Post Listing Update: This turbo’d CB750K did not get any action at the BIN of $8,995 on eBay.
11-1-20 Update: Several years after it was last featured here, this CB750 sold on Bring a Trailer for $5,300 back in July. Now it’s back up for sale with a markup – find it in Phoenix, Arizona with a BIN of $8,995 or best offer here on eBay.
I enjoy rebuilding bikes in my free time and have almost exclusively rebuilt 1970’s Honda CB’s. They’re so abundant where I live that I’ve literally come across two yard sales in my (admittedly hipster) neighborhood that were both selling CB parts. Because they are omnipresent, even when fully customized and redone it’s rare that you see something you haven’t already seen a similar version of a million times. Enter: This custom turbocharged 1979 Honda CB750K.
Not only does this CB come equipped with a turbo charger capable of making a possible 145hp (105hp set up with PSI levels as is, vs the stock 750k’s 63hp) but the particular turbo-job appears to have been installed by someone who really knew what they were doing. The bike was “completely rebuilt from the ground up” three years ago and was heavily customized by modifying original Honda parts, though obviously the custom seat didn’t come from a late 70’s Honda.
The bike retains a lot of its original look while still being easily recognizable as being far from stock. The custom pipes running horizontally, halfway up the middle of bike’s left side is a really cool touch, especially considering it is breathing that distinct turbocharged roar. The stock fender has been chopped making it shorter while stile utilizing the stock taillight and signals.
Not unlike Massimo Tamburini, I would seriously question the frame and the rest of this bike’s components to be able to compensate for all the extra power. (Tamburini famously wrecked his 750 leading to the legendary HB1 and its superior frame). There are also obvious reasons turbochargers aren’t more commonly found on sportbikes, especially of this era, granted the proceeding decade would give us some forced induction two-wheeled offerings.
This rare forced induction example has only had just over 4K miles put on it since the rebuild. It also recently got new tires and custom geared (18/41) sprockets along with a 530 chain conversion. New brakes were another one of the latest additions. The seller is also throwing in some spare parts along with the sale. You can find this 1979 CB750K that felt atmospheric pressure just wasn’t enough here on Craigslist in Orange County, CA for $6,500.