Topic: Re: Bigsam302's 76 CB750F (915cc): Project Helen – Running Report!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Damn, those Carrillo rods look beautiful.

[Bigsam302]

Damn, those Carrillo rods look beautiful.

I know!  Everything on the inside of the engine is amazing.  It's a shame that they will be covered up.  At least I got pictures 

[Bigsam302]

I was able to put my bike on the trailer and haul it to my buddy's shop.  He was able to get the broken bolt out in no time.  Now my project is back on track.


- Pay no attention to the license plate.  It's not mounted, just loosely hanging in place.





- Gear shift parts are installed and good to go!

I hope that Cycle X gets their 915cc kits back in stock soon.  Until then, my bike is on hold until I can get the block bored and cylinder head done.

[Riceman]

Bike is looking great..
That is so frustrating finding little hidden F-ups,but sounds like you're back on track.

[Bigsam302]

Bike is looking great..
That is so frustrating finding little hidden F-ups,but sounds like you're back on track.

Thanks Riceman!  I'm watching your project as well.  Good luck with it!

[Bigsam302]

I have a quick question.  Does anyone know the proper way to tighten down the four clutch basket bolts?  I got the pattern, but I can't seem to find the torque numbers.  I don't want to break off one of my bolts.

[Bigsam302]

Never mind.  I found the answer with the good ole search feature and realized that I misread something in Hondaman's book.

[Bigsam302]

It has been awhile since my last post, but I have been steadily working along on my bike.  I am still waiting for Cycle X to get their 915cc kits in so I can finish my engine work.  In the meantime I have decided to tackle my brakes, wiring, clutch, etc.

I do have to say that this project has truly tested every bit of my patience and has worked my very last nerve.  As much planning as I have put into this project, nothing has been going according to plan.

The first thing that I started on was installing my chain.  I ordered Cycle X’s 525 chain conversion a couple of years ago, so I was excited to finally see it on my bike.  I purchased a DID chain and installed it.  It came out great.  I also installed my set of Joker Machine axle adjusters.

[Bigsam302]

Next, I decided to work on my brakes.  This is where my first headache started.  I ordered a set of custom brake lines from Spiegler and the look amazing.  I got black lines with matching fittings to go with the theme of my bike.





To finish off my brake system, I ordered a front and rear brake reservoir from Rizoma.  They also look gorgeous





Everything went together very easy and I like the way that they turned out.  My problems started when I tried to add fluid and bleed the brake system.  The rear brakes were the easiest and they work like a charm.  I ran into issues when I tried to run a spring activated brake like switch.  I thought that I had found the perfect match.  Since my rearset brackets are from an 02 GSXR-750, I figured that it would be a good match. 



I installed the switch and wired it.  It worked as designed for about 5 tries and then stopped working (I was pissed!).  After doing a little research, I decided to go with an hydraulic brake light switch.  Since I had my rearset brackets off the bike, I decided to replace the rearset arm with a straight version and a rubber brake pedal.  I love the way it turned out.



This setup worked like a charm!

The front brakes were the next source of my frustration.  I could not get the front brakes to bleed for nothing in the world.  After hours of cursing and trying to force brake fluid through the system, I figured out that the master cylinder was bad.  I ordered another off of ebay and as soon as I pumped fluid through it, everything worked like it was suppose to.

Next, I go to wire up the front brake light switch and noticed that it constantly stayed on.  I checked my wiring and found the problem.  Everything worked like it was suppose to, with the exception of the cheap brake levers that I bought on ebay.  The lever never made contact with the OEM switch.  Even though these were supposed to be direct replacements, they were just cheap Chinese copies.  Luckily, when I ordered the new master cylinder it came with an OEM lever.  I installed it, and what do you know, it worked like a charm.

[Bigsam302]

I decided to tackle my clutch next.  I read the service manual, read Hondaman’s book, and watched youtube videos, but I could not get the clutch to disengage for nothing in the world.  I looked at diagrams and had everything together like it was supposed to.  After 4 tries of taking the clutch basket out and replacing it, I finally broke the clutch plate.  This actually turned out to be a good thing.

