The CB750 four cylinder motorcycle engendered more excited anticipation and garnered more prolonged international attention with it's March 6, 1969, debut than any other production motorcycle in history.
The 1969 CB750 had, in one package, the technological development, power, looks, reliability, handling and affordability NO other production motorcycle had yet equaled.
There was no production motorcycle like it until it's 1969 public introduction. The CB750's introduction was a sentinel event revealing a seminal motorcycle.
The aura and mystique of owning a production four cylinder motorcycle which was reliable and affordable, much less good looking and decent handling, was merely a wishful and as yet unfulfilled dream of many a motorcyclist prior to 1969.
This is one reason why, in 1967, Bob Hansen told Sochiro Honda, the "King of Motorcycles" must be a 750cc four cylinder, not a 650cc twin !
Every production transverse four cylinder motorcycle ever since 1969 has used the CB750 as a template of design improvement and excellence.
The only debateble exception to the preceeding statement would be the case of MV Agusta. Even with MV's production of the 750 America, circa 1975, with it's GP forefather, Quattro Cylindri, circa 1966, both these machines came after Honda's GP 4 cylinder bikes of the early 1960's. And, affordable, the 750 America was not - $6000 retail in 1975 !
I'm biased, no doubt. But, i am certain i have my facts straight about what a seminal motorcycle the CB750 was in 1969.
In the case of the 1969 CB750, debating or arguing the definition of whether or not the 1969 CB750 was a "superbike"-or- was " the first superbike," deserves no further discussion, because such discussion is just flat out non-appropros in the context of production motorcycles then available to the retail public in 1969. We had the Mach 1, the Rocket III, the Trident and the Commando - each was a "super bike" or "superbike" in their own right - in 1969.
It's not my intent readers from other websites and enthusiasts of other marques take offense at my remarks.
The term "superbike," as we think of it today, was not a term generally recognized nor commonly used until some time after the CB750's 1969 debut. (It could be argued the inception date of the term "superbike," was, if one goes by the CYCLE magazine's March 1970 cover - "The Big 7: Superbike Comparison Test.") At that time, the term "superbike" was little more than media hype to be further capitalized upon in the future in more than just the venue of magazine sales. Not surprisingly, the Suzuki Titan 500 was in this Big 7 test, alongside the 750 Rocket III, 750 Trident, 750 Commando, 750 Honda, 883 Sportster and the 500 Mach I ! Not surprising, because these 7 bikes, all small but exceedingly more quick and nimble in comparison to a H-D 74 and giant eaters having recently devoured the British twins and singles, little was left to give the conquerers other than the title "superbike." Today, 40 years later, we look at the Titan as an old heavy 2-stroke twin, not competetive in any fashion with the Honda 750 Four. But - these WERE the "superbikes" of the day ! And - all of them were truly super motorcycles or super bikes - in the day.
And, truly - from every decade, decades long before 1969 to present 2010, there is at least one motorcycle which could be deemed a super bike or a "superbike" - whatever a "superbike" is.
However - NO motorcycle before 1969 had what the CB750 offered in terms of technological development, power, reliability, appearance, handling and affordablity.
In the case of the 1969 CB750, arguing if it was a "superbike" or "the first superbike," is an irrelevant and meaningless exercise.
However - one can argue, by March 1969 standards, the CB750 was, without equal, one heck of a super four cylinder motorcycle or super four cylinder bike if you will. It was one heck of a super 750cc bike. Single overhead cam ! FOUR upswept mufflers ! Stunning night lighting of the gauges ! An Offenhauser exhaust note ! Acceleration like that of a spaceship ! HOT candy tone ruby red or COOL candy tone blue-green colors ! Louvered shark gill vented side covers ! GP pukka style flipped tail seat ! GP style single action flip open tank cap ! Gold and black tank striping !
It was nearly three years (1972) until the 1969 CB750 was surpassed in horsepower by the Z1. This fact alone, does not merit either machine to be a superbike or the first superbike. And yet, each could be deemed "superbikes" in their own year of introduction.
Hindsight and perspective always yield a different view of what we experienced at any given moment, which allows us the privilege of saying what we think is the "first" or a "real" 'superbike'.
I am reasonably certain, in 1969, many guys like us, were saying, "Wow, that Honda 750 four is really a super bike."
Most guys were not willing to pay the extra $500 for a British triple nor did they want to step back to a rice grinder or have their joints dislocated or their teeth shook out riding the Sportster. And, it was a sure bet, the triples and the Sportster were fully capable of leaving the rider stranded road side. The Commando was less so inclined to unreliablity, but required regular maintainence to remain in top fettle for optimum reliability.
With exception to the Titan, the Honda Four was the second least expensive of the 7 superbikes. If you had a good deealer, the price was $1495 out the door !
In 1969 - nothing else, absolutely nothing else - was like a Honda four cylinder. The magazines could say what they wanted, but i can tell you from being there, Honda fours sold out and stayed sold out, if you wanted a Honda four, you waited for one for weeks and even months. Comparatively speaking, guys were not buying the Brit bikes or the rice grinders like they were the Honda four. These machines, for sure Brit bikes, sat unsold on dealer's showroom floors, long after Honda 750's had sold out.
The Honda four stood in a class of it's own. Dick Mann ran away from all the other manufacturer's bikes at the 1970 Daytona 200 - 40 years ago ! What a super bike ! In 1969, anyone who knew anything, knew the CB750 was in a class of it's own; truly a super bike !
December 1970, Honda produced a CR750 kit for guys like us to convert our CB750's to CR spec. 90hp ! Lot's of light trick magnesium parts and more ! Super bike ? Hmm, how can one say, "Not?"
By 1972, the Z1's inception year, Honda had already set the bar three years earlier and all other manufacturers of four cylinder motorcycles would continue to follow what Honda started with one heck of a super bike. That year was 1969 !
Enough already !
PS - I was just looking at the Sales Tax Statement for 4779, dated 10-6-1969. My Dad wrote on the back side of the statement, "1970 750 Honda, $1500 Cost, $660 BSA Trade In, $840 Balance Paid Cash."