1969 Honda CB750 - near-perfect condition

In their 100th anniversary issue. Motorcyclist magazine recently named the 1969 Honda CB750 as the “Bike of the Century. and this example may be the bike of this century! I bought it 30 years ago from the original owner. a schoolteacher in Chicago. who had kept it as immaculately as I have ever since. I’ll try to keep this text short as you true lovers of vintage Hondas should know the story very well by now. but the term “Sandcast” is abused so much on eBay it bears telling. Soichiro Honda was a wise businessman and when he developed this breakthrough machine in the 1960s era of British twins & triples. he wasn’t sure it would sell with its daring 4 cylinders. 4 exhaust pipes. 4 carbs and front disk brake. To play it safe. they cast the engine blocks in rough sand molds rather than investing in much smoother (and more costly) die cast molds. When the bike started selling well. they bought the die cats and all models after VIN # 7. 14 have a smooth engine block finish. making these early bikes very rare. How rare is this one? Chassis VIN # = 374 and engine = #379: very rare! If you check the Sandcast web site (www. cb750sandcastonly. com) and scan the registry. you’ll see this one listed as #18 and with surprisingly close #s for the chassis & engine. Honda shipped engines & chassis in separate crates to be assembled in California resulting in most CB750s having chassis & engine numbers being 100 or more apart. What’s also special about this bike is it is a rider. not a “trailer queen. ” It had 18. 00 miles on it when I bought it. and I put another 6. 00 miles on it since. usually short trips every month or two to keep it mechanically sound. It runs like a “dream” (forgive the Honda pun!) and has been maintained by some of the best vintage Honda mechanics whose identity I’ll only reveal to the buyer to not drive them nuts with too many phone calls early on. The pictures tell most of the story. but here’s a synopsis of key features:• All the sandcast features are there: cut fender. wrinkle tank. horn on the right. recessed ignition switch. un-numbered exhaust pipes. smooth mirror tips. black kill switch. un-finned oil cover. Koito headlight. etc. (check the legends in the pics)• Comes with the original owner’s and shop manuals. both of which are extremely worn and faded. with the original owners notes on tune-ups and oil changes from the 1970s. proof of the bike’s authenticity. • The original paint started to fade back in the 90s. (tank turned orange and side covers pink) so I had it re-painted by Blake Conway in California. who does all of Vic World’s paint for his OEM parts CB750s. with the original paint #s from Honda. • All parts are original except the usual maintenance items: tires. battery. plugs. chain. etc. Since it’s a rider. I had an electronic ignition system installed (starts & rights great!) but still have the original points if you want to go back to pure stock. Replaced the clutch a few years ago. but the engine case had never been cracked. • Only major replacement parts were the exhausts: the original inners rusted out in the early 2000s. so I bought a set of Lotus-Roots from Yamiya in Japan (for over twice what the original bike cost!) that look and sound perfect. I only run ethanol-free gas in it (you can find local gas stations at pure-gas. org) and have changed the oil & filter every year for 30 years. • One other non-stock item: I had a Lojak alarm installed so if anyone ever tries to move it without the key. you get alarms on your cell phone. home phone & email address. Appropriate for its value and quite effective as you cannot even move it 5 feet in your garage without the alarms ringing!EVERYTHING on this bike works perfectly: engine. trans. lights. horn. clutch. brakes. etc. Amazingly fast for “only” a 750 cc – I’ve surprised quite a few Hardley-Furgesons in my bi-monthly rides. And the Lotus-Roots exhausts sound like a (forgive me again) dream! It’s been garaged its entire life. never ridden in the rain. and has won a number of awards at bike & car shows including: Mid-Ohio. Barber. Ride Into History. Santa Fe Concorso. Lake Mirror Classic – again. check the pics. Why am I selling? Getting ready to retire and need the dough! WARRANTY: This motorcycle is being SOLD AS IS. with no warranties. expressed or implied. I have a clear Florida Title in hand for the motorcycle. PAYMENT: In order of preference: Bank Wire Transfer or US Bank Certified Cashier’s Check. $1. 00 PayPal Deposit required within 48 hours of close of auction; full payment required within 7 days of close of auction. SHIPPING: ALL shipping charges and shipping arrangements are the sole responsibility of the Buyer. I can provide the names and phone number of a reliable. professional shipper I have used myself whose prices are very reasonable. Also. uShipdotcom is another good way to go. If you have questions or need additional information or photos. please email me.