70's CB750's Rare?

[Hoko]

I've heard that there are a lot of SOHC CB750's around.  I checked out our Austin craigslist motorcycle section and out of 757 motorcycles listed there were only 2 sohc CB750's.  Surprised

[Re-run]

Depends where you are at, but they are kinda rare. Factor in that many got destroyed by whatever means(customs, junked) and that people are now keeping them. In my area, I find the dohc is more common than the sohc.

[seestheday]

I've never seen a running SOHC in person.  I'm in Ontario, Canada.

I have only seen a single SOHC in a junkyard.  I was honestly surprised when I saw it.  DOHC's are a dime a dozen.  Way more if you include the 900's in the mix.

[vingtsous]

Come in rimouski quebec next summer......you'll see one running!!!!
Beer will be on me!!!! (all u can drink)

[TOOLS1]

I see more SOHC 750's then DOHC 750's here in Kansas City.
TOOLS

[Hoko]

Re-run wrote

Depends where you are at, but they are kinda rare. Factor in that many got destroyed by whatever means(customs, junked) and that people are now keeping them. In my area, I find the dohc is more common than the sohc.

Yeah that makes sense that people are holding on to them now.  I wouldn't even think about selling mine.  

[masiste]

There are plenty more SOHC 750's than DOHC's

Thing is the classic japanese car and bike craze is growing in and the classic "er" the vehicle the more these vehicles are being kept, restored , modified or just saved unrestored in a garage or barn.

I see a lot of SOHC's cafe racer style, while most DOHC's I see are bone stock.

The SOHC bikes were produced for about 10 years I believe. DOHC's were produced from 79 till 82.  A lot more SOHC were sold.

Here in Southern California  i have seen perhaps 3 DOHC's on the road in 10 years. SOHC 's are more common.

Perhaps the perception and advertised image of SOHC as cafe racers have made the SOHC more known.

The DOHC is just beginning to be appreciated as a cool classic bike, therefor the SOHC has numbers and publicity on its side.

[Re-run]

I wouldn't put too much into numbers. While they were made in high quantities and for 9 years, the sohc was a hugely popular bike for chopping and making into various things. As a result, many died early deaths that did not happen to many other bikes. This, and that the cb was the first true superbike, are the reasons it sold so well. But also why there are not as many around as their could be. How long does an sohc remain that when it gets modded? If I put an sohc engine into a harley frame, what do I have?

Plus, the dohc was not made for just 4 years. CB750 nighthawk was made in the for more years than the sohc was, about 13 years, on and off.. The engine from an 81 closely resembles the engine from a 92. So, there may well be more dohc than sohc and you just don't see them yourself.

Next, you have to look at regions. Motorcycles are more common in some areas than others. That can also be refined some by saying that certain motorcycles are more common than other motorcycles in some areas.

So, while more may have been produced, you can't really say that more still exist as there is just no way to quantify how many might still be around.

Model Production
CB750 Sand-cast 7,400
CB750 K0 53,400
CB750 K1 77,000
CB750 K2 63,500
CB750 K3 38,000
CB750 K4 60,000
CB750 K5 35,000
CB750 K6 42,000
CB750 K7 38,000
CB750 K8 36,000

Roughly half a million were made, worldwide. I have not been able to find sales figures for later years, but by this time, people had a lot of bikes to choose from as opposed to when the sohc first came out. In the 80s and 90s, the cb750 was just another bike in a line up that included rockets such as the v65, instead of being a centerpiece like the sohc was.

Still, even just a look here will show that while there are plenty of cohc, the dohc is certainly represented.

[Hoko]

Re-run wrote

 Next, you have to look at regions. Motorcycles are more common in some areas than others. That can also be refined some by saying that certain motorcycles are more common than other motorcycles in some areas.

So, while more may have been produced, you can't really say that more still exist as there is just no way to quantify how many might still be around.

From the comments in this thread, it looks like sohc population varies a lot from place to place.  I hardly ever see them here.  I did some work for a guy who had a k he had nicely restored.  His was one of the two that were for sale on  the craigslist section  of 757 bikes.  Too bad we can't take a census of all the ones that are sitting in garages and barns.

[masiste]

Hi Re Run.

    I understand, regions are diverse, like the US North West has a lot of vehicles seen nowhere else or very seldom seen other places in the US. Japanese exports started landing in the northwest, Washington, Oregon, and there you can see some (car wise ) Mazdas like the R`100, Subarus like plenty GLs and Bratts. etc, and many others not common or non existent other places within US.

    Back in the day, the Mid West was a stronghold of Harley Davidson bikes, so prob more early Japanese vehicles were located on larger cities or by the east and west coast.

    About the Night Hawk, by DOHC I mean the successor of the SOHC, the CB750F, 900F and 1100F respectively, which shared engine with the respective differences in displacement, bore and stroke.

   The Night Hawk and others where also DOHC engines, 4 in line, but different motors , not the same engine. Similar, yet not same. The Night Hawk motors were an improvement over the original DOHCs.

   Only the CB1100F was produced in 83 I believe. The CBX Pro Link 6 cyl was also last produced in 83. The 750 and 900 where discharged with the 82 model.

   The issue I see with surviving classic Japanese bikes is the issue of recognition. Untill about a few years, very few, Japanese bikes and cars where appreciated and actually most were disowned by most classic enthusiasts except the die hard Japanese fans.

    The classic establishment only accepted ( in US) mostly exotic European marques and US native brands like Ford, Chrysler, GM, Harley Davidson, and so on.

     The Japanese classic movement begun growing much to the chagrin of the old guard. Now pushed by younger generations, it is growing fast.

     Some nice examples of it have now been sold at hefty prices at major auction sites.

     Meanwhile, many SOHC and DOHC found early demise facing little appreciation in its day.

     Yes, the SOHC bike had more time to pass through different eras, being used in choppers, 3 wheel 70's projects, and through the 80s, probably many were terminated for scraps, before the late 90s and 2000s came by, rescuing the remaining stock by means of appreciation and classic status.

     Also, SOHC begun being appreciated a lot earlier than DOHC. DOHCs are recently started to appear as classics, a few years back, if it aint a SOHC, it were not a Honda Classic. So many DOHCs have been disappearing lately. SOHCs  have been appreciated already for a while.

     But both bikes share a common origin, these two bikes are examples of Hondas success, First one the original (SOHC)  bike that broke all stereotypes, the second one, the DOHC, a step into the future, improved design, also the best thing on Earth when it appeared, to the point when Honda offered the 6 cyl CBX version.

     Soon after Honda turned over to its V engine designs for competition and development , and begun working with the Interceptor, and the DOHC was no longer Honda's flagship.