Topic: 1968 CB750 Example

[grcamna2]

Just looked on Sandcast Only forum and nothing mentioned about it ...apart from my post saying the same thing.

I guess Facebook has taken over ... real shame because it was the go-to site for anything early CB750 and a wealth of knowledge on there ...probably regurgitated (and possibly distorted) on social media. At least this site and the sister UK site thrives on...long may it continue.

I hadn't known about Sandcast Only.

[MauiK3]

Yes, it would be very interesting to know where Vic’s bike has been and how it was acquired, just the highlights. The blue bike doesn’t look right for some reason. The tank seems to be off something else like a 450. Maybe it’s a prototype tribute bike.
Hopefully the true prototype can be seen and enjoyed by many, it’s very, very cool.
I would love to hear it run, looks like there isn’t much baffling in it.

[fastbike1]

Yes, it would be very interesting to know where Vic’s bike has been and how it was acquired, just the highlights. The blue bike doesn’t look right for some reason. The tank seems to be off something else like a 450. Maybe it’s a prototype tribute bike.
Hopefully the true prototype can be seen and enjoyed by many, it’s very, very cool.
I would love to hear it run, looks like there isn’t much baffling in it.

MauiK3,

Thanks much for your interest...although, this is now the 2nd time I've seen the word "tribute" on this Forum.
And at first I thought: "Ok, there is NO way that CB750 enthusiasts would forego looking at the website for this bike on their computer:

https://www.cb750prototype.com/


 (for which I posted some 203 fotos there!)...but rather instead electing to just look on a phone! (for which the website provider has not made it easy at first glance to find the Other SIX pages there!).

Which is the only explanation I can think of.

Because once one sees All the fotos, especially comparing all the parts piece by piece with a street bike ("Engine + Carbs" page there), it's easy to see this is the real thing..and No!, not a 450 tank!
The prototype tank IS different than a stock 750/even than a sandcast. And to answer, I found the bike some 2 1/2 decades ago, mostly in boxes (except the big parts ofc).

Thanks for your interest, and I hope you are able to see all the fotos (they ARE viewable on a phone...seeing all 203 images a bit tedious there I would think).
Navigation from the Home Page is a bit hidden...JUST hit the 2 little dashes at the very top).

And I've long ago brought this up with the website firm, asking them can we put a simple "Menu" there instead of the dashes?...They even agreed it was a good idea!  lol...but still no change.

Thanks again,
Vic

[fastbike1]

Has anyone seen more information on this bike? It's not on the Vic World website. I found it randomly on instagram today.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6j5CM0ShU-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Jakec,

Thanks very much for starting this post. I actually just now saw your question about if there were prior old fotos (other than everything on the website)

https://www.cb750prototype.com/

Although.... when assembling it, I Did take a ton of fotos of each individual part (go to "Engine +Carbs" or "Frame" pages there for example).... when I found the bike, there were not even cell phones!

The bike (except for the big pieces) was mostly in boxes.

Ok, thanks again for your interest.
Vic

[Stev-o]

Has anyone seen more information on this bike? It's not on the Vic World website. I found it randomly on instagram today.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6j5CM0ShU-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Jakec,

Thanks very much for starting this post. I actually just now saw your question about if there were prior old fotos (other than everything on the website)

https://www.cb750prototype.com/

Although.... when assembling it, I Did take a ton of fotos of each individual part (go to "Engine +Carbs" or "Frame" pages there for example).... when I found the bike, there were not even cell phones!

The bike (except for the big pieces) was mostly in boxes.

Ok, thanks again for your interest.
Vic

Hi Vic....first off, thanks for coming on the forum and sharing all the interesting info on this very special bike.

Would you mind sharing the story on how you happened to find and purchase it?  Thanks

[fastbike1]

Has anyone seen more information on this bike? It's not on the Vic World website. I found it randomly on instagram today.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6j5CM0ShU-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Jakec,

Thanks very much for starting this post. I actually just now saw your question about if there were prior old fotos (other than everything on the website)

https://www.cb750prototype.com/

Although.... when assembling it, I Did take a ton of fotos of each individual part (go to "Engine +Carbs" or "Frame" pages there for example).... when I found the bike, there were not even cell phones!

The bike (except for the big pieces) was mostly in boxes.

Ok, thanks again for your interest.
Vic

Hi Vic....first off, thanks for coming on the forum and sharing all the interesting info on this very special bike.

Would you mind sharing the story on how you happened to find and purchase it?  Thanks

Stev-o,

Thanks very much for the kind words!
Nothing special really (as to your question)..
I simply heard about a "low number" bike almost several decades ago, went to see it, and recognized what it was!

Ok, thanks again,
Vic

[jakec]

Hi Vic. Thanks for responding. The prototype website is awesome, especially the comparison photos with original promo shots. I've also read the introduction a few times. I did not know about that site until someone linked it in this thread. Before that I would just read the sandcasts only site, for their prototype and early production info.

