Author Topic: Blue K2 750 "Louisville Bike" (Read 12941 times)

Don R · « **on:** April 03, 2017, 10:25:25 AM »

Next on my agenda (edit, didn't happen) is a solid well maintained but heavily modified K2 750. We remember a PO riding this bike with our group to the Louisville flat track races in the late 70's. A friend that had a 750 shop remembered building the engine with a big bore kit, he wasn't clear on which one it had. He said "we bought all of the 836 kits and sometimes we couldn't get them so he used whatever kits were available". It had awful pullback bars and 6" over forks. I didn't enjoy moving it around the shop. It also had a skinny seat that exposed the frame and looked funny, drag pipes, Hog rim, a sissy bar and highway bars. The gorgeous blue fibermold tank is long gone, done in by gasohol.
The recent owner had it in use for a couple decades but sold it to us when he laid it down and injured his leg. The highway bars bar folded back and broke a few cylinder fins.
It has a 72 title, 71 forks, 72 gauges and light console, 71 engine, 72 rear fender and no numbers or tag or evidence there ever were any on what I have to assume is a factory replacement frame. There are helmet hooks on the frame which started in 72.
I'm doing a photo search, hopefully there are before pics, I removed the 6" over forks and handlebars when my brother owned it. I put an old stock seat on it too. The PO painted a nice tank for it, the same blue as the previous fibermold tank.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2017, 10:29:38 AM »

Cool to know its history. Maybe some 70s pics, too, to see it in its heyday.

Don R · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2017, 10:33:29 AM »

This is a recent picture, I'll scour my Louisville pictures for anything with this bike.

I've been in the carbs several times and worked on the points, it still has an intermittent cylinder drop problem on #2. It has 5K ohms caps and resistor plugs, that may be the place to start. #3 has a loose drag pipe with the clamp bottomed out.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2017, 10:41:07 AM »

Looks pretty good. It must have gone down on the lefts side, since the broken fins are not apparent on the right.

Don R · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2017, 11:06:36 AM »

correct, this is a pic when my brother took off the pullback bars.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2017, 11:24:26 AM »

Chopper-esque.

I much prefer its current state.

Don R · « **Reply #6 on:** April 03, 2017, 12:10:02 PM »

I just looked, it has a beeper stopper button on the left control, chrome headlight ears with the forward holes and no beeper mount, no beeper and the new style keyed seat lock. The engine number begins with 11x not 2 something like a 72 would have. I wondered if it's a 71/72 transition bike. I've read of mixed parts on late 71/early 72 but the replacement frame casts a shadow on that theory. It may just be a Frankenstein bike.

Edit, I compared the engine number and title number, it's too big a spread for a transition bike. I'm assuming at some point when the replacement frame was procured, it had been wrecked and there was a 71 used as a parts source. Too bad, we lost the guy that built the engine but the PO is still kicking in a nursing home. I understand he is still sharp, just can't get around. Possibly due to the bike tip over.

Don R · « **Reply #7 on:** April 03, 2017, 03:07:33 PM »

Just a related story, the guy that rode it to Louisville took a girl along. Early on, they had a big noisy fight leading to the motel manager strapping on a sidearm. She crowded in with another couple seriously crimping their good time and rode home in the beer truck at the end of the weekend. Yes, we took a beer truck. The state police came by and asked us to keep the party indoors since the parking lot was turning into a gathering place.

The parking lot was new and it was hot out, the sidestands mostly sunk into the new blacktop and the manager had a cow. The next morning he provided plywood pads for us and used up towels for bike cleaning. We had already begun using beer cans under the sidestands.

This may be the next year, I see the new yellow wing and the Harley but not the blue bike. He may have parked on the new side of the motel.

Don R · « **Reply #8 on:** April 03, 2017, 03:14:21 PM »

I ordered a new battery, re-gapped the points, timed it again and swapped a couple plugs. It seems to run better, The exhaust is thick with carbon. I'm thinking it needs a good run down the road to build some heat and clean out the carbon.

Don R · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2017, 08:35:48 PM »

I'm at a loss what direction to go. I have a 4/2 hooker and a modified center stand that works with it. I'm thinking that will make it look a ton better. Maybe a set of K0 stripes on the tank too. I need a few good 18" rear wheels, nice ones are in short supply here.

Don R · « **Reply #10 on:** April 08, 2017, 11:18:53 PM »

This things a rocket, big bore kit and compression. I went blasting around the neighborhood on it yesterday.
I despise the sound of the drag pipes, at least one has a blown out baffle. I have a set of 4-2 turnouts or the already mentioned hookers. I have a set of 180* tuned short under the motor 4-2's but the header nipples seem to be welded to the bike they're on now. Those usually have a sweet sound.

Don R · « **Reply #11 on:** June 03, 2017, 09:56:06 PM »

I have a friend with tig that's known for welding up fins. He builds them up with weld bead from the edge and then sands them to match. He at first told me to just find ones with top or bottom fins needing repair but his method improved. The ones he did for me look really good. A little factory style paint and it's the nuts. If this one gets far enough apart, I'll give it a go myself.
I lost the title for a bit. For some reason it was in the plastic ziplock bag with the Sandcast's owners and service manuals and Honda shop handout repro's. What a scare.

Don R · « **Reply #12 on:** September 02, 2017, 06:09:07 PM »

Well, I sold some bikes and now it's time to make Louisville a nicer bike. I despise these drag pipes and they must go. I have a sweet 4-1 Yoshi style header on my K0, it needs 4-4's so I'm thinking buy the 4-4's from DSS for the K0 and put the 4-1 on this bike with a nice cone muffler. I also dislike the 16" rear wheel but don't have a nice one to install.

