Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Magazine October 2018 Edizione posteriore

A better motorcycle journalist than I (aren’t they
all?) once told me that he thought that
the Honda CB750 was the most important
two-wheeler of the 20th Century.
He figured that Honda’s move to large
capacity, multi-cylinder motorcycles at the end
of 1968 was a seismic change that led to the
domination of Japanese motorcycle
manufacturers and that it was the CB750 – not
the humble, multi-million selling Honda C90
– that showed the way to the future. The same
journalist says that we should look again to the
Far East – albeit China and Korea this time – for
the next revolution. With these manufacturers
either producing singles, twins or old-spec
four-cylinder motors, will we see them move into
other, larger capacity formats? And if so, what
machines will grace CMM’s cover in another 50
years’ time?
Me? Being born in 1971 I kinda missed out on
the furore behind the bike itself, but it had
ramifications with my older male family
members – most of whom were bikers. Pretty
soon the old Nortons, Triumphs and BSAs that I
was sat on as a nipper for pictures were
replaced by Japanese machines, two-strokes,
four-strokes and – ultimately – big-bore four
strokes, Kawasakis and Yamahas mainly.
Along with the 50th anniversary of the
unveiling of the Honda CB750 in this issue, we
are also looking back at the first 15 years of the
World Superbike championship, which is 30 this
year. The spectacle of Jap four-cylinder 750s
battling dominant V-twin Ducatis will never be
forgotten. We hope you enjoy the issue.