INTERCEPTOR

Honda’s 1983 Interceptor 750 was the first true sportbike. I expect to hear objections, but here’s why I insist. This was the first new design to incorporate the harsh lessons of U.S. Superbike racing. Those lessons were that both engine and chassis must in the future be designed to win Superbike races without the complete re-engineering needed in 1976–’82.

The great sit-up Superbikes of that time—Kawasaki Z1, Suzuki GS, and Honda CB900F—showed that