Topic: RE: What is the hardest part of restoring an old SOHC4

[chewbacca5000]

So I am in the middle of restore / restro mod on a low miles 75 CB750 around 9,500 miles and keep hitting road blocks.  The latest is I can't find the rear brake rod, and associated parts.

I used to think getting stuff powder coated was the major obstacle, and now it seems like all the little bits and pieces are the biggest PITA.

Just wondering what the biggest obstacles and challenges are for others, feel free to BMG all you want. 

[Muckinfuss]

for me it's been writing the checks.

[chewbacca5000]

for me it's been writing the checks.

+1  Sorry my pen broke down.

[seanbarney41]

hardest part is not riding 'em long enough to restore 'em

[chewbacca5000]

hardest part is not riding 'em long enough to restore 'em

OMG don't you have 3 or 4 spares like the rest of us? LOL!!

[dave500]

over here its finding them at a decent price,you often hear"these are worth a lot of money restored"seems like they want restored value straight away?

[chewbacca5000]

over here its finding them at a decent price,you often hear"these are worth a lot of money restored"seems like they want restored value straight away?

Let me know when you want a container full shipped over there.

[Retro Rocket]

over here its finding them at a decent price,you often hear"these are worth a lot of money restored"seems like they want restored value straight away?

And good quality parts at fair prices....

[chewbacca5000]

over here its finding them at a decent price,you often hear"these are worth a lot of money restored"seems like they want restored value straight away?

And good quality parts at fair prices....

No need to sacrifice your 1st born 2nd born will do... Just kidding.  Other than insanely high prices on parts is there any other part of the restore this is challenging?

[Retro Rocket]

I think CB750's are a relatively easy bike to build, I don't build my engines, the rest of the bike is relatively simple. My biggest problem is concentrating on one thing at a time, I have projects coming out of my butt....

[setdog]

For me the hardest part has been not being able to ride it.

[ken65]

I haven't restored an old honda, but i did an old yamaha,..   It went from tidy up and ride to a full nut and bolt...

Once you start putting new bits on, the other bits look sh#t.    In the end EVERYTHING was NOS or made to look brand new..

Cost a fortune and wont recoup my money.   Have to admit it looks great... I wouldn't do another bike again like that....

ken

[Retro Rocket]

I haven't restored an old honda, but i did an old yamaha,..   It went from tidy up and ride to a full nut and bolt...

Once you start putting new bits on, the other bits look sh#t.    In the end EVERYTHING was NOS or made to look brand new..

Cost a fortune and wont recoup my money.   Have to admit it looks great... I wouldn't do another bike again like that....

ken

Motorcycle OCD, I understand completely....

[Nic]

Waiting waiting waiting.

[madmtnmotors]

for me it's been writing the checks.

+1  Sorry my pen broke down.

Yep. Trying to balance performance, or even aesthetics, vs cost. I spend more in labor refurbishing used parts than replacement parts would cost, but the labor is therapeutic and keeps me out of bars. The hardest part is knowing when to say "when". If you get too fussy about having things "just so" can add cost to the project quickly. If I can bring the appearance of a component to "above average" in appearance, and equal (or very nearly so) to original equipment as far as functionality is concerned, then I've achieved my goal. I'll splurge every now and then, mainly for new components where safety is concerned (i.e. brakes, tires, etc.).

[Retro Rocket]

for me it's been writing the checks.

+1  Sorry my pen broke down.

Yep. Trying to balance performance, or even aesthetics, vs cost. I spend more in labor refurbishing used parts than replacement parts would cost, but the labor is therapeutic and keeps me out of bars. The hardest part is knowing when to say "when". If you get too fussy about having things "just so" can add cost to the project quickly. If I can bring the appearance of a component to "above average" in appearance, and equal (or very nearly so) to original equipment as far as functionality is concerned, then I've achieved my goal. I'll splurge every now and then, mainly for new components where safety is concerned (i.e. brakes, tires, etc.).

What becomes expensive for me is trying to build something original, once i have a clear picture of what i want, I have trouble changing paths....= money, money, money...

[Ravie]

Money and not having a compressor in my shop.

Sent from my Venture using Tapatalk 2

[ekpent]

Mufflers and paint. I normally do not restore but bring back to stock original on hopefully good survivors but a good set of stock pipes and nice original color goes a long ways on other candidates. I have a really low mileage red K0 with good pipes I need painted but have not searched for anyone yet. Hate to get a crap job. I made a living with a spray gun once so may give it a go once just to see if I can since I still have the tools.

