1970 Honda CB

CB7501038436

Here is a completely original and extremely low-mile 1970 Honda CB750. Although a ’70 model, this is a true first-generation Honda CB750, albeit one built months after the first 7414 sand-cast examples rolled off the assembly line during mid- and late 1969. At some point in the fall of 1969, Honda had to begin legally labeling brand-new machines as ‘1970’ models, and this is one of those. The odometer reads 2604 miles, documentable as actual mileage. I purchased this motorcycle approximately 8 years ago from noted CB750 sandcast restoration guru Vic World of World Motorcycles (worldmotorcycles.com). His restorations are so good and so authentic that Honda Motor Co. Japan purchased one for its Collection Hall museum – and proceeded to place it in the entry lobby. American Honda purchased one shortly thereafter. So Vic knows CB750s better than anyone, which is why he’d owned this machine since the mid-’80s. He sold it to me because he’d purchased an even rarer CB750: a ’69 sandcast CB750 with only 428 miles on the clock. Not needing two bikes this authentic and low-mile (my ’70 had only 1875 miles when I bought it from him), Vic sold me the ’70 and kept the 428-mile sandcast. Nothing has been replaced on this motorcycle (except engine oil). It still has the ultra-rare original tires (Bridgestone Super Speeds), which remain in very good condition, with no cracks, splits or dry-rot. They still have at least half their tread left, and are still plenty soft and pliable. The bike still has its original seat, which, like most early ducktail CB750 seats, is beginning to sag ever-so-slightly in the middle from its 40-year-old foam. When I rode this bike for a feature story I wrote about it (and Route 66) in Moto Retro Illustrated, I installed a later-model seat so I wouldn’t disfigure the stocker. This bike was purchased new with 4 miles on the odometer by Mr. Henry W. Sieger of Floral, NY on July 23rd, 1970, at Cycles of Bellerose, Inc., of Bellerose, NY. Mr. Seiger paid $1525 for the bike, and $76.25 in taxes for an out-the-door price of $1601.25. The VIN is CB7501038436. The engine # is CB750E1038399. Included in the sale is the original bill of sale, the temporary owners’ warranty registration card, original owners’ manual and an original service manual (see image). The original paintwork is in fantastic condition, with no sun-fading whatsoever. The bike has been garaged its entire life, has clearly been babied, and looks it. The chrome is in similarly superb shape, as are the rubber parts, seat, aluminum, steel and painted parts. The wheels are arrow-straight, the engine gleams, the tank is completely rust-free, the mirrors and grips are original, and everything is as it should be. The bike starts immediately, and runs cleanly throughout its rev range. This may be the cleanest non-restored K-zero CB750 in existence. It’s certainly one of the lowest-mileage examples on earth. There are a small handful of minor faults with this motorcycle, which I’ll describe below. Each is typical of a motorcycle used as a weekend rider, which this machine was used as, albeit for a very short time. *There is a small retouched scratch on the right headlight ear (see photo) *The right side panel has a small paint smudge (see photo) *The inner exhaust pipe below the countershaft sprocket (left side of bike) has a bit of battery-overflow damage right where the ‘HM300’ marking is. The outer pipe on this side is untouched. *The coated aluminum fork legs and engine covers have a bit of discoloration (see photo), typical of a 40-year old motorcycle. *The gold tank stripe on the upper right side of the tank has a small pimple, which looks as if it could have been a flaw in the paint. (See photo.) It’s tiny. *There is a slight scratch on the plastic face of the speedo (see photo), which could very likely be removed with plastic polish. *The edge of the ‘engine oil’ sticker on the right-side sidepanel is beginning to come off the plastic (see photo). This is a truly exceptional example of a first-generation Honda 750, and easily one of the cleanest – if not THE cleanest – non-restored examples on earth. For collectors and enthusiasts looking to own a rare piece of motorcycling history (and one of the most important motorcycles ever built), it doesn’t get much more authentic than this. Shipping Bike is located in Los Angeles, and I will help with local delivery. Those needing shipping need to arrange it themselves, and I will help as I can. I can provide a custom crate for international shipping if needed; the crate is custom made for the CB750, and allows no part of the bike to touch anything (except the tires) during the entire trip. Payment *$1000 deposit is required within 24 hours of the close of the auction. *Balance is due within 5 business days; cash, cashiers’ check or bank wire transfer ONLY. Please don’t ask about a personal check. Extra Photos/Video I have plenty if you’d like to see more, and I have a video (with sound) of the bike running, too. Email me at mcretro@cox.net or call 310.849.1845 On Jun-18-11 at 06:21:44 PDT, seller added the following information: Sorry folks, the bike has 2646 miles, not 2604!On Jun-19-11 at 06:58:14 PDT, seller added the following information: Hi Folks. Some of you have written and are confused about my wording above in the first paragraph. To clarify, this motorcycle was built in May, 1970, as the headstock tag photo clearly shows.