New Member - Northern California

[Bergmen]

Hi, Dan here.

I do not now own a "sandcast" CB750 but did back in the day.

I bought one of the first 1969 CB750's to arrive in the Bay Area. I bought mine from House of Honda in Mountain View, California in July of 1969. It was stolen from me about two years later and I replaced it with a mint 1970 (both green). I owned the 1970 up 'til 1996 when I sold it due to a company relocation (plus a desire to empty out the garage and have only one motorcycle to ride, maintain, insure and store).

Here is a pic of the pink slip from the stolen "sandy":



And a handy picture of me and two of my best riding buddies sitting on my '69:



My first Honda (1961 C-115) I got for Christmas while living in Japan:



One of the other Hondas I owned and raced (CR-110):



Current Honda (1985 CB-700 SC bought brand new in 1986 and will be up for sale shortly):



Currently ride a 2003 Kawasaki Concours that I have extensively modified (ZRX 1200 R engine, forks, front wheel, Mean Streak rear wheel, etc.):



Any questions on any of this stuff, let me know.

Dan

[donzie]

Great story there Dan bet you wish you still had the sandy
Hey I think I have that vin # in my collection I will check ha ha.... keep watching ebay it just might turn up

[Nielsen]

Hi Dan

Yeah. It`s interesting to hear from people who owned the bikes in the past.
I bet you also wish you still had the CR110

/Karsten

[Bergmen]

Great story there Dan bet you wish you still had the sandy
Hey I think I have that vin # in my collection I will check ha ha.... keep watching ebay it just might turn up

Well, about six months after it was swiped, I found it about a block from where it was stolen. I had parked it in front of a steak house where my buddy was a Chef. Stupid me, I left it on the side stand and didn't lock the steering. Came out and it was gone, the guys who took it just rolled it down the street and into their garage.

I went down that street to make a U-turn and it was parked in the driveway. I jumped out and immediately recognized it as mine (I knew every inch of that motorcycle). They had changed the cases and the frame and re-registered it. At the time, there was a loop-hole in titling laws that allowed thieves to get away with this. I called the detectives anyway, they looked over all his paperwork and said they couldn't do anything. A month later they set fire to two of my buddies bikes parked at the restaurant as a reprisal and nearly burned the place to the ground.

It could have gotten ugly, I really wanted to stick to those thugs. But I had to back down and forget it, I didn't want the restaurant involved, they were innocent. All of my friends wanted to burn their house down and shoot them when they ran for cover (just talkin' trash). I told everybody just to cool their heels and forget all about it.

Nothing else happend other than the cops busted these guys for dealing dope (and other stolen vehicles). They got their just rewards after all.

I was out of work at the time and couldn't replace the '69. I was heart broke, that motorcycle was the most fantastic bike on the planet. I rode that thing like I've never ridden before or since, had everything hanging low on both sides scraped off. I came off a 1968 XLCH Sportster I had purchased new two years previous (and rode it to Canada and back) and when Honda came out with the CB-750, I put it up for sale in ten seconds. It was like jumping out of a T-6 and into an F-104.

In June of 1972, I landed a full time job. One month later I went shopping and found the 1970. Life was good again.

Dan

[Bergmen]

Hi Dan

Yeah. It`s interesting to hear from people who owned the bikes in the past.
I bet you also wish you still had the CR110

/Karsten

Funny story here. I lived in Japan from 1958-1962 and watched Honda begin to gain prominence in motorcycling. I followed their rise in Grand Prix racing and it was something to see. I was familiar with the CR series that they made available to private racers.

Fast forward to 1971. I was cruising the newspaper checking out the ads and I stumbled over an ad for a Honda 8-speed racing motorcycle. I knew exactly what it probably was and gave him a call. He was an attorney who took this (and a couple of other bikes) in for fees for his client who had no money. He knew nothing about motorcycles. I waited a week to think it over and called him back (why, I don't know, I should have jumped on it as rare as these were). He still had it and I buzzed over to take a look. It was a CR-110 and in fabulous condition. It looked like it had only been raced a few times, very little minor damage, a few dings here and there.

I fired it up and rode it down the street and it ran perfectly. Since it was a race bike it ran like crap at lower rpms, tuned to take off above 10,000. I used this as an excuse to lower the price saying it needed work. I got him down from $400.00 to $350.00 and I took it home.

I only planned to race it once to get it out of my system, I didn't want to tear it up. Joined AFM and raced it at Cotati and took second place. I parked it intending to restore it someday. I never got around to it and then I read an article in one of the motorcycle rags about a guy in southern California that was collecting old Hondas to restore. He didn't have a CR-110 and desperately wanted one. One thing led to another and we made a deal for $7,500.00.

It went to the right person. He lovingly restored it and it is in excellent hands. His money was also.

Dan