Topic: First time rider questions - 1978 CB750K

[psbb21]

Hey all, first post here. I hope to get some answers on a bike I'm considering buying. I'll try to be as detailed as possible.

I grew up riding dirt bikes, but the last street bike that I rode was probably 5 years ago and it was considerably smaller (400cc I believe.) Other than that, I don't have any other bike experience. I'm willing to work on the repairs as needed.

I had a friend come with me tonight to inspect and test ride the bike. Details below.

1978 Honda 750k.

Miles: 59k

The Bad(as noted by my friend):
- Rear brakes need replaced
- Lifter needs adjusted
- Blinkers need fixed (rear left is out, none blink)
- Wiring in front (below headlight) is mangled.
- It has a rebuilt salvage title. I had my friend at the DMV run the VIN# and she said it was wrecked in 1999.
- Front fork turning was a little tight

The Good:
- Test ride went well. All gears shifted fine.
- New front brakes
- Idled well
- Minimal rust


All of this at an asking price of $950. I'm just looking for a real ballpark estimate the repairs and seeing if it's worth my money. I'll provide any more details as needed. Thanks!

[Stev-o]

59k mikes with a salvage title?  I think you can do better. 

How does your friend know the rear brakes need replacement? Generally, the rear wheel needs to be removed to check them.

 Lifter needs adj?? What is that???

[psbb21]

He said that the rear brake pedal went down too far. There was also a lot of squeaking coming from the rear tire as he was backing the bike out of the garage.

I'm assuming the lifter was the clutch lifter?.  It was making a clicking noise while the engine was idling.

I can tell the owner isn't firm on his price, so I'm sure I can get a better price than that.

I've been looking for a bike all summer, but haven't pulled the trigger on anything. I'm hoping to spend under $1000 and get a couple of rides in this summer and then have a nice project to work on this winter.

[Don R]

If the timing chain hasn't been adjusted it will make noise, there are no lifters just cam, rocker and valve. The rocker has a threaded adjuster under the threaded cap. I always assume a thousand $ for wheel and neck bearings, tires, tubes, mounting, battery, clean carbs, brake work and fork seals, That's doing a lot myself.
  I'd be worried about the frame, neck or forks being bent and with a salvage title it won't sell as easy later. Sounds like a $300 to $500 parts bike to me.

[lrutt]

No smoking? what are your plans for the bike. Depending on care, that is a fair chunk of miles. If it's just a weekender for messing around it will last you years. If you plan on tripping on it etc. you could drop some coin in brakes, carbs, wheel bearings, etc. etc. etc. It just depends. You could easily get more into it than it's worth.  I gave $450 for a 78 with 18k miles on it. Carb clean, oil change, seat cover, chain and sprockets, and a home done paint job. I had about another $250 in it and it's been solid for 7 years now. It's the one in my Avatar. I ended up putting a side car on it.  Either get him down to $600 or so or keep looking would be my advice. You are coming into primo bike buying time. Just before Christmas is the best. Dealers want to clear inventory and private sellers want $$$ for the holidays.

[Prez1967]

Bought mine with under 10k miles for $1200. All original and ran great.

You can do better

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Inspect/Measure the distances (on both sides) from fork ends to front of frame and to the passenger pegs, etc. and from bottom of the frame to top frame rails, to make sure there is no frame damage (twist, bend, etc.)

[AgPete139]

I agree above; I think there are better details to be had. It won't be the last 750 to grace for sale threads...

[psbb21]

Thanks for all of the advice, it's really appreciated.

It's going to be really hard to let this thing go after seeing the amazing mods/customizations that some of the riders on this forum have. For never owning or working on a bike, I sure have developed a ton of interest in the possibilities.

To answer some of the questions.. There was a small bit of smoke coming out of the exhaust when the bike was started, but nothing seemingly unusual. Still unsure what the "clicking" noise is, I've done some research and still can't figure it out. It's coming from the front of the engine.

To lrutt - For now, I'd like it to be something that will get me around town. Work is around 20 miles away and the college is about 5 miles away, I'm hoping it will get me there. I'd eventually like to be able to take short trips with it.

To Cafe Racer - With the measurements, do you mean just to make sure both sides are the same from fork to peg and bottom to top on the frame?

Anyways, I'm going to give him a Pawn Star's offer of $500 and go from there. He's asking $950 so I'm really going to have to justify it. The bike is actually being sold by the owners great-grandpa and from the sound of it, he just wants it out of his hands. We'll see, if I end up going through with it I'll be sure to get some pics up.

[AintNoEasyWay]

All the guys know what they're talking about. You can likely find a much better deal. I scanned through the thread quickly so I'm not sure if someone already mentioned it, but:

You will almost always end up having to fix much more than you're able to see by checking out the bike once. Problems amazingly start to show up after you've handed over the money & got the bike back to your place. That's just how it works.

[70CB750]

The clicking noise could go away after you adjust the primary chain tensioner and set valve clearances, but it could also mean something worse is brewing in there.

If it runs good, there is a good chance it is really just out of adjustment.

[DaveBarbier]

It's hard to describe a clicking noise to someone, especially via text. I had a noise that these guys helped me find out it was a small leak between the headers and motor. New exhaust gaskets for $10 fixed it. I'd assume...at least for negotiating that it's more serious than that.

Also, I know how tempting it is to buy a bike quickly. But sometimes the best thing is to pass and find another bike.

Is there an ad for this bike that you can link us to? We (meaning everyone besides me) might be able to get a better grasp on what this bike is all about.

Good luck!


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1978 Honda CB550K