Poll

Our first contested vote for 2016 (between 2 survivors and a custom)

Wobbly's 1977 CB750K7 Grand Tourer
42 (53.8%)
KiwiShaz's CB350F Cafe
12 (15.4%)
Zunspec/Geoff's 1978 Colin Seeley Honda CB750F2 Survivor
24 (30.8%)

Total Members Voted: 75

Voting closed: February 29, 2016, 11:39:35 PM

Author Topic: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016  (Read 14498 times)

0 Members and 8 Guests are viewing this topic.

Wobbly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #25 on: February 18, 2016, 10:59:04 AM »
Quote
I, too, have a K7 but she was neither stock nor reliable when I got her for a few hundred bucks.


Looks pretty nice now. And unlike me, you have the original horn installed. :)


Wobbly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #26 on: February 18, 2016, 11:02:43 AM »
Quote
Love the rest of the story, thanks for sharing. Voted.

Nice try, but it won't work. You still owe me a beer.


Offline edwardmorris

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #27 on: February 18, 2016, 12:34:59 PM »
Quote
Love the rest of the story, thanks for sharing. Voted.

Nice try, but it won't work. You still owe me a beer.


Haha I thought that debt was settled  ;D ;D No worries, I shall fix it promptly :P

Wobbly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #28 on: February 18, 2016, 12:59:23 PM »
Quote
Love the rest of the story, thanks for sharing. Voted.

Nice try, but it won't work. You still owe me a beer.


Haha I thought that debt was settled  ;D ;D No worries, I shall fix it promptly :P

Please hurry!


Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #29 on: February 18, 2016, 03:59:20 PM »
Hurry up, Rafi.  Wobbly's running through beer and "Smoking Kills" sticks!
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 BPellerine

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #30 on: February 18, 2016, 06:47:31 PM »
seelys are Hondas in engine only,everything else is one mans vision of a really nice bike.billp

The Seeley Honda was sold as a frame kit to many customers who would then swap parts from their standard CB750 to complete the bike.  This would typically include the Honda forks, wheels, brakes, instruments etc. so usually not just the engine  :D .  Colin Seeley also sold these as complete bikes direct from his factory and with his close ties to Honda did not have to purchase a donor bike but could get the necessary Honda parts separately.  My bike is a factory machine but I have no idea how many of these were made by Seeley out of the 300 odd frames that were produced.

Cheers  Geoff
yes I know,did not mean any malice,they are a couple steps up from factory Hondas,haha,billp
1978 CB 750K ard and webers
another anfob

Offline scottly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #31 on: February 18, 2016, 06:53:11 PM »
Quote
Wobbly,
Have you needed to rebuild the engine since 1977?

I shy away from this word because installing oversized pistons is not really a rebuild, but I consider that maintenance--just like changing the drive chain. After all, it's something you can do up to three times with our Hondas (while the BMW RR requires a new engine every time at a bargain price of 10,500 Euros). When the pistons were no longer within specs, 0.25 oversize were installed. While at it, cam chain and tensioner were replaced. I also replaced cam shaft and the cam shaft holders, valves, and every bolt or nut I touched
This is a full top-end rebuild. How many miles did you have on the bike before this was required? How many drive chains have you gone through over the years, and how many rear tires? BTW, some Seeleys were made to accommodate a passenger.. ;)
Don't fix it if it ain't broke!
Helmets save brains. Always wear one and ride like everyone is trying to kill you....

Offline Zunspec

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #32 on: February 19, 2016, 12:48:20 AM »
Mine came with the Seeley duel seat as well should I want to fit it.  At 60 my opportunity to take young ladies for a spin on the pillion are pretty limited so I'll keep the solo seat most of the time :D



Cheers   Geoff

Offline Terry in Australia

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #33 on: February 19, 2016, 02:53:16 AM »
Quote
Wobbly,
Have you needed to rebuild the engine since 1977?

I shy away from this word because installing oversized pistons is not really a rebuild, but I consider that maintenance--just like changing the drive chain. After all, it's something you can do up to three times with our Hondas (while the BMW RR requires a new engine every time at a bargain price of 10,500 Euros). When the pistons were no longer within specs, 0.25 oversize were installed. While at it, cam chain and tensioner were replaced. I also replaced cam shaft and the cam shaft holders, valves, and every bolt or nut I touched
This is a full top-end rebuild. How many miles did you have on the bike before this was required? How many drive chains have you gone through over the years, and how many rear tires? BTW, some Seeleys were made to accommodate a passenger.. ;)

Yep, that's pretty much a major rebuild. If done properly the cases would also have been split to replace the cam chain, and if the cam, cam towers and rockers needed to be replaced, it must have been as a result of top end oil starvation, not "wear and tear". My mate Davey's K2 is still running all his original top end after more than 100,000 miles, and he's owned it since new.

