Honda CB750: Легенда японского мотоциклостроения

Four cylinder engine motorcycle

The Honda CB750 is an air cooled, transverse, in line four cylinder engine motorcycle made by Honda over several generations for year models 1969–2008 with an upright, or standard, riding posture. It is often called the original Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) and also is regarded as the first motorcycle to be called a "superbike". The CR750 is the associated works racer. Though other manufacturers had marketed the transverse, overhead camshaft, inline four cylinder engine configuration and the layout had been used in racing engines prior to World War II, Honda popularized the configuration with the CB750, and the layout subsequently became the dominant sport bike engine layout. The CB750 is included in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Classic Bikes; was named in the Discovery Channel's "Greatest Motorbikes Ever"; was in The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition, The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. rates the 1969 CB750 as one of the 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology. Although the CB750 nameplate has carried on throughout multiple generations, the original CB750 line from 1969 to 1983 was succeeded by the CBX750, which used the CB750 designation for several of its derivatives.

Honda of Japan introduced the CB750 motorcycle to the US and European markets in 1969 after experiencing success with its smaller motorcycles. In the late 1960s Honda motorcycles were, overall, the world's biggest sellers. There were the C100 Cub step through—the best selling motorcycle of all time—the C71, C72, C77 and CA77/8 Dreams; and the CB72/77 Super Hawks/Sports. A taste of what was ahead came with the introduction of the revolutionary CB450 DOHC twin cylinder machine in 1966. Profits from these production bikes financed the successful racing machines of the 1960s, and lessons learned from racing were applied to the CB750. The CB750 was targeted directly at the US market after Honda officials, including founder Soichiro Honda, repeatedly met US dealers and understood the opportunity for a larger bike.

In 1967 American Honda's service manager Bob Hansen flew to Japan and discussed with Soichiro Honda the possibility of using Grand Prix technology in bikes prepared for American motorcycle events. American racing's governing body, the AMA, had rules that allowed racing by production machines only, and restricted overhead valve engines to 500 cc whilst allowing the side valve Harley Davidsons to compete with 750 cc engines. Honda knew that what won on the race track today, sold in the show rooms tomorrow, and a large engine capacity road machine would have to be built to compete with the Harley Davidson and Triumph twin cylinder machines. Hansen told Soichiro Honda that he should build a 'King of Motorcycles', and the CB750 appeared at the Tokyo Show in November 1968. In the UK, it was publicly launched at the Brighton motorcycle show, held at the Metropole Hotel exhibition centre during April 1969, the pre production versions appeared with a high and very wide handlebar intended for the US market. preceded the June 1970 Isle of Man TT races when two 'official' Honda CB750s were entered, again ridden by Irishman Tommy Robb partnered in the team by experienced English racer John Cooper. The machines were entered into the 750 cc Production Class, a category for road based machines allowing a limited number of strictly controlled modifications. They finished in eighth and ninth places. Cooper was interviewed in UK monthly magazine Motorcycle Mechanics, stating both riders were unhappy with their poor handling Hondas, and that he would not ride in the next year's race "unless the bikes have been greatly improved". In 1973, Japanese rider Morio Sumiya finished in sixth place in the Daytona 200 Mile race on a factory 750.

Under development for a year, the CB750 had a transverse straight four engine with a single overhead camshaft (SOHC) and a front disc brake, neither of which had previously been available on an affordable mainstream production motorcycle. This spec, married with the introductory price of US$ Cycle World called it a masterpiece, highlighting Honda's painstaking durability testing, the bike's top speed, the fade free braking, the comfortable ride, and the excellent instrumentation. and the term superbike was coined to describe it. The bike remained in the Honda line up for ten years, with a production total over 400,000.

In 2007 Honda Japan announced the CB750 Special Edition. This limited edition run was put forth to commemorate the 25th anniversary of "Fast Freddie" Spencer joining the Honda Grand Prix Team and a version of this bike donning the "Digital Silver Metallic" color of the CB750 racebike Spencer used in the 1981 AMA Superbike championship was offered alongside a version that was painted in "Candy Blazing Red" reminiscent of the CBX1000.

The CB750F2/CB Seven Fifty was discontinued for the European market in 2001 and in 2003 the Nighthawk 750 was discontinued in North America, though the CB750 would continue in Japan until 2008 when 2007 automobile exhaust gas regulations went into effect. This would lead the CBR based Honda Hornet CB600F and later NC700 series to eventually take over the role as Honda's middleweight standard bike offerings in both Europe and North America. In 2010, Honda released the CB1100, which although well over 750cc in displacement and fuel injected was marketed as a spiritual successor to the CB750, both in style and in concept; this motorcycle would be later sold to Europe and North America from 2013 until 2022.

In 2023, Honda Motor Europe Ltd revived the CB750 nameplate once more in the form of the CB750 Hornet. This new model, though sharing the same name, takes a major departure from the established layout that previous CB750s possessed, namely in regards to its engine configuration and fuel injection system. The frame and engine of the motorcycle is lifted directly from new XL750 Transalp; the new engine being a 755cc DOHC 8 valve liquid cooled parallel twin with an output of 90.5 hp @ 9,500 rpm and 55.3 lb. ft. @ 7,250 rpm. It is also the first CB750 to use Honda's PGM FI fuel system. The CB750 Hornet is currently sold for European, Australia, India and Southeast Asian markets.