I don't own a Honda 750-4, but have lurked here to learn more about them.
Back in 1968 through 1971, I was a Honda motorcycle mechanic in Homestead, Florida while also serving in the US Navy at the security station there. I could get between 34 and 40 hours a week in at the shop while on active duty. I worked at a shop called Homestead Cycle; a subsidiary of Miami Vespa-Honda, the largest Honda dealership in South Florida at the time. Anyone remember those shops? It was a long time ago. One day, Ben, the owner of Homestead Cycle, came back from Miami with a load of motorcycles on the trailer. One was a Honda 750-4. It was the first Honda 750-4 to ever set tire on US soil.
That very motorcycle IS the motorcycle that changed the world. It was sent to Miami for some reason instead of Los Angeles. Ben told us that it was the first and that he felt like we'd see a lot more in the coming months. We hadn't even seen pictures in magazines!
Then, we all took turns riding that Honda 750. OH MY GOSH! It sounded like a finely tuned sports car, had no engine vibration, and would go 120 mph (getting there very quickly). It was far superior to my Honda 350! The 5 or 6 of us at the shop got about 30 minutes of ride time each on that motorcycle before Ben took it back up to Miami. From there, I have no idea where it went. I wonder where it is now; I'm certain that because of the historical significance that it still exists.
Dang, I wish we had digital cameras back then. There are no pictures of the motorcycle, much less ME riding or sitting on it. I have a few snapshots of the shop, my motor, and me at the shop; but none from that day. But I'll carry the memory of that little bit of history with me to the grave. That was almost 50 years ago!
Ken
