PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Honda has fueled some of motorcycling's most significant leaps, including groundbreaking superbike technology in the late 1960s and a radical departure from the contemporary norm a decade later. The models behind these developments are the pioneering CB750 series and the fabulous CBX, which have consequently earned a place in the hearts of motorcycle fans worldwide.
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2009, the country's premier gathering of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts, will recognize the contributions of those models by honoring the Sandcast Only Owner's Club (SOOC) and the International CBX Owners Association at this year's co-Classic Clubs. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2009 is set for July 24-26 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
"We're pleased to give the Honda CB750 and CBX the recognition these important models deserve," said AMA Special Events Manager Tigra Tsujikawa. "AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is an event developed with enthusiasts in mind, and there are few motorcycle owners more enthusiastic than those who have one of these bikes in their garage."
The SOOC (www.cb750sandcastonly.com) brings together owners of rare early year "sandcast" CB750s -- models whose cases have the distinctive rough finish of metal cast in sand molds. These bikes, sold primarily in the United States as 1969 models, led the way for the popular CB750 line, which many believe ushered in the modern superbike era.
The CB750 had four cylinders, four megaphone exhausts, a disc front brake, an overhead camshaft, and was put together with amazing fit and finish. The bike overshadowed everything else on the market at the time and even won the Daytona 200 in 1970, its first time out. Transverse-mounted four-cylinder engines still power many of the most popular bikes today.
The International CBX Owners Association (www.cbxclub.com) is dedicated to preserving Honda's CBX super-tourer, introduced in 1979. With its relatively short production run, the CBX did not have the market penetration of the CB750, but it nevertheless has earned a place in motorcycling lore.
The 1979 CBX was a rolling statement of Honda's technical expertise. It had a transverse-mounted 1,047cc engine that went two cylinders better than the usual Japanese four. Dual overhead cams. Six carburetors. 24 valves. 100-plus claimed ponies. A 140-mph top speed. Quarter-mile times in the 11s. It was all wrapped up in a muscular look that made no bones about the bike's pavement-ripping mission.
The Classic Clubs will be part of an incredible weekend of celebrating both the past and present of everything cool about motorcycling at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2009.
The weekend will feature bike shows, vintage racing and North America's largest motorcycle swap meet. A parade of classic motorcycles representing each year of the AMA's 85 years will honor the history of American motorcycling. Also on tap are demo rides of current production bikes, motorcycling seminars, stunt shows, the new product Manufacturers' Midway, club corrals, and guided rides through the rolling Ohio countryside. Rounding out the weekend will be activities related to the 2009 Marque of the Year, BSA.
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefits the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. The goal of the Museum, located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Museum's website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.
For more information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2009, visit www.AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com.