Topic: Wonder why the SOHC seems much more popular than the DOHC CB's?

[ProTeal55]

The more Vintage , The better.....

[6pkrunner]

Check the average age of the majority of SOHC buyers. I'll wager that they were in their early driving years when the SOHCs were new and made impressions on them. Its that case for me. In one day we went from Super Hawks and DOHC 450s into never never land. Huge impact on the guys I was with anyway. Even the Z-1 in 1972 had quite and impact, but nothing like the SOHC 750 in 1969. By the tme were were going to settle down in life every day there was a new release of some form of new high zoot type bike. Yawn factor big time. Now that I'm at an age that I can aford (I make myself laugh) the cars and bikes I remember from my youth, the SOHC bikes are the pinnacle of good times.
Well that's it for me anyway.

[ProTeal55]

I wasn't even born when my bike rolled off the production line 
I came around 8 years after....

[6pkrunner]

Well then I guess I speak only for the olde pharte contingent. There are about 8 of us in the area I live now and all have cars and bikes from our youth. I'm the only guy with the SOHC thing. The others have the Brit bug bite and two have the Harley Jones happening. And when we go for a tour en masse, the others we meet up with have the age thing against them also.
Nothing is absolute, except vodka and zero.

[Noel]

Yeah, my bike and I are about the same age. But I've always liked older stuff; old bikes, old guns, old bicycles, etc.

But for me, really, the SOHC is about personality, in much the same way the old Brit bikes are about personality. Both are very easy to turn into expressions of yourself.

In point of fact, I'd probably be just as enthusiastic about old Brit bikes as I am about SOHCs if A) they were reliable and B) they didn't cost essentially as much as Harleys do, at least here in the U.S.

I guess I consider SOHCs the practical and affordable equivalent of the 60s Brit bikes. Plus Honda is behind possibly THE most amazing motorbikes of all time: the six cylinder GP bikes. Just like a Brit rider might tuck down on his Triton and imagine himself lapping the TT course, I rev up the old 500 and pretend it's Hailwood coming up my outside as we chase Ago 'round the bend...

[dusterdude]

i was 9 years old when the 750 came out,into my early teens i got a woodie every time i saw or heard one goin down the road.so at 45 years old i finally got one,and im damn glad i did.

[putnaja1]

I was born in 1973, so I was not old enough for these bikes to make any impression on me in my youth- I probably thought all motorcycles were cool!  Growing up, my uncle stored his 1974 CB360 in the basement of my grandparents house, where my sister and I spent a lot of time.  That bike, although a two cylinder, did make an impression on me, as it was always kept polished and in mint condition, and looked awesome!

Later, as a motorcyclist in my own right (but starting out on dirt bikes and then moving to an EX500, then a CBR600 Hurricane), I developed a taste in what I liked and what I didn't like performance wise..  I loved the agility of the EX, even though mine only had one front disc and a rear drum, it could still stop powerfully.  It had plenty of power, but even so, I still wanted the sound of a four cylinder.  The Hurricane was a neat bike, but had a lot more complexity than the EX- or so it seemed.  The bike I rode had been wrecked by a PO, and I could never get the fairings (especially the lower) to fit back on right and stay on.

In college I saw a guy ride up on an '81 CB750F, and I fell in love with the look- where it had the 4 cylinder sound, it was older, and without any bodywork it just looked like a locomotive!  As I've said here before, I owned and sold a string of these. 

Everything I like about the DOHC motorcycles, is present on the SOHC ones, except the SOHC machines also have a little bit more of that Universal Japanese Motorcycle look to them, just like the CB360 that I liked to look at growing up.  Plus, with all these retro bikes, there is something about them that just screams "this thing has some serious balls!" about it..   A coolness factor that is hard to describe..  I guess it's cool for the same reasons that make an old muscle car cool- Maybe it's the sound of that performance cam V8 rumble, mixed with the image of an old machine that can kick some tail..

So, in a nutshell, while I'm too young to have seen and be impressed by the SOHC bikes when they were new, for me personally it was an aquired taste that drew me to them..

