Honda CB 750 Classic Superbike

Prior to 1969, the word "Superbike' simply didn't exist. Then Honda's seminal 750-four came along, opening up a whole new lexicon of jargon, and a revolution in motorcycle design. Almost every Japanese superbike and many not so super can trace its ancestry back to this one machine. Honda's coup even more than winning Daytona with the four in 1970 was in putting such a device into mass production

Engine technology, far from being at the cutting edge, was fairly old hat. Honda already made twin-cam roadsters (CB450), but the 750 made do with one. They were at the sharp end of pent roof combustion chamber development, but the 750 used hemispherical heads. They pioneered four valves per cylinder, but the 750 had just two. To an engineer, there was really nothing remarkable about the CB750  except that it was a four, and it was in the shops. No, what you got was a neat and surprisingly compact transverse four, with eight valves, one chain driven overhead camshaft and unlike most of its descendants dry sump lubrication. Bore and stroke were slightly undersquare at 61 x 63mm. Primary drive was by duplex chain, and a five speed gearbox fed a peak of 67bhp to the rear wheel. It had four 28mm Keihin carbs and above all four brilliant chrome exhaust pipes. 'Look at me', it screamed at the world.

25 years ago, the turbine-like acceleration was a sensation. It's smooth and tractable, happy to pull away at just 1000rpm, and whirr seamless up to 9000. The effect is utterly civilised and totally anodyne, and it set the bench mark for at least two decades. Like all performance machines, exaggerated claims were made for the Honda's performance. 115mph was the true potential. A good Norton twin was its equal, and a decent Triumph or BSA triple its better  especially when the bends arrived. What the Honda had was gentility in abundance; scarcely a single rough edge had made it into production. With minimal vibration, no oil leaks, reliability and super light throttle and clutch actions, the Honda mollycoddled anyone fortunate enough to step on board. On the other hand, the hydraulic disc front brake  the first on a production motorcycle requires considerable pressure to underwhelming effect.

Early examples, in particular, topple into corners at town speeds in contrast to the sublime neutrality of the best of British. Otherwise, it offers impeccable walking pace balance, and effortless 40 to 80mph cruising. Press it some more, however, and it weaves and wobbles like no British bike with sporting pretensions. None of the CB750's handling deficiencies are primarily due to a lack of frame stiffness, although if the chassis could boast half as many tubes as the exhaust, it might handle better. The problem is distinctly limp damping mated to stiffish springing and skinny forks. The truth was that in Honda's principal market the USA pedigree handling was not a selling point. So why waste money designing it in? But this is carping. The CB750 was as much a corporate vehicle as a production motorcycle; living, revving, weaving proof that a cammy four need cost little more than the price of a traditional twin (£680 in 1970). It was awesome even to look at. we'd never seen four silencers on anything before.

The other revolution was in the detailing or sanitising  that practically everyone has since taken on board. Parts fit, precisely. Fastidious little cable guides abound, and the instruments are elegant in their one piece neatness. And, boy, did it sell! In the decade it was in production, from the KO of 1969 to the last four piper, the K7 of 1977/78, almost one million CB750s were made. Motorcycle Sport summed it all up at the time: In years to come, when historians look back on motorcycling in the 70s, one of the turning points will be seen as the day when Honda made one of the most sophisticated, supposedly complicated and certainly potent motorcycles available to the public at a price it could afford.They were right,this was after all the first superbike.