Author Topic: 1972 OR 1971??  (Read 1460 times)

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Offline zzpete

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1972 OR 1971??
« on: May 28, 2008, 05:51:30 PM »
Hi Guys, I have a question for the CB750 serial number gurus out there. I just bought a 1972?, well that's what the title says. When I got there I see the original pipes are HM300 not HM341, but they are super nice so who cares. The side covers are almost perfect. The green color is like one I had back in the 70's. Turns out the guys the original owner, moved here (Chicago) about 9 months ago and has no garage to put it in. I buy it, check out the build date and it is 9/71. The serial numbers are frame: 111520, Engine: 1114865. What? I thought that 1972's serial numbers began with 2, like 2005201. Anyway that would explain the pipes. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks   ???   :o WOW!  ;D Thanks to all for the help. It has painted headlight ears, a seat latch not a lock, no idiot lights on the handlebars. With the serial numbers being what they are, I'd say its a 1971. Pictures soon.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2008, 08:55:24 PM by zzpete »
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Offline OldSchool_IsCool

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2008, 06:30:23 PM »
Check out the Model Guide:

http://www.sohc4.net/index.php?title=CB750#Model_Guide

Besides serial numbers, you should be able to find details about color, wheel base, pipes, etc that can either zero in on the exact model, or add to the confusion.
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Offline sparty

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2008, 06:38:12 PM »
My CB750 was built in 1971, titled as a 1972 and my numbers are inline with the 72's.  Look at your build date.  You may have a 71.
1972 CB750 K2 Cafe' Style




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Offline 754

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2008, 07:04:03 PM »
71 has different guages.. NON idiot handlebar clamp,  & I think a seat latch instead of lock...
 

can you look at the  FRAME TAG?
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Offline 754

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2008, 07:04:42 PM »
71 has painted ears..
Maker of the WELDLESS 750 Frame Kit
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My next bike will be a ..ANFOB.....

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73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
Lost quite a few CB 750's along the way

Offline kghost

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2008, 07:10:18 PM »
Seems october was the cut off for the next year.......

So ya might have a 71 there
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Offline HondaMan

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2008, 07:38:25 PM »
Hi Guys, I have a question for the CB750 serial number gurus out there. I just bought a 1972?, well that's what the title says. When I got there I see the original pipes are HM300 not HM341, but they are super nice so who cares. The side covers are almost perfect. The green color is like one I had back in the 70's. Turns out the guys the original owner, moved here (Chicago) about 9 months ago and has no garage to put it in. I buy it, check out the build date and it is 9/71. The serial numbers are frame: 111520, Engine: 1114865. What? I thought that 1972's serial numbers began with 2, like 2005201. Anyway that would explain the pipes. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks   ???   :o

That K1 was made in the same month as my K2. I have one of 800 K2s that came with K1 engines and K2 (HM341) pipes, tanks, seats, and "dashboard" on them, with 110 mainjets in the 657B carbs. You have one of the VERY LAST K1s built!

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Offline MCRider

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2008, 09:21:36 PM »
Hi Guys, I have a question for the CB750 serial number gurus out there. I just bought a 1972?, well that's what the title says. When I got there I see the original pipes are HM300 not HM341, but they are super nice so who cares. The side covers are almost perfect. The green color is like one I had back in the 70's. Turns out the guys the original owner, moved here (Chicago) about 9 months ago and has no garage to put it in. I buy it, check out the build date and it is 9/71. The serial numbers are frame: 111520, Engine: 1114865. What? I thought that 1972's serial numbers began with 2, like 2005201. Anyway that would explain the pipes. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks   ???   :o WOW!  ;D Thanks to all for the help. It has painted headlight ears, a seat latch not a lock, no idiot lights on the handlebars. With the serial numbers being what they are, I'd say its a 1971. Pictures soon.