Jason

[Ted Nomura]

Naturally when the CB750 prototype was introduced in 1968, it made a biggest impact in motorcycling in recent years, which guaranteed its classic status.

Of course Honda didn't think the original SOHC 750 engine would last that long. They planned to switch to DOHC after a couple of years but they choose SOHC originally because they need to meet Mr. Honda's own deadline of one year from concept to production. Since Honda's DOHC 450 engine introduced in 1965 met with luke warm sales, they chose to adapt the more successful SOHC 350 design of 1967 but stuck with a rare dry sump lublication, a system Honda abandoned after the 1950s, to assure enough cooling on center cylinders. Of course this precaution proved unneccessary so their next SOHC four design went back to wet sump, the CB500. Interestingly, the bore and stroke of CB500 four was identical to CB250 twin, a smaller cousin of CB350 twin sold in Japan and Europe.

[martini]

For me the cb750 represents the best of both worlds. I love the styling of the bike. It has that classic styling of a vintage bike, spokes, round headlight, big gas tank, etc., etc. Yet it was such a "modern" bike for its time, and in many respects still is. Reliabilty and styling for me. Maybe one day the DOHC will alos be considered to have vintage styling but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

[crazypj]

well anything if not serviced will have problems. Some things are just easier to work on. Aside from a few simple things, the sohc is very easy to work on. Now the V4s are a pain from what I hear.

I liked the Eurosport styling on the the CB750/900 DOHC, but I am european? As for the 'V' fours,yes they are, especially the early chain driven cam ones. I was working in a Suzuki /Yamaha dealer (moved from Honda/Yamaha) when they came out, about a year later did at least one a week with cam chain/cam problems. Honda really screwed up with that tensioner

[jawshunter]

The SOHC engines are easy to work on and very durable, the styling of the bikes were beautiful in 1969 and will still look beautiful in 2069...timeless... The F model DOHCs does look pretty good, however, the Ks are dogs.

[bill440cars]

The SOHC engines are easy to work on and very durable, the styling of the bikes were beautiful in 1969 and will still look beautiful in 2069...timeless... The F model DOHCs does look pretty good, however, the Ks are dogs.

               I agree, to a point.  The "F"s are pretty good looking but, the "K"s are dogs? One of those
        Dogs just might bite you in the butt! I happen to have one of those "Dogs" and while it's not as
        good looking as the "F" model, it's not that bad and it is a pretty good runner I might add. The   
        only reason I happened to get it was because a buddy gave $250 for it, cleaned it up,put a
        voltage regulator, put an air filter on it, decided it was bigger than he needed nd traded it to me
        for a 175cc dirt bike ( which I had no money in at all). Pretty good deal I'd say, for a Dog. I
        wouldn't class it with the SOHC 750 but, I wouldn't count it out either! My 2 cents     Bill

[dusterdude]

whoa bill,calm down dude.

[bill440cars]

             

                           
                        Thanks duster, I needed that. I've got some solid feelings for the SOHC4s but, like
        others, I've got feeling for others in different ways. If it hadn't of been for such a good deal, I
        possibly would only have the old 450s as examples of the DOHC version. I'm not going to get all
        bent out of shape. Mostly I like the bikes that have a certain character about them, they're
        pretty simple to work on and a pleasure to ride. That pretty much cries out SOHC4 (with a few
        others like the CB/CL72/77 250/305, CB/CL/SL 350, & CB/CL450, for me anyway. At least they
        are old Hondas.) Thanks again there duster. I think you've missed your calling, you should be a
        mediator.                                   
                                                          Later on, Bill

   

[Carbine]

