Author Topic: Got another K1 today for bday/father's day... (Read 6791 times)

Tews19 · « **on:** June 18, 2012, 07:07:03 PM »

Last year my wife made the suggestion I get back into bikes. Long story short, Bad bike accident in 2004, didn't ride since then. She got me a 78 Kawasaki SR for Father's day/my bday last year; which the bike is long gone. Ever since last year I have had a bike since. Started with my documented 1978 550K purchase from Ham Lake, MN here ...... A few weeks after that a parts bike Kawasaki 650... Then my 1975 Honda CB550F a few weeks after that. Two weeks ago I drive to Lake Elmo??? MN for another 1971 in parts and came with all the extra frames and parts that I am currently selling to fund my bike spending account. I figured I would be able to put together at least one 71 and repair the frame on my current 71.

I remember reading how GreenJeans, member here, posts on CL that he is looking for early Honda CB750's. Well I decided to do that. Of course numerous as$HoleS flag and I have to repost. Got lucky last November with my 71 750... Well I kept posting and stopped posting after someone butthole flagged me 3 times in one day..........

I posted again and stated in the ad, "Keep flagging, I have nothing but time." I started a count on each posting how many times I was flagged.

Then after not posting for almost 40 days I get a response again. Guy says he has a 71 750.. He wants 800, bike is in rough shape. I was leary... Asked him to send me a few pics. Bike has nice gauges I think to myself. Then I am thinking they are sandcast or early K0 gaiges. Interest grows.

Then I see the unicorn triple not PO drilled and cracked. Interest gaining more. We send a few emails back and forth. I tell him I am interested. PO was very honest with the condition. Bike had damage to the fins on the engine, rear fender cracked... In person I notice the tank is decent on the outside... Open it up and its like new. Even with the old gas looking like syrup..... Then I was giddy inside as the tank has the push button lid!!!!

Long story short,I looked at the bike Saturday morning. He asked how much I thought. I explained I really like the 71' year but I do not want to insult him with a price and I didn't offer. He comes back to me, how about 300 with title. I hesitated for a while and said I couldn't....

We chatted for a bit about the gauges and rear turn signals which are mint, the tank, top of the triple, headlight bucket and ears. I told him I give him a 100. he was willing to do all minus the triple stating it will be difficult with those parts missing.

I poke around the bike for another 5 minutes. I told him I want the bike but let me check out with the DMV and the title. Title was signed over in 2007.

Today the DMV stated it's fine and I can put it in my name.....

As stated, the bike is fugly now but there is so much potential. I am going to start another build thread so if any want to follow, please do. Plan is to put her back to stock. Not sure on the color though. Thinking the green that she is. Sad part with the tank is that you can see where the decals were. Does a build date of 10/70 make it KO?

BTW, thanks to Stev-o, Ekpent, Johnie and MarkB for their insight... Not to mention my old lady who continues to feed my addiction....

Mcwilliams570 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 18, 2012, 07:27:38 PM »

Grats man...

Matt

Stev-o · « **Reply #2 on:** June 18, 2012, 07:39:22 PM »

Tews, you've come a long way in a year! You sniff out the deals better than most, and then ponce on em to close the deal. Congrats.

PS. You~~may want to mod the thread title, thought you were describing your wife at first?!~~

Tews19 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 18, 2012, 07:43:51 PM »

Quote from: Stev-o on June 18, 2012, 07:39:22 PM

Tews, you've come a long way in a year! You sniff out the deals better than most, and then ponce on em to close the deal. Congrats.

PS. You may want to mod the thread title, thought you were describing your wife at first?!

HAHA my wife just said the same thing... it is edited

Randy · « **Reply #4 on:** June 18, 2012, 07:48:37 PM »

Cool bike..And the great thing is the wife wanted you to have it... You now what that means?... Honey?... I need to buy some parts for "OUR" bike..Hee..Hee..

jerry h · « **Reply #5 on:** June 18, 2012, 07:53:32 PM »

Congrats on the new find!
What? no King and Queen seat....... oh wait, there it is, in the last picture. EVERY before picture has to have one of those!

I don't understand what was so bad about the original seat that EVERYONE had to replace it, "back in the day"

Johnie · « **Reply #6 on:** June 18, 2012, 08:12:37 PM »

You are livin' the dream man!!! You must be a church goin' man and even have a great wife to top it all off. This will be fun to watch. If you want to find out for sure what model that bike is check the engine number. Then take that and somewhere on this board is a list showing what engine number goes with what model. I forget how far up the KO's went and K1 started.

Tews19 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 19, 2012, 08:24:17 PM »

quick update!!!! The gauges function! I took them off and put on my 750 K1. Light up work great!!!!!

Now I have a dilema. Do I restore to original or go cafe.

Stev-o · « **Reply #8 on:** June 19, 2012, 08:37:44 PM »

Too nice to chop up. Cafe the other one. I might have a spare head in the "lode" pile.

Tews19 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 19, 2012, 08:50:08 PM »

Sweet! Do you mean cafe my silver one missing side stand? My buddy is back from MInnesota this weekend and is fixing that. I do have the titled hacked 71 frame from Minnesota still. Maybe I use that. Then I will have 5 complete bikes

goldarrow · « **Reply #10 on:** June 19, 2012, 08:53:56 PM »

Wow nice find. Congrats. I'm moving close to you so I could get a cheap bike like that!

