Feasibility of a Modern CB750

[Stichill_imp]

In the wake of Motus’s demise, I saw this comment in reaction to the Revzilla story about the end of Motus:

“Have Honda build a CB750 styled like its CB1100, give it a fuel injected inline 4 with about 90 horsepower and sell it for between $7500 and $8500. Keep weight to no more than 450 lbs and make it devoid of electronic gadgetry.”

Obviously it would have to be liquid cooled, but other than that compromise...reaction?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LongRanger_imp]

I'd be a skeptic. 750's are considered "girl's bikes" these days. Even our F800GT's, which have the same 90-ish hp, were poor selling bikes due in part to their perceived anemic performance (which I disagree with) and perceived high price (disagree again). How has the latest Kawasaki ZX7-whatever naked bike fared in the US? I've never seen one.

I think the CB750 ship has sailed. It was the performance king until the Z1 appeared in 1973. I'm not sure what it would represent today. A Nighthawk redo?

[the Ferret]

Couple things IMO

(1) We are talking Honda...

They are not going to build an air cooled 750 with more horsepower than the 1100, and a liquid cooled 750 would have to be a revver to hit 90 hp

(2) We are talking Honda

They are not going to make a 750 4 cyclinder that weighs less than 500 pounds

(3) We are talking Honda

THey are not going to produce a 4 cyl 750 to retail less than their NC700 Twins

( 4) We are talking Honda

Even if they did do all of the above things, it would be so refined that the word on the street would be it had no character, that it was like a sewing machine, and it would be boring

(5) We are talking Honda...

There is no way the styling could make enough people happy.. Some would want retro, some would want neo- retro and some would want fresh and stylistic

[Stichill_imp]

I’m not sure buyers (especially younger buyers under 30) are thumbs-down on 700cc-class bikes as much as they are thumbs-down on $10k-plus bikes generally.

I’m thinking this modern CB750 concept could be Honda’s answer to the Yamaha XSR700.

https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport-...els/xsr700


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[the Ferret]

But that's a twin with 75 hp

Honda could probably do that given the above parameters, but again doubt that they would. They are happy with their NC750 platform. Slightly less horsepower, easier to ride and live with.

[Stichill_imp]

In the glory days, wasn’t Yamaha kind of known for twins (e.g. XS650) and Honda for I4s? All before my time (motorcycle interest-wise).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[the Ferret]

Lol right in my time

Honda was the leader in 4 stroke cylinder mltiplication which they developed in road racing

yamahas heritage was in small 2 stroke twins

YAmaha did have the 650 twin ( TX/XS series.. i had 3 of them) but they were Magura 650 clones which was the clones of the A7 BSA. They later developed the TX twins 500 and 750 which were their own design with counter balancers, but then went the triple route with the xs 750/850 then a big 1100 4 with the xs 1100

Yamaha did make an Seca 650/750 4 cylinders now that I think about it, but its hard to say Yamaha specialized in twins and Honda in 1-4's. During the mid 70s to mid 80s all the mfgs were producing motorcycles of all configurations at a crazy rate

[Roper_imp]

In the wake of Motus’s demise, I saw this comment in reaction to the Revzilla story about the end of Motus:

“Have Honda build a CB750 styled like its CB1100, give it a fuel injected inline 4 with about 90 horsepower and sell it for between $7500 and $8500. Keep weight to no more than 450 lbs and make it devoid of electronic gadgetry.”

Obviously it would have to be liquid cooled, but other than that compromise...reaction?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It pretty much already exists.

Current CB650F: Liquid cooled I-4, 86hp, 454 lbs, base MSRP $8249. Only difference is more modern than retro style.

[LongRanger_imp]

^ Yep. There you go.

[Guth_imp]

You lost me at “water-cooled”. If it’s going to be water cooled then I’d rather just go with the modern standard CB650F and all of the other advances it brings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk