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3K-Mile 1975 Honda CB750 Four Could Turn Your Wildest UJM Fantasies Into Reality

With its low mileage and near-perfect looks, this gem is still close to brand-new after all these years.
1975 Honda CB750 Four K5 33 photos
Photo: themotorbikefactory / Bring a Trailer
1975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K51975 Honda CB750 Four K5
Frequently regarded as one of the most influential motorcycles ever made, the Honda CB750 Four has a fascinating story we’ve covered on countless occasions. It is a tale of pushing boundaries, calculated risk-taking, and unprecedented innovation, all made possible under the leadership of Yoshiro Harada. This was the same guy who’d once nurtured the CB450, Honda’s previous take on a performance-oriented machine.

Although Harada did a fantastic job on the CB450 project, making it the first production motorcycle with dual overhead cams, the bike didn’t quite manage to capture the attention of American buyers. Consequently, the company’s U.S. branch pitched a “bigger is better” philosophy, and it was soon decided that the CB750 will be powered by a four-cylinder engine displacing something in the neighborhood of 750cc.

In addition, Harada-san was flirting with the idea of using a disc brake setup to stop the front wheel – something which had never been seen on a production bike up to that point. Unsure as to whether adopting such technology would allow them to meet the project’s deadline, the man in charge proceeded to consult with big boss Soichiro Honda himself.

When asked what ought to be done, Soichiro simply said: “Well, of course we’ll have to go with disc brakes.” Besides this, much thought went into ensuring the CB750 would actually be reliable, an attribute that couldn’t exactly be used to describe the likes of Harley, Norton, or Triumph at the time. Then there was the whole pricing aspect.

Retailing for just under $1,500 while other big bikes – inferior in both performance and quality – demanded north of two grand, Honda’s flagship was quite simply in a league of its own! It entered production in 1969, bearing an eight-valve 736cc inline-four powerplant mated to a five-speed transmission. By delivering up to 67 hp and 44 pound-feet (60 Nm) of twist, the SOHC four-banger could bring about a top speed of 124 mph (200 kph).

In the contemporary press following its debut, the CB750 became the first machine to ever be called a “superbike,” but the term Universal Japanese Motorcycle (or UJM for short) had also been coined around that time. It wasn’t long before the CB750 Four saw its supremacy challenged by Japan’s other marques, yet no one is going to deny the huge impact it had on the entire motorcycling industry.

Finished in Varnish Blue, the seductive 1975 model shown in this article’s photo gallery comes with a measly 2,850 miles (4,600 km) on the counter. This cult classic icon currently resides in Dayton, Minnesota, but it’ll soon be changing hands at no reserve on Bring a Trailer. For the time being, the leading bid amounts to twelve grand, and the auction will be ending on Thursday, December 22.
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About the author: Silvian Secara
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A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing.
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