Author Topic: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing  (Read 197208 times)

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Offline Noddy78

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #975 on: January 20, 2019, 02:21:34 pm »
So armed with my new gas lens and more postflow....





Not the best TIG brazing in the world, but I'm going with 'rustic'... Also I think the wiring loom looks great, probably just leave it like that...




Offline tshrey

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #976 on: January 21, 2019, 10:21:43 am »
Holy #$%*!

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #977 on: January 21, 2019, 03:50:50 pm »
A work of art!   It almost doesnt look real....absolutely incredible workmanship.

What do you lack to fire it up?
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'71 Honda 750K project.....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #978 on: January 22, 2019, 12:37:51 pm »


Not the best TIG brazing in the world, but I'm going with 'rustic'... Also I think the wiring loom looks great, probably just leave it like that...



Ooh, look at the pretty colors, just like a rainbow.   :P
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Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200

Offline Noddy78

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #979 on: January 27, 2019, 07:25:11 pm »
What do you lack to fire it up?

Hmm... courage.. hope? Nah, mostly finishing electrics. But I'll be pulling it all down again so I can finish off the fabrication and get the powder-coating done. Once it's all back together and buttoned-up properly I'll actually try firing it up!

So apart from that, it's pretty much all there:










Also photoshopped a couple of colour options, but I think in the end I'll keep the tins raw and maybe patina them a bit, give it a bit of character. I think the white is just a bit too OTT?





Offline scunny

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #980 on: January 27, 2019, 11:18:41 pm »
Yep, raw looks better IMHO
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Offline calj737

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #981 on: January 28, 2019, 02:28:53 am »
Not keen on the white either, if an unsolicited opinion matters. I think with all the brass and copper, the metal looks most complementary.
'74 550 Build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=126401.0
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #982 on: January 28, 2019, 07:50:05 am »
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'71 Honda 750K project.....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline Noddy78

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #983 on: January 28, 2019, 12:46:55 pm »
Agreed. Bare metal it is.

Offline kerryb

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #984 on: January 28, 2019, 02:14:41 pm »
Awesome accomplishment!  Truly inspiring.  And thank you to you and calj, I just got back from welding supply with silicon bronze filler to try it out with the new gas lens setup.  I love the look of your project.
intrigued by the wail...seduced by the scream.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #985 on: January 28, 2019, 08:16:11 pm »
Just like the Old Dirty Bastard said, "I like it raw!"
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"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)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline nvr2old

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #986 on: January 29, 2019, 08:47:50 am »
It looks cool all raw, and this bike is so beyond the skills of mere mortals to be sure..but..I can't..not..throw in my opinion to finish it off in the way it deserves..please paint the body parts.  No bike of the era it represents would be left bare metal.  Think of all those great looking steam locomotives and how beautifully they were all painted and festooned.  Left raw they would look terrible.  Not that I'm saying that about this..it's beautiful.  Maybe something subtle like this 2-tone..

knucklehead-engine-hardtail-mooneyes-japan-1200x801 by Larry Pearson, on Flickr
« Last Edit: January 29, 2019, 08:51:58 am by nvr2old »
'76 CB550F-'72 XL250-'82 MB5-'82 CX500 Turbo-'77 naked Goldwing-'75 CB400F cafe'-'79 Suzuki GS1000S..hey, it's a Wes Cooley..

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #987 on: January 29, 2019, 03:15:28 pm »
It looks cool all raw, and this bike is so beyond the skills of mere mortals to be sure..but..I can't..not..throw in my opinion to finish it off in the way it deserves..please paint the body parts.  No bike of the era it represents would be left bare metal.  Think of all those great looking steam locomotives and how beautifully they were all painted and festooned.

You left out you are a painter, of course you would paint it!

Most locomotives stay out in the weather 24/7, I doubt this bike will. Apples/oranges.
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'71 Honda 750K project.....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline Henry McCann

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #988 on: January 29, 2019, 03:54:30 pm »
I still like the white, not white but a cream color. I'll join the chorus, wonderful work!