I do like Wobbly's strategy of "Shying away" though, when I arrived home tonight with my latest CB750 purchase (a complete K1 in bits in the back of my truck) I "shied away" and just said I had a few bike parts in the back, nothing special. I think it worked! Cheers, Terry. ;D

I was feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't afford new bike boots, until I met a man with no legs.

So I said, "Hey mate, you haven't got any bike boots you don't need, do you?"

"Crazy is a very misunderstood term, it's a fine line that some of us can lean over and still keep our balance" (thanks RB550Four)

Wobbly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #34 on: February 19, 2016, 03:38:01 AM »
Quote
This is a full top-end rebuild. How many miles did you have on the bike before this was required? How many drive chains have you gone through over the years, and how many rear tires? BTW, some Seeleys were made to accommodate a passenger.. ;)

The Seeley was offered to me in the early 1980s. I didn't know much about them, simply loved the look of the bike. There were no passenger pegs either, and I couldn't imagine that it was offered as a passenger bike. But then, it would probably not have been much different than the RR. My wife hated to sit in the back of the BMW.

The "complete full top-end rebuild" was in 2014. It wasn't really required until after I did it. As a result of a sweating head gasket, I measured the pistons and replacement was indicated. I kept one  on my shelve. :)  Cam holders, cam, and valves were sold cheap to someone who was quite happy with them because they were still in god condition.  There was no need to replace them but I had all this laying around new. However, I initially used flawed NOS Honda cam holders (closed oil passage from factory) although the original ones were still good. This mistake cost me the last known NOS F2 cam (try to locate one). After this disaster, another set of new cam holders along with a NOS K7 cam were installed.
Tires and drive chains are a funny thing when compared to the BMW RR. The initial drive chain didn't last very long because back then, there was a problem with the overflow from the battery, dripping acid on the chain. I caught it before the chain dissolved.  :) There is a service bulletin from Honda for that. After that, the chain, despite its dimensions, would last me 20,000 km before it started to lengthen unevenly. Still within specs, I would always replace at that point. The rear tire would go bad long before the front tire. It would easily last 12,000 km or more. But I always replaced early. In comparison, a rear tire for the RR would always last me 4500 km (others replaced twice by then) while the small chain of the BMW, despite the horsepower, would easily last 18,000 miles or 28,800 km.
Most of the mileage on the Honda was done with a passenger and serious luggage and in the first 15 years. After the initial oil change, I only used synthetic oil. I know, if I wouldn't have, I would have twice the mileage today. :) Then, I find nothing more convincing than my own experience.

By the way: although, for every day on the road the RR spent four days in the shop, I still managed 67,000km. When I picked up my new Harley, I scheduled the 1,000 mile service three days later. I went over the mileage when I turned it in that day.
There was a long time when I did not ride much because of my children--until I could take them along with me. I have some nice pics of my kids growing up with the Honda. Now, that I see every day as a gift, I ride as much as I did back 40 years ago--but not in the same places. Some of the trips I did back then, I would only to today with a heavily armed column.


Anyway, we are voting here on the bike of the month--not the story of the month.  And no doubt, the Seeley is spectacular. ;)

Wobbly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #35 on: February 19, 2016, 03:40:29 AM »
Quote
At 60 my opportunity to take young ladies for a spin on the pillion are pretty limited so I'll keep the solo seat most of the time :D .

Limited? Not when you ride a Seeley. Just use a tinted visor and keep it down. Works for me. :)

Offline Don R

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #36 on: February 22, 2016, 09:48:44 AM »
 It's never easy to choose one because I can appreciate each machine and it's owners desire to maintain or create something special. In the end, the difficulty to recreate the package of the bike and the story makes my decision.  Every bike is special to it's owner for different reasons, even my $250 GL1000 is special to me like an old Dog I gave a home to.
 In a redo of my life, I'd buy an early model and keep it forever, in reality I sold my old bike but found an early model that two other guys kept forever. I will too.
No matter how many times you paint over a shadow, it's still there.
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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #37 on: February 22, 2016, 02:43:55 PM »
Vote vote vote!
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 apehanger550

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #38 on: February 23, 2016, 06:16:51 AM »
 I have a few older bikes and find that the way I feel about them might have something to do with how I felt that particular bike treated me when on a trip. My CB750 is a DOHC [horrors] and I hated it at first after being on the smaller stuff. Then one day something clicked in how to ride it in the curves and it has been my favorite bike ever since.
  The bike is nothing in particular to look at, but just like a beat up rifle that shoots well, it is important to me.