In 76 and newer models (I think), Honda designed a double steel plate that is supposed to quiet down the clutch.  I didn’t have one, so I went back to ebay and ordered a new clutch plate and clutch basket.  I found one for about $30. 



Once I installed the new double-steel plate, I reinstalled my clutch basket and guess what?  It still didn’t work.  I went through the roof.  I was so pissed off and frustrated with this bike.  After a few days I came back down to my garage and pulled the clutch basket again.  Since I had an extra clutch basket, I decided to compare both of them to find out where I was going wrong.  Then a light bulb when off!  The new clutch basket that I had ordered was a little bigger than the one I originally took off of my bike.  So I used the new basket, put my clutch back together and it worked!  Calj737 got a good laugh out of it when I was talking to him on the phone.


I had my clutch basket cover powdercoated with the rest of the covers on my bike.  They are the exact same color as the rest of the frame


I also had the outer clutch cover from Joker Machine powdercoated the same color.  The kick-start shaft cover is also a nice touch!

I also installed a oil pressure gauge with a Joker Machine bracket.  The points cover is also from Joker Machine and is powdercoated as well.  It is currently only sitting there.  I’m waiting for my Dyna 2000 ignition to arrive.

[Bigsam302]

I’ve also taken the time to start working on the wiring.  Right now I’m just doing a dry fit.  After I get it all worked out, I’ll solder all the connections and neatly clean up my harness.

I started with a Antigravity Battery, Motogadget M-unit, and a new Rick’s Motorsports’ REC/REG.  It took some work, but I got them to install neatly into the Benjie’s tail section.  After many headaches and finally contacting Cal, I was able to get everything to work as it should.





Don’t mind the mess.  It will be cleaned up when I get everything finished.



This is a quick connector from the battery that is neatly tucked behind my license plate in the bracket.  This way I can charge my battery without having to remove my seat.





If you look closely, I mounted the horn in between the frame.  It fits nicely under the tank and out of sight.


Wires are everywhere!  But, like I said, it will be cleaned up after its all sorted out.  After looking at all of these wires, I’m seriously considering ordering a Motogadget M-Button.

Like I said, everything is working as it should.  The brake light, headlight, turnsignals, horn and the starter.  I have the M-unit setup with the exception of the alarm, but I’m not going to start messing with that until I get my bike finished.

Check this out!


My gauge is gorgeous and it works like a charm.  All the idiot lights work like they are supposed to.  I have the neutral and oil pressure lights working.  I am very happy with the way it turned out.



I do have one question about the kill switch (maybe Cal can answer this), on these old bikes does the kill switch disable the starter like on modern bikes or does it just disable the ignition switch?  When I was messing around with it, the switch did not stop the starter from turning over, but it killed everything that I had plugged into the AUX port on the M-unit.  Is that it’s only function, to prevent the ignition from starting the bike?



Here is my starter cover.  As with the rest, it is from Joker Machine and is powdercoated. 

The only thing that I’m waiting on is my Dyna 2000 ignition and I will finish up the wiring.  I still need to connect the alternator wires and the Regulator/Rectifier.  Then I can move onto soldering everything up.

[Bigsam302]

My last update for now is about my grips and seat.

I was not 100% satisfied with my previous grips.  I didn’t like the holes in them and I really didn’t like the color.  I wanted something a little darker.  So, I decided to go with another leather and I like this much better.

Old


New

I also had an issue with the original headlight switch, so I upgraded it with this version.  I was having all sorts of issues with my headlight and I couldn’t get it to work correctly.  After I installed this switch everything worked just fine.  In the picture you will also notice my cheap clutch lever that will be replaced when my new VORTEX levers arrive.  You can barely see the M-switch that I installed.  The top button is used to change my speedo menus and the bottom button I am using as my config switch for my M-Unit.

As I mentioned, I got my seat redone to match my grips.  I’m a little on the fence about it.

