Topic: Seeley CB750 Honda Registry

[TT Seeley]

Sorry,
I'm wrong on the dates, I bought the 750 K6 in 1976 and built the Seeley from it in 1978/79, I think.
Cheers,
TT

[01Thomas]

hello TT and welcome to the Seeley Honda meeting place.
Am I correct in thinking that you're in Germany? If so, so am I (Heilbronn) but all my bikes are in South Africa.

[anchorweight550]

Wondering what you guys think this Seeley project is worth? I know it's a relative question, just trying to get a ballpark offer together. Frame # is SH7515 if that helps identify it's lineage. Thanks!

[scottly]

Hey Anchor, I'm not going to guess on a value, but I will say the Seeley's don't seem to command a high price, at least for their rarity.
The bike in question is #15 of 302(?), and was made in 1975. I own #21. The wheels on both bikes are Morris, and the shocks are S&W. My bike has the same gas tank and seat/rear fender, but I did trim the fender decades ago.
Where is it/are you located?

[Zunspec]

Hi Anchor,

I can only concur with what scottly has said.  Back in the day these machines and others (Rickman, Harris, Dresda, Bakker etc.) were coveted by discerning owners looking for better handling and much less weight.  As such they were forerunners of the Fireblades, GSXR 1000's & R1's.  In modern day terms they are now outclassed by even commuter level machines, things have certainly moved on in the intervening 45 years.  Any 600 machine from the last 20 years would show a Seeley Honda 750 a very clean pair of heels on road or track. 

Guys like myself (now 65) appreciate them for the fabulous machines the are, but for someone brought up during the modern Sports Bike era they would wonder what the fuss was about.  The re-sale conundrum is that my generation are getting scarcer so your potential market is diminishing.  Value is dependent upon how much a potential buyer want's it but it will not command Vincent/Harley Board Tracker prices sadly.  This is mine. I paid £3.5k GBP and another £1k getting it serviced and re-commissioned to road ready again. 

Cheers  Geoff

[scottly]

Geoff, at that price it was nearly a gift. A stock 750 example would have been nearly the same, or even more, judging from the ads in the Classic Bike magazine at the time..

[Zunspec]

Hi scottly,

Yep it was a very lucky happenstance, here's the tale 

I had an entry for my Seeley Suzuki T500 to take part in the Classic TT Parade Lap with an old racing buddy (with TT experience) in the saddle.  As part of the preparations I contacted an old apprentice friend who now lives on the IOM for some local advice re. accommodation etc.  I mentioned we were intending to parade the Seeley and he piped up that his wife's uncle had one that had been sitting in the garage for 25 years.  "Oooooo" I said  "where is it".  It turned out it was not 30 miles away just outside the city of Salisbury.  Having established it was a Seeley Honda 750 I went down to see it, mainly to have a good nose around it.  I've already posted back in this thread that it was a factory built show bike, although I didn't know that at the time.  I asked if the bike was for sale and offered just about all the wedge I could muster, firmly believing I had no chance.  He said yes  and I think it was my enthusiasm for the bike which may have swayed his mind. 

Here's a photo of the 1st owner Mr. Ian Berry saying goodbye to the machine be bought from Colin Seeley at the 1977 London Earls Court Bike Show.



Cheers  Geoff

[jaguar]

They just do not seem to get any attention.
I miss mine.

[01Thomas]

 There's a set of Seeley Honda footrest plates for sale in the local (german) ebay-smalls website  (ebay-kleinanzeigen). They've not been drilled for the master cylinder or anything else, just the 2 holes where they mount on the frame and the one at the rear for the  exhaust:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/seeley-honda-sh7-cb750-fussrastenplatten-nos/1472592196-306-6443

If anybody is interested and needs my help on this deal just give me a shout.

