Topic: 77 750F2 Refresh Project Thread

[martin99]

Hi fellas.

Been meaning to document my project for a long time now, so here we go

The story-
Around the summer of 2013 I sold my XJR1200 (too fast, too heavy, too scarey and responsible for six months of physio on my back after trying to get it on the mainstand - ok, that might've been my fault ). The replacement had to be a sohc750, I've had many, many bikes over the years but always come back to these. I wanted a bike I could use straight off, rather than a pile of bits in a box, and eventually found this F2 on ebay. Six-hour round trip with the trailer, and it was in my garage.



Horrible ain't it? At least I thought so. It was, of course, the PO's pride and joy, I swear he even shed a tear as I loaded it onto my trailer. But I thought it was downright fugly. The reason I sprung for it was because of all the work that had been done. Tons of receipts from DSS came with the bike, it had undergone a full restoration including powdercoated frame, wheel bearings, head bearings, paint, new tyres etc etc etc. Most importantly for me the engine had also been rebuilt by the PO's son, who was reportedly a Honda-trained mechanic. Seemed like a stand-up fella when I met him, again claims substantiated by loads of receipts for engine parts.



Plan was to live with the colour scheme, ride it through the summer and gradually morph it into something more aesthetically to my liking. First ride out uncovered the first problem - it would go up to third gear and stay there! I tried adjusting the clutch thinking that might be the issue. It wasn't. Bought a new clutch cable as the old one was clearly one of the parts that had got away in the rebuild and was stretched. That didn't cure it either. Eventually took off the left cover and stripped the selector mechanism before putting it all back together again - that did it! Just as well, as at this point I was having visions of needing to split the cases in which case the bike would have been back on the trailer and heading for the PO's jacksy

What was becoming very clear was that although restored, the bike had not been ridden! Oil and filter were duly changed. You'll also notice that one of the tank badges is missing. This fell off during one of my many test rides while sorting out the gear change issue. Not surprising really - on checking the other one it came off in my hand with the slightest of pulls, being only just held on with Blu-tac! Not to worry - it'll be getting another tank. It's not just the colour scheme I plan to change, as you'll see along the way. Although talking about colour, black-haters turn away now!

And so the hunt for parts begins. First up was the exhaust. See those yellow headers? That's a stainless Motad with less than a 100 miles on it. Apart from sounding like a strangled cat, I couldn't live with those headers (otherwise I would have just knocked a cold chisel into the end can to er, modify it, like we did in the old days ).


More later..

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

That bike looks like it is in pretty good shape. Hopefully not a candidate for drastic customization. I can see why it would be easier to start with a reliable running bike to build a custom but that one looks good as is. Even if stock is not your thing, if you want a full custom, you can probably sell this one and buy a rattier donor that runs.

[martin99]

That bike looks like it is in pretty good shape. Hopefully not a candidate for drastic customization. I can see why it would be easier to start with a reliable running bike to build a custom but that one looks good as is. Even if stock is not your thing, if you want a full custom, you can probably sell this one and buy a rattier donor that runs.

Yeah, I know, I'm a criminal

Trouble is, ratty doner bikes seldom come with rebuilt motors. The last 750 rebuild I did cost over half of what this bike cost, and if you add up the time too it was a no-brainer for me. I'm pretty busy, work full-time and have a young family so time spent on my bikes is precious. As I said, I wanted a rider and that wouldn't have happened for months if I had an engine to rebuild

This is, apart from paint and exhaust, a very complete and original F2. I'm not going to cut up any original parts or detab the frame. Anything removed will be stored so the next owner (if there is one!) has the option to take it back to stock

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Martin,

As you can see from my builds, I am not a restoration purist by any means.  I get the time savings/peace of mind aspect of using a clean, running bike, and that it is your bike to do with.  I just think you might be selling a great complete bike that you could get good money for to buy what you need -- a solid, titled runner that is missing some or all of the cosmetic things you won't use anyway.  This could be a financial win win for you, too.  Of course, you could also sell all of these great condition stock parts, too, but I think keeping it as a stock bike would get you decent money (and be less hassle).

It's just a thought.  I understand your thinking.  I tend to do more drastic customization with incomplete donor bikes, and to leave survivors at least stock-ish, but that's just me.  This is your bike.

[martin99]

I hear what you're saying and you're making perfect sense. But I wonder if there is a difference in the US market for these bikes to what it is over here? You can pick up a pretty mint F2 here for 2000-2500 GBP. Mine cost 1600, so I considered that to be a good deal given the work and money already spent on it. The PO told me he was selling at a loss.

