I guess it's time to start a 'build' thread since I've started the tear-down... First, a bit of an introduction.
My Dad just gave me his 1976 CB750K. We bought it for him 20 years ago as a retirement present, so it's been in the family for a while, but he's done with it. Now it's my turn! It's got 25,400 miles on the clock and is in fairly good nick. It even has the owner's manual in the pocket under the seat. That was a nice find! Anyway, he hasn't insured it since 2006 (he rides his Jazz scooter while Mom rides on her Yamaha QT50), so it has sat in their garage for a while, taking up space and collecting dust. It ran well when it was parked, but the tank and carbs weren't drained. #2 carb slide is frozen now...
The things are meant to be ridden!
So here it is before tear-down:
The fairing and cargo box have to go(!), you can see it's got non-stock pipes (unbaffled), and there are a few nicks in the paint, but otherwise it's not a bad looker.
So what I want to build is a CB750K 'Sport Tourer'. "I see it as a kind of genetic cross between a café racer and a full-blown touring machine, with the glaring disadvantages of both types removed. What you want, essentially, is a café racer that doesn't hurt your wrists and a touring bike that doesn't feel like a tank ... The whole comfortable café racer concept" (Peter Egan, "A Concise History of Sport-Touring Motorcycles";
http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/01/23/sport-touring-motorcycles-a-concise-history-by-peter-egan/). Interestingly, the lead illustration for the article has a CB750 in it, so I figure I'm not too far off track with what I can expect of the old girl. ;-)
I had ridden it a fair bit before it sat. The longest ride was from northern BC (Fort St. John, for those of you from around here ;-)), to the south Okanagan. It felt like a wet noodle in the twisties... And going through BC's mountains, there are a lot of twisties! I live in the north Okanagan now, just minutes away from the Rockies, so a large part of my motivation to 'build' this bike is to update the suspension. My other (street) bikes--a Suzuki GSX600F (Katana) and SV650S--have been 'sportier', and I'd like to get the Honda performing a bit better on that front. My Clymer manual (with "Hop-up Secrets from R.C. Engineering"!) has this to say about the suspension: "Suspension modifications are especially important on the Honda 750. The suspension, when new, is adequate under normal, mild riding conditions. If you're building more power into the bike, you'll probably ride it harder than the 'mild riding conditions' that Honda intended. Not only is the 750's stock suspension inadequate for hard riding conditions, but it also wears out very rapidly. Any 750 with more than 10,000 miles will need a suspension rebuild, including replacement of rear shocks, swing arm bushings, and front fork springs" (p. 192). I heartily agree!
Here's my plan (or principles, or my 'when-I'm-tempted-to-go-nuts-come-back-and-read-this' manifesto):
- original paint and bolt-on mods ONLY (i.e., nothing that would prevent a return to 'stock' [just in case
my kids want to undo what their crazy old man does!])
- update suspension: front--GSXR / CBR (
Cognito Moto hub, triple, stem, bearings?); rear--canister shocks (
Cognito Moto? [
at the $$$!])
- engine: inspect top-end, cam chain tensioner (replace plastic guide?), pistons / rings, oil pump, points
- carbs: clean & kit; pods or stacks (favouring stacks)
- headlight bucket: fix or replace (cracked...); change taillight & signals (something a bit tidier)
- seat: two-up, lower! (I'm only 5'6"...), but still enough foam to be comfortable for the long haul (a la SV650S?)
I'd love some input on the front end update. Have any of you gone with the Cognito Moto parts? They look fairly 'bolt-on' from the 'builds' I've read (I would consider the front hub a bolt-on item; a bit more work to lace the wheel, but still reversible). And what's the difference between GSXR and CBR parts? Is one preferred over the other?
I'd also love some input on a tidy, non-café rear end. I want a two-up seat, and I actually like the chrome fender, but I'm not a big fan of the bulbous stock tail light... Does anyone know of a tail light that would bolt into, or cover up the four mounting holes from the stock light? Kind of a tapered, flush-mount deal? I've been working my way through the Inspiration thread, but haven't had anything catch my eye just yet...
Well, that's where I'm starting. I'm excited to see where it goes. It's my winter project, so I hope to have it up and running by spring!
Thanks for the great place to learn about SOHC4s!