......I think the longevity of the popularity of the SOHC CB750, and it's apparant eclipse of the later DOHC 750 replacment today are due to many different factors. Styling, history, parts availability, reliability and fun factor have made the SOHC machine a great choice for decades, and have gained interest from 3 generations of riders! Those factors have not really changed...what made sense in 1976, made sense in 1986, and again in 1996, and rings true today. Now, I know the DOHC guys have thier own website, and love thier bikes over their with as much passion as we do here. However, a good barometer of actual popularity can be seen in the 2 large local bike wrecking yards in my city. In both yards, the SOHC bikes are virtually picked clean of everything.....and the later DOHC's sit there generally untouched. When a rat DOHC comes in the gate, the owners say "Yard bike, get that rat outta my sight"........when a rat SOHC comes in, there is a complete opposite reaction...... the owners send it right into 'the sheds', out of the weather. The sheds in both yards are reserved for machines that are newer with crash damage that will be repaired and resold, and special bikes. The SOHC 750's are very firmly in the 'shed bike' category, no matter what its condition, or what its missing. The owners of these yards are not SOHC fans at all, far from it.....but they know they will make a bunch of cash from a rat SOHC......and will make far less parting a DOHC. As well, if the SOHC is even in half assed shape, they get them going and resell them, and they don't last long in the 'For Sale' row. The DOHC stuff , unless its in really nice shape, is not bothered with. Yard bike. In closing, I should say that the DOHC 900F and 1100F can also be 'shed bikes', depending on condition, as they have a following......and come in rarely enough to warrent some interest. 

[bill440cars]

            Easy does it Carbine, If you'll take the time to check out the DOHC web site, you'll find that it mainly caters to the "F" model owners and the "C" model owners are covered elsewhere. That leaves the "K" model owners out in the cold. (Kind of like Bastards)  Oh, you can do a post on the motor related items but, that's it. Like I have said before, I don't really care what it is,"To Each His Own."
I thought this was a discussion about why the SOHC seems more popular that the DOHCs, after all,they were all made by Honda.

            One of the many things that I like about this site is that I can go to the "Other Bikes" forum and get info and opinions from the other guys on whatever is needed. Now, I have gotten a little carried away on a post about H-D owners and I shouldn't have but. I was also talking about some of the owners and those high dollar bikes like put together on TV. There are several brands and models that aren't MY idea of a decent motorcycle but, that's MY idea and I don't try to tell someone else what to ride (I may make a suggestion) because it's up to them. I guess, if you came across a deal on an 80"CB750K like I did, you'd turn it down. No doubt, SOHC4 are prime choice and I've got several compared to 1 DOHC 750 but, I still like most of the things about the 750. The main thing I don't like about it is the way there is a fair size gap around the rear wheel but, I'll probably do some changing it up around that area.         
             
                   Uh oh, I can already hear dusterdude coming after me again. Sorry there duster, I'm just a guy who likes what he has and gets a little carried away now and then.  Later on, Bill

[cyclezirk]

Plain and simple for me:

When I think of my K3 and the work I've put into it...I feel part of something, it is part of my identification.  When I think of my 80's Honda (although dependable and fun) I felt like I owned a transportation appliance. 

[Carbine]

I guess, if you came across a deal on an 80"CB750K like I did, you'd turn it down.

I wouldn't, actually. I like the DOHC K's..........  

[Stevearino]

Face it fellers-

The SOHC ushered in the era of the superbike for which we are all greatful.

By the time Honda entered into the DOHC arena, they were way outclassed by the KZ and GS.

Also, there were so many different bikes of essentially the same design, none were really popular.

Not to mention the fact that all those early 80s bikes were not, shall we say, classically styled.

I stand alone in this crowd and pose a riddle: It has two cams but only one per cylinder, though not overhead and could smoke most of the DOHC's.  What was it?

[bill440cars]

                The only one I can think of is a H-D and I don't know so much about the smoking part.

                                                                             

[Bob Wessner]

How about a Ducati V-twin??

[Carbine]

....XR750??

[bill440cars]

How about a Ducati V-twin??

                   Duh Me! I can't believe I didn't think of Ducati, They've had that design for quite awhile.
         I guess I didn't realize their cams were arranged like that. Later on, Bill           

[Carbine]

though not overhead

Hmmmmm..... Ducati's had thier cams 'in' the cylinder heads. So that might be right. My XR750 answer is wrong....4 cams....though they are 'under'..........

[Bob Wessner]

So, whenever a winner is declared, what does he/she get besides Stevearino's undying gratitude /