Expect to pay anywhere between 3000-5000 GBP here for a good K7. I've even seen them at 6000+, but I think that's optimistic. K0 - K6 go for silly money, seems the older they are the more they go for. 4000-6000 is not uncommon, and out of my league I'm afraid If I was lucky enough to find a doer-upper I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap.

Funnily enough, I nearly pulled the trigger on a F2 project bike on ebay at the weekend. Luckily I had the presence of mind to check the numbers on the logbook, which the seller conveniently photographed (although didn't show pics of the actual stampings on the engine and frame). Anyway, the numbers on the logbbook tied in with a 76F, not the 78F it was supposed to relate to - so I left well alone. I did email him for pics of the engine and frame numbers, but perhaps unsurprisingly he didn't get back to me.

Anyhoo, when this is finished it will look more like a modded K7 than a modded F2, and I don't think I'll be doing anything to detract from the value. Worst that can happen is I make a complete dogs arse of it and have to put it back to stock myself

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Martin,

You got a great deal on the F2.  I live in California where prices on running CBs are ridiculous.  There are some people trying to sell their failed project hack-ups for $2,500-3K.  Trying, at least. 

I think you know where I'm coming from.  I was just thinking you might be able to benefit from selling a fairly restored bike with decent bodywork and other parts you will not need -- in exchange for what you need and cash. 

Now that we know it will not have a stock tank, what are your plans for this build???

[martin99]

Plan is K7 tank, new exhaust, tidy up front end, fabricate new seat and tail. No complete picture in my head, hoping it will fall into place as I go

Before I could start playing however, I had to overcome a couple of issues. I said it couldn't have been ridden before, or at least not above second gear 'cos it got stuck in third, and the more I delved into it the more things I found to confirm it.

First up was a replacement exhaust. I sold the sh1tty Motad on ebay and the money I got from that bought a good used Marshall Deeptone. I've had them before - love the growl and the shape of the headers.

Not long after I got it home, the front brake began to stick on. A quick shuffle through all the receipts showed it had had a rear master cylinder kit fitted, but not a front. Given the bike was still wearing it's original 37yr old brake hoses, I decided to refurbish the master cylinder and replace the hoses with some new stainless steel ones. The calipers were all fine, and the new hoses cured the sticking brake.

I wasn't happy with the state of tune and spent a few hours one afternoon completing a 3K tune-up, but it wouldn't go to plan. Also neglected in the 'restoration' were the points and condensers. The points were cheap and very pitted, the condensers suspect and even with the baseplate shimmed I just couldn't get it timed right. Given the price of genuine replacements, and because I'm getting old and lazy, I sprung for a Boyer Bransden ignition. Second problem solved

Whilst doing all this stuff, it occurred to me that almost every nut and bolt I had undone was only slightly over finger-tight. So I spent another hour or so going around and tightening just about every one I could reach - including the finger-tight fork caps! Limp-wristed PO's piss me off (Oop's sorry,wrong thread.)

Time for some pics. Found a good used K7 tank. It had a couple of dents, nothing serious, but the inside is immaculate. Removed the badges, rubbed down, filled, etch-primed, rattle-can black top coat (several!), and finished with Halfords fuel resistant lacquer (yeah right).

Picked a nice sunny day to flat and clear





Couldn't have done it without Spencer's supervision


So here's a pic with the Marshall fitted - temporary mounting bracket, I made a better one later - and a trial fit of the tank. Looks a bit of a mish-mash at this stage, but it'll get better (honest!)


You might notice the absence of the stock airbox in this pic. That's because the next travesty committed to this bike will be.....




PODS!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Plan is K7 tank, new exhaust, tidy up front end, fabricate new seat and tail. No complete picture in my head, hoping it will fall into place as I go

Before I could start playing however, I had to overcome a couple of issues. I said it couldn't have been ridden before, or at least not above second gear 'cos it got stuck in third, and the more I delved into it the more things I found to confirm it.

First up was a replacement exhaust. I sold the sh1tty Motad on ebay and the money I got from that bought a good used Marshall Deeptone. I've had them before - love the growl and the shape of the headers.

Not long after I got it home, the front brake began to stick on. A quick shuffle through all the receipts showed it had had a rear master cylinder kit fitted, but not a front. Given the bike was still wearing it's original 37yr old brake hoses, I decided to refurbish the master cylinder and replace the hoses with some new stainless steel ones. The calipers were all fine, and the new hoses cured the sticking brake.