Regards
Thomas

[Santiago]

Hi Seeley owners, I've acquired Seeley CB750 frame number SH7-546 in New Zealand. it's been a race bike by the look of it, at least it's got no road bits with it. I'm hoping to get it back to road trim like the one in the posts by Zunspec. It's got the seat and tank, but no side covers. I'm wondering of someone can post a couple of pics of the side covers, inner face and outer face, with some dimensions if possible. Also what they are made of. I guess they are glass, but if I can get dimensions more or less I figure I can form some out of aluminium. Cheers very much.

[Zunspec]

Hi Santiago,

My side panels are moulded plastic, they might be Honda Std. (my bike was built from a new F1).  They are fitted with rubber grommets and press onto lugs on the frame.  I'll take them off and get some photos with dimensions. Give me a few days and I'll get back to you.

Cheers, and Merry Xmas 

Geoff

[scottly]

Like Geoff says, the side covers are stock Honda plastic parts. The mounts on the frame are different between the K and F models; if your oil tank has the chrome cap, you need the K covers, and if it has the plastic cap you need the F covers.

[Santiago]

Hi Geoff, Hi 'Scottly', Merry Christmas, thanks, yes, I see you are correct now that I have had a look at pics of a CB750F1 and Geoff's bike, they are definitely Honda covers. That's good to know. I haven't picked up the bike from my mate who I have bought it off, that will not be until the New Year, so I haven't had a chance to look at the parts in the box. As you can see from the attached photos, it's had parts fitted to suit, my friend in the pic when he raced it modified a standard tank to fit because he didn't want to risk damaging the ally tank if he dropped it, same with the seat. And I see he fitted std K model side covers. The Lester wheels with the bike are disc front and drum rear, so it appears to have been a K based machine. There is no 4 into 2 exhaust, only a 4 into 1, so I may have to loook at getting a replica system built. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to own it when it was offered to me, but it will have to go in the project list behind the CR750 'homage to Dick Mann' bike that is also on the work bench (motor is done and rolling chassis coming together as time permits), and the CB450 racer that is 99% done. 

[scottly]

The 4-2 exhaust was not standard for the early "kit" bikes; Geoff's bike was special. Mine came to me with a 4-1 that I believe to be "Winning" brand, that may have been supplied by the US importer?
BTW, that was no small feat to fit a standard tank onto the Seeley frame; he must have created a whole new bottom to fit over the upper frame tubes??

[Santiago]

Hi Scottly, yes, that's exactly what he had to do to the tank, he hacked out the bottom I believe and welded in something to suit. Interesting about the exhaust, the one on the bike is allegedly a Yoshi 4-1, so will see how it goes.

[Santiago]

Hello again Gents, well, after finishing a work project in Jakarta, and returning to New Zealand and navigating the isolation requirement for returning home, I've managed to see the Seeley I have purchased... it will be a big job to put it on the road, it appears to have been a road bike at some stage (the seat has been cut out for the tail light), however as purchased by the previous owner, its only been a race bike, so all the road gear is missing. It's sitting on the Lester mags with a drum rear, has the large alloy tank, a seat unit (which really is only good for making a mould off, its been bodge repaired over the years), it has a set of Koni shocks which probably need replacing with something newer, no instruments, lights or switchgear, or a loom. It has a pretty good 812cc motor that will be stripped and inspected but likely used as is. It's got a 4-1 exhaust that is allegedly a Yoshimura system...if I can find a 2-1 for each side I will change the exhaust out... think there is a source for the exhaust in the UK (if anyone can confirm this it would be appreciated). The foot controls are Tarozzi, so for this post I'd like to ask if anyone has photos and perhaps dimensions for the pegs and levers Seeley used originally, perhaps I can replicate some. Also, I understand the handlebars were Seeleys own 'Ace' style bars, a photo and measurements would also be appreciated. Cheers.

[scottly]

The foot controls are Tarozzi, so for this post I'd like to ask if anyone has photos and perhaps dimensions for the pegs and levers Seeley used originally, perhaps I can replicate some.

Once again, parts used on the "kit" bikes were up to the end user. My bike came with the Seeley foot rest plates, fitted with John Tickle foot pegs and levers (identical to Dunstall except for the rubbers), but the frames would accommodate stock pegs and levers. There are pics of the stock mounting plates on reply # 48 of this thread.

