1. What’s an RC17?
2. How many different models where there?
3. What’s the difference between the ‘FE and the ‘FG?
4. And what’s this Bol D’or model, then?
5. And the Brazilian ‘Indy’?
6. A shaft drive CBX750?
7. Was the Horizon some super-sport variant for the racer boys, then?
8. What colours did they come in?
9. How many did Honda make?
10. Is the CBX750 related to the CBX1000?
11. What about the CBX550 and CBX650?
12. And how about the American ‘Nighthawk 700’?
13. Did the RC17 ever make it to [insert country name here]??
14. How do I join the mailing list?
15. How do I become an allocated member of Team RC17 Australia?
16. Can you make the distinction between allocated and unallocated membership a bit clearer?
17. How many people are there on the list?
18. Where are they all?
19. Are there any other websites about the CBX750?
20. Do you know where I can get part XYZ?
21. Do you know where I can get a service manual?
1. What’s an RC17?
‘RC17’ is the model designation for the Honda CBX750 motorcycle.
2. How many different models where there?
There where six different models that we know of:
- The semi-faired CBX750FE and CBX750FG
- The fully-faired CBX750F2 Bol D’or
- The fully-faired Brazil-only ‘Indy’
- The shaft-drive CBX750P (The ‘P’ is reputed to stand for ‘Police’)
- The Japan-only CBX750 Horizon
- The 1992-onwards CB750 is a direct descendant of the CBX750
3. What’s the difference between the ‘FE and the ‘FG?
Not a lot on the outside. There are supposedly a large number of changes to the motor internals. One noticable difference on the ‘FG is the inclusion of a rocker-cover breather pipe that runs back into the airbox. However, going by the serial numbers and other details in the parts list, it appears that the breather pipe also appears on some of the later ‘FEs as well.
bq. One thing to note is that the ‘FE came in Red, Black and Silver paint schemes, but the ‘FG was only available in Red or Black.
4. And what’s this Bol D’or model, then?
The CBX750 Bol D’or was a fully faired version of the CBX750. We don’t know what maket they were aimed at, as they seem to be available in most places that ‘normal’ CBX750s are.
5. And the Brazilian ‘Indy’?
In 1986, Honda Brazil started importing black CBX750FE’s into the country. In 1987 they started making their own version of the bike, nick-named “Hollywood” by Brazilian riders. (The colours selected by Honda Brazil matched those of the local “Hollywood” brand of cigar boxes.)
Somewhere between the middle of 1990 and early 1991, Honda Brazil introduced the “Indy” model. Going by the photos that Brazilian riders have sent, they look like modified Bol D’or models. The major difference is in the wheels – the front is 18” ‘star’ style rim, instead of the stock 16” ‘Comstar’ item.
bq. Honda Brazil produced the Indy up until 1994, when it was discontinued due to it’s inability to compete in the pricewar with the Suzuki GSX-F.
6. A shaft drive CBX750?
Yes, there was a shaft-drive variant of the CBX750, given the model designation of CBX750P. They are reported to have been used by various Police forces around the world – notably Ireland, Israel, several African countries and Hong Kong. The local Honda Rider Training facility here in Melbourne has a couple of them – photos are available in the ‘Pictures’ section of the web site.
One thing to note is with the ‘P’ models is that the engine rotates in the opposite direction! To get the shaft drive to work properly, Honda have changed various parts in the engine so that it will run “backwards”. If you have a ‘P’ model bike, please take care when using information from this website – it may not be correct for you.
7. Was the Horizon some super-sport variant for the racer boys, then?
Nope. The photos we’ve managed to find showed an interesting beast indeed – the shaft drive of the American CB700SC Nighthawk (with drum brake, 16” rear wheel and twin rear shock absorbers), a tiny fairing, and a set of long looking forks with an 18-inch front wheel and twin disk brakes.
However, as luck would have it, Dennis in the UK has sent us a mail about this particular Horizon – he owns one, and gave us more details about it.
