Some motorcycle riders find pleasure in being able to both ride and maintain a motorcycle. British bikes, for example, are fun as hell to ride and have a ton of character, but they also typically require more maintenance than a Japanese motorcycle.
The Kawasaki KZ750 was not the type of bike that grabbed headlines. Instead, it was a small, reasonably powerful motorcycle that was easy to run and easy to maintain, without requiring much wrenching knowledge to do so. It was a vertical twin in an era of triples, and four-cylinder bikes. It just blended right in.
In the early 1980s, Honda found itself in a difficult position. It had come to light that its VF models were susceptible to problems with their camshaft bearings which were causing problems that cost owners extra money and time — and greatly impacted perception of Honda as a brand.
As Honda had based its success on its reputation for reliability, they had to do something to make it up to their loyal customers, and fast. Their answer to the problem was the new VFR750, which was first released to the public in 1986.