Don't forget that back in those days the japanese manufacturers did not follow US traditions of model years. They changed the models when they wanted, hence the "K" numbers. The serial numbers track with "K" numbers, not years. We titled them in the year we sold them, and some sat in warehouses over the calendar year before being sold. Hence there are 1969 and 1970 titles for K0s, 1970,71, and 72 titles for K1s, 71 and 72 titles for K2s and so on. The CB750 followed more closely to calendar years than just about any other model but that was simply coincidence.

Honda was sued by an American consumer for their 350s as there were years when there were as many as 3 different "K" models in one calendar year. The consumer had asked the dealer to guarantee him that he had the most currrent year model, The dealer did so. But the confusion was over the "K" number, the consumer bought the most current year, but not the most current "K" number, which is what the consumer had really meant. Honda lost the suit and shortly thereafter adopted calendar year models as did all jap manufacturers. The CB175 wqas particularly bad about having multiple K numbers in the same calendar year, and crossing over the new year.

The problem was not quite as bad as my explanation makes it out, in totla number of units affected. but Honda was sued and lost. According to "OriginalHonda 750, a Restorers Guide to SOHC 750" by J Wyatt, (and my fading memory having worked as a teenager in Honda dealers back then) there were original (KO) titled in 69 and 70, the K1 was available in Sept 70, so those were titled 70, 71, and 72 (warehouse holdovers). The K2 was available March 72, the K3 was available Feb 73. So you can see the mess the titling could be. And misleading to an unsuspecting public who put the K numbers together with the years. Starting with the K4, Honda standardized the K numbers with the model years.

Based on your frame numbers you have a K1 which could have been legitimately titled 70 (well not with your build date),71, or 72.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2008, 10:02:41 PM by MCRider1 »
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Offline 754

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2008, 09:58:33 PM »
The titling by year sold, is not used everywhere...

 Is it correct that the first 750,s in 69 were CB 750, and the K0 came along later? I think they are listed as that in my 71 partsbook.
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My next bike will be a ..ANFOB.....

It's All part of the ADVENTURE...

73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
Lost quite a few CB 750's along the way

Offline Bob Wessner

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2008, 04:49:47 AM »
Is it correct that the first 750,s in 69 were CB 750, and the K0 came along later? I think they are listed as that in my 71 partsbook.

Depends on who you talk to. I'm enclinded to think of the first year 750's as just that, CB750's with the "K" designation coming with subsequent models. According to Haycock's book, the "K0" designation was limited to a small number of 750's imported to the U.K. Even he mentions it's all up for grabs though. I do know one thing, if you go to the parts counter at a Honda dealer, the first year is called, and listed as a K0.
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Offline andy750

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2008, 05:03:33 AM »
If you go to Japan and look at the first K model (69) its listed simply as CB750K - there was no K0 model for them. When I visited a Honda dealer in Nagoya they had a photo of a 1969 CB750 on the wall and it was listed as a CB750K bike. I asked if it was a KO and they said this was more of an American designation. Confirmed by Yamiya when I talked to them.

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Offline MCRider

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Re: 1972 OR 1971??
« Reply #11 on: May 29, 2008, 10:27:16 AM »
If you go to Japan and look at the first K model (69) its listed simply as CB750K - there was no K0 model for them. When I visited a Honda dealer in Nagoya they had a photo of a 1969 CB750 on the wall and it was listed as a CB750K bike. I asked if it was a KO and they said this was more of an American designation. Confirmed by Yamiya when I talked to them.

cheers
Andy

That's my understanding as well. The K0 was added by Yanks to simply clarify what one might be talking about. If one simply says "I have a CB750K" the first question is going to be "K what" as though someone left something off, so adding the 0 was a natural, but not a factory, deal.

Brings back the old discussions people hated me for at the turn of the century. The new century began 1/1/01, not 1/1/00. We don't start counting from 0, we count from 1. So adding the 0 to the CB750K was for clarity. The first CB750 should have been the CB750K1
Ron
« Last Edit: May 29, 2008, 10:34:07 AM by MCRider1 »
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