[Santiago]

Cheers Scottly. I have the Seeley mount plates. I guess the Tarozzi rearsets are sort of period...guess I will use them. Do you know of a source for the decal I have seen on some seat units...The round CS decal?

[newday777]

Anyone have any information about David Ross of Ross-Seeley Racing Co out of NH?

I do know David and yes he and his brothers were Ross Seeley Racing in Milford back in the 70s and 80s.(long closed the shop).
I was over seeing him the past couple weeks as he has some NOS Tickle rear sets and Morris Wheels to sell.

[01Thomas]

HI
It seems these Seeley Honda footrest plates are still/again up for sale at the same site.

cheers, Thomas

There's a set of Seeley Honda footrest plates for sale in the local (german) ebay-smalls website  (ebay-kleinanzeigen). They've not been drilled for the master cylinder or anything else, just the 2 holes where they mount on the frame and the one at the rear for the  exhaust:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/seeley-honda-sh7-cb750-fussrastenplatten-nos/1472592196-306-6443

If anybody is interested and needs my help on this deal just give me a shout.

Regards
Thomas

[small cog]

Hello everyone, although I am a former owner of a couple of SOHC Hondas, both 400F I signed up to the forum as I thought this might be of interest to the people who visit this particular thread. Back in the early 1980s a friend's dad had to retire early from running a small local motorcycle shop due to ill health and to keep himself busy bought a Honda project which I made a small contribution to as I worked in an engineering shop right next to his garage and my reward was to ride the finish machine.
It was a Seeley Honda and from memory the frame number was CSH1, the number was certainly 1 and the owner contacted Colin Seeley to confirm the bike's provinence and received a letter back saying it was the first. John put the bike back together with the Yoshimura 810 engine which was one of the two included.
He was more used to working on British bikes and this one was far from complete but between making some parts himself and classified ads put together a fully functioning motorcycle which he then sold.
A few months later I met a chap while on holiday in France who mentioned his brother had bought a Seeley Honda from someone down my way and was surprised to find I know all about it. I visited my new found friends at their home and took a couple of photos of which I attach below, unfortunately the number plate is not shown and I cannot remember whether it has the original mid 70's plate or was given a new one around 1983 but I hope this is of interest.

[scottly]

Thank you for posting this, Small Cog! The production frame numbers started with SH7, and the first production frame was supposedly stamped SH7501, if that rings any bells. The earliest documented frame according to Axl's registry was SH7503, IIRC, so this is good stuff!

[Zunspec]

Hello small cog,

All good information, nice to see another Seeley Honda 750 re-discovered. 

Cheers  Geoff

[newday777]

HI
It seems these Seeley Honda footrest plates are still/again up for sale at the same site.

cheers, Thomas

There's a set of Seeley Honda footrest plates for sale in the local (german) ebay-smalls website  (ebay-kleinanzeigen). They've not been drilled for the master cylinder or anything else, just the 2 holes where they mount on the frame and the one at the rear for the  exhaust:
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/seeley-honda-sh7-cb750-fussrastenplatten-nos/1472592196-306-6443

If anybody is interested and needs my help on this deal just give me a shout.

Regards
Thomas

Thomas
Do you know how much they were listed for and how much they sold for?(I can't view the listing and can not read German- I'll post a picture of what I see when I click on the link)
Thank you
Stu

[newday777]

Anyone have any information about David Ross of Ross-Seeley Racing Co out of NH?

I do know David and yes he and his brothers were Ross Seeley Racing in Milford back in the 70s and 80s.(long closed the shop).
I was over seeing him the past couple weeks as he has some NOS Tickle rear sets and Morris Wheels to sell.

I now have possession of the Morris Mags and rearsets,(only a single Tickel plate), Seeley pegs, levers and plates with Pagehiln Master and also rear Lockheed caliper with mount plate and matching rear rotor and 48T rear sproket, if anyone is in need. These are NOS fresh off the shelve pieces. More pictures are available.