Author Topic: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build  (Read 6163 times)

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Offline Becker

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'78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« on: July 11, 2012, 07:07:46 PM »
Hi all,

I've been pouring over everyone's knowledge on the board for the past 6 months and building as I go. I never really found time to put my build up, so I apologize for the massive drop of info and images.
Thanks to TwoTired, Hondaman, 754 and everyone for honest, crazy opinions.. seriously, you guys are awesome.  plus Glen @ FlyingSquirrel in Toronto for another head full of Honda info

So, here goes. Last fall, got the bug for a bike. My wife was raised on one and we thought we could have an adventurous summer on a bike. Some caveats, of course: it couldn't be some modern sport bike or Harley, I couldn't afford a BMW tourer and we wanted something unique. Restoring a gorgeous old Honda seemed like a perfect choice. Well, there's a few issues.
1. Never owned a motorcycle 2. Didn't have a motorcycle license 3. Needed to learn mechanics and buy tools 4. We live a downtown apartment with no garage workbench and a misappropriated parking spot that needed to be clean every I was away!! Let the games begin!

So, not wanting to destroy a potential beauty of an older SOHC, we picked up a 78 in decent/good condition. The dual disc setup I thought would be good for the 2up riding.

Here it is sometime prior to purchase.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2012, 07:40:46 PM by Becker »
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline 70CB750

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2012, 07:11:30 PM »
Soo, where are you heading this summer?
Prokop
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Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2012, 07:21:52 PM »
There's the rub.. big trip planned dependant on finishing the build and putting miles in. Big Trip isn't happening.
I always forget to plan ×4 the amount of time any project takes :P
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2012, 07:24:17 PM »
So, motorcycle exams done just before November(brrrrr), and with bike in-hand mid-November, first thing was to dump the big seat. Though the upper was in OK condition and the foam, the seatpan refused to sit straight and was a rusty nightmare. I'm only 5'7", so I couldn't touch the ground properly anyways. By dropping the seat, I thought maybe I could forego 12" shocks.
The tank was rusty too. So electrolysis and POR15 were in order.
Being a newbie and soon-to-be poser (I know i've got to get many miles in before I can drop that title), I really liked to look of knee dents. Problem was nobody was willing to do that bodywork. So, I could do the hammering and bondo, but then nobody would touch the painting, especially the two-tone! (the wife wanted a brown/black) So let's try some bodywork... I went with the thinned brushed oil paint and mucho sanding as, again, no garage or basement to spray. tons of hand wet-sanding in a Rubbermaid.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline brooze72

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2012, 07:30:43 PM »
That is/was a pretty fine looking example.  Oh & welcome, is it ready to ride yet? (we have a number of members in the TO region) Let's see some of the latest pics.   8)
2011, 2012 & 2013 Godzilla Relay Rally Rider
"Hold on loosely...don't let go
 If you cling too tightly...you're gonna lose control"
1972 CB500K1 - restored rider
1981 CB650C - new project

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2012, 07:33:51 PM »
Getting pics up as fast as I can.

The knee dents warped a bit in the hammering, and I bailed before they were too deep. They turned out okay but not as smooth as I wanted. Impressed myself with this first project though. Tank paint is not quite done as the pinstripe came off turning buffing >:( and my bodywork resulted in some high spots too. pics coming though

Second project - getting rid of that 70's plastic signal indicator. Though I admire the earlier bikes, this 78 just needed to be cleaned up from those bulky plastic bits.

custom bracket for the gauges. LED indicators in original gauge face and new decals.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2012, 07:39:57 PM »
Found a knee dent pic

The controls were a bit of a hodge-podge of parts. The Previous Owner had goofed up the left switch but was kind enough to give an extra. He had about 10 bikes, so confusion of year for parts was there.
Oven cleaner worked well to get 34yr old anodizing off. Thanks again guys. Aircraft paint remover was not working. I didn't want polished but just get that grey and black and sun-bleached off. Rebuild and clean the contacts without losing those tiny springs and balls.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline brooze72

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2012, 07:40:53 PM »
Ooh, nice job with the gauges, tell me more about the LED ring & white face decals, I may consider converting after seeing that.
2011, 2012 & 2013 Godzilla Relay Rally Rider
"Hold on loosely...don't let go
 If you cling too tightly...you're gonna lose control"
1972 CB500K1 - restored rider
1981 CB650C - new project

