374/E379 on ebay again

[Sam]

I see no evidence that they were assembled in the USA. Some pics that Vic sent me showing the sandcasts being assembled in Japan:















Seeing these photos and knowing that the engine has to go into the frame fairly early in the assembly process it seems that Honda would have been foolish to have their bikes assembled in the USA. Lets not forget that labor was far cheaper in Japan at the time.

There is no evidence that these bikes were assembled in the USA and there is first-person evidence that they were assembled prior to arriving on USA soil. I think we can fairly say that the sandcasts were assembled in Japan.

[cb7504]

bob brooks

[Steve Swan]

Mea culpa on the BB machine.  Disc brake.   Not drum.

[4pots1969]

Nice photos Steve, I did not know the second with B.B

I do not assert and I have said never not that there was Sandcast assembled in California, and to see Sandcast on assembly lines HONDA in Japan prove absolutely nothing which denies possible assemblies in parallel for some hundred motorcycles in California, He is certain that there is something behind all this and I think that he it passed something in California in touch with the production of the beginning of the CB750 Sandcast, this "Labelled California" about which we speak since 1969 has to mean something of well préçis has my sense... What? That I do not know him... Maybe what is more it is a completely phony information...
In 1969 there were still no fables or no stories has to sleep up on Sandcast.. Then why to hawk in the USA and in France one such rumors? What interest?
Maybe that one day you will write on the subject: Shit then!! I shall never have believed that possible...
A little as " The Sandcast after the Sandcast ".. Remember yourselves... At the beginning it seemed completely impossible..... Even for Vic World he seems to me... And nevertheless..
Then rather than to reject and condemn "stupidly" this information not to try to dig to know more about it?
To have a certainty...
From my part, I am going to try to contact the author of the book of 1999 "CB750" for the thirty-year to know where from he holds this information " Labelled California "..
And especially, what that means and if it has concrete proofs of what he asserts..

There's no smoke without fire... As we say..


Gerard

[Steve Swan]

Gerard, i don't disagree with anything you've written.  i'd just like to see some evidence sandcast machines were assembled elsewhere than Japan.  and, we have no evidence machines were not produced in usa.  As far as Wyatt )or any of the other authors) none of these author experts' books are infallible or exhaustive.  Wyatt's is a lovely book!  the problem i have is the lack of foot noting sources of information.  to make a claim and not back it up with a source, only to cryptically say, he is "reliably informed" does nothing to persuade me to believe his statement.  i'm no expert.  i just know what i have seen.  and i have surmised based on my experience probably more than i have seen.  in order for me to believe the factory released components to be assembled in usa, i would need evidence.  conventional experience supports machines were built in Japan factory.

as we all know with this sandcast stuff, anything's possible ! 

but..... "Where's the beef?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where%27s_the_beef%3F

[4pots1969]

Steve, I completely agree with what you said...
It is good that you do not agree with what I wrote...If all the world agrees, there is no more of discution possible...
I want just to understand why to have invented this "Labelled California" He owes meant something even if this has nothing to do with the assembled of motorcycles in California.

[kmb69]

According to Honda, they did not assemble and produce motorcycles in the US until 1979. Kind of late for a Sandcast, I would say.

http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=200704023919

[Steve Swan]

Steve, I completely agree with what you said...
It is good that you do not agree with what I wrote...If all the world agrees, there is no more of discution possible...
I want just to understand why to have invented this "Labelled California" He owes meant something even if this has nothing to do with the assembly of motorcycles in California.

my understanding is the distribution center for Western US Honda was in California.  Gardena, i believe. 

To my way of thinking, the crates would be labelled "California" at factroy in Japan, because the destination for the crates was California.

[4pots1969]

Yes, it could be a good explanation...

Seventy three boxes arrived in France in the beginning of September, 1969 would have come from California "labelled California" rather than directly from Japan...
Besides, we always spoke about "Labelled" and not about "Assembled", It is completely coherent...

These boxes simply passed by California to arrive to Havre in France... It pleases me well..

You see Steve, when you put in it of the willingness!!!  

The affair for me is classed!!

[Steve Swan]

Yes, it could be a good explanation...

Seventy three boxes arrived in France in the beginning of September, 1969 would have come from California "labelled California" rather than directly from Japan...
Besides, we always spoke about "Labelled" and not about "Assembled", It is completely coherent...

These boxes simply passed by California to arrive to Havre in France... It pleases me well..

You see Steve, when you put in it of the willingness!!!  

The affair for me is classed!!

One of the many things really cool about these bikes is our passion allows us to transcend language and culture to share with each other our thoughts and observations.

[steff750]

  and not forgeting the wonders of google translation.
on the subject of stories i went to look at a 1974 k2 CB750 for sale in a local scrap yard
it was in bad shape , so rather than say i was not interested i said i owned a k0 model and was looking for spares for that instead ?
he said his older brother had one of them and it was the first in wales because it had drum brakes, i laughed and said they did not have a front drum brake.he said but his brothers did(probably a CB450) .i often wondered how true this story was has he was just a kid of 16 or 17 and this was in 1984,so had nothing to verify that .we did not even have the phrase sandcast then.so imagine the rumours i could have spread if i had believed him,like i believed the story about the cb750 prototype with a 450 tank(i often wondered why honda never released it what a gorgious bike with that chrome tank
BTW this is the first time i have said this story so don't go looking for a front drum braked sandcast lol its a funny old world

[hondasan]

If a story is told enough times, it can become "fact". The value of site's such as this is that observations and knowledge from many sources can (hopefully) result in a considered and balanced view of correctness.

 I was approached by a guy a few years back at a local pub meeting, who recognised the 750 (#5298) as being "one of the first". He did comment "shame it's lost its front drum brake". Having become weary of debates with "experts" at such meetings, I simply retorted "the drum was crap, so I upgraded to a front disc". Guess I did my bit to perpetuate the myth that the early ones had drum brakes fitted!

Chris R.