The CB77 had, at only 305cc, a relatively big engine in comparison to most other Japanese bikes of the period. It did boast performance to rival much larger motorcycles. It also developed a reputation for reliability and was equipped with an electric starter.
A product of the experience Honda gained in Grand Prix racing, the CB77 featured a steel-tube frame (rather than the pressed frame construction of earlier Hondas) and a telescopic front fork. It’s parallel twin engine (the biggest then available in a Honda) was a structural element of the bike and it provided stiffness in a frame which lacked a downtube. Capable of 9,000 rpm, the bike was capable of reaching 100 mph, and it’s now regarded as ‘the first modern Japanese motorcycle.’
It served as the motorcycle paradigm Honda adheres to today.