HONDA CB72 (1966-1967) Specs, Performance & Photos

In 1967, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer launched the Honda CB72, a naked machine part of the CB series that had its debut in 1960 as the third model in the series and the first machine that featured a tubular steel frame instead of the metal shell frame used until then.

In the USA, the most important market, the bike was presented in February 1961, in Frankfurt Germany in 1961, and imported by the Hamburg motorcycle dealer Karlheinz-Heinz Meller, while the European Honda Motor Trading GmbH was founded in 1961 and sold the bike in 1962.

The abbreviation CB came from the Japanese "C" LU "B" MAN RACE that took place in 1958 in Suzuka, which was Honda's own racing course, where "C" stands for the type and "B" for the sporty variant, while in the US, the bike was called the CB72 Hawk.

The 1965 model received a revision that lowered its performance due to noise emissions, and the designation was changed to CB250 Super Sport. Some of the changes included lower pistons, encapsulated air cleaners, more effective mufflers, and no more power jet nozzles that decreased power from 24 to 22 horsepower, while the top speed was only 130 kph (81 mph).

In addition, the 1967 bike came with standard features, such as a one-piece dual seat, a wide handlebar, a dual chromed exhaust system, wire-spoked wheels, a round headlight, a pressed steel frame, an analog instrument panel, and a center stand.

In the performance department, the 1967 Honda CB72 took its thrust from a 247cc four-stroke two-cylinder air-cooled engine that delivered an output power of 22 hp with maximum strength at 8,000 rpm and 20 Nm (15 lb-ft) of torque available at 5,700 rpm.