came to a screeching halt in 1980 when the US DOT made a stink of it. In Honda's defense: Sochiro nearly bankrupted the company (again) to develop the 750 in the short timeframe they did, which cost him his position as the head of the company in early 1973. They were also developing their first cars for export then, and much infighting for Yen was occurring in the company's upper eschelon.

[Don R]

   The way I remember it, when Honda lost the New York class action lawsuit over retitled bikes, I got $39 for the 1973 cb500 I bought that was a left over 72. Anyway, Mr. Honda was so PO'ed they began production of 1976 bikes right then in April of 75. That's why there are fewer 1975 bikes.

[HondaMan]

   The way I remember it, when Honda lost the New York class action lawsuit over retitled bikes, I got $39 for the 1973 cb500 I bought that was a left over 72. Anyway, Mr. Honda was so PO'ed they began production of 1976 bikes right then in April of 75. That's why there are fewer 1975 bikes.

I seem to remember that, too, or something very much like it.

[jlh3rd]

Possible reasons why year/sell/release/title dates were screwed up.

[jlh3rd]

And