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Special model of the Honda CB 77 Chrome Plate Edition

Shiny: Honda CB 77 Chrome Plate Edition

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Rewarding successful dealers with shiny chrome special models was a tradition at Honda in the United States of America.

The chrome-plated Honda CB 77 with a displacement of 305 cm³ achieves 28.5 hp at 9000 rpm.

In the USA, clocks have always ticked differently than in Good old Europe. In the 1960s, the Japanese were selling steadily increasing numbers in the United States, when the motorcycle business in Europe was down. The two-wheeled industries, especially the British, had fallen into deep lethargy. Manufacturers from the Far East had long since recognized their huge opportunities between Seattle and Miami. In Europe, individual small dealers tried to import Japanese two-wheelers, official importers were still a long time coming and then kept changing. The official US importer American Honda Motor, on the other hand, opened a branch in Los Angeles as early as 1959 and boosted business with large-scale advertising campaigns.

The other Japanese brands were not idle either and competed fiercely with one another. In 1961 the Japanese exported 23,000 units to the USA, two years later there were already 136,000 two-wheelers, and the trend is increasing. This is why the US was given a completely different status for Japanese manufacturers than Europe. In addition, large American dealers did not sell a few motorcycles, but up to several hundred, thus ensuring the economic success of the parent companies in Japan. This alone explains why Honda not only wanted to offer the most successful dealers in the USA something special, but also tried to stimulate internal competition through special bonuses. Obviously, the dealership incentive was worth a lot to Honda. The Honda CB 77, also known as the Superhawk in the USA, served as bait on the manufacturer’s fishing rod. It was the sporty top model in the range with a displacement of 305 cm³, even if the sticker on the tank only indicated 300. 

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For comparison, a standard Honda CB 72 with 247 cm³ displacement and 24 hp at 9000 rpm.

Refining motorcycles like the CB 77 basically meant a complete small series production. On the one hand, a huge number of parts had to be processed with enormous effort, and on the other hand, the motorcycles could not be assembled on the production line, but required individual assembly outside the normal production process. It did not change anything that the few special models came from the normal production batch, as the common serial number CB 77-100865 of our photo model shows. With the special editions, Honda obviously spared neither financial nor technical effort.

Apart from the engine and the tank, practically no part remained unmolested, as the comparison between the CB 77 Factory Chrome-Plate Edition and a standard CB 72 shows. The electroplating companies did not even stop at the frame and the swing arm; supplied parts such as the fork and suspension struts also went through the gloss treatment. So the parts had to be dismantled, reworked and reassembled. Even the main stand took a chrome bath. Some differences between the chrome-plated and the standard version, for example the arrangement of the turn signals, are not due to the special revision, but to different years of construction. With one exception: the side stand adorned the chrome version as an additional extra.

The costs for the special models increased many times over that of the series. Except for the specially chrome-plated components, the components corresponded to the original. But not only the CB 77 should reward the dealers for their success. The C 100 and C 110, as Chrome Edition, were also an incentive for further sales records. Honda continued this practice until the late 1980s; among other things, the VT 750 Shadow enjoyed a chrome kit. Whether the special edition is ultimately more beautiful than the series model is a great opportunity to discuss. The exuberant sheen blurs the contrast between the individual components and groups a little, and the contours are less pronounced. There is one thing that the CB 77 Super Hawk Factory Chrome Plate Edition can claim for itself beyond any doubt: Although it comes from a large-scale product, it is a rare small-series copy from a large manufacturer.

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