Drop the VFR & do this....Hmmmm???

Copied from Kneeslider:

Rumor has it, Honda is planning to reintroduce the classic CB750, … rumor has it. That may be true and it makes perfect sense in light of the return of so many models from Triumph and Ducati. The CB750 was a ground breaking model that completely changed the motorcycle landscape. Triumph had their Bonneville, but in terms of overall market impact, the CB750 is in a completely different league.

The possibility of this return, with all of the appropriate changes necessary to meet current EPA regulations, means the bike will probably look just like the old one but it will not be the old one, it will be a new motorcycle in every meaningful way, which leads to another question, who is going to buy this bike? Do buyers really want a new bike that looks just like the old one or do they want the old one? There will always be the initial rush of buyers that think it’s cool, but pretty quickly, buyers looking for a new bike will look for a current model instead of remakes. Buyers that want a real CB750 will look for an early bike to fix up or possibly one that’s already restored, then they can feel the connection with the past. But what is the connection and appeal of a look alike? If Honda finds this remake isn’t selling they’ll shut down production and soon we’ll have an orphan bike on the market with no real history, no support and no parts. I have a better idea.

Why not remake the parts? There are thousands of old CB750s for sale all over the world, many have seen better days and if there is one hesitation on the part of buyers it’s the fear of buying a bike with a few missing or broken pieces, whether those pieces are critical or cosmetic, that would keep the bike from looking and running like new. If Honda reproduced genuine factory parts for old motorcycles, not all, maybe, but a few specific models like the CB750, there would be a stronger demand than there already is for these old rides, a huge number of buyers that would chase these bikes down, keeping values up for sellers, keeping bikes running for those that want to hold on to their old favorite, introduce a generation of younger riders to the older bikes and take away the hesitation in a buyer’s mind upon seeing those missing or broken parts. (Just think about the demand for genuine Honda CB750 crate engines!) Absolutely everyone wins.

If an owners club can reproduce all of the parts to rebuild the old Vincents from scratch, Honda could do this with little effort. No company wants to cannibalize their new bike sales but this would hardly do that, instead, it would keep a lot more Honda history on the road. If you have one of these you could pass it down to your son or daughter and they could ride the bike you enjoyed so much. The goodwill for Honda would be immense and might set a loyalty to the brand in the minds of younger riders leading them to their Honda dealer instead of some other brand. Unless of course, Kawasaki started making parts for their old Z1.

 

I hate inline 4's. They are extremely mundane & boring if you ask me. On the other hand, I am actively searching for a 69-74 CB750K. The reason I want one is like you said, they are an icon in the motorycycling world. It is quite literally the single most important bike ever introduced in the history of internal combustion. I've been to arguably the best motorcycle museum in the country, Wheels Thru Time in Maggie Valley, NC. The owner of the museum said the CB750K is the "Bike That Changed The World." While these bikes make me drool, they are still 35 years old & require extensive maintenance to keep running. The have these novel items called "ignition points". I'm told these are very important to make the engine run.

Now, if you told me that I could buy a "brand new" 69 CB750K with FI, digital ignition, real brakes, 6 spd trans & can run on 87 unleaded but looked just like the original, I would most likely buy one. That's just one man's opinion.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

I've also been passively looking for late 70's cb750 to turn in a cafe bike; don't think I'd by a new model though.

 

This again pokes the subject of how cottage industry the bike restoration market seems to be. Want to restore a muscle car? Get a catalog. Want to restore a bike the same age? Get religion. As in "thank god for eBay".

As for the topic of the thread, I'd rather have the real deal, points and condensers and carbs and all. Though repros do sell... they appeal to those who want to evoke the history without the inconvenience of living in it. Which is fine.

 

I've got an old single stick 750. Will have it back on the road in the next few weeks. Very nice unmolested original. The new one will, I'm sure, cost a tad more than the $1,200 I've got in this one.

 

I miss my old cb750 it was a good bike. But after I got my magna it just had to go away.

 

I like looking at the old bikes at motorcycle shows. I like remembering the good stuff about them too, but I don't have the space to collect bikes until I get AMX on the road... freakin' trunions!

too many projects, not enough to fix an old bike, much less ride it.

Buying a "new" CB750? not for me, I'd by a "new" Triumph if I wanted to go old school since they looked great, but never were reliable. The Honda was/is reliable, so I don't see the attraction in a "new" CB, unless it was just the same name on a new buck 'nacked bike. (really nude = buck 'nacked)

So the marketing department at Honda would be aiming the retro CB at the folks that had one/wanted one in their youth and now have the disposible income to get it.... that demographic is currently the VFR community? It worked for Volkwagen - beetle, and Dodge - PT Cruiser, Challenger, and Ford - Mustang... but the styling cues were the retro part... I'd be willing to look at a re-interpreted CB, but not a mirror image.

Would a milkcrate bungeed to the back be an option instead of a tailcase?

 

Milk crates don't hold up well to wheel stands, found that out on several occasions on my last ATV:biggrin: Worked great for carrying spare gas, chain lube, first aid kit, etc. After the third one I gave up. Put on a spectacular show @ a mud bog though dumped the clutch off the line stood it on end & made it farther than most of the 4X4's, the only thing that stopped me from going over was my trusty milk crate, though it didn't survive the ordeal.

 

I still have one or two metal milk crates that I found behind a store in college. I still don't understand why they were all stacked there as they seemed perfectly good and have held up well to years of use as bookshelf board holders.