Topic: SOHC HONDA'S Whats the deal?

[dhall57]

I've thought about it alot, gone over it again and again in my mind and I'm still confused. What is it about these SOHC Honda's? It's almost like a love affair because we spend money on them that we don't have, we take pictures of them, we walk by them all the time looking and checking them out, we are always wanting to ride them and rub on them, so whats the deal? Do you think all of us are maybe just a little crazy? There old, outdated and lot of times just about wore out, but we still want them, so what the heck is the deal with these SOHC's can anybody tell me

[nancy]

Yeh! What the!!! I dunno either!
Breast substitute?
The audio maybe = sounds like a Ferrari - always sounded nicer than ANYTHING else.

[sparty]

These old SOHC Fours are special in so many ways.

Personally, I love the look, the sound of the exhaust note, the sensations of the ride, the history.

I have had many newer bikes, sold them all, they just were not special.

Sparty

[Markcb750]

From a Slate article, linked somewhere on the forum


No, the vintage Honda appeals not to the ego but the pleasure centers—as an object of bliss, not of might. Or, as a Honda ad from the 1970s put it:

    A refreshing breeze in your face
    A smooth road
    A softly purring four-stroke engine between your legs
    Newly green scenery slipping swiftly past
    Leaning lazily right and left through a series of gentle curves …
    This is as near heaven on earth as we mortals are allowed.

[fergie]

I also like the simplicity of the machines. Being able to adjust the vales with a screwdriver wrench and feeler guage. As opposedd to the dohc honda that require shims.

[BeSeeingYou]

For me the appeal is that the bikes from the 70's just look better and the different makes all had their own look.  By the 80's and beyond there was a trend to a generic look that was not all that appealing. My "love affair" is not limited to my Honda 750F1.  I have had my XS650 for most of my adult life and that one holds the special place in my heart.   

[Spanner 1]

It's the look from all different angles.... but for me it's the SMELL of a 750 SOHC... ( not ashamed )
When I got that old 750A and finally got it started... it smelled like a CB750, the exact same smell I remembered from 1970, the first year I saw one 

[fmctm1sw]

I think it was a matter of pure luck for me.  My Dad bought me a bike back in 1988 and I left it in a state of neglect for nearly 15 years during my time in the service.  With the advent of eBay and the like, I knew I had a chance to get it back on the road.  But it could have been anything I guess.  If it were an old Yamaha TX or something, I'd probably be riding those around...  Until the cylinder head cracked of course...

[myhondas]

For me, it is just a little bit of my youth. My FIRST REAL bike was the CB750K4. HD 3 yrs prior, but I don't consider it a real bike. So besides it being a absolute sweet bike to ride, it brings back my senses of my youth. Why? Probably for the same reason people keep and drive old cars. They're cool and collectable and just fun.

[Stev-o]

For me, it's pride in ownership a 35 yr old bike that is in better cond than other bikes out there. These are great bikes, that's why they are so popular.
You can't say that about the cheap chinese crap that around these days.

PS. Nancy - sorry, nothing sounds like a Ferrari! [I've driven my brother's 355]

[Old Scrambler]

Mr. Honda made the most reliable motorcycle at an affordable price. No peer pressure to own a Honda. When I traveled across the country in '69 and throughout the '70s I was always amazed at the number of people who wanted to talk about the 750 I was riding.  Now I get the same reaction from even larger amounts of people when I ride my K3. You truely do meet the nicest people on a Honda!

I have ridden faster and more powerful bikes but always come back to the 750. To me there is no better looking or sounding motor.  The only time I have had a breakdown was in June of 1970 when my chain broke on my sandcast. I tend to agree with Jay Leno........."I don't trust any motorcycle that I can't see through"

I am thilled to see the interest for these bikes from the younger riders and the renewed interest in performance parts and competitive racing events around the world that give homage to the simplicity of design for the SOHC/4.

 

[Gaither]

I've wondered about it too - but not to the point of giving up the ol' 550F.

I've only been back into bikes since April of '09 - after quiting in 1960. Favorite nephew got me back into it [he rides a very nice '04 T-bird and admits the '77 550 handles better than his T-bird].

We went to look at a nice CB450 and there sat a good, all orig CB550-Four, faded light met green that the guy said could be bought cheaply. We got very interested! However, instead of selling it the owner had it shipped to him in Calif - from Chattanooga! We felt like it was "the one that got away".

Now somehow "hooked" on the 550-Four's, I began searching for another one - mostly on Craigs. Found 4 "rebuilders" and finally found this one in Knoxville -up and going but with "needs". In our ignorance, we likely paid $450 too much. Then, tires, a Carb job, etc.

I've got more in the ol' bike than it will bring. I haven't and wont add it all up. However, it now runs great [thanks to the great guys on this Forum], it is now trimmed out to suit my addmittedly redneck taste [small Shoei's, crash bar, windshield]. So, the cost doesn't matter since it ain't for sale.

There are so many points to really like and enjoy about these ol' 4-bangers!
  
It must be we like well-built vintage hondas, excellent 4-cyl engines, good handling, etc.
Did I say "vintage"? We obviously enjoy the challenges they present [at times, all too frequently]. The nostalgia, the pleasure of having something different - not run-of-the-mill.

