Motor-cycling A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT

Press, 26 April 1979, Page 25

Motor-cycling A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT

’ Honda will always be remembered as the first ■Japanese motor-cycle /manufacturer to produce a big, four-cylinder, four'stroke roadster — the .C 8750. That was nearly a

-decade ago, but there are //still plenty of those early .machines still giving their owners good service. The model has been ungraded several times without losing its original identity. The latest fourcylinder 750, designated the C8750K, recently arrived in New Zealand and it is quite clearly the best of its kind so far.

Its performance figures ■will please those who place emphasis on nower and speed. The CB7soK’s double overhead camshaft engine produces 77 b.h.p. at 9000 r.p.rh. In a test in England, recently, a standard C8750K achieved an average of two timed runs

over 400 m at 206km/h, faster than anything achieved by any previous 750 in the same conditions. Its best one-way speed with a slight tail wind was 217km/h. However, comfort and road handling have been given a high priority. The seat is well padded and the riding position comfortable. The machine also handles well. In spite of its performance, the bike will pul! away in top gear without snatch with the engine idling at 2000 r.p.m. Peak revs are 10,000. At first glance, the exhaust system appears similar to the four-pipe, fourmuffler system pioneered by the original C 8750. However, it is actually a four-into-two-into-four system. The right and left exhaust pipes join then emerge into four independent mufflers.