Author Topic: 78' Cb750f cafe project  (Read 7948 times)

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Offline wenger828

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78' Cb750f cafe project
« on: January 06, 2013, 03:08:43 PM »
ok, so finally, i'm gonna get around to posting up my questions, pictures & progress of my 78' cb750f super sport. i've been doing some serious lurking and have found tons of great info on here. unfortunately, i really never have time to work on the bike at my shop because we are always so busy with auto repair, but where i'm at now is the frame completely stripped down and the motor being taken apart to get powder coated. to give you a backround of my self, i own a repair shop in w.orange nj with alot of things i need so tools aren't an issue.  the reason why i'm taking up this project is because i've been looking for a project car for the shop but its much more expensive and time consuming to go with something like that.  i'm fairly new to the bike game in general, my first bike being a harley iron 883 which i've done alot of stuff too. my other ride is a '11 gt500 with 640rwhp, so when it comes to modifications and stuff like that, i'm not new to it.

what i've learned so far those with this bike in particular is that alot of fabrication and trial/error is needed to get things to work, i'm more of a bolt-on kinda guy but am not scared of picking up my mig welder and very rarely, my tig welder.  i'm currently waiting on all my parts i need before i send everything out to be powder coated. this project is sorta like a "where do i start" kinda deal and i think i'm first gonna wrap up the engine side of things.  Right now the motor is in the process of being stripped, the head is out  at my machine shop to get new valve guides & valve seats cut and then completely stripped so i can powder coat. the block itself is in excellent condition, and the bike was running before i took it apart. although, i believe it was only running off of 3 cylinders (found a intake leak, someone cracked one of the intake spigots!).
once everything is powder coated, new primary chain & cam chain installed, i'm hoping my d&k (ebay) gasket kit will hold up well. unfortunately, i didn't do my reserach before jumping the gun and purchasing it, and am very reluctant on using the headgasket.

frame wise, i plan on purchasing legendary's manx style tank & thruxton seat. i already have a set of tarozzi clip ons and plan on fabbing up a set of 01' gsx-r1000 rear sets ive purchased.  i'm debating whether or not i'm gonna powder coat before i get everything and start cutting the frame up, would kinda suck having to hack apart a freshly powdercoated frame.  i'm waiting on cycle x's triple tree set up as well and already have received sling shot cycles custom braided brake lines (for clip ons) which look awesome.  still doing a bit of reserach as to what i'm going to be doing for the cables (anyone have anybody out there that already has preset measurements for clip ons?)

anyways, the goal of this thread is to document my build, and hopefully along the way, help out some other members.  i'll be posting up a couple pics of the progress, albeit a bit slowly due to me only being able to work on it once a week.
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2013, 03:11:49 PM »
this is her in her stock form, day after i picked it up, pretty solid condition



with the clip ons installed (got excited and just threw them on haha)



pulling motor was not fun to do by myself, wish i did a bit more research and read sopmewhere that all i had to do was grind down the right side lower frame mount

78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2013, 03:15:54 PM »
the motor in the process of being stripped apart



and now down to frame



heres a pic of my other scoot..





and the shelby..



will post up more pics of progress on the cb750!! i'm hoping to have it ready in time for the summer, but at this rate, it doesn't seem like it  :-\
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline apetersonboy

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2013, 05:39:22 PM »
My eyes got bigger every time I got to the next picture! Welcome, I'm currently working on a 1978 f'r too. If you need parts for the bike just hit me up.

Offline brandEn

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2013, 05:50:07 PM »
looking good!
I also have spare parts from my 78F rebuild. Don't be shy if you need something ya never know!

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2013, 10:50:06 PM »
here are pics from the build as of now... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102233911230869.3175090.8848275&type=1&l=51fb66e6a9

so far, motor is at my powdercoaters in jersey city. i ordered a manx tt style tank & thruxston seat from legendary cycles, so hopefully when i receive, i'll start working on the frame. tryign to get this up and running before the new riding season!
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline HonderCB

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2013, 08:27:25 PM »
looks like you're off to a good start.  what exhaust did it have, and what kind are you going to run on the finished project?

Always good to see an F being taken care of.
-Scott, just a F'er from Illinois-

77' CB750F
81' CB650C - SOLD

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2013, 05:12:02 PM »
so motor is off at powdercoaters.. managed to get him down a bit on prices but still paying alot compared to what i'm hearing around here. i received my manx tt style & thruxston seat from legendary motorcycles and quickly at that, ordered it last week along with the mounting hardware. here are some pics of the tank and seat just sitting on the frame...





pic of the motor in pieces before being sent off to powdercoat


i've decided i'm gonna be going with a black/gold theme on the bike.. going to powder coat all the engine parts black and just the cylinderhead portion gold.. hopefully it'll come out good. and to top it off....

cycle x's anodized hardware kit in gold


i'm still waiting on the triple tree from cycle x.. they've been saying 'oh a week' everytime i call and am about to get my money refunded back. apparently joker machine is their supplier so i will probably order direct from them.. otherwise, making decent progress with the bike in my opinion as for a while its been kinda just sitting apart in pieces.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2013, 09:06:07 AM by wenger828 »
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2013, 06:22:57 PM »
oh & just want to mention as well.. i ordered and received Hondamans cb750 book and boy do i regret not getting it sooner before doing the tear down. this book is AWESOME for first timers.. highly recommended for those of you who are embark on such a project
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline Raymax

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2013, 08:34:57 PM »
Wow, your GT500 is beautiful. I have an '11 GT 5.0, would love to do a front end swap to the GT500 fascia.

