Lot 599
1969 Honda CB750 'Sand Cast'
Registration no. MFX 639G Frame no. CB750-1000975 Engine no. CB750E-1001065
Amended
28 April 2019, 10:00 BST
Stafford, Staffordshire County ShowgroundSold for £25,300 inc. premium
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1969 Honda CB750 'Sand Cast'
Registration no. MFX 639G
Frame no. CB750-1000975
Engine no. CB750E-1001065
Registration no. MFX 639G
Frame no. CB750-1000975
Engine no. CB750E-1001065
• Historically significant motorcycle
• Rarest and most desirable version
• First UK registered in 1996
'Seldom has a road-test model attracted such a wide interest and appreciative comments from bystanders. That it justified the praise goes without saying. No manufacturer has come nearer than Honda to producing an ideal roadster.' - Motor Cycle.
Fifty years on, it is hard to imagine the impact the Honda CB750 had on the motorcycling world when it was unveiled to a stunned public at the Tokyo Show in October 1968. True, there had been plenty of four-cylinder motorcycles before, but these had been built in relatively small numbers and aimed at the wealthy few. Here for the first time was a mass-produced four within the financial reach of the average enthusiast, and one whose specification - overhead camshaft, disc front brake, five-speed gearbox, electric starter, etc - made the opposition look obsolete overnight.
Bike magazine summed up Honda's achievement thus: 'Like BSA/Triumph's parallel twin and Ducati's desmodromic single, the Honda inline four is one of those engines which created a standard out of an ideal. The list of Honda's technical achievements is impressive but the appearance of a production four-barrel roadster at a Mr Everyman price was probably their greatest coup.' A trend-setting design of immense significance and one of the truly great classic motorcycles, the CB750 is highly sought after by collectors.
The Honda CB750 made its United States debut at Las Vegas in January 1969 and was first shown to the UK public at the Brighton Show in April '69, having been sampled by the motorcycling press at Brands Hatch a few days previously. Deliveries were slow to arrive, but Motorcycle Sport was fortunate enough to ride a CB750 around the Isle of Man TT course during the summer, as reported in its August 1969 edition. By the time the first batches began to arrive in the UK over the winter of 1969/1970, a revised version had been introduced, known retrospectively as the 'K0'. The latter differed mainly by virtue of its die-cast crankcases, this casting method being better suited to mass production than the sand-casting process used for the earlier machines completed prior to September 1969.
An example of the rare and now most sought-after 'sand cast' model, this early CB750 was first used overseas (almost certainly in the USA) before being imported into the UK and registered here in 1996. The machine is offered with an MoT certificate (expired 2007) and photocopies of an old V5C document.
• Rarest and most desirable version
• First UK registered in 1996
'Seldom has a road-test model attracted such a wide interest and appreciative comments from bystanders. That it justified the praise goes without saying. No manufacturer has come nearer than Honda to producing an ideal roadster.' - Motor Cycle.
Fifty years on, it is hard to imagine the impact the Honda CB750 had on the motorcycling world when it was unveiled to a stunned public at the Tokyo Show in October 1968. True, there had been plenty of four-cylinder motorcycles before, but these had been built in relatively small numbers and aimed at the wealthy few. Here for the first time was a mass-produced four within the financial reach of the average enthusiast, and one whose specification - overhead camshaft, disc front brake, five-speed gearbox, electric starter, etc - made the opposition look obsolete overnight.
Bike magazine summed up Honda's achievement thus: 'Like BSA/Triumph's parallel twin and Ducati's desmodromic single, the Honda inline four is one of those engines which created a standard out of an ideal. The list of Honda's technical achievements is impressive but the appearance of a production four-barrel roadster at a Mr Everyman price was probably their greatest coup.' A trend-setting design of immense significance and one of the truly great classic motorcycles, the CB750 is highly sought after by collectors.
The Honda CB750 made its United States debut at Las Vegas in January 1969 and was first shown to the UK public at the Brighton Show in April '69, having been sampled by the motorcycling press at Brands Hatch a few days previously. Deliveries were slow to arrive, but Motorcycle Sport was fortunate enough to ride a CB750 around the Isle of Man TT course during the summer, as reported in its August 1969 edition. By the time the first batches began to arrive in the UK over the winter of 1969/1970, a revised version had been introduced, known retrospectively as the 'K0'. The latter differed mainly by virtue of its die-cast crankcases, this casting method being better suited to mass production than the sand-casting process used for the earlier machines completed prior to September 1969.
An example of the rare and now most sought-after 'sand cast' model, this early CB750 was first used overseas (almost certainly in the USA) before being imported into the UK and registered here in 1996. The machine is offered with an MoT certificate (expired 2007) and photocopies of an old V5C document.
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 correct vehicle Registration Number is BGC 337G.