Stev-o · « **Reply #11 on:** June 19, 2012, 08:57:26 PM »

Quote from: Tews19 on June 19, 2012, 08:50:08 PM

Sweet! Do you mean cafe my silver one missing side stand? My buddy is back from MInnesota this weekend and is fixing that. I do have the titled hacked 71 frame from Minnesota still. Maybe I use that. Then I will have 5 complete bikes

Yes, exactly.

jerry h · « **Reply #12 on:** June 19, 2012, 09:42:42 PM »

Restore them all to original condition.

754 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 19, 2012, 10:41:03 PM »

KO motors ran to about 44,860 ish, I got one less than 200 from the end..

Tews19 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 20, 2012, 03:38:07 AM »

Yeah, I missed out. frame and engine are in the 62000 range. Still a K1. After lots of thinking I think I will be restoring this one and with all the extra parts make a cafe out of the chopped 71 frame

Johnie · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2012, 04:57:42 AM »

Tews...5 bikes...you crazy man...what do you need 5 bikes for...

Seriously...restore the K1. These originals are becoming few and far between. If it was not for this board there would be a lot fewer of the originals left. If you need a cafe use a junker. Good luck and start that project thread my friend...

buffaloejon · « **Reply #16 on:** June 20, 2012, 05:12:34 AM »

Awesome story man!

Quick question, can anybody expand on why the push-button tank cap is a big deal? I have one that I may be willing to part with if it's worth something

Tews19 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 20, 2012, 05:13:30 AM »

Quote from: Johnie on June 20, 2012, 04:57:42 AM

Tews...5 bikes...you crazy man...what do you need 5 bikes for...
Seriously...restore the K1. These originals are becoming few and far between. If it was not for this board there would be a lot fewer of the originals left. If you need a cafe use a junker. Good luck and start that project thread my friend...

I should stand corrected. I have 3 bikes, one extra titled frame, the chrome frame which is leaving my possession within the next week or so and another frame I used to help out a member here to obtain a title. Plus half a basement full of enough parts to put together another bike.

Yeah that is my plan now. Restore. Only thing I can see not original is the seat but the seat pan is. I am pretty confident the gauges are correct. ALthough member MarkB sent me a link on the gauges. They look to have the same housing as the sandcast ones. Any thoughts? If they were a sandcast set, I would look to trade someone who is in need for a nice set for period correct on my K1. These work as I hooked them up to my running K1...... Extremely cool to see a set work and open them up to see all these cobwebs

Tews19 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2012, 05:14:14 AM »

Quote from: buffaloejon on June 20, 2012, 05:12:34 AM

Awesome story man!

Quick question, can anybody expand on why the push-button tank cap is a big deal? I have one that I may be willing to part with if it's worth something

Pics please?

buffaloejon · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2012, 05:24:10 AM »

Quote from: Tews19 on June 20, 2012, 05:14:14 AM

Pics please?

Absolutely, but I'll have to take one when I get home tonight. Wanna fill me in on why?

Tews19 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2012, 05:31:10 AM »

Quote from: buffaloejon on June 20, 2012, 05:24:10 AM

Quote from: Tews19 on June 20, 2012, 05:14:14 AM
Pics please?

Absolutely, but I'll have to take one when I get home tonight. Wanna fill me in on why?

I was informed that there was a recall on them due to safety concerns. Not sure the details of it all.. But how I interpret the story is the lids would open up and gas would spray the innocent driver. Thus the innocent driver would then go up in a ball of flame! Burning their skin and thus loosing all desire to drive again....

Or maybe the lid would just pop open and it was a safety concern without the graphic torture of innocent riders.

Do you know the color and condition of the tank
?

buffaloejon · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2012, 05:38:54 AM »

So in other words they're not all that common? The tank is on a K6 frame and motor, my only bike, and is in excellent condition. No crud in the tank, no rust to speak of( a little on the bottom that needs to be painted, very minor), its the tank in the photobucket pictures in my signature. Not really any good views of the cap though, which is also in good condition. Will take close pictures tonight and get back to you.

And hey, the flaming rider thing sounds exciting!

wrenchmuch · « **Reply #22 on:** June 20, 2012, 06:00:28 AM »

Those clocks look like k0 . Must have had stock running into K1 production of left over early clocks . If its an early K1 those clocks could be coorect . Don't store them on their face (up side down ) like they are in the pics . Damping fluid will come out of the damping pots . Nice score .

Tews19 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 20, 2012, 06:09:27 AM »

Thanks Wrench. That was merely for the picture. I put the back on and they are right side up in my basement. I am starting the dismantle stage already. build date is 10/70 I believe so not that early of a K1?

Magpie · « **Reply #24 on:** June 20, 2012, 07:16:33 AM »

What are the carbs like? A single cable form the throttle handlebar grip splitting to 4 under the gas tank - K0, or the 2 cable push pull with one cable lifting a bar connected to al 4 carbs-K1. Is it the original engine?
The button type gas cap opener, many were replaced due to owners slamming the gas cap shut, breaking the opener, rather than pushing the opener down, closing the cap and then releasing the opener.
The bike may have been built in the transition stage.
I would rethink the "trade" for K1 guages. You may want to see what the K0 ones are worth especially because yours look to be in good condition.
Cliff.

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Author Topic: Got another K1 today for bday/father's day... (Read 6791 times)