Topic: CB 750 AMEN Chopper

[Anglo]

Alright then.
If this is in the wrong place direct me the right way.


So, in February this year I was living happy in the UK with a CBF 600. Then following a very expensive trip to South Africa my Girlfriend of 2 and a half years left me for another fella, and I took it so well I moved 4500 miles away from everyone I've ever known to Vancouver Canada.

Fast forward to last month, I bought a Goldwing for a fairly good price, took one look at insuring the bugger and signed off the whole thing. Was about to put it up for sale when on a Bike Sale page on facebook threw up another thing... so after a bit of bartering and a few trips up and down from Vancouver to Abbortsford, I made a big mistake.



The mistake was a running 1972 CB 750 K2 engine in an authentic AMEN frame, with a pair of non-running K3 engines for spares.
I'm planning on doing a top end rebuild on the engine, carb rebuild, fork rebuild, strip and repaint the frame, sort out the electrics and change up the style to my taste.

I'm a blank slate guys. I've been reading through the CB 750 rebuild thread but I thought I'd start my own, as I want this thread to cover more than just the engine. Cheers!

[calj737]

I'd be very surprised if the bike's electrical system can actually support 3 headlights  Hopefully part of "sorting out the electrics" is resolving that!

[Swoop]

Not sure if insuring the chopper is going to be an easier task.

[754]

Does it have reggie, then insurance should be easy .
If you want to build a slammed Amen , I can tell you how.
 That is not only an Amen its the Savior ..

Welcome aboard, I am  just up the road in Ktown.. Another member that lives here also has an Amen Savior 750 .

[przjohn]

I hope your new squeeze doesn't need that wide load seat. 

[seanbarney41]

I'd be very surprised if the bike's electrical system can actually support 3 headlights  Hopefully part of "sorting out the electrics" is resolving that!

cal, thats a 750, not 550...I once had a cb750 with 2 fog lights in addition to the standard headlight and it was wired with lamp cord...charged just fine

[calj737]

I'd be very surprised if the bike's electrical system can actually support 3 headlights  Hopefully part of "sorting out the electrics" is resolving that!

cal, thats a 750, not 550...I once had a cb750 with 2 fog lights in addition to the standard headlight and it was wired with lamp cord...charged just fine

Thanks, Sean, I'm aware it's a 750. But it appears to be 3 headlights not fog lights. I am dubious that the stock charging system on a 750 can support 3 headlights, irrespective of the wiring. Perhaps I am mistaken-

[seanbarney41]

I'd be very surprised if the bike's electrical system can actually support 3 headlights  Hopefully part of "sorting out the electrics" is resolving that!

cal, thats a 750, not 550...I once had a cb750 with 2 fog lights in addition to the standard headlight and it was wired with lamp cord...charged just fine

Thanks, Sean, I'm aware it's a 750. But it appears to be 3 headlights not fog lights. I am dubious that the stock charging system on a 750 can support 3 headlights, irrespective of the wiring. Perhaps I am mistaken-

you are.  probably works out about the same as a stock 550  with one headlight...tbh I have never had any sohc4's of any size with any charging problems whatsoever...but then I dont dawdle around in the city putt putting stop light to stop light at 2000rpm.  Easy enough to make 2 out of 3 switchable if they are not already plus they are probably lower wattage.

[Anglo]

Nice to get a swift response, and my first argument on the thread! No doubt the first of many 
Cal and Sean: all three did run pretty well off the battery....
Until I ripped  'em off! (I'd be inserting the pictures here, but I've no idea how this works  )
754 Cheers for the welcome. I'm not after slamming anything, I'm looking for something that'll get me from here to san-fran and back prefereably without needing a chiropractor on the back  Intending on hitting the road early to mid next year.

