LOT 130
1973 Honda CB750 Café Racer Frame no. CB7502054217
Sold for US$5,225 inc. premium
Lot 130
1973 Honda CB750 Café Racer Frame no. CB7502054217
The Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction|23 January 2020, 12:30 PST|Las Vegas, Caesar's Entertainment Studios
1973 Honda CB750 Café Racer
Frame no. CB7502054217
Frame no. CB7502054217
• Low mileage, period-correct café racer
• S&W shocks, Dunstall rearsets
• Recent repaint in gloss black
Modern motorcycle history has a hard line of delineation: There was Before the Honda CB750 Four, and there was After. It's hard to imagine today when the Big Four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are serious contenders in every market niche, that there was a time when Japan only made 'little' bikes, almost exclusively staying south of the 500cc borderline. All that changed with the 1969 introduction of the Honda CB750 Four.
It's been called the first Superbike, an image done no harm when Dick 'Bugsy' Mann rode a race-prepped CB750 to a shock win in the 1970 Daytona 200, then the world's single most important road race. The editors at Motorcyclist magazine had no doubt about the Four's place in history, in 2012 naming it as their unanimous choice for Motorcycle of the Century: "This bike changed everything," they explained. "Exotic and affordable, fast and reliable, capable and accessible, the CB750 was a magic bullet."
One byproduct of the Honda's resultant sales popularity was a burgeoning U.S. aftermarket industry quick to provide riders the products needed to tailor the CB750 to their liking. A fairing and saddlebags turned the bike into a tourer, extended forks and chromed sissybar made a chopper, and as here, low handlebars, sticky tires and aftermarket shocks created a café racer. This 12,000-mile café CB750 further exudes mid-Seventies authenticity with its Dunstall rearset footpegs and front fender, a 4-into-1 collector exhaust and sleek bullet-nosed fairing. Off the road for several years, it will need the usual safety checks and recommissioning.
• S&W shocks, Dunstall rearsets
• Recent repaint in gloss black
Modern motorcycle history has a hard line of delineation: There was Before the Honda CB750 Four, and there was After. It's hard to imagine today when the Big Four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are serious contenders in every market niche, that there was a time when Japan only made 'little' bikes, almost exclusively staying south of the 500cc borderline. All that changed with the 1969 introduction of the Honda CB750 Four.
It's been called the first Superbike, an image done no harm when Dick 'Bugsy' Mann rode a race-prepped CB750 to a shock win in the 1970 Daytona 200, then the world's single most important road race. The editors at Motorcyclist magazine had no doubt about the Four's place in history, in 2012 naming it as their unanimous choice for Motorcycle of the Century: "This bike changed everything," they explained. "Exotic and affordable, fast and reliable, capable and accessible, the CB750 was a magic bullet."
One byproduct of the Honda's resultant sales popularity was a burgeoning U.S. aftermarket industry quick to provide riders the products needed to tailor the CB750 to their liking. A fairing and saddlebags turned the bike into a tourer, extended forks and chromed sissybar made a chopper, and as here, low handlebars, sticky tires and aftermarket shocks created a café racer. This 12,000-mile café CB750 further exudes mid-Seventies authenticity with its Dunstall rearset footpegs and front fender, a 4-into-1 collector exhaust and sleek bullet-nosed fairing. Off the road for several years, it will need the usual safety checks and recommissioning.
Footnotes
As with all Lots in the Sale, this Lot is sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding.
Saleroom notices
The engine number is CB750E-2232265.
Additional information
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