Author Topic: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build  (Read 8919 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline SOHC

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 60
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #25 on: December 23, 2014, 03:44:48 PM »
Fellow Minnesotan here, nice work so far, and i understand the heater not working, i havent gotten my new furnace installed in my garage yet, and i really need to lol. what part of MN do u hail from, I'm down here in SE MN.
Current:
1979 Honda CB650 (Hardtail Build)
1983 Suzuki GS850L (Fix and Minor Restore)
Old:
1989 Suzuki Katana 600
1978 Honda CB400T "Hawk"
1983 Honda VF750

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #26 on: December 23, 2014, 03:51:50 PM »
Fellow Minnesotan here, nice work so far, and i understand the heater not working, i havent gotten my new furnace installed in my garage yet, and i really need to lol. what part of MN do u hail from, I'm down here in SE MN.
Yeah, the stupid heater is still being a pain.  I'll have to get it serviced.  I'm from Lakeville, a south suburb of Minneapolis.  Nice to know there are few locals on here.

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #27 on: December 27, 2014, 07:51:46 PM »
Got the wheels torn apart, ready to be blasted and painted.  Ordered new spokes and I'm going to give re-lacing a shot, a little nervous about that.


Offline HondaMan

  • Someone took this pic of me before I became a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 13,843
  • ...not my choice, I was nicknamed...
    • Getting 'em Back on the Road
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #28 on: December 27, 2014, 09:30:06 PM »
Ok, I need to know what the switch in the clutch handle is for?  Can I remove it and if I do is there something I need to do to the wiring?  Because the wiring is cut and messed up in my stock clutch lever and because I'm not running wires in the handlebars and would have to try and modify it anyway I'm going to replace it with an aftermarket switch and clutch lever, but I first need to know what to do about the clutch switch in that lever.

That is/was the "Clutch Safety Switch" that prevents the electric start from operating unless you pull in the clutch lever (if in gear) or else the bike must be in Neutral. To avoid all that claptrap, just unplug the Safety Module under the left side cover and jumper the Grn/Red wire there to the Green in the harness connector. Or, go simpler yet and connect the Grn/Red wire from the Start solenoid to the loose Green dangling under the left cover, and still remove the Safety Module. Or...(I have a bunch of options!). You can see how this stuff all works together in my book.
;)
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #29 on: December 27, 2014, 09:42:03 PM »
Thanks  for the info Hondaman, I'll pick up a copy of your book too first chance I get.

Offline Nuffsa Fugginnuff

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 31
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #30 on: December 28, 2014, 07:48:10 PM »
Subscribed
Alcohol & explosives, the key to a lasting relationship.

Offline Chad

  • Enthusiast
  • **
  • Posts: 102
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #31 on: December 28, 2014, 08:10:49 PM »
Got the wheels torn apart, ready to be blasted and painted.  Ordered new spokes and I'm going to give re-lacing a shot, a little nervous about that.



Subscribed. I wanted to get new wheels (rims & spokes) from Buchanans, but using stock rims, ordering spokes, and doing the work myself is SO much cheaper. You may inspire me to go that way.  :)

Offline Tree

  • Enthusiast
  • **
  • Posts: 142
  • CB750K5
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #32 on: December 28, 2014, 08:25:22 PM »
subscribed.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

  • Speak up, Whipper-Snapper! I'm a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 15,731
  • SOHC/4 Member #1235
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #33 on: December 28, 2014, 10:07:40 PM »
I understand if you have budget constraints but if you can swing it, you might want to buy aluminum rims (Suns are fairly affordable). They are much lighter than the heavy stock DID rims. If your goal is to cafe the bike - not just in looks but in purpose - it will reduce weight.
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 calj737

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 21,037
  • I refuse...
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #34 on: December 29, 2014, 06:17:20 AM »
Cognitomoto is selling both Sun rims and their own "unbranded" model that appear to be just as nice, and a bit cheaper in case you decide to investigate that route.
'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 Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #35 on: December 29, 2014, 08:13:28 PM »
Thanks for the info guys, I'll look into the the rims.  I'm not good with puzzles, so I hope I can figure out the pattern for putting the spokes back in correctly, we'll see.

Offline SOHC

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 60
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #36 on: December 30, 2014, 05:24:33 PM »
I'm from Lakeville, a south suburb of Minneapolis.  Nice to know there are few locals on here.

Nice I was Born On the north end of the cities in Anoka. I have been thru lakeville many, many, many times haha.
Yeah its nice to know other Minnesotans, with similar hobbies, i met a few mustang guys on a forum, one i became friends with lives in Burnsville, your neighbor to the north.
GL with the build, i will stay tuned!
Current:
1979 Honda CB650 (Hardtail Build)
1983 Suzuki GS850L (Fix and Minor Restore)
Old:
1989 Suzuki Katana 600
1978 Honda CB400T "Hawk"
1983 Honda VF750

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #37 on: January 02, 2015, 05:44:33 PM »
Got the engine painted and all the engine aluminum sanded and polished:



I put a couple of scratches in some of polished stuff when I took the motor out, so I'll hit all of that again after I put the motor back in.