8. What colours did they come in?
There where three basic colour schemes for the FE and FG – silver, red or black. The Bol D’or came in red and white. Some countries did not receive some colour schemes. For example, there are no recorded official black RC17s in the UK. (Geoff Melville has a black RC17, but it may been repainted.)
The Bol D’or seems to have been available in only one colour scheme – red/white/black. Although we have a photo of a blue/white model from Holland, and pictures of a wine-red Bol D’or have been seen on the Internet.
The Brazilian models came in a multitude of colours between 1987 and 1990 – red/white, blue/white, white/grey (very rare, apparently), black/grey, blue/black and a wine-red scheme. The fully-faired Indy came in blue/grey (also described as gun-metal grey/silver), dark green, black/grey, dark blue and a wine-red scheme. Judging by the photos we have seen, the gun-metal grey scheme was the most common.
9. How many did Honda make?
We don’t have exact numbers, but there were only about 20,000 FE and FG models made, in a production run stretching from 1984 to 1987. We don’t know how many Bol D’ors were made, nor do we know how many Indys were made.
10. Is the CBX750 related to the CBX1000?
No. The CBX1000 was an inline six-cylinder monster, produced from about 1978 to 1982. The CBX750 is an inline four-cylinder sports bike. If you’re after information on the CBX1000, there is a very large American website devoted to it. Try doing a search on any good search engine, they should point you in the right direction.
11. What about the CBX550 and CBX650?
The 550 is a distant cousin, but the 650 is (from what we can determine) a direct ancestor. Many sources of information point to the 750 as being derived from the 650.
12. And how about the American ‘Nighthawk 700’?
The Nighthawk is a sort of CBX – a smaller engine capacity (to get around the American import restrictions of the time), a very different fairing (if it had one at all), and a shaft-drive. According to our list member who has owned one since 1985 or so, it’s a fine bike to ride, and very similar to the RC17 that we all know and love.
13. Did the RC17 ever make it to [insert country name here]??
It depends. The RC17 was made primarily for the European market (going by the number of country codes in the service manual), as well as South Africa and Australia. There were no official RC17 imports to America, due to the US Government’s import restrictions on motorcycles over 700cc at that time. (The import restrictions were aimed at saving the American “Motorcycle Industry” (ie, Harley Davidson).)
14. How do I join the mailing list?
If you’d like to become a member, all you have to do is click on the Join the team link and fill in the form.
15. How do I become an “allocated” member of Team RC17 Australia?
To join the team per se, we want you to contribute something for our webpage. It can be something simple (eg: a copy of a review from a magazine), or it can be something big (eg: a document telling us how to rebuild your engine). A picture of your bike is not sufficient. Have a look on the projects page, or the reviews page to see what we’re after.
16. Can you make the distinction between “allocated” and “unallocated” membership a bit clearer?
Yep. See the message by Team RC17 #1 rider and “President for Life”, Mr_T here.
17. How many people are there on the list?
The number of mailing list members varies a bit as people drop off and new people sign up. The average number of subscribers seems to have hovered around the 110 mark since 2002.
18. Where are they all?
All over the world. We have several Australian list members, a healthy contingent of members in Great Britain, and members in Norway, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Italy. We even have a member in Alaska.
Are there any other websites about the CBX750?
There are a couple around, but they are nowhere near as big as this one. (And some of them had stolen pieces of this one!) If you can read Brazilian Portuguese, there are several large and very active websites devoted to the CBX. See the ‘Links’ menu at the top of this page.
20. Do you know where I can get part XYZ?
Not really. None of us are involved in the motorcycle industry. All we can suggest is the usual crew of suspects – your local Honda dealer or your local bike wrecker (or ‘breaker’ as they are called in the UK).
21. Do you know where I can get a service manual?
Honda did make a proper service manual for the CBX. It’s getting hard to find these days, and is astronomically priced. If you see one on eBay, buy it.
One alternative is David Silver Spares in the United Kingdom. Several list members have bought either real manuals or photocopies from them. The photocopies are not perfect, but are better than nothing.