I wanted something like this:




But I got this instead






This is not what I wanted.  When I took the picture to the guy who did it, he said that it would be no problem at all.  But when I went to pick it up, he made all of these excuses about why he couldn’t get it to turn out like the picture.  I was so pissed and he knew it.  So he only ended up charging me $50 for the job.  I bought the leather myself from a local shop here in San Diego.

After seeing the seat on my bike, it actually doesn’t look bad.  BUT, it is not what I wanted or the look that I was going for.  Because of this, I’m on the fence and I am debating on whether or not to leave it or to go somewhere else and have it done over.

Well, that’s all that I have for now.  I’ll keep the updates coming.  I hope to have my oil hoses for my oil cooler next week and I will focus on installing that.

[calj737]

Sam - From the START output, you run a wire to the KILL switch, then from the KILL to Solenoid. This way, the KILL must be in RUN to allow the Solenoid to get power. You could go from KILL to Coils and power/disrupt power to the coils if you prefer that method, but you would substitute START output with AUX. So, AUX->KILL->Coils is the other method.

The START button will start with a single push, and KILL with a double-push. Thats functionality built into the m-unit.

As for the CONFIG button you have wired, its a clever idea, but impractical a bit. You'd have to see the actual m-unit while changing configs and setting menu options for it to be of value. Not really viable unless you're in the garage..

As for your horn, its a tidy location, BUT, it will greatly reduce the audible effects of it. Up to you if you care/don't care, but its pretty ineffective pointed and mounted that way.

[callmejarob]

Holy cow what a build!  You sure went all in on this one and it is turning out great!  Any concern about using a fiberglass tank?  Also, love all the motogadget stuff.

Definitely get that seat redone, you have put this much money and time into it why let it be "incomplete"?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

At least the upholstery is leather -- versus faux leather.  I think the seat turned out pretty good.

I echo the concern regarding a fiberglass gas tank.  Make sure you line it with Caswell's and keep and eyeball on it.  Ethanol loves to eat the resin in fiberglass.

[Bigsam302]

Sam - From the START output, you run a wire to the KILL switch, then from the KILL to Solenoid. This way, the KILL must be in RUN to allow the Solenoid to get power. You could go from KILL to Coils and power/disrupt power to the coils if you prefer that method, but you would substitute START output with AUX. So, AUX->KILL->Coils is the other method.

The START button will start with a single push, and KILL with a double-push. Thats functionality built into the m-unit.

As for the CONFIG button you have wired, its a clever idea, but impractical a bit. You'd have to see the actual m-unit while changing configs and setting menu options for it to be of value. Not really viable unless you're in the garage..

As for your horn, its a tidy location, BUT, it will greatly reduce the audible effects of it. Up to you if you care/don't care, but its pretty ineffective pointed and mounted that way.

Cal,
Thanks for the advice.  I'll try running the START output to my KILL switch like you suggest.  Do I also tie together the wire that's coming out of the AUX to the ignition to the kill switch as well? 

I understand exactly what you mean about the CONFIG button.  I ran it this way because when you buy the M-switch, it has two buttons on it.  I only needed one for the speedo.  Since I have an extra button, I decided to run it to the CONFIG port so I will not have to touch the wires again.  I just need the pop the seat off to make changes, and I can do that on the fly if I decide to change something while I'm out.

I also get what you are saying about the horn.  Yeah, I wanted to mount it somewhere else but I don't have room on the front of the bike because of my oil cooler.  The horn is loud so I really don't see it making that much of a difference.  I'll wait until I get the engine in and look at moving it.

[Bigsam302]

Holy cow what a build!  You sure went all in on this one and it is turning out great!  Any concern about using a fiberglass tank?  Also, love all the motogadget stuff.

Definitely get that seat redone, you have put this much money and time into it why let it be "incomplete"?

Callmejarob,

Thank you very much!  I'm not concerned about the tank.  I thought that I had mentioned my tank in the beginning of this thread.  I was worried about having the oil tank in the gas tank and I decided not to go with a fiberglass tank.  I had the tank built all steel.  It is pretty solid and heavy.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have had it built in aluminum. 