Got the frame mostly blasted:



Taking it and the wheels, hubs and a few other parts down to my buddies body shop to blast them and get them ready for paint.

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #38 on: January 21, 2015, 05:59:54 AM »
Got a few more things sanded and polished:

Carb bowls and caps:



Fork cases:



Next is the rear brake hub and then re-assemble the forks and then paint rims and frame.

Offline WhyNot2

  • I'm finally an
  • Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,843
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #39 on: January 21, 2015, 06:29:08 AM »
Great work......polishing is sooooooooo much fun, ain't it?

NOT..........but cool looking when done.....satisfying too.
If it ain't raining, I'm riding.....~~{iii}?~~prost

If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because I cut and pasted from someone else.

Offline 750cafe

  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 607
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #40 on: January 21, 2015, 08:01:29 PM »
She is definitely going to draw a crowd where ever she goes. You should have warning signs handy stating Sun glasses required!  ;)   ;D

Eric
Is there anything more fun than riding? They are between your legs and are quiet when you turn them off.

Offline Ravie

  • Definitely not a
  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 631
  • Soul to Soul
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #41 on: January 22, 2015, 05:45:28 AM »
I always laugh to myself as I guess where guys on any of the forums I'm on are from when they say Minnesota. Like 80% of the time they're from somewhere near the cities. I spent most of my life in Grand Rapids before moving to Bovey!  Most people don't even know where that is! haha. Lakeville is a nice area though. Far enough down 35 that the traffic isn't so horrible..  I lived in Burnsville for a while and I had to commute to Crystal every morning. That was horrible.

Awesome work on the bike, man! I wish I had a damn polisher in the shop. The stuff I've shined even slightly I had to do with tiny 1" polishing wheels on my dremel...  better than nothing I suppose.

Do you know anything about the health of the engine?  How many miles on it?

On the gauges... I ended up just pounding the studs out of place and then flipping the gauges to the opposite side to lower them a bit. That way I didn't have to fab any bracketry (I'm REALLY limited in my shop right now...no welder, no compressor (died), no grinder...)

1975 CB750K5 Rebuild in progress.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=139072.0

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #42 on: January 23, 2015, 08:39:05 PM »
I always laugh to myself as I guess where guys on any of the forums I'm on are from when they say Minnesota. Like 80% of the time they're from somewhere near the cities. I spent most of my life in Grand Rapids before moving to Bovey!  Most people don't even know where that is! haha. Lakeville is a nice area though. Far enough down 35 that the traffic isn't so horrible..  I lived in Burnsville for a while and I had to commute to Crystal every morning. That was horrible.

Awesome work on the bike, man! I wish I had a damn polisher in the shop. The stuff I've shined even slightly I had to do with tiny 1" polishing wheels on my dremel...  better than nothing I suppose.

Do you know anything about the health of the engine?  How many miles on it?

On the gauges... I ended up just pounding the studs out of place and then flipping the gauges to the opposite side to lower them a bit. That way I didn't have to fab any bracketry (I'm REALLY limited in my shop right now...no welder, no compressor (died), no grinder...)
A dremel, wow, that would be a ton of work.  The 6" does a pretty good job for a cheap Harbor Freight buffer.  The bike has 18K on it and ran pretty good.

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #43 on: February 15, 2015, 09:40:36 PM »
Got the frame painted:



And the wheels painted and laced:



Still have to true them, then I'll assemble the front forks and get it into a roller.

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #44 on: March 22, 2015, 05:50:58 PM »
Ok, started putting things back together.  Put the motor in this weekend.


Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #45 on: August 31, 2015, 06:01:50 PM »
Ok, it's been awhile since I posted, but I did finally finish my project.  Took it for it's maiden ride today!  Here are a few pics:











Still have a few minor things to finish, but for the most part it's done!

Offline Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #46 on: August 31, 2015, 06:03:17 PM »
A couple more:




Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

  • Speak up, Whipper-Snapper! I'm a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 15,731
  • SOHC/4 Member #1235
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #47 on: August 31, 2015, 08:12:50 PM »
She's a looker, Kustomizer. Very, very nice.

Is those foil decals on the tank and sidecovers or hand applied leaf?  I could not tell from the light in the photos.
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 Kustomizer

  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 89
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #48 on: August 31, 2015, 08:53:19 PM »
She's a looker, Kustomizer. Very, very nice.

Is those foil decals on the tank and sidecovers or hand applied leaf?  I could not tell from the light in the photos.
Thanks!  Those are hand applied leaf applied by my friend Cliff Anderson.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

  • Speak up, Whipper-Snapper! I'm a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 15,731
  • SOHC/4 Member #1235
Re: My 1976 Cb750 Cafe Build
« Reply #49 on: August 31, 2015, 09:49:13 PM »
Well done, Cliff (Claven)!  ;)  I'm a fan. 

The paint looks great, too.  And I like how the taillight meets the cowl.
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