Topic: Dangerous... or just a blemish

[DJ_AX]

Hey all,
I've had my 75 750 for a few weeks now... got it running well thanks to all of the invaluable info here! So many questions I've had, have already been answered here that I haven't had to post... until now.

First... I found a hole in my fork (see the pic) and was wondering if this is a structural part of the fork or just a chrome cover. Am I riding a death trap?
[img width= height=]http://www.cocciolone.com/vincent/myspacestuff/forkhole.jpg[/img]

Second... I'd like to get the accordian boots (which are obviously missing here) but as I've found several things on this bike have been modified by the PO, they seem long compared to pictures I've seen. 11 to 12 inches. Is that stock? If I order the boots will they fit?
[img width= height=]http://www.cocciolone.com/vincent/myspacestuff/bootlessfork.jpg[/img]

Thanks... PEACE

Vince

[DJ_AX]

OK well.. looking at it more closely, I'd say it's just a blemish. But as I haven't disassembled this part of the bike yet I'd still like to be sure.

[78CB750F1]

The crack in the fork cover is not structural - it is a chrome cover and headlight mount.  Regarding the fork boots - it looks from the bottom photo that you have extended front forks and that standard fork boots would not fit.  Is it a chopper front end?

[kaceyf2]

hYa bro, like the man says, its just a cover, and these "headlight ears" as they are called get water in them which sometimes has a habit of being trapped and rots the ears away just at the point were yours are rotted...BUT, looking at your photo more closely ( good observation or what?) I see that there is the familier chrome mount at the back of your bike.....which tells me you would appear to have a cb750 F, and if you do, then you cannot fit the boots to the stock forks as the F's were made without them.
Only the cb750 "K" series had fork boots, the F (75-76) and f2 (76-78) did not have them!
Hope that helps!

[DJ_AX]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

  Is it a chopper front end?

Not sure...
Here's a better pic.
[img width= height=]http://www.cocciolone.com/vincent/myspacestuff/bike-5-8-06s.jpg[/img]
I know it does have a larger front wheel (19") and I had to modify the front fender slightly to make it fit... (PO gave me two of 'em off the bike) the original which would fit with a smaller tire, and the one I put on (think it's from a '77 judging by pics I've seen)

Pretty sure it's a K....
sn = CB750-2512808 ... CB750E-2392782

[Orcinus]

Nope, I think you're wrong Kacey.  Numbers don't match an F and that sure looks like a K tank to me...

[puppytrax]

Forks definately look too long...I notice you have it on the center stand...side stand make it lean over too far?? Or did the PO extend the side stand??

[DJ_AX]

It does seem to lean over pretty far on the side stand. But I can still sit on it without it feeling like it's going to fall over. I'm not sure what the PO has done to the bike. I'm figuring it out as I go along. This is my first bike.

It's kind of funny though, my bro (who's been through a few bikes) insisted that I get rid of it as soon as I get it running and get something newer and in better shape. But I've fallen in love with it. Even though it's dented, rusted, and seen (possibly... likely) over 200,000 miles, it rides great! Hit the road and it's solid as a rock and straight as an arrow. Open the throttle and it takes off beatifully. I love the look and style of it too. And of course the fact that I got it running myself.

.....starting another thread related to the front end 'cause now I have a few more questions.

Thanks for all the replies!

[78 k550]

definatly longer uppers. If your going to keep it that way I would put on a front fork brace.

Paul

[STLrocker]

like others have said the rust you see is just cosmetic, but it may pay to take a look behind those covers. i had fork ears on my bike that looked about like that. i rode it like that for a long time. when i decided to do some front end mods, i removed the fork ears, and the tubes inside of them were rusted pretty badly as well. they were kinda scary looking. i got a different set of tubes before riding anymore. who knows maybe yours are fine inside. but it wouldnt hurt to take a look. you just gotta remove the top tripple tree and the fork ears will silde up enough to check out the tubes.

[Bodain]

Yes that crack is a major problem.  Honda designed those covers to capture water. Once the water is on the inside it will rust the upper portions of your fork tubes. In your case the inner rust has actually eat thru the cover wall. So to keep your upper tubes rusting as they were designed. That item should be replaced.
<GRIN>

Many of us would pull those and the boots off and replace them with something more sporting. Every old Honda I ever owned has the upper tubes rusted because of these water holders.

[KCs76Cafe]

My ears look the same.  I havent checked underneath to see what the fork tubes look like but Im sure it isnt gonna be pretty. I wanted to take the gaiters off of mine to go with the cleaner look of the bare fork but the tubes under the gaiters are snotty....so they stay until I can find a set of forks in better shape.

[ProTeal55]

I had those "gatorz" on my last front-end, and when I removed them, the tubes underneath were almost completly rusted thru !

Better to be safe than sorry...

[Sam Green Racing]

DJ AX, it could be you have odd fork legs, or you have lost the dust cover off the side the disc is on.

Sam.

[bryanj]

19 inch front wheel is standard, the front fender dont look Honda, those are definately overstock tubes and yes the headamp ears do catch water and rust. If anybody has actualy rusted a set of fork tubes through i would be amakes as they are 3-4mm thick steel and especially under any "booys" is where the seal runs so oil would pee out way before that

[DJ_AX]

... as they are 3-4mm thick steel and especially under any "booys" is where the seal runs so oil would pee out way before that

phew... that's good to know! thanks

[Geeto67]

in louisiana I bought a 74 kawasaki that had fork tubes rotted through at the top. Of course it sat outside for the better part of a decade. In the bike salvage yard I saw plenty of bikes that had tubes that were soft enough to push through with your hands. It was the only place I ever saw that and some of those yard wrecks had been lying outside since the 70's.