I think given the significance of the bike, people would like to know as much info as they can like,

-where was it when you found it? (It would be really cool to see a pic of it as you found it)
-what was the guy like who sold it (enthusiast or clueless)?
-how long did he have it?
-did he know what it was or think it was just another sandcast? 2.5 decades ago is 2000, people were aware of sandcasts' significance by then, right?
-did he take it apart or find it like that?
-was it all there, or did you have to recreate some parts from photos?
-have you ever started it?

Sorry if that's too many questions but I'm sure people want to know everything they can about it. Thanks!!

[fastbike1]

Hi Vic. Thanks for responding. The prototype website is awesome, especially the comparison photos with original promo shots. I've also read the introduction a few times. I did not know about that site until someone linked it in this thread. Before that I would just read the sandcasts only site, for their prototype and early production info.

I think given the significance of the bike, people would like to know as much info as they can like,

-where was it when you found it? (It would be really cool to see a pic of it as you found it)
-what was the guy like who sold it (enthusiast or clueless)?
-how long did he have it?
-did he know what it was or think it was just another sandcast? 2.5 decades ago is 2000, people were aware of sandcasts' significance by then, right?
-did he take it apart or find it like that?
-was it all there, or did you have to recreate some parts from photos?
-have you ever started it?

Sorry if that's too many questions but I'm sure people want to know everything they can about it. Thanks!!

Jakec,

Thanks for all the great words about the bike. Appreciate it.
I think I've pretty much answered most (in prior responses here)...all that I know or can remember at least.
It was actually the Mid 1990's, and as mentioned, there were no cell phones then, so no pics were taken.
You have to understand...at that time, i was buying 1 or 2 sandcasts a month!...so my concentration was mainly on finding the bikes then.
Found in Socal, from an older guy who had it a long time, he had taken it apart (the motor was not taken apart, but missing a few of the lower engine covers, for which I had to sandcast from fotos).
And after it was back together, yes I did run it... two different times (the tach cable was old and sticking, so replaced it with a very old NOS cable), and started it again the second time for a few minutes.
That's about all I know...the comparison fotos on the website Really show all the differences, and I felt that was the most important thing to concentrate on (besides making it whole + running again, ofc).

Ok, thanks much again,
Vic

[jakec]

 I have a million more questions still but I'll ask what comes to mind first given your response. If it was the mid 90s, what was the method you'd find the bikes, I assume if it's more than one sandcast per month you're doing national searches, it must have been something like physical print cycle trader? And you would call and ask the seller for the VIN and EIN? Then drive out to them wherever they were and try to play it cool and get a good deal?

I've read your writeup on the Vic World site too and it mentions how you decided pretty early the bikes would be significant and started buying them up. I can say from my own experience the first K0 I saw for sale locally was in 2018 for $3500 and I said too much (kind of a bolt up chopper but had all the original paint)... later in 2023 I buy a bone stock one for $10,000... so ironic haha although the other is much much nicer. Still it's funny to me. In retrospect it seems event before the 90s-90s people should have realized the significance of the original inline 4 sport bike as that became the standard soon after.

[fastbike1]

I have a million more questions still but I'll ask what comes to mind first given your response. If it was the mid 90s, what was the method you'd find the bikes, I assume if it's more than one sandcast per month you're doing national searches, it must have been something like physical print cycle trader? And you would call and ask the seller for the VIN and EIN? Then drive out to them wherever they were and try to play it cool and get a good deal?

I've read your writeup on the Vic World site too and it mentions how you decided pretty early the bikes would be significant and started buying them up. I can say from my own experience the first K0 I saw for sale locally was in 2018 for $3500 and I said too much (kind of a bolt up chopper but had all the original paint)... later in 2023 I buy a bone stock one for $10,000... so ironic haha although the other is much much nicer. Still it's funny to me. In retrospect it seems event before the 90s-90s people should have realized the significance of the original inline 4 sport bike as that became the standard soon after.

 I will take the time here to answer what you've written.
To find Honda parts, one thing i did was send letters out to all the Honda Dealers in the U.S., as well, I visited personally as many Dealers as I could, as well as contacting many bike junk yards.
This put me in contact (thru word of mouth) with "CB750 owners" sometimes as well, that "had an old CB750 lying around".
Yes, I DID search every week thru print material such as Cycle Trader, and other weekly rags (found at local 7-11s) that were sold, listing all kinds of things for sale, such as washing machines, cars, boats, motorcycles, etc.
As well as Walneck's Cycle Trader, and Old Bike Journal.

Many people in fact did NOT know what a "sandcast" was at the time...thinking it was "just an old CB750 Honda".
And yes, there WERE a Few key people than that I was competing with, that Did know what the bike was....and those few were filling containers with sandcasts (along with Z-1s, and 400-4s), and shipping those to Japan.
In 99% of the cases, I did not need to "play it cool" with the seller, as again he thought that he just had an old CB750...that he simply wanted out of his garage. The exception, was when I would have to fight against one of the "exporters"..all of a sudden offering big money.
Anyway, the landscape certainly changed once 2000 or so came around, and the sandcast became the new buzz word amongst all motorcycle enthusiasts.

Ok,Hope this clears this up.

Thanks,
Vic