It is said that it was the manga "Tokkōnotaku" that first brought old motorcycles to the attention of motorcyclists, and the models depicted in the series are still highly popular today. This is the final installment of the ForR project, which introduces the models that appeared in "Tokkōnotaku," the textbook of motorcycle enthusiasts, and features a large-sized vehicle.
The CB750 Four puts Japanese motorcycles on top of the world
Honda, which had won the World Grand Prix in the 1960s, took on the world with an ambitious production model, the 1969 CB750 Four. The world's first parallel four-cylinder engine for a mass-produced vehicle was the result of feedback from the technology developed in the World Grand Prix.
As the catchphrase, "World's Fastest. Most Powerful. Quickest Acceleration." the overseas version of the CB750FOR was clearly the best in the world, with a top speed of 200 km/h and a zero-year acceleration time of 12.6 seconds. It was obvious.
To cope with a top speed of 200 km/h and a vehicle weight of over 200 kg, the world's first hydraulic disc brakes are used on the front. The engine features a quadruple carburetor with a carburetor for each cylinder and four exhaust systems to improve the efficiency of air intake and exhaust. The highly rigid double cradle frame achieves excellent running stability and is ready for the dawn of the highway era. The CB750 Four debuted at the same time as the full opening of the Tomei Expressway.
In the movie "Tokkōnotaku," Namorisuou, one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Sound Speed," appears on a CB750K2. He used to be a member of "Bakuraten" but moved to the 6th generation "Bakuon Kozo" and met Taku Asakawa after returning to Japan after living abroad. The coloring and exterior were changed to the gold and black specifications of the original K0, and the suspension was customized with cast wheels and an external rear suspension.
The CB750 Four K0, or K0ero as it was called in Japan, was the first generation of the CB750 that created the Nanahan craze around the world.
Only the K0 had angular side covers, which were detrimental to foot access, and the first production models were equipped with sand-shaped crankcases.
Kawasaki's 500SS Mach III becomes the world's fastest at the same time as the Honda CB750 Four.
The model name H1, product name 500SS Mach III, debuted in 1969 and was Kawasaki's attempt at the world's fastest model. Equipped with the world's first two-stroke, parallel three-cylinder engine, it reached an announced top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) and accelerated to zero in 12.4 seconds. The performance was unquestionably the best in the world. Incidentally, 1969 was also the year that Honda launched the CB750 Four and declared it the fastest motorcycle in the world.
Mach III was exported to the U.S. in the spring of 1969 and demonstrated outstanding performance with a maximum output of 60 PS and a dry weight of only 174 kg. It quickly won high acclaim. The crankshaft of the engine is a press-fit assembly structure with bearing support. The motorcycle adopted a double cradle frame modeled after the featherbed frame of the Norton Manx, and it can be said that Mach III is also credited with creating the foundation for the later Z1.
In the movie, the 500SS Mach III was the favorite motorcycle of Naomi Kurusu, the first generation of "Gokuyo Chou" and Kiyomi Wanibuchi, the insurance doctor at Seiran High School. Each drives a first-generation Eglitank, but Kiyomi's motorcycle is called "Kiyomi of the Red Mappa" because it was red, which was added in 1970. Kurusu's motorcycle is canary yellow and was originally painted. Kurusu also fills her motorcycle with Pennzoil oil.
The photo shows the 500SS Mach III, which was released in Japan in the fall of 1969. The Mach III was mainly peacock gray in Japan, although white is the most common color for Mach III. The ignition system was the first mass-produced motorcycle to adopt CDI battery ignition.
Kawasaki 4-stroke Z, the real challenger to the CB, makes its debut!
In the background of preparing the 500SS Mach III, Kawasaki was developing a four-stroke, four-cylinder model that would later become the Z1. This was known by the development code N600 and had a displacement in the 750 cc class. This project underwent a major revision after Honda exhibited the CB750 Four at the 1968 Tokyo Motor Show. The development code was changed to T-103 and the displacement was expanded to the 900 cc class, with the aim of defeating Honda and becoming the world's best.
He was the main man in the team until the 900 Super Four (model Z1) made its debut in the fall of 1972, and he contributed to its victory. The Z1, equipped with the first DOHC 4-cylinder engine in a mass-produced motorcycle that produced 82 PS, was an explosive hit all over the world and was very successful in races. In 1973, a scaled-down version of the Z1 engine was installed in the 750RS (model Z2), which was released in Japan in response to voluntary exhaust volume restrictions. In Japan, it became even more popular than the CB750 Four.
In the play, the Z750FOR appeared as the favorite motorcycle of Hiroshi Sawatari, the former Bakuraten. In the boasting contest for the Z750F DII in the 8th volume of the book, it is referred to as the Z750F DII, which is thought to mean the 1978 D2 as opposed to the 1977 D1. In fact, the 1978 model was still sold in the same livery as the D1, and the model name D2 was used for its successor, the 1979 Z750FX. In the film, it was called ZII (Zetsu), and all Z-series 750 models prior to the FX were all Z2 in the broadest sense, even if the product name was changed.
The photo shows a 1977 Z750 Four. It is the successor to the 750RS, with enhanced electrical equipment and brakes. The side covers and other external features were different, but only the Nanahan retained the black-painted engine and four mufflers from the first generation.