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2012, 07:55:34 PM »
With no space to remove/split the engine, I conceded to anything I could do in a 3x3' space or on the kitchen table! or whatever the wife allowed me to do :-* (love you)
Carb rebuild = 150+ pieces and patience
The exhaust had blued all to hell and was rusty in many spots. I knew I was wrapping as I couldn't afford a nice 4-2-1. But why so hot? Well, I pulled off the airbox to get at the electrics and saw the airbox boots weren't sitting right. Didn't think anything of it until disassembly. I had PD41A carbs. Thanks to docs found here, I found out these are from a '77K not my '78F. This might be better as the '77s have notched slides! ;D

Sure enuf, the PO had them at the leanest with open exhaust and 35/110 jets.
New carb gaskets, orings, 1½ turns out, float bowls set to 12.5(as per required for PD41, oddballs for float height), bench synced. Simple green scrub and rinse. Unfortunately, the 'after' pic is blurry. They cleaned well though.
Don't lose those felt gaskets.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2012, 07:59:38 PM »
Ooh, nice job with the gauges, tell me more about the LED ring & white face decals, I may consider converting after seeing that.

Lots of posts here for how to start that. Ebay'ed some outer LED rings to match outer diameter and carefully drilled for LEDs without a bezel. There are 2-part plastic epoxied in. I fried the Neutral right away, but just cut away the plastic and replaced easily. I'll post some more info later.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2012, 02:06:52 PM by Becker »
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline brooze72

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2012, 08:02:06 PM »
You may claim to be a "newbie to bikes" in your avatar, Becker, but you have some skills...
2011, 2012 & 2013 Godzilla Relay Rally Rider
"Hold on loosely...don't let go
 If you cling too tightly...you're gonna lose control"
1972 CB500K1 - restored rider
1981 CB650C - new project

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2012, 08:06:47 PM »
Some brakelines from Slingshot to replace old junk. Highly recommend!! :D
After weeks of searching Chinatown, odd pharmacies, homeopathic shop, etc, I found some Wintergreen cheap right next door! Figures.
new gaskets all around.
So by this time my moaning about bike problems and everything taking so long sets in. My wife is angry about motorcycle parts claiming refugee status in our kitchen and the constant 'bike smell' I have. I'm in over my head.
A name for the bike is born.
Black-Hearted B%tch
Now, I just need someone to paint it on the tank.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2012, 01:50:34 PM by Becker »
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2012, 08:21:06 PM »
Electric needed cleaning up. Fried many fuses in the process. and the fusebox was bigger than initially measured, so I had to use inline fuses. I will fix this later.

Redid the diagram for those inclined. Color needs perfecting though.

From this Pic1
To this Pic 2
To this Pic 3
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2012, 08:22:03 PM »
1978 CB750F Wiring diagram
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2012, 08:28:32 PM »
Wheels were next...
It looked like they had been though hell. Layers of chipped and hand-painted paint. Rusty bearings.

new AllBallz bearing front & back. Custom tools made to get out the retainers. Thanks once again to everyone's input on those. Realized thousands of an inch count.
Couldn't afford powdercoat though.

And yes, more black rims.... I know :-\
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #15 on: July 11, 2012, 08:33:09 PM »
Okay, coming up to July. 2up was necessary and a brat style low-profile king/queen was the working option. I'd like to have welded the hoop to run a bit flatter and may still consider that if I need to change the shocks.
Fiberglassing the seat.
Grinded off the hinge plate, the old helmet tabs and didn't look back. Foam and taped up a basic shape, foiled over and tried my hand at fiberglassing!! 12minutes to learn before initial setup. Five layers later, I think I got something that works.
I going to upholster this myself but thats yet to come.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #16 on: July 11, 2012, 08:34:16 PM »
seat.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #17 on: July 11, 2012, 08:43:22 PM »
Lots of stuff in-between I missed. Like rebuilding the front calipers 4 times >:( >:( >:(
Getting out the swingarm. Patching the plastic headlight bucket. Trimming the dented front fender. The horrendous fork rebuild(a whole post on its own). Thanking my wife for the wicked torque wrench!

Anywho, some final pics as where it lies now.

The big trip we had planned was from Toronto through Chicago, the midwest to CrazyHorse, north back to the Great Prairies of Canada and across the top of the Great Lakes.
Maybe next year. At least my wife seems to like the bike ;)

Thanks for the comments, guidance and know-how.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline shinyribs

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #18 on: July 11, 2012, 08:54:48 PM »
Wow.Beautiful bike! You did great! Nice boot pic! :P
The darn fool didn't know it couldn't be done...so he went ahead and did it anyway.

My Hackjob build- http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=106103.0

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750 — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #19 on: July 13, 2012, 06:05:31 PM »
Ooh, nice job with the gauges, tell me more about the LED ring & white face decals, I may consider converting after seeing that.