At least the upholstery is leather -- versus faux leather.  I think the seat turned out pretty good.

I echo the concern regarding a fiberglass gas tank.  Make sure you line it with Caswell's and keep and eyeball on it.  Ethanol loves to eat the resin in fiberglass.

CB750 Fan and Callmejarob,

See, this is the issue that I am running into.  The seat does not look bad, it actually flows good with the bike.  But it is not what I wanted.  Could I live with it? Yes.  I think that I may sit on it for another week before I make my final decision.

[calj737]

Either the KILL wired from START output will de-power the solenoid, or KILL wired from AUX will de-power the coils. Which do you want? The electric start button depressed twice will stop the bike, but it's not a true "KILL". Pressing the start button again will restart the bike. Make sense?

[Bigsam302]

Either the KILL wired from START output will de-power the solenoid, or KILL wired from AUX will de-power the coils. Which do you want? The electric start button depressed twice will stop the bike, but it's not a true "KILL". Pressing the start button again will restart the bike. Make sense?

Ok, Cal.  I got what you mean.  Thanks for clearing it up for me.  I'll probably just go with killing the START output.

[Bigsam302]

Although I haven’t updated my build thread in a few months, I haven’t disappeared or stopped working on my bike.  It is not going as fast as I would have liked.  It also looks like I am not going to meet my build completion date of May.  It is going to take me another month or two to finish it.  The good news is that my block and cylinder head is off getting machined.  I hope to have it back by the end of the month.  Unfortunately, I have had a few setbacks.  My tank and oil tank ending up being a big problem.  The tank and seat combo is obviously a custom build, and I am completely aware that sometimes it is going to a little work to get it to fit like you want it.  I mentioned earlier that I had to have it moved forward and up a little just to get the look that I was looking for.  What I didn’t expect is spending extra money correcting issues that I shouldn’t have had to do in the first place.  I spent over $1200 for this combo and the quality of work was crappy.  Let me explain.

Here is the view of the bottom of my tank.



If you look at the top of the tank you will find holes for the fuel petcock.  The problem is that when I ordered this thank I requested that it be made to fit a 76 CB750 setup.  This tank is designed for the older style petcock.  Now this may not seem like a big issue, but it is for me.  For one, this was not what I wanted, and two, I wanted the option to run an aftermarket fuel petcock.  Not a big deal, since the tank is all steel and has not been painted yet, I decided to take it to my welding buddy and get him to weld in a new plate so I can run an adapter and my new Pingel fuel petcock.

While my tank was at my buddy’s shop, he noticed that the welds on the oil tank were kind of crappy.  We removed it and performed a pressure test.  I am so glad that we did!  The oil tank had about 8 pin-holes in it.  I was pissed.  So he re-welded the spots and cleaned up all the welds.  Again, for the money I paid for this setup, I should not have had to worry about this.





Now that the oil tank is corrected, I’m going to paint it black after I get the rest of the tank and seat painted. 

Now for the other bad news.  A few days later my buddy called and asked me to come to his shop.  He had finished making the new fuel adapter plate, but he refused to cut into my tank.  He asked me if I had ever looked inside the tank before, and I said, “no.”  He was afraid to do any welding or cutting on my tank because he was worried about it catching on fire.  He shined a flashlight into my tank and again, I was pissed.  Before then, I had never looked inside the tank.  It was new, it already had been lined, and it had never had any fuel in it.  I rubbed my finger in it as far as I could reach and it felt smooth, so I had never questioned the quality of work on it.  My buddy also suggested that I get the tank pressure tested.  This I agreed with, due to the problems that I had with the oil tank. 

Take a look at the photo below and see what I saw.



What this photo shows is a new tank that was rusty on the inside and then coved with tank liner.  I ended up having to send my tank to a company in Los Angeles that specialized in restoring and relining gas tanks called Gas Tank Lining Advantage.  The owner of the shop called me and said that it was going to take a lot longer for them to get finished with my tank.  He informed me of the crappy job that was done on it.  Apparently, my “new” gas tank was coated with one kit, and it was not smooth on the inside, so the used another kit to try to smooth it out.  What I ended up with, was a tank that had over an inch of liner in it and to make things worst, the plate where the fuel petcock goes was covered with about 2 inches of liner. I would have had to drill the openings just so I could get fuel to drain into the petcock.  Again, I am so pissed about it!

