THE CB750’S SECOND COMING

By 1979 Honda’s groundbreaking CB750 was old news, its landmark single-overhead camshaft engine considered a relic compared to the newer DOHC designs from Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha.

It was time for a replacement, and with muted fanfare the CB750’s 10-year tenure as the industry icon was unceremoniously halted, treated like warm beer or yesterday’s pizza. But it deserved a more fitting send-off, and for that we turn to one of the notable motorcycle journalists of that era, Frank Conner, who wrote about the termination of the original CB750 for the September 1978 issue of Cycle Guide.

Wrote Conner 41 years ago: “In 1979 the Honda CB750 will bite the dust. Think about that: It’s like saying they’re actually going to stop production of Kleenex.” Fitting words, considering the CB750’s demise led to more than a few enthusiasts shedding tears of sorrow that mournful day.

Then Conner got to the heart of the matter, writing, “But the ordinary garden-variety CB750 is easily the most important motorcycle introduced since World War II. In 1969 it blew everybody’s mind; it generated more excitement among more riders than anything since the French first started bolting gasoline engines into bicycles. It was so influential in the world of motorcycle design that today you can glance at any street machine and tell whether that bike was designed Before or After.” Conner went on to cite