Offline dusterdude

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #989 on: January 29, 2019, 04:30:25 pm »
It looks cool all raw, and this bike is so beyond the skills of mere mortals to be sure..but..I can't..not..throw in my opinion to finish it off in the way it deserves..please paint the body parts.  No bike of the era it represents would be left bare metal.  Think of all those great looking steam locomotives and how beautifully they were all painted and festooned.  Left raw they would look terrible.  Not that I'm saying that about this..it's beautiful.  Maybe something subtle like this 2-tone..

knucklehead-engine-hardtail-mooneyes-japan-1200x801 by Larry Pearson, on Flickr
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Offline Noddy78

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #990 on: January 29, 2019, 05:50:37 pm »
Thanks for all the kind words folks. I love that Harley, and it does look fantastic, but I think I'm set on the raw finish. I'm not going for any kind of 'period-correct' style or anything, just 'inspired-by'. I'm thinking of trying to get the body work to match the steel on the headlight:



Though that light is probably 100 years old, so not sure how successful I'll be. I will clear coat it all when done, so it'll hopefully hold up to some weather. The headlight is currently clear coated with Penetrol, but it's too glossy ATM, so I'll be doing some experiments while the frame is off being powdercoated, both for patina and for clear coat, and see what I can come up with. Current thought is a few coats of Penetrol for protection, then go over with a matt/satin polyurethane to kill the gloss off.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #991 on: January 29, 2019, 11:22:03 pm »
I think the Steampunk look is more about bare metal than painted surfaces.
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"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)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline nvr2old

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #992 on: January 31, 2019, 09:47:37 am »
It looks cool all raw, and this bike is so beyond the skills of mere mortals to be sure..but..I can't..not..throw in my opinion to finish it off in the way it deserves..please paint the body parts.  No bike of the era it represents would be left bare metal.  Think of all those great looking steam locomotives and how beautifully they were all painted and festooned.

You left out you are a painter, of course you would paint it!

Most locomotives stay out in the weather 24/7, I doubt this bike will. Apples/oranges.

I am indeed a painter, so yes, I would paint it.  Just because the steam locomotives stayed out in the weather 24/7 doesn't negate the fact they were painted beautifully as were all the passenger cars they pulled.  Think Orient Express.  I also look back on all those early 20th century Indians, Harleys, and other brands that had great colors on them adorned with hand painted pin-stripes and maybe some gold leaf.  To me, the paint would compliment the copper and brass parts and make it stand out even more  I love this bike, maybe one of my favorites of all that have been featured on this site.  The amount of work and attention to detail is astounding.  This gentleman is entitled to do what he wants and it will be loved by all who see it..either way.
'76 CB550F-'72 XL250-'82 MB5-'82 CX500 Turbo-'77 naked Goldwing-'75 CB400F cafe'-'79 Suzuki GS1000S..hey, it's a Wes Cooley..

Offline Noddy78

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #993 on: February 14, 2019, 02:03:21 pm »
There's light at the end of the tunnel!


Offline calj737

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #994 on: February 14, 2019, 02:08:25 pm »
Is it an inbound locomotive?  :o  ;D ;D
'74 550 Build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=126401.0
'73 500 Build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132935.0

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis

Offline Noddy78

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #995 on: February 14, 2019, 04:50:49 pm »
Hahaha! I think that train came at the start of this tunnel...

Offline dave500

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #996 on: February 15, 2019, 01:39:14 am »
I hope that light is supplied by a mouse running in a spin cage?thats how I keep my batteries on tender!

Offline 754

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #997 on: February 15, 2019, 09:20:02 am »
 You may want to consider  Arf and Arf paint..
 that is part of the tank painted, part bare.... just putting it out there. .
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Offline Syscrush

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #998 on: February 15, 2019, 11:46:21 am »
Looking great, Noddy.

I agree that it looks great raw right now, but I think that a distressed paint would not look out of place on the bike, and might kick it up yet another level.

As for the wiring harness, I don't know if this is available anywhere, but I think that small canvas hose (like a tiny diameter firehose) would look spiffy as a means of wrapping/hiding the wiring, while being well in keeping with the overall look.
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Offline RAFster122s

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Re: 1972 CB750 Steampunk(ish) Bobber Thing
« Reply #999 on: February 15, 2019, 02:56:24 pm »
Noddy it looks great and I am sure you will decide what you like and move in that direction. I am sure it will look great!
David
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