Can't wait to see how your bike turns out, looks great so far!

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2013, 09:21:03 PM »
Wow, your GT500 is beautiful. I have an '11 GT 5.0, would love to do a front end swap to the GT500 fascia.

Can't wait to see how your bike turns out, looks great so far!

thanks raymax.. i was going to swap the rear end out as well along with the tail lights and switch over to the quad pipes, but then this project took all my money  :-\
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline corey607

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2013, 10:33:16 AM »
Looks good. I really like the hardware you picked up. What are you going to do for upholstering the seat pan. I have the same bike and have been looking for ideas on the seat pan.
 

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2013, 05:40:12 PM »
Looks good. I really like the hardware you picked up. What are you going to do for upholstering the seat pan. I have the same bike and have been looking for ideas on the seat pan.

corey.. for now i got legendary's seat pad.. eventually i want to do something similiar to what dime city cycles did with their thruxton seat (the red/black cb750 thats my inspiration!) i can put engines together and weld metal, but when it comes to upholstery, haven't the slightest clue what to do.. not sure where to look for either in terms of getting someone to make something
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2013, 07:10:34 PM »
motor back from powder coating.. did a pretty good job (yes, i know the heads backwards lol, just slapped the pieces together to see how it would look)

love the black & gold



anyone got tips on how to get sandblasting media out of the various nooks & crannies? i was gonna dedicate this weekend to getting EVERYTHING out of there.. unfortunately i wont be able to start putting this motor back together until i get the tranny mainshaft bearing in, powdercoater removed it but probably after it was sandblasted, its all seized now :(
« Last Edit: February 25, 2013, 09:07:03 AM by wenger828 »
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2013, 09:10:29 AM »
after many hours of cleaning & removing plugs, i finally got all the sand out.

cleaned up the intake ports a little bit, smoothing out all the sharp angles..



also deshrouded the valves & spark plug in the head..



finally getting the motor back together, had to order the crank case o ring for the oil port though before i put the halves back together. putting in APE main bearing studs.

78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2013, 09:12:01 AM »
welded in rear seat hoop..

plan on putting a metal sheet inside the hoop to hold the elctronics etc...







78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #16 on: March 24, 2013, 09:01:29 PM »
finally got the tank and seat mounted.. also temporarily installed joker machine triple tree. i'll probably be putting the whole bike back together and redoing the wiring, then taking it all apart again to get the rest of the stuff powdercoated..



78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #17 on: March 24, 2013, 09:20:03 PM »
The Joker trees look great.
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1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
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"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

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Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #18 on: March 24, 2013, 09:43:38 PM »
i agree.. i love how the manifold for the front brakes is integrated in the lower tree.  they also machined the tree so you can slap on an allballz steering bearing without shimming it.  the guys over at joker machine have been very helpful too, waiting on a couple more parts from them

The Joker trees look great.
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2013, 06:08:31 PM »
rims powdercoated & tires mounted. Slapped everythign back together and temporarily installed carpy pipe to check it out. gonna start wiring up the motor and get it running (just to make sure that after going thru all of this i didn't screw anything up!) then i gotta fab up some rear set brackets..





78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline chris mcshifty

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #20 on: April 08, 2013, 11:09:07 PM »
Like the rims what did they come off of and do you know if the joker machine triple tree will fit on a 500

Offline knowsnothing

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #21 on: April 09, 2013, 07:46:48 AM »
Like the rims what did they come off of

They look like regular one piece comstars that have been painted/PCed.  I could be wrong though...
1978 CB750k Green - 811 engine
1978 CB750k Blue - for sale
1974 CB375F Faded Black - had to have that 6th gear
1976 CB400F Red - in many pieces
1973 CB350F TBD - in many pieces

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #22 on: April 09, 2013, 07:15:42 PM »
Like the rims what did they come off of and do you know if the joker machine triple tree will fit on a 500

they are the stock one piece comstars.. honestly wasn't a fan of them because i love the spoke'd look but after receiving them from the powdercoaters & mounting the tires, i fell in love. i'm honestly not too sure if it'll fit the 500, i don't think so as they list it for the 750, you can always shoot an email to the guys at joker machine.. bryan @ jokermachine has been VERY helpful with the questions i've been asking him.
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0

Offline Frankensteins Bride

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #23 on: April 09, 2013, 07:27:58 PM »
She's gonna be beautiful. I really like your colours. :)
Working on: 78 Cb750k
Waiting for arrival: 73 Cb750

Frankensteins Wolf

Offline wenger828

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Re: 78' Cb750f cafe project
« Reply #24 on: April 10, 2013, 11:45:29 PM »
got a mock up of the rear set brackets thanks to roland757's template. fits good and feels good where it sits..

did the mock up on 1/2" MDF board just to make sure it works out then will do it on 1/2" plate aluminum.
78' cb750F SS first cafe build! check it out here
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=116603.0