Welded chain lamps ain't really my style, they're the first thing to go on flea-bay. That and the Mink Fur King and Queen seat.
Although I'm a fan of the King and Queen layout, Mink fur looks better on a mink IMO. Day one of ownership and I've headed removed more things than I wanted... but I'm eager to get this thing rolling. I work all week 'cept Wednesday and Thursday, so next Wednesday I'll be dropping the engine outta the frame. Until then I'm going to start the fun fun job of turning a sharehouse garage riddled with damp and rats into a small workshop. Impact Driver and Torque wrench are top on my list, along with a decent working light (and perhaps some kind of heater, its pretty cold in Van this time of year)

Any advice is welcome 

[754]

My Amen used to sit like yours and I rode it a year or two like that.. Then I saw a lowered/slammed one, and had to have one..  Ended up with stock front forks on it, moved the sidestand back
I did another one up for dirt track with a sort of hillclmby look... But the rake sure was nit good for a short tight track. ,
 Check the shafts that the axle goes thru, they bend sometimes...
 I have put 800 miles in a day on one of them frames..
One of the guys in town built an Amen Saviour with a 650 Kawi.. Got bored with it, and out a 750 Turbo Kawi in it.. Ran 10,s in the 1/4 mile with it..
 

[Terry in Australia]

Looks great mate, I hope you're not gonna get rid of those twisted Z bars too? Don't listen to Frank, I know that there aren't many corners in Kanada or the US, but the last thing you want when you find one is a "slammed" chop with a fat four in it! I can't think of any bike I'd want to ride 800 miles in one day, but an old Honda CB750 chop would be a cool ride for long trips. If you do, you might want to keep that seat though.......

[calj737]

IF you're new to the SOHC4, you might give strong consideration to purchasing this book:

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,65293.0.html

To link pictures, its far easier to use a photo sharing application like photobucket. Simply copy and paste the link from your account to your thread. Overcomes all the size limits too.

[754]

It handled much better when I slammed it, and had less rake/shorter wheelbase, plus good ground clearance because I ran A high pipe..

[Medyo Bastos]

It handled much better when I slammed it, and had less rake/shorter wheelbase, plus good ground clearance because I ran A high pipe..

i agree with frank, amen frames didnt come with enough rake for long front ends.  slam'em, lowering the center of gravity and you end up with a corner hugg'n sum#$%*! i say build it the way you want, and then ride it like you stole it! 

btw, you can also get a wealth of help, and resources from the fellas on http://hondachopper.yuku.com/

[754]

 If its going noticeably uphill, forks are too long..
Plus...
 Plus... Its no longer the 90,s..... Not everyone wants to ride a trad chopper.....but if you do go for it.. Still fun on the highway.

[BPellerine]

cant get reg for chops,especialy hardtails in my neck of the woods,if you owned one for a long period of time you are ok,but cant transfer the title.bill

[Anglo]

Hey Gang
754: I guess a slammed bike wouldn't be so bad if you can clock up that kind of mileage on it, and stock forks is an appealing thought. I'll have it in mind for this bikes future perhaps, as for the time being this is my first chop so I want to keep the long forks.

Terry In Australia: I'm sorry to disappoint, but the twisted metal bars are circling the parts-plughole as well    I'll leave them on for the time being to make it easier to move the scoot about, but soon as I'm ready to re-paint the frame they will come off the bike and onto ebay. Besides, I've got fairly broad shoulders, they're a little too narrow for me.

Cal: Cheers for the info on linking pictures, I don't have a photobucket or equivilent photo sharing account but seeing as how I'm planning on being here for a while it might be prudent to get one. The book looks good, and has all round great reviews but... $100 USD??  for the time being at least I'd like to make my own mistakes with help from a Clymers/ Haynes Manual, a few PDFs' of Home Service manuals off the web and my own gumption. If this turns round to bite me (as I assume it will inevitably do, I'm pretty inept) I'll get the book.

Medyo Bastos: Cheers for the link, I've read the old 'Chopper Bible' from the 70s they have on that site a good few times. Gotta love some of the gems of knowledge in that book '-You don't want the weld breaking while you're jamming down the road, that would ruin the whole trip'    Reading that manual was one of the first times I decided a CB chop would be better for me than a Harley or Triumph from the same era.

