HONDA The Power of Dreams

The Dream CB450, launched in 1965, boasted Honda’s largest displacement, but sales were sluggish in the United States, its main market. In order to determine the cause of the poor sales, Honda R&D members traveled to the U.S. in the fall of 1967, to conduct market research and meet with American Honda Motor associates to discuss how to remedy the problem.

American Honda Motor requested a motorcycle with a 750 cc 4-cylinder engine with four carburetors, and four mufflers. They also requested a maximum speed of 200 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 400 m in 13.2 seconds, which was a very high level for the time.

In response, the team members returned to Japan and began full-scale design work in February 1968. The goal was to create the world’s most enjoyable motorcycle, with a dynamic character and power generated by a large engine that American people liked, and to provide a comfortable riding experience.

The 750 cc 4-stroke, 4-cylinder engine was a completely new challenge for Honda, which decided to apply the know-how gained from the RC181, which gave Honda the manufacturer’s title in the premier 500cc class of the 1966 Road Racing World Championship.

Existing tires and drive chains were not durable enough to handle the enormous power and speed, and needed to be newly developed. The engine, chassis, and design were challenges on a completely different level.

Nonetheless, the developers overcame the difficulties, and exhibited the CB750 FOUR prototype at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1968. It was the world’s first mass-produced motorcycle equipped with a 750 cc 4-stroke, 4-cylinder OHC engine, and disc brakes on the front, creating an unimaginable road sports machine. Its imposing styling and specifications were greeted with surprise and admiration not only in Japan, but around the world.

In April 1969, the CB750 FOUR was exported to the United States and Canada, 14 months after Honda began its design. In August that year, the CB750 FOUR went on sale in Japan, where its powerful feel borne of the high-performance 4-cylinder engine quickly attracted many riders.

The introduction of the CB750 FOUR had such an impact both in Japan and abroad that it changed the concept of road sports, where 2-cylinder engines were mainstream.

The CB750 FOUR, which was designed to meet high demands, demonstrated its potential in the world of motorsports as well.

In Japan, the Honda R&D rider team of Morio Sumiya and Tetsuya Hishiki, riding a just-released CB750 FOUR, won the Suzuka 10 Hours Endurance Race held in August 1969 at the Suzuka Circuit.

In September that year, the CB750 FOUR won the 24 Hours of Bordeaux endurance race, known as the largest endurance race in France, an effective PR contribution in Europe. And in the U.S., the largest market for the CB750 FOUR, it won the Daytona 200-mile race held in March 1970, with rider Dick Mann.

The CB750 FOUR was marketed as a road sport model that could be enjoyed for touring as well, but it also had proven its speed and endurance reliability in prominent races in Japan, Europe, and the United States.

The highly acclaimed CB750 FOUR soon recorded phenomenal sales not only in Japan, but also in Europe and the United States.

This was followed by a succession of 750 cc road sports models from other manufacturers, and a new market was formed. The CB750 FOUR, the pioneer, was refined to meet the needs of the times, pursuing the joy of ownership and riding, winning over many fans.