I wasn't happy with the state of tune and spent a few hours one afternoon completing a 3K tune-up, but it wouldn't go to plan. Also neglected in the 'restoration' were the points and condensers. The points were cheap and very pitted, the condensers suspect and even with the baseplate shimmed I just couldn't get it timed right. Given the price of genuine replacements, and because I'm getting old and lazy, I sprung for a Boyer Bransden ignition. Second problem solved

Whilst doing all this stuff, it occurred to me that almost every nut and bolt I had undone was only slightly over finger-tight. So I spent another hour or so going around and tightening just about every one I could reach - including the finger-tight fork caps! Limp-wristed PO's piss me off (Oop's sorry,wrong thread.)

Time for some pics. Found a good used K7 tank. It had a couple of dents, nothing serious, but the inside is immaculate. Removed the badges, rubbed down, filled, etch-primed, rattle-can black top coat (several!), and finished with Halfords fuel resistant lacquer (yeah right).

Picked a nice sunny day to flat and clear





Couldn't have done it without Spencer's supervision


So here's a pic with the Marshall fitted - temporary mounting bracket, I made a better one later - and a trial fit of the tank. Looks a bit of a mish-mash at this stage, but it'll get better (honest!)


You might notice the absence of the stock airbox in this pic. That's because the next travesty committed to this bike will be.....




PODS!

As a K7 owner who switched to a F tank, I can say that if your F tank is in good nick, it will fetch some good money.  OR, hold onto it for a later project.  F tanks sell at a much higher price than K7-K8 tanks.

[martin99]

Mmmmm, pods.

As useful as an ashtray on a motorbike some might say,and they've caused me much frustration and grief over the years. But, just as a woman forgets the pain of childbirth and decides she needs another baby to swoon over, so I decided this bike needed pods, chucking all the knowledge I gained from my hard-learned lessons out the window.

And so it began. It's not really easy to remove the float bowls from PDs with them in situ, so I became pretty adept at taking the rack off for the inevitable jet changes. Condensing numerous test rides and plug chops  taken over weeks into one sentence, I eventually found my optimum settings - #130 mains, needles raised one clip position, IMS screws two turns out. Pilots remain stock. Don't flail me, I'm the first to say they'll never match the stock set-up, but it runs well enough for me and I'm happy to take the small compromise in performance to achieve the look I want.

It's surprisingly difficult to find pods to fit the PDs on this side of the water. There's ridiculously priced K&Ns on one end of the scale, super cheap Emgo crap on the other end, and not much in the middle. If you're to stand any chance with pods you need decent ones, and I found USA made S&Bs at Hitchcocks, the Royal Enfield dealer. I would say they're on a par with K&Ns, but significantly cheaper.

I made cardboard templates to fabricate support brackets from aluminium flat bar, mounting them from the now redundant airbox tabs on the frame.





Whilst I was at it, I also replaced the inlet rubbers, the old ones looking like they were about to split. OEM F2 rubbers are unobtainium, which is probably why the PO didn't renew them in the first place. I ended up getting two #1 and two#3 K7 ones from DSS, and flipped them for #s 2 and 4.

With the running issues sorted, I turned my attention to the front end. Found a used set of Renthal Ultra-lows on ebay, they were gold originally so I sprayed them black. Still not sure about the brace, I might remove it later.



I removed the stock headlamp ears, dual horn set-up and indicators, fitting a single horn onto the left front downtube above the exhaust. Mounted the headlight on cheap Emgo brackets - they'll be swapped for something better later. Indicators are expensive, but good quality units from Disco Volante.



 

[stewonepot]

I am not sure but, your bars may need the brace for strength. 

[martin99]

I am not sure but, your bars may need the brace for strength.

Yes that does bother me. Having said that there's a lot of guys on here who don't use it, so I don't know

[seanbarney41]

I am not sure but, your bars may need the brace for strength.

Yes that does bother me. Having said that there's a lot of guys on here who don't use it, so I don't know

I removed the brace on mine...No problems with strength in about 7k miles...even dumped it once...wish the stator cover held up as well

[martin99]

Thanks Sean that's good to know. I think I prefer the cleaner look without the brace, so it'll probably go

[martin99]

Time to finish up with the front end.

Bought two fenders at a bike show and tried them on the bike.




