Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126456
o 00 0") By Tom Mueller Photos by Gary Van Voorhis and Mueller Honda and its 750cc effort has come a long way. Since 1969 when the CB750 first appeared until now, Honda has released many useable forms of the 750cc powerplant.· In 1980 the 750cc category ineludes the CB750K (touring . modeI), . C~ 750K .1..:TD (tounng model hmlted edmon) and the CB750F. When a manufacturer produces three versions of one basic model, the buying market becomes segmented. Those buyers that opt for the F model should realize one fact: If they are" not the Johnny-go·fast·keep-it·in·high-R's -fantasizing·road-racer-type, the F will not be appealing. At a glance. the Fs cosmetics make it took fast. The tank/sidecover/ seat/rear fender and spoiler arran~ment make for a clean and 10tegrated appearance. Honda's own ComStar wheels, this year· in b\ad;., compliment the styling. along with the four-into-two upswept system.. Rectangular tt~rn 5lgnals. chrome mirrors and bold pmstriping complete the package. The F is a cold blooded staner. Even with the choke all the way on, five or six grinds of the staner were required to make the F come to a sluggish idle on a cool morning. In only a few seconds. blipping the throttie brought the F to life. It would hang around 2000 rpm for a moment and then scream into the high 6'5. The choke has to be left on for quite a while before the bike is warm· in our case 10 miles of highway driving would do the trick. Before that time the choke can be taken off and the bike will idle at 1500 rpm. but under ac· celeration it will baIlt around 5000 rpm_ The F, however. performs as well e:t haust with the choke on as off. There is no wait for the performance to stan. We hoped the Fs electrical system would stay with the task of turning the engine over, because no kick staner is offered. Ken Watts, Regional Training Center Administrator for American Honda, said the ltick staner was removed for three reasons. First, that Honda's electrical system is now totally reliable; second, a survey was done through dealerships and most Honda owners said they didn't use ltid staners when they could electrically stan their bikes; and third, eliminating the kick stan from the engine helped to keep the bikes competitively priced. One of the first things we noticed when the 750 came to life was a loose. rattling noise in the lower end. While the noise went away above 2000 rpm and no adverse affects were noticed. we kept our ears peeled. The problem was diagnosed as some worn parts in the clutch or other related lower end pans. However. the bike was not new when we received it. The odometer had over 5000 hard, hard miles on it, miles which were put on by two magazines who had previously tested the bike. Honda has included little touches on the F which are commendable, such as a push button trip reset and vibration resistant mirrors that keep images sharp. The mirrors are an especially good idea, since the F is running at 5200 rpm at 60 mph, at which point a slight but noticeable vibration is evident. Honda has produced one tight running motorcycle; 5200 rpm on other bikes could have been worse. Taking into consideration the sporting orientation of the F, we matched its gear ratios and final reduction to the CB750K, Honda's touring 750. To our surprise. the K ruDS the same ratios and final reduction as the F. It would be wise for Honda dealers to stock up on countershaft sprocltets; those one or two teeth larger than stock might be in demand. When Honda put together this package they went all the way. Granted. the gearing isn't for longer trips. What it is for is blowing another bike away in a drag race or malting time through a curvy mountain road. The F is a close. tight shifter with close gear ratios. It was the only way Honda