Don R · « **Reply #13 on:** October 06, 2017, 09:08:07 PM »

I used a sweet sounding Hooker 4-2 header with the matching modified center stand. I did find a nice 18" rear wheel but it has yucky chrome on the hub and spokes. I'm short on time right now so lacing on a rim is out, I'll leave the 16" on and see if anyone's interested in her as is.

It still has too long brake hoses and cables from when it was 6" over with some awful pullbacks, it was chopper esque. I'll probably whip up an order to DSS and get a few nice parts coming. Euro bars are big on my list if I'm getting the proper cables too. I wish they were easier to shorten.

Don R · « **Reply #14 on:** March 08, 2018, 09:35:37 PM »

Well, it's been running and riding for a while with no more work being done. The PO passed away last week, it made me think about him and the bike. I'm not sure he would approve of it going back toward stock but the bike's surely a lot happier. It doesn't try to flop over every time I move it.
I've got a couple friends interested in it, but I'm not sure if either of them have two nickels to rub together. I need to pare the collection down to the three keepers and my brothers one owner K4 and call it a day.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2018, 11:47:06 PM »

Looks good Don, is that a repro K1 seat? Yep, you need an 18 inch rear wheel, now you've taken the lowering blocks off the rear shocks, it'll look too weird with a big gap between the rear tire and fender. Shame about the PO, I'm sure he would have liked to have seen it back on the road. Cheers, Terry.

Don R · « **Reply #16 on:** March 09, 2018, 10:46:44 AM »

Yes it's a DSS seat. looks good sits pretty firm.

Don R · « **Reply #17 on:** September 05, 2019, 08:30:00 PM »

I've drug this thing to the swap meet three times, no sale. I also have the drag bike that belonged to the engine builder of this bike. I intended to make the drag bike a tribute to him but there's no signature on the title and no luck finding the partner on it. This k2 has no numbers on the frame and I'm now thinking it will be an engine/frame donor to the drag bike resto project.
So far I'm planning re-spoked A rims, the lowered front forks the swingarm from the drag bike with 12" konis instead of the struts, 400F handlebars and Webers.
I recently acquired the original header from the drag bike and have a fibermold gas tank for it. I'm conflicted about cutting anything off the frame. It goes against my normal procedure but the rear pegs need to go away if I do this. The drag bike has pegs on the swingarm, lay down café seat and he shifted with his left hand.

spotty · « **Reply #18 on:** September 05, 2019, 08:35:24 PM »

those pipes are awesome

Don R · « **Reply #19 on:** September 05, 2019, 08:42:21 PM »

Those pipes are better in the pic than real life. Loose at the engine, ends bent and baffles of various condition. It has a 4-2 hooker header at this point which sounded like an Indy car on my sandcast, they are more like a muscle car on this engine. An amazing difference. On the sandy I left a friends house and wound it up a little. He called later, raving about how awesome it sounded. This bike is totally different.

Don R · « **Reply #20 on:** September 05, 2019, 08:51:37 PM »

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ckwGUnaCxVsha6Ev6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ipWnAe5YpsRZLMAg8

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #21 on:** September 05, 2019, 09:06:50 PM »

That dragbike is so damn cool. Can you tell me how that bobbed rear fender was achieved?...looks real clean

spotty · « **Reply #22 on:** September 06, 2019, 03:02:44 AM »

I had a set of drag pipe 4-2's on my first 750 that had no baffles or end caps that didn't even make it all the way to the back of the motor underneath. They were stupid loud and attracted unwanted attention from the cops all the time but I loved them
A mate was following me in his car one night and told me he couldn't see the tail light ( dodgy maltese cross ) but the flames coming out of the exhaust were visible from about half a mile

Don R · « **Reply #23 on:** September 06, 2019, 07:16:01 PM »

Quote from: seanbarney41 on September 05, 2019, 09:06:50 PM

That dragbike is so damn cool. Can you tell me how that bobbed rear fender was achieved?...looks real clean

I drilled the spot welds of an old dented fender and removed the outer fender from the brace, then trimmed off the part I didn't need and spot (mig or tig I forget) welded the brace to the bobbed fender in the new location. I laid it out so the tail light covered the holes, that way you can keep the finished edge.

I have 6" over fork tubes, high rise handlebars with cables and controls, aluminum foot pegs, front and rear, A pointy low sissy bar, king and queen seat and drag pipes. Mostly everything I don't want on my bike but I appreciate the art of it all. I may assemble it and see what it looks like. I even have a raked K0 frame that I should unrake and restore because it has a title.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #24 on:** September 06, 2019, 07:24:37 PM »

Quote from: Don R on September 06, 2019, 07:16:01 PM

Quote from: seanbarney41 on September 05, 2019, 09:06:50 PM
That dragbike is so damn cool. Can you tell me how that bobbed rear fender was achieved?...looks real clean

I drilled the spot welds of an old dented fender and removed the outer fender from the brace, then trimmed off the part I didn't need and spot (mig or tig I forget) welded the brace to the bobbed fender in the new location. I laid it out so the tail light covered the holes, that way you can keep the finished edge.

I was hoping that was what you did, because I had the same idea...(that I probably already read in one of your old postings!) Glad to hear that it worked well, can't wait to try it

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Author Topic: Blue K2 750 "Louisville Bike" (Read 12941 times)