 Voted

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #39 on: February 29, 2016, 11:14:46 AM »
Tick tock. Don't forget to vote today if you have not done so already.
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 Zunspec

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #40 on: March 01, 2016, 12:30:37 AM »
Well done Wobbly, a cherished and more than well looked after motorcycle, a deserving accolade :)

Cheers   Geoff

Offline Retro Rocket

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #41 on: March 01, 2016, 01:07:33 AM »
Good stuff Wobbly, I didn't vote for your bike, I am a big Seeley fan, and that Seeley is one fine bike, but its great to see someone spend the time, effort and pay the respect so deserved of a wonderful old motorcycle, and then be rewarded with a lifetime of enjoyment and reliability,  well done mate... ;)
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #42 on: March 01, 2016, 10:32:07 AM »
Congratulations to all of the owners.  They are all great bikes. 

I, too, was dazzled by the survivor Seeley.  I believe that the fact that Wobbly is the original owner and has kept this bike pretty darn near original all these years, and has such a strong bond with the bike, really struck a chord with the voting members.  Kudos, Wobbly!
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 jaguar

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #43 on: March 01, 2016, 12:20:01 PM »
I too was really pulling for the Seeley as I am fairly bias.

The story of an original owner that used the bike so much is really amazing and I am sure resonated with many members here.

Offline BPellerine

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #44 on: March 01, 2016, 12:40:13 PM »
this should serve as an example where the ''show'' bikes don't always win,congrats Wobbly,I was not wrong about this one!!!hahabillp
1978 CB 750K ard and webers
another anfob

Wobbly

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #45 on: March 01, 2016, 01:09:51 PM »
this should serve as an example where the ''show'' bikes don't always win,congrats Wobbly,I was not wrong about this one!!!hahabillp

Thanks Bill. Thanks for your nomination and support. No, I didn’t think my K7 would stand a chance—ever.  The newer K models are considered the “ugly ducklings” by many. Thank you everybody. This has to be the first time in history, that a K7 is beating a Seeley Honda. 




Wives come and go--my K7 stays.

Portugal, 1982:


San Bernardino Mountains, CA, 1992:


Honda CBFour Club Meeting 2003, Germany. The little boy on the bike in this picture--just turned 16 today. :)



Offline edwardmorris

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #46 on: March 01, 2016, 03:55:59 PM »
Congratulations Tom, and happy birthday to the little guy in the pix.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #47 on: March 01, 2016, 04:07:38 PM »
This has to be the first time in history, that a K7 is beating a Seeley Honda. 
Honda CBFour Club Meeting 2003, Germany. The little boy on the bike in this picture--just turned 16 today. :)

And THAT has to be one of the nicest looking K7s I've ever seen.

Happy Birthday to the little guy.
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 BPellerine

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #48 on: March 01, 2016, 06:07:50 PM »
happy b day to the young one Tom,you will have another story to tell about your bike,remember when my bike..................,billp
1978 CB 750K ard and webers
another anfob

Offline Terry in Australia

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Re: Vote for Bike of the Month - March 2016
« Reply #49 on: March 01, 2016, 11:08:16 PM »
Ha ha, the fact that your ex wife didn't take your K7 (much like Jerry's 3 ex wives didn't want his F) speaks volumes for her personal taste Wobbly, but even though I didn't vote for your bike either, I'm glad that you won it, against all odds. (and logic, ha ha!)

Well done mate, this is a huge milestone, I doubt that another K7 will ever grace the hallowed halls of the BOTM thread! Oh, and happy birthday to your boy! Cheers, Terry. ;D
I was feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't afford new bike boots, until I met a man with no legs.

So I said, "Hey mate, you haven't got any bike boots you don't need, do you?"

"Crazy is a very misunderstood term, it's a fine line that some of us can lean over and still keep our balance" (thanks RB550Four)