Honda CB750 and CR750
The Honda CB750 is an air-cooled, transverse, in-line-four-cylinder-engine motorcycle made by Honda over several generations for year models 1969–2008 with an upright, or standard, riding posture. It is often called the original Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) and also is regarded as the first motorcycle to be called a "superbike".
1969 Honda CB750 | |
| Manufacturer | Honda |
|---|---|
| Also called | Honda Dream CB750 Four |
| Production | 1969–2008 |
| Assembly | Wakō, Saitama, Japan Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan Suzuka, Mie, Japan |
| Predecessor | Honda CB450 |
| Successor | Honda CBX750 |
| Class | Sport bike or standard |
| Engine | 736 cc (44.9 cu in) SOHC air-cooled straight four (1969–1978) DOHC air-cooled straight 4 (1979–2003, 2007) |
| Bore / stroke | 61 mm × 63 mm (2.4 in × 2.5 in) |
| Top speed | 125 mph (201 km/h) |
| Power | 51 kW (68 hp) @ 8500 rpm (1969) 50 kW (67 hp) @ 8000 rpm (DIN) |
| Torque | 44 lbf⋅ft (60 N⋅m) @ 7000 rpm |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual, chain final drive |
| Suspension | Front: telescopic forks Rear: swingarm with two spring/shock units. |
| Brakes | Front disc / Rear drum |
| Tires | Front: 3.25" x 19" Rear: 4.00" x 18" |
| Rake, trail | 94 mm (3.7 in) |
| Wheelbase | 1,460 mm (57.3 in) |
| Dimensions | L: 2,200 mm (85 in) W: 890 mm (35 in) H: 1,100 mm (44 in) |
| Seat height | 790 mm (31 in) |
| Weight | 218 kg (481 lb) (dry) 233 kg (513 lb) (wet) |
| Fuel capacity | 19 L (4.2 imp gal; 5.0 US gal) |
| Fuel consumption | 34.3 mpg‑US (6.86 L/100 km; 41.2 mpg‑imp) |
The CR750 is the associated works racer.
Though other manufacturers had marketed the transverse, overhead camshaft, inline four-cylinder engine configuration and the layout had been used in racing engines prior to World War II, Honda popularized the configuration with the CB750, and the layout subsequently became the dominant sport bike engine layout.
The CB750 is included in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Classic Bikes; was named in the Discovery Channel's "Greatest Motorbikes Ever"; was in The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition, and is in the UK National Motor Museum. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. rates the 1969 CB750 as one of the 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology.
Although the CB750 nameplate has carried on throughout multiple generations, the original CB750 line from 1969 to 1983 was succeeded by the CBX750, which used the CB750 designation for several of its derivatives.