The year is 1969. This is the year that Honda is going to significantly change motorcycling for the forseeable future. This is when the CB750 will leave motojournalists raving. They called it the world's first superbike, a term that would apply to it even years later. The funny thing, though, is that the '79 DOHC 750 is even better than its predecessor, but is often eclipsed by the SOHC.

Fast forward to 2015, and the CB series of bikes is spent. A good condition example of either an SOHC or a DOHC is worth more than its weight in gold, but finding one is going to be difficult. The SOHC Fours have been heavily modified so they no longer resemble what they were back in the '70s, and most of the others are rusting, mildewing, and disintegrating away somewhere.

But, occasionally, you'll find someone riding around on an old CB. But chances are it'll look good, but not amazing. That is because the amazing ones are collectibles. The CB Fours are all good motorcycles, but don't expect to find one in "museum-quality" condition (damn you, idiot on Craigslist. I wanted that Nighthawk!) for sale less than a few grand. These are the bikes that people like my dad ride around on, because they are what they grew up with. My dad owns two CB750s, a C and a K, that he purchased after previously owning a '78 Kawasaki KZ650; while they aren't shitpiles, they aren't pristine, either.

The first time I rode a CB750, I wasn't in control. I was riding on the back of my Dad's for some such