[chewbacca5000]

Mufflers and paint. I normally do not restore but bring back to stock original on hopefully good survivors but a good set of stock pipes and nice original color goes a long ways on other candidates. I have a really low mileage red K0 with good pipes I need painted but have not searched for anyone yet. Hate to get a crap job. I made a living with a spray gun once so may give it a go once just to see if I can since I still have the tools.

I used two of Don dirtbiker's red kits and they both came out excellent.  Got about 5 or 6 complete sets ready to go.

[Old Scrambler]

An OEM restoration has three things that are the absolute hardest to get correct; Paint, Seat, Electric Harness.  Chrome is difficult because almost everyone produces SHOW chrome which is not the same as the OEM.  Zinc platting is also difficult to match the original.  Wheels can be difficult if you do not start with NOS components.

The term 'restore' means something different to each of us. Is a Motion-Pro cable a replacement or a restored item? Is a new seat cover on original foam and seat-pan (not repainted) a restoration or just a cover-up... errr....cosmetic restoration?  Are new pipes with a paragraph of mandates and warnings a restoration or a replacement?  Powder-coating looks good, is durable, and easily repaired. But did it hide a crack in the frame? or cause a poor ground?  Where is the original factory 'run' in the frame-paint?  NASCAR and several other race sanctioning promoters have banned powder-coating for safety purposes. 

I have completed several ground-up restorations of the CL72 and CL77 models including motor rebuilds. I have also restored a few other bikes to 'Rider' condition using good original parts. I ride an original CB750K3 that I purchased new. I keep it reasonably respectable by occasionally replacing a nut or a bolt, or a turn-signal stem, and was fortunate to find an OEM set of pipes that must have been take-offs when new.  It looks good from 8-feet

I do think a CB750 is now one of the easier bikes to restore............to whatever level you want.  It has very few frame components to paint. The fenders, tanks, side-covers, pipes, seats, decals, instrument faces, are all available to simply 'install' when they arrive in the mail.  The rubber components and cables are either available as NOS or re-popped items.  BTW......chewy.........I may have some of those brake-rod components. 

Keep em shiny.............and upright

[oldhatt45]

I think Old Scrambler has pretty much said one particular thing I was thinking.  "The term 'restore' means something different to each of us."

In my case, with my 750, and since I was the original owner, my aim is to have it looking as close to the way it looked when I rode it away from the shop for the first time. 

Since I don't anticipate ever selling it, I don't really care about whether every last nut and bolt is the one that came on the bike.  I am going for as close to what I bought in 1976 without going completely overboard.  Fortunately for me, nothing on the bike is beyond repair but if I need to replace something, and it will look like it used to, I will try to replace it with a NOS part if available.

The biggest problem I have is making (or having) the time to work on her. 
The smallest problem I've had is getting assistance and guidance from the folks on this forum!!

Charlie

[dave500]

good thing a lot of repro stuff and nos is around for these,try doing an old Suzuki or kwaka?

[HondaMan]

Mufflers and paint. I normally do not restore but bring back to stock original on hopefully good survivors but a good set of stock pipes and nice original color goes a long ways on other candidates. I have a really low mileage red K0 with good pipes I need painted but have not searched for anyone yet. Hate to get a crap job. I made a living with a spray gun once so may give it a go once just to see if I can since I still have the tools.

I used two of Don dirtbiker's red kits and they both came out excellent.  Got about 5 or 6 complete sets ready to go.

Mine either got "pinstriped" with gnats, or the Antares Red became so fine (almost dry) it mottled top-to-bottom on the tank. Gotta start over. His Sunrise Orange Flake kit worked perfectly for me: they were like two completely different paints, though!

The hardest part for me: knowing when to 'stop restoring' and start riding it again. I keep wanting to do every part.

Did you find a brake rod? I have one.

[chewbacca5000]

Thanks Hondaman and Scambller I am pretty sure I have one in storage.  A trick for those nats I learned this year is that they see the color red, orange, and blue the best.  If I paint in my shed they can't see the color and don't get attracted.

[edwardmorris]

For me, given my penchant for obsessing with near perfect "correctness", the biggest difficulty has been finding time and money. Lose a lot of time trying to make the money to keep up, biggest regret so far would be missing out this year's season. But, staying optimistic for the spring

Biggest hurdle right now? That damned K2 tach  utter PITA to find a replacement. Early K2 is the new sandcast  hard to find all them hard bits and pieces...