Last but not least BP Pellerine: Well that scares me. The bike has no papers, but I do have papers for one of the spare engines? Do you think it might be worth figuring out how much it'd be to get registered and legal before I start spending money on rebuilding it?

Apart from all that, nothing new to report. Started it up earlier just to hear it running again, might be the last time in a while if I get the engine pulled as planned  I took a video but my Cameras SD card isn't working with my computer, might borrow a friends to see if I can get it uploaded for y'all. I'm going to start making shopping/ begging/ stealing lists tomorrow, I'll keep you guys updated.

One extra point, the heck is an ANFOB? Complete noob here guys, laugh it up 

[754]

Sending you a PM..
 It was still full chopper mode when i did high miles... Had 8 over forks I think.
What many dont realize with longer forks, plus neck headlights, instruments uphigh, it can block quite a bit of wind, and make for a fairly comfortable ride..
 I think in BC you can still get them on the road ..NB where Bill lives went mental on rigid frames

[seanbarney41]

One extra point, the heck is an ANFOB? Complete noob here guys, laugh it up 

don't feel bad...I have been reading 754's posts nigh on 10 years and I still don't know what an ANFOB is either

[BPellerine]

NB is hardtail heaven still,dont need inspection on bikes,nova scotia is the bad place.I don't know the rules for BC but with no permit we have to have a frame no,and you have to get it ok with the RCMP.I would get it reg first,there are a few garage ornaments in my area cause they cant get reg.billp

[754]

So the Amen Savior frame with the springs in the back...is that OK in Nova Scotia.....?

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, don't spend the money until you're sure you can get it registered mate, or you'll be kicking yourself for not buying that Harley..........

[BPellerine]

So the Amen Savior frame with the springs in the back...is that OK in Nova Scotia.....?

not sure on those frank,would be easier than hardtail.bill

[martin99]

One extra point, the heck is an ANFOB? Complete noob here guys, laugh it up 

don't feel bad...I have been reading 754's posts nigh on 10 years and I still don't know what an ANFOB is either

Me too. Just a guess - A 'Nother Fcked Old Bike? 

[Anglo]

Hey guys

Okay, following the Forums collective advice (Well, BP Pellerine backed up by TerryFromAustralia) I nipped down to the local ICBC to see how hard getting it registered was. Thus began an hour long phone call with ICBC support where we were bounced from office to office trying to find someone who knew what to do.

As it stands, the frame has no VIN. The Engine has an engine number, and the Condenser has a number on that the previous owner listed as the frame number. After about half an hour they figured out its a digit short to be a frame number. So, they want a new VIN number to be sent out for the bike, which involves me taking photos of the front, rear, left and right sides and the odometer. Which it currently does not have. I casually asked the woman at the counter what the photos were in aide of, she told me its a way they can check the bike is legal... which given its lack of speedo, lights and indicators, It currently isn't. I need to get it photo ready and send them along with $25 and an information sheet about me, where I bought the bike and any other identifying parts of it. Problem is until the VIN arrives I can't start work on the bike 'cause it needs to be inspection ready for the whole process. And it could take up to 3 months to arrive.

Long short, it needs a new Vin. And here is The first of what I assume will be a number of trials in this build, do it the long and right way or the short and wrong way.

See, $25 for the new vin plus install at a BC approved place isn't much, I'm happy to pay it ... but she said it can take up to 3 months  3 months where the bike has to stay in the same condition, i.e I can't take the engine out or repaint the frame or do any other work

Or... You can buy AMEN authentic VIN plates online for sub $80, and for an extra 20 they'll laser whatever number you send the on it. I might be missing something stupid... but whats stopping me ordering that and giving them whatever number I'm after then getting that registered with ICBC? Given the AMEN frames were built separate to the engines they used anyway, the number on the engine would have no baring on the VIN on the frame...?

Someone point me in the right direction