Honda introduced the CB750 to US and European markets in 1969 following a suggestion from American Honda's service manager Bob Hansen, who proposed building a "King of Motorcycles" to compete with the dominant Harley-Davidson and Triumph machines in US production-based racing. At that time, AMA racing rules restricted overhead-valve engines to 500 cc while permitting side-valve Harley-Davidsons to run 750 cc — a regulation that incentivised Honda to engineer a large-displacement four-cylinder machine. The CB750 appeared publicly at the Tokyo Show in November 1968.
Four works CR750 racing versions were constructed for the 1970 Daytona 200, ridden by Ralph Bryans, Tommy Robb, Bill Smith, and Dick Mann. The three Japanese-prepared machines failed during the race, but Mann's car — prepared under Hansen's supervision — held on to win by a narrow margin with a failing engine, delivering Honda a historic US racing victory.
Later in 1970, two official Honda CB750s were entered in the Isle of Man TT's 750 cc Production Class, ridden by Tommy Robb and John Cooper. They finished eighth and ninth. Cooper subsequently stated publicly that he was unhappy with the handling of the machines and would not return without significant improvement.
The CB750's introduction standardised a class of machinery that defined production-based motorsport through the 1970s. The AMA changed its rules from 1970 to allow a full 750 cc displacement for all engine configurations, opening the category to Triumph and BSA as well as Honda. This regulatory shift created the conditions for the Superbike era — a category defined by modified production bikes in which the CB750's layout became the template.
In 1973, Japanese rider Morio Sumiya finished sixth at the Daytona 200 on a factory 750, demonstrating Honda's continued commitment to the class. The CB750's commercial success — over 400,000 units produced during its original production run — subsidised Honda's racing programmes and made the marque the world's leading motorcycle manufacturer through the 1970s.
The original 1969 CB750 introduced to the mainstream motorcycle market a front disc brake and a single overhead camshaft on a transverse straight-four engine — features that had not previously been available on an affordable production machine. Its introductory price of US$1,495 combined with a tested top speed of 124 mph (200 km/h) gave it a significant performance advantage over British rivals. Cycle World called it "a masterpiece" and Cycle magazine described it as "the most sophisticated production bike ever" at the time of launch.
The initial production run of 7,414 units used permanent mould casting rather than die casting for the engine — a cost-control measure under demand uncertainty. After Honda switched to die casting, those early sand-cast examples became prized by collectors.
The CB750's victory at the 1970 Daytona 200 and its subsequent dominance of production-based racing categories established Honda as a force in American and international motorsport at a time when British manufacturers had previously held sway. The concept of the superbike — a road-legal machine competitive enough to form the basis of a serious racing programme — was essentially defined by the CB750. The CR750 works racer that grew from it was among the most significant production-derived racing motorcycles of the early 1970s, influencing the regulatory and commercial frameworks that eventually gave rise to the Superbike World Championship.