XS 650 Vs Honda CB 750

Yamaha77

Yamaha77

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So I have four bikes
1972 Honda CB 350F
1973 Honda Cb 500F
1977 Yamaha XS650
and just this past weekend I bought a PRISTINE 1973 Honda CB 750, I mean not ONE spot of rust on it.

The 750 is amazing. BUT I cant figure out for the life of me, which is faster/stronger: the XS650 or the 750. Hmmm

Pics of both here
IMG_2476.JPG
IMG_2743.JPG
 
TwoManyXS1Bs said:
Stock vs stock, the CB750 wins.

But, an XS650 can be modded to take the CB750.

However, the CB750 can be modded to terrifying levels...
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comment. The 750 is the "largest" bike ive ever owned and its SCARY. I got past how heavy it is by day one, but the acceleration is insane. That said, the Yamaha is the torque MASTER!!!
 
In 1972 the Castrol 6 Hour production race, the line honors were.......... Honda 750/4 got 1st, 3rd 4th, Honda 500/4 got 5th and 8th............an XS2 got 2nd and 9th. The race had Triumphs, Norton's, Suzuki's, Kawasaki's an a bunch of 2 stroke bikes.

After 6 hours of racing the XS2 had been lapped 3 times.............. there you go, that's how slow it was.............but wait.......... To put it in perspective the Honda did 333 laps, 401miles, and the circuit was 1.29 miles long. That's 4 miles behind after 6 hours and 401 miles.

Also remember the early 70-73 Xs650 frames were considered the pig of all the XS650 frames

These bikes were off the showroom floor and the only real difference to the bikes that you or i could buy were the tyres and blueprinted engines.

So if you are tempted to drag that guy that is sitting next to you on an XS650, just remember that guy might know how to ride a bike. That is what it comes down to..............The rider and not the bike.
 
650Skull said:
In 1972 the Castrol 6 Hour production race, the line honors were.......... Honda 750/4 got 1st, 3rd 4th, Honda 500/4 got 5th and 8th............an XS2 got 2nd and 9th. The race had Triumphs, Norton's, Suzuki's, Kawasaki's an a bunch of 2 stroke bikes.

After 6 hours of racing the XS2 had been lapped 3 times.............. there you go, that's how slow it was.............but wait.......... To put it in perspective the Honda did 333 laps, 401miles, and the circuit was 1.29 miles long. That's 4 miles behind after 6 hours and 401 miles.

Also remember the early 70-73 Xs650 frames were considered the pig of all the XS650 frames

These bikes were off the showroom floor and the only real difference to the bikes that you or i could buy were the tyres and blueprinted engines.

So if you are tempted to drag that guy that is sitting next to you on an XS650, just remember that guy might know how to ride a bike. That is what it comes down to..............The rider and not the bike.
Click to expand...

Thanks! But the point I was trying to make is, Im not racing anyone but myself! I have BOTH bikes: I have the '77 Yamaha XS 650 and just bought a 73 CB 750, and I was wondering which is faster because the 77 XS650 I have is VERY torque-y.

I definitely go fast but I NEVER race another dude on a bike....ever.
 
if the only thing you could take out of my answer to your question, ......"BUT I cant figure out for the life of me, which is faster/stronger: the XS650 or the 750. Hmmm" .....is............Actually just rereading your question in post #1, (the one i copy/pasted), i realize it is a rhetorical question....................Ha, Ha ,ha, jokes on me for giving you a detailed answer...............

You have the 2 bikes go from A to B on both.........time your self...............and tell us the answer...............better still that wouldn't be a comparison because a newbie with a few months riding under his/her belt, doesn't have the skill to make a proper comparison,and would be a hazard to other people on the road and to him/her selfe
 
Last edited:
There was a term used back then, Super Bike. The CB750's and even the first GoldWings were considered Super Bikes. I'm not sure if the XS's were considered to be in the Super Bike class or not.

