Honda CB750

The Honda CB750 was really just a Honda CB250 Superdream that had grown up. The layout felt familiar, the Honda build quality was still there and everything worked exactly as you expected. The difference was that everything was bigger, faster and more capable. Compared with the CB250, it felt like a proper heavyweight motorcycle.

One thing I remember clearly was the original Bridgestone tyres. Back then many riders referred to them as “Japlops” and, to be honest, I could understand why. I never had much confidence in them and the bike always felt slightly reluctant to settle properly into corners.

Eventually I replaced them with a set of Avon Super Venoms and the transformation was remarkable. The bike felt more planted, more predictable and far more enjoyable to ride. It was probably the first time I really appreciated just how much influence a set of tyres could have on a motorcycle’s handling.

The CB750 was never a bike that demanded attention. It simply got on with the job. It started, ran well and would sit comfortably at speed all day long. For somebody coming from smaller machines, it felt effortless.

What I remember most was the sense that this was a motorcycle capable of going anywhere. I wasn’t crossing continents at the time, but the idea was beginning to take shape. The CB750 planted the thought that perhaps there was more to motorcycling than simply riding to work and back.

Many motorcycles followed, some more exciting and some certainly more memorable, but the CB750 remains an important stepping stone in my riding life. It was the first motorcycle that truly felt grown up.