[Bigsam302]

I finally got my tank back last week and I am completely satisfied with it.  GTL Advantage had to drill numerous holes in the bottom of the tank and break up all of that crappy lining  They used other chemicals to burn the remaining liner and rust out of the tank.  I am so happy that I decided to wait before getting everything painted.  It would have been a serious waste of money.



The work they did turned out awesome.  Even the plate that my buddy had made was welded into my tank and it accepts the adapter plate for the Pingel petcock.  Now I have the options I wanted.



Much better!  It is smooth.  You can actually see the fuel petcock plate in the picture.  It was pressure tested and is good to go! 

If there is a bright side to this, I can sleep easier now knowing that my tank is good and guaranteed and the oil tank is solid.  I don’t have to worry about it leaking when I go to fill it up.

[Tews19]

Holy cow man! This is a great build! I mean really great. You have the patience of a Buddhist Monk. I give you all the credit in the world for not blowing a lid on the tank. Your wiring harness freaks me out with all the wires everywhere but then I see Cal is helping you out along the way. If they had a yearly award for most helpful member, Cal would get it.

Your gauge, I see you said its the original one just modified. I may have missed it and will reread your great thread but how did you exactly do it? Cost?

Thanks in advance.

[calj737]

Tews - he integrated a motogadget motoscope mini gauge inside his stock unit. $325 for the mg unit.

Motogadget just released a very trick handlebar clamp unit that has the same unit plus led idiot lights in it. An awesome idea for those who want stock bars. Devin at cognitomoto has the mini integrated into a top clamp for gsxr units. http://cognitomoto.com/collections/motogadget/products/triple-clamp-with-monoscope-mini

Sam - I'm pretty astonished about the liner ordeal! But like you said, all better now! Did you contact Benjie and let him know? I'd think he would definitely want to make some corrections on his end.

[Bigsam302]

Holy cow man! This is a great build! I mean really great. You have the patience of a Buddhist Monk. I give you all the credit in the world for not blowing a lid on the tank. Your wiring harness freaks me out with all the wires everywhere but then I see Cal is helping you out along the way. If they had a yearly award for most helpful member, Cal would get it.

Your gauge, I see you said its the original one just modified. I may have missed it and will reread your great thread but how did you exactly do it? Cost?

Thanks in advance.

Tews,

Thank you very much for your comments!  Yes, this build has been a lot of hard lessons-learned.  It has taken a lot of time and I don’t update it as much as I should.  Yes, Cal has really helped me with all the wiring and he really saved me from a lot of frustration.  He’s an awesome guy and always willing to help.  Actually, my wiring is done.  I have to take pictures tomorrow and I’ll update the post when I do.

I’m glad that you like my gauge.  It is by far one of the most favorite custom pieces on my bike.  I did do a post about it on the first page.  Cal is right.  I used a Motogadget Mini and I think that you can find it online for about $280 at Revival Cycles.  I really wanted to keep my original tachometer.  The tachometer has a lot of space in under the face plate and the Motogadget Mini fits nicely in it.  Plus it doesn’t interfere with the operation of the tach.  It would have been easier to just buy a Motogadget gauge with the tach, but I wanted something a little different.  If you want links and stuff I used, send me a PM and I’ll walk you through everything. 

[Bigsam302]

Sam - I'm pretty astonished about the liner ordeal! But like you said, all better now! Did you contact Benjie and let him know? I'd think he would definitely want to make some corrections on his end.

Cal,

No I didn't contact Benjie about the tank.  I wanted to, but it's all done and over with.  Plus, I bought this tank over a year ago.  I should have checked everything out fully when I first bought it.  So, that was my fault and another lesson-learned.  Now, everything is fixed and good to go.