Honda CB750

Honda CB750, Honda
Original uploader was Slarty-bart-farst at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

The first superbike: four cylinders, four exhaust pipes and a front disc brake.

The Honda CB750 appeared in 1969 and was fast, reliable and oil-tight. With four cylinders and a front disc brake it made most European motorcycles old-fashioned at a stroke.

It was called the first superbike and marked the start of Japanese dominance. Its form – four cylinders across the frame and straight lines – became the standard for twenty years.

Materials: Steel tube frame, 736 cc inline four-cylinder engine

Manufacture: Made by Honda from 1969 to 1978.

The transverse four-cylinder engine.

The four exhaust pipes, two on each side.

The disc brake on the front wheel.

The transverse inline four-cylinder engine was of 736 cc, with a single overhead camshaft and about 67 horsepower. The front disc brake was a novelty on a mass-produced motorcycle.

Four chromed exhaust pipes, two on each side, and a wide engine with four cylinders in a row.

The very first engines had sand-cast crankcases and are the most sought after.