JANUARY 1969 - Honda Ships 4 Pre-Production Dealer Sample CB750s

It’s January 1969. Honda ships to America 4 Pre-Production Dealer Sample CB750s for its January debut at the annual Honda Dealer’s Convention in Las Vegas.

While these 4 units were hand-built, their appearance + function HAD to be as close as possible to what Dealers would receive for 1969 (as production bikes would be shipping just two months later in March).

These four bikes arrived as (all Candy):

BLUE-GREEN RUBY RED GOLD VALLEY GREEN METALLIC

After the Convention:

The BLUE-GREEN visited a few Dealers, was finally located back East in 2010, brought back to life, + sold on Auction in 2011.

The RED wound up at Honda’s Racine, WI Training Center. Once not needed by Racine, it stayed in the Midwest. Then some 30 yrs. ago was disassembled by chopper enthusiasts, where its frame, motor, and (some) parts were taken to the crusher.

The GOLD (in 1969) went to England, then sold by Honda UK to the Earl of Denbigh. It then went to a collector who kept it for decades; his widow subsequently restored it and it sold at Auction in the UK in 2018.

The VALLEY GREEN METALLIC was last heard of in 1969 in France, never seen since.

These 4 Pre-Production bikes have often been incorrectly referred to as “Prototypes”. However, as they were visibly identical to the new upcoming CB750 Model, they were instead really Pre-Production Samples.

OCTOBER 1968 - THE PROTOTYPE CB750 Sets Wheels on U.S. Soil!

After a year of development, Honda ships THE PROTOTYPE of their NEW ground-breaking, 4 cylinder motorcycle to America!…THE motorcycle of this website, Nothing like the 750s Dealers would get!

This was the FIRST Honda CB750 on U.S. soil (some 3 months Prior to the above noted Pre-Production Samples).

Honda Japan sent this One Prototype CB750 to the U.S. for 3 reasons:

1. To excite the U.S. and world market.

2. To conduct a two day test in the Nevada desert (no speed limit in Nevada then!).

3. For one magazine (Cycle Guide), to do an in-depth exposé. Theirs was the only magazine exposure of this rare motorcycle (photos enclosed!).

UNIQUE FEATURES of the ONE Honda CB750 PROTOTYPE:

• It is the only CB750 in the world to have “HONDA” cast in the valve cover, rather than “OHC 750” we always see.

• It is the only CB750 that the seat flips up to the rear instead of sideways.

• It is the only CB750 ever not to use large “triangle” shaped side cover emblems, but instead a unique Honda oval wing…with four small squares, two on each side of the oval.

• It is the only CB750 ever to not use a rectangle chrome starter motor cover, but rather a uniquely shaped multi-faceted cover. As seen, the sandcast engine case matches that shape.

• It’s the only CB750 that employs a Morse Multi-Plate Hy-Vo primary chain.

• It’s the only CB750 that operates the clutch via a unique external lever rather than the usual inner cam mechanism.

MOST NOTICEABLY: The carburetors are one-off sandcasts (specially made by Keihin just for this bike) that have ONE float bowl per 2 carbs, as well an accelerator pump. It’s the Only CB750 ever that used an accelerator pump.

And instead of the usual 4 cables operating the throttle slides, these carbs employ a 2 cable, complex Push-Pull Linkage system.

This machine has Hundreds of other unique (one-off) features. Many are shown here.

News! Just took 1st Place Japanese, AND Best Of Show: The Quail 5/4/2024.