V4-POWERED, PERIMETER-FRAMED, HALF-FAIRINGED AND LIQUID-COOLED VF750F

When you hear the words “The shot heard ’round the world,” most flash on the opening salvos of the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which launched the American Revolutionary War. But in motorcycling, and in the sport-motorcycle genre more specifically, the shot heard most loudly was arguably a blue and white — or red and white — motorcycle from Honda Motor Company in early 1983 called the V45 Interceptor — or VF750F.

Honda was a re-awakened beast in ’82 and ’83, having been poked and prodded by an energized Yamaha that was doing gangbuster business in the Japanese cruiser category (and others), and getting within spitting distance of the market-share leadership position Honda had held for…well, forever.

But Honda, its corporate ego looking and feeling vulnerable, was suddenly having none of it, unleashing nearly 30 all-new motorcycles between ’82 and ’84…one of which was the now- legendary Interceptor.

Up until then, “serious” sportbikes were tube-framed, air-cooled, inline-four- (or European twin-) powered standards with 18-inch wheels and maybe a cockpit fairing.

The ’Ceptor changed all that overnight, introducing perimeter frames, liquid cooling, narrow V4 engines, 16-inch front wheels and truly racer styling to the party. A year later came the Kawasaki Ninja 900 and Yamaha FJ1100, and a year after that would see the 20-valve FZ750 and Suzuki GSX-R750 hit the market — with performance and design escalating from there.

It was a crazy ride for two-and-a-half decades, and it all started right here. Look for more on the Interceptor’s 40th Anniversary in a future edition.