Lots of posts around here with details. I started here:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=10739.0
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67321.0

I ordered some 12v LEDs. I figured I'd cook some in the process, so rather than making return trips to the downtown shops...
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/100-pcs-3mm-white-Red-blue-green-yellow-Round-LED-Pre-Wired-Lights-12V-20cm-Mix-/120807816080?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c20b4fb90

Ebay'ed some "Car Angel Eyes light Headlight 24 LED Ring 80mm White". These apparently will burn out and might have poorly soldered connections. I'm kind of gambling they'll last long enough. They do come in different sizes and you need to determine what will clear everything but still glue on.

And lots of decals on ebay too. Someone on the forum here printed some out, but getting UV resistant vinyl seemed like a PITA. You need to ensure the odometer is the right style shape for the decal, otherwise things will never line up. A little soapy water to do minor tweaks helped too.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2012, 06:11:54 PM »
more gauge stuff.
Decals were off ebay dude 000egor0000
I sanded off the old bluegreen. I thought the light coming through would change color.

I might put a tiny screwed down bracket on to hold the LEDs better. And the green one(neutral) is crazy bright.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2012, 06:21:13 PM »
Here's the light I've to fiberglass a bracket in for.The wiring is a bit short in the pic. I'm going to pull it out, even with the signals.
This is going to be tricky. It'll be the only spot the upholstery staples and edges will be easily seen.
I could create a cupped piece that screws on after upholstery, hides the staples and blacks outs the surrounding area around the taillight.
or just a hanging flat piece. Bolt on the lights and call it done. Show off my crappy upholstery skills.

I'm just trying to focus efforts on what I can work on.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2012, 07:04:17 PM by Becker »
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2012, 06:26:46 PM »
How much clearance should I have on the front tires to fender?
I wanted go big - 110s on the front - and was willing to work out fender and braces later. I've bent the brace and the rear hoop to get some more room but is it enough? It's about a 3/8in.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline shinyribs

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2012, 11:53:42 PM »
If you have 3/8'' clearance with a 110 you did alot better than me! My 110 ran about 1/8'' off my sidewall. I checked it every single ride because it was so close. It worried the heck out of me! I put about 4000 miles on that tire and it never rubbed.
The darn fool didn't know it couldn't be done...so he went ahead and did it anyway.

My Hackjob build- http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=106103.0

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #24 on: July 26, 2012, 02:43:04 AM »
So now onto the 2up seat...
Bolts holes drilled and glassed in. They, or course, wouldn't sit right and end ended up off center of the holes in the crossbars. So, i had to slightly enlarge the holes ::) . One was too long and needed trimming, and two wiggled a little too much. I feared once locked down, I wouldn't be able to undo, so I threw on an extra nylock nut to preload. I had the space.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #25 on: July 26, 2012, 02:51:50 AM »
One of the bonuses of living in a metropolis is plenty of foam options - fashion district, sailing shops, upholsterers, etc.
I picked some dense foam from an outdoor sports store for kayaks and used this as a base. Filled in the holes, levelled in all out, and some nose height and tail 'lip'.
Used the leftover bits from the old seat that were not rotted, to give a final shape. And found some soft stuff at a textile shop to smooth my awful handiwork, gaps and all.
Before gluing down the cover, I put down a garbage bag over it all. This should help keep it somewhat drier.

The foam was messy to shape!! That rasp, SurForm(i think) was a godsend.
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline Becker

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #26 on: July 26, 2012, 03:03:24 AM »
Sewed up a cover. I added a layer of smoothing foam to the center to give it some more shape and fix some of the leftover knicks in that last white layer.

The staple gun that some website said would shoot through the fiberglass, didn't work. Different staple lengths, different depths, different angles, soft or firm.... All a No Go. Ill have to now find a better solution, as its too late for the carpet teethed thing.
I've used Super77 spray glue to hold it down temporarily and it seems to hold okay. I used this to glue down the foam to fiberglass, and foam to foam layers.

Its a bit narrow for the tank but more importantly, I CAN NOW FIRMLY PLANT BOTH FEET ;D ;D Less height and width = awesome.

So, i now realize the brown colour of the tank is crap. Looks like a dead tree branch compared to seat. :-\
"Time has little to do with infinity and jelly donuts."
1978 CB750F SuperSport

Offline wannabridin

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2012, 11:14:16 PM »
Really digging the seat color!  Cool build, can't wait to see it on the road!
1976 CB750K, currently under construction:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=64468.0

-And if you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do...

Offline 65Ch3v3LL3

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Re: '78 CB750F — "Black-Hearted B%tch*" build
« Reply #28 on: August 05, 2012, 05:41:01 AM »
You could always rivet the vinyl to the seat pan. Either get some wide head rivets or use some washers so that it holds the material better.
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