I think it is a "feeling" we share for these bikes that can't quite be put into words. It is likely at least a slightly different motivation for each individual. If it could be easlly described, we might not llike 'em as well. But we DO like 'em!!!

 

[nancy]

Oh Yeah! Tell that to Kurt Winter! http://www.valleycycles.net/videos/videoplayer.html

[Stev-o]

Oh Yeah! Tell that to Kurt Winter!

Hey Kurt!      Nothin' sounds like a Ferrari!!

Cool video, thanks.

[dave500]

i can ride my 500 resonably fast through twisties and still not be going too fast,like i might do on a late sports bike,and still just cruise without having to go fast,i wouldnt trust myself on anything later these days.being only 5ft 4 the size suits me perfectly,i can look like fonzie when filling it up aswell.

[77cafe750]

i love mine for very personal reasons but also becasue everyone at the shop told i cant make it turn or ran as fast a s new 600 so i am on a mission lol

[Ved]

For me the appeal is that the bikes from the 70's just look better and the different makes all had their own look.  By the 80's and beyond there was a trend to a generic look that was not all that appealing.

Could not agree more. There is something great about riding a classic bike, and not really passing another one for most of a days ride. Harley after Harley, after Harley, but rarely do I spot another classic Honda or Yamaha. Can't wait to pick up a 74 CB360T I found for my wife. She is so excited she wont have to ride around on your typical "starter" bike Honda Rebel lol. That old CB360T should be a real head turner.
 

I have had my XS650 for most of my adult life and that one holds the special place in my heart.   

I love my XJ650 Maxim. She is very dear to me. Something special about that bike I can't quite describe. Classic look, retro "coffee bean grinder" wheels, the shaft drive, bulletproof engine, I have no doubt she will out live me one day.  

[flybox1]

they are special because...
they sound great.
they are simple to work on.
they have timeless styling.
they look good cruising AND going fast.
they never get boring to ride.
you can look cool at stops adjusting your idle set screw.
they bring back memories for others, and can start conversations with total strangers.

...and because our SOHC's dont look like every other SQUID bike or HD out there.

[motocyconomad]

Terminator and Mad Max screwd me up from childhood!
4 pipes coming out the front, it just looks awesome ...no price for that kind of cool
other bikes are fun but for me my 78 and me came into the world at the same time and it was ment to be, riding her is like sex ...feels so good I just wish I could hang on longer
I'll have other bikes but they can all come and go...

[nobody]

My first bike was a 97 Shadow vt1100, it was a great bike and I enjoyed owning it very much. After taking it on a ten thousand mile road trip, sleeping on the ground next to it every night for two months, I was pretty sentimental to it. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I needed to move on to something more suited to my riding style and personal taste, that's when I found my 750.

The sound, the feel, the smell, the look, everything about the bike tickled me in ways that the Shadow never did. After owning it for only a few months I blew the transmission. My options were limited, I couldn't sell it for more than a few hundred and I couldn't have somebody rebuild it for less than the price of another 750. I decided that this meant it was time for me to learn how to rebuild a transmission, if another man can do it, why shouldn't I be capable? After having my hands deep inside the guts of this machine I'm far too emotionally invested in it, I love it. All the other bikes I've ridden were fun and exciting but the cb750 just has something unique that satisfies my soul. My heart grows fonder with every startup, every rev, every turn, every shift, even with each malfunction. Afterall, a malfunction just gives me an excuse to get to know it more intimately.

[MikeJW]

My 750 was born the same year as my daughter (1971). I love them both. I only wish I could have gotten my bike brand new the way I did my daughter. I promise you it would still be a one-owner bike. My daughter seems to get more beautiful every year and with my spending dollars, my bike seems to improve a little every year too.
MikeinMemphis

[Soos]

I've thought about it alot, gone over it again and again in my mind and I'm still confused. What is it about these SOHC Honda's? It's almost like a love affair because we spend money on them that we don't have, we take pictures of them, we walk by them all the time looking and checking them out, we are always wanting to ride them and rub on them, so whats the deal? Do you think all of us are maybe just a little crazy? There old, outdated and lot of times just about wore out, but we still want them, so what the heck is the deal with these SOHC's can anybody tell me

Everybody will have their own reason.  Mine: It's reliable and when not there is (nearly) nothing I cannot fix on it.



l8r

[MCRider]

I've got all the nostalgia stories like these guys do. Riding in the mountains late at night, transmission whiine singing, valves like a hornets nest, scraping pegs and hardware. And I've had and still have others, but the SOHC is the sentimental favorite.

What surprises me is the number of guys here who weren't even born when the last one was made and they carry on about them too.

[turboguzzi]

dont forget that sohc4s are just one angle of the classic bike scene, the same question could be asked also about vincents, triumphs, big guzzis, cammy norton, big zeds, bevel ducs. I am into air-oil GSXRs as into sohc's.

Youll get attached to any bike you build from the ground up, my G80S matchless, Norton M18, Ariel NG, GSXR1100 are just as dear to me as my CB500/4 racer

variety is the spice of life

TG

[curtis]

its not what you lernd to ride on I don't think..because if it wher I would be on a forum  for a 68 benelli which I still have and love but nothin compares to my cb 750 plenty of power and lots of fun I even love to work on it . Its becom a hoby. lets not forget they just look badass short stubby and wide the way bikes were ment to be made!!!