Decided to go with the black one. Needed to mount it somehow, and took some inspiration from the Triton set-up that was popular back in the day. Made a template from card...




Transfered the pattern to 2.5mm ally plate and cut them out. Added a tab to pick up a bracket for the brake lines...



Then shaped them to fit the fender. This was a lot of work to get all the angles and curves...



Attached and ready to fit on the bike...




Installed. The Micron brace was a great score by the way . Ended on eBay at stupid o'clock on a weekday when only someone as stupid as me would still be up watching...




Next up I needed to make some brackets for the brake lines. I copied the profile of the original ones using 4mm round bar...





With mounting washers welded on, painted and fitted...





Time to think about a seat. If we ever get some decent fcken weather I'll take a pic in daylight so you can see how she looks so far

[seanbarney41]

really nice work on those brackets.  I actually liked the first one pictured better though...wish you lived closer so I could borrow it for my f3

[martin99]

Ha ha. Mate, you'd be welcome to it. Probably not going to be worth it, but I'll gladly check out the postage if you want it

[seanbarney41]

Ha ha. Mate, you'd be welcome to it. Probably not going to be worth it, but I'll gladly check out the postage if you want it

no thanks, just thanks for reminding me what I want...pretty sure I can get that brand new from Airtech, and it is not expensive.  I really like your bike and this thread.

[martin99]

Moving on, time to make a new seat pan

Began by making a cardboard template




Then transferred the shape onto metal before cutting it out




I don't have any proper folding tools so I have to improvise




Not removing anything from the frame, so I had to use the stock hinge and seatlatch



Had to change the design a little. The wife got the hump when she saw the hump  , said it didn't give her enough room so it had to go. Here's where I'm up to now. Seat pan all welded and cleaned ready for upholstery. The rear fender is one I had laying around and I've bobbed it. I'm going to paint it black, and probably fit a Sparto or similar rear light. The indicators will mount through the holes in the end of the frame.




 

[timbo750]

Good job of the seat pan, its a pity you had to remove gge hump would of been a nice finish.

[Old Scrambler]

Your 'LOOK' is something I call The Gentleman's Express'.  Sleek and clean.  Nice job..........so far

[martin99]

Good job of the seat pan, its a pity you had to remove gge hump would of been a nice finish.

Yeah I know, but it was a small compromise to maintain marital harmony - although when I suggested that if she lost some weight she might find it more comfortable....well you can imagine the rest

[martin99]

Your 'LOOK' is something I call The Gentleman's Express'.  Sleek and clean.  Nice job..........so far

Gentleman's Express - I like that, though I've seldom been called a gentleman

[timbo750]

Good job of the seat pan, its a pity you had to remove gge hump would of been a nice finish.

Yeah I know, but it was a small compromise to maintain marital harmony - although when I suggested that if she lost some weight she might find it more comfortable....well you can imagine the rest

Your a brave man mentioning that, or was it a slip of the tongue. I have to admit a large majority of the reason why my build is moving so slow is to try and maintain some marital harmony.

[martin99]

Time for an update. I had to take a break from the bike for a while to decorate the daughter's bedroom, and as I have literally been watching paint dry for a week it was good to get back to the important things in life

So to sculpting the seat. I like this part, although for some reason it sends me a little cranky....



Now you know why I steer clear of the mugshots thread!

Materials...



I use chipfoam when I do seats, I've found it holds it's shape better and for longer than a block of closed cell, and because it's quite firm it's easier to shape with the knife. First job was to stick the foam to the base with contact adhesive. I left it overnight with a sack of the dog's food on top to make sure it made contact with the contours in the base...



Added extra foam on top...



More added, let in to enable me to achieve the profile I was looking for, and to give the pillion end a little more padding to keep wifey happy...



And ended up with this...



I added some rubber strip along the base to stop the metal edge from cutting through the vinyl.





I've had mixed luck with covering seats. If it was just going to be plain I might have had a go myself, but I decided I wanted piping and with riding season on the way I didn't want to waste time learning how to do it, so I took it to a professional. I had a long chat with him about the pros and cons of flutes, but when he said that if you introduce stitching on top you should expect water to eventually creep in, I decided to do without them. You can always rely on British weather to produce a downpour when you least expect it!

Anyways, I'm glad I left it to someone who knows what they're doing, and I'm well happy with the result...









Next step is the tailpiece, and that should do it. Although, a project is never really ever finished is it!

 

[seanbarney41]

That's lookin' really good....I still like the f tanks better.