Scott
 
650Skull said:
if the only thing you could take out of my answer to your question, ......"BUT I cant figure out for the life of me, which is faster/stronger: the XS650 or the 750. Hmmm" .....is............Actually just rereading your question in post #1, (the one i copy/pasted), i realize it is a rhetorical question....................Ha, Ha ,ha, jokes on me for giving you a detailed answer...............

You have the 2 bikes go from A to B on both.........time your self...............and tell us the answer...............better still that wouldn't be a comparison because a newbie with a few months riding under his/her belt, doesn't have the skill to make a proper comparison,and would be a hazard to other people on the road and to him/her selfe
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts and comments. Much appreciated!
 
Last edited:
mrtwowheel said:
There was a term used back then, Super Bike. The CB750's and even the first GoldWings were considered Super Bikes. I'm not sure if the XS's were considered to be in the Super Bike class or not.

Scott
Click to expand...

Well, the 750 was called a super bike because, at the unveiling, all of the 2,000 or so dealers marveled at it and called it, its design, and bhp - "super." It was a completely revolutionary design hence the term. IMO "super" doesnt refer to anything other than the impact the bike had, the design leaps and the appreciation of such.
 
The '73 CB750 made 67HP and 44 lb/ft of torque. It weighed 499 lb. and did a standing quarter mile of 13.5 seconds at 100.9 MPH, with a top speed of 123.2 MPH.

(Though the one pictured above has non-stock exhaust and may actually make less HP. The stock pipes performed very well, especially on the early bikes. Take note too that max HP is made at 8K RPM. If you're not winding it out, you're not taking advantage of it's power)

The '77 XS650 made 50HP at 6800 RPM and 39.8 lb/ft of TQ. It weighed 478 lb. and did a standing quarter mile of 13.86 seconds at 96.05 MPH, with a top speed of 112.5 MPH.
 
Honda 750/4 hands down. Honda coming out with the 750 delayed Kawi into upping the anti and bring out the 903cc Z1 in 73. The first real super bike in my opinion.

Any size of Honda's original 4 pipers and Kawi's Z1 are the best looking Jap bikes made in the 70's. 4 pipes are just so sexy! Again JMO.
 
racerdave said:
Honda 750/4 hands down. Honda coming out with the 750 delayed Kawi into upping the anti and bring out the 903cc Z1 in 73. The first real super bike in my opinion.

Any size of Honda's original 4 pipers and Kawi's Z1 are the best looking Jap bikes made in the 70's. 4 pipes are just so sexy! Again JMO.
Click to expand...

I have the original 4 pipes in great shape, in the garage. I just didnt want to add them because of the addition weight.
 
Yes the CB750 was a fast bike BUT the if you really want a thrill get your hands on a Z1900 Kawasaki. I have 5 of them and love them. I also had several 750's back in the day. Nice find on that one, they are getting hard to find in that condition.
 
cra-z1 said:
Yes the CB750 was a fast bike BUT the if you really want a thrill get your hands on a Z1900 Kawasaki. I have 5 of them and love them. I also had several 750's back in the day. Nice find on that one, they are getting hard to find in that condition.
Click to expand...

I actually just started looking and found a few in the midwest. If all goes well I hope to have a Z1 900 but next week this time. Ive long been looking for one of those too!
 
racerdave said:
Honda 750/4 hands down. Honda coming out with the 750 delayed Kawi into upping the anti and bring out the 903cc Z1 in 73. The first real super bike in my opinion.

Any size of Honda's original 4 pipers and Kawi's Z1 are the best looking Jap bikes made in the 70's. 4 pipes are just so sexy! Again JMO.
Click to expand...

Its widely accepted the CB 750 is the first superbike. The Z100 was Kawasaki's attempt to do them one better. Honda set the bar which others, like Kawasaki, tried to surpass. Without a 750 there would be no Z1 900.
 
Ironic that talk of the Z1 came up again. I just posted this morning in the lounge about mine when I was young. It was a monster and quite honestly scared me with all the power. Of course I had mine pumped up with a 1075kit. It was too much of a bike for my first street bike, which is why i ended up selling it. Sure wish I had it back today. Here is a crappy picture of another picture of it.
75 kaw.PNG
 

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