Topic: CB750 Restoration - Repaint? Or keep original?

[The Sovereign Man]

I’ve noticed a trend on the bottom side of the world (Australia) where bikes being imported are having tanks and side overs repainted.

What is the general consensus on the effect of valuation when doing so?

I realise the answer to this may largely depend on what is being restored. A sandcast for example would be handled with greater care than a K6 perhaps, but I’m speaking in generalities.

I’m a fan of patina, however, I know others may prefer a look that resembles a showroom finish.

Thoughts?

[BenelliSEI]

I have more SOHC cb750’s than makes sense, but only my 1971 K1 has it’s original paint. It’s got a few dings and scratches, but it’s still my favourite! If it’s decent, leave it alone!

[ekpent]

We all have our own idea as to what we like. For me I like original as much as possible including paint even if it and other metal has some moderate patina. I go by the saying "their only original once" so I save what is there doing some touch ups on frames,deep cleaning etc.  and the next owner someday can do what they want. If they were better then showroom I would be afraid to ride them. Only problem is nice old good condition unmolested 750's and other smaller Honda's are getting tougher to find for a reasonable price. Still some hiding out there though.

[jlh3rd]

I like original, unrestored....and I have a 550 F that is mint, unrestored. But it's just  a 550 . It doesn't garner the attention a sandcast 750 would. So, if my bike was faded, or had blemishes, it'd probably be worth more with a good repaint......to most people. But an original, unrestored sandcast 750 with some blemishes is probably worth more that way than restored........If I had a blemished K6, however, I wouldn't hesitate restoring it.....shiny restored bikes are nice....But, I think that break even point differs for different people......
Do what makes you happy, right?

[Mushman]

I wish finding used tanks for CB's wasn't so damn expensive. Even though the original paint on my 550 is in excellent condition, I'd love to be able to change the look of the bike once in a while just by swapping out the tank and sidecovers with some custom colored ones.

[Doobie]

If given a choice between one bike with original paint that is in good condition or a bike that is freshly painted, and I'd go with the original.

[pjlogue]

It all depends on the physical condition of the original tank/side covers.  Some paint fade and slight blemish to original is worth more than a reconditioned part.  Rusty/dented/broken original would detract from value of a bike over new or repainted.  I never could understand why a good restoration of original (any antique) is worth less than never touched. 

I have two bikes, both 1976's.  One is a cb750K which I bought new in '76, the other is a '76 GL1000 LTD which I bought 2 years ago.  My 750 pant was in decent shape but I wanted show room new look but was reluctant to repaint the original tank/side covers so I purchased new from Yamia.  New tank/side covers are flawless.  Old tank/side covers are carefully "preserved" in the event I ever get too geezerly to ride any more and I sell it.  The 750 I have kept as close to original as possible.

My GL1000 was in decent shape cosmetically but had been repainted.  The cosmetic look of the paint was quite nice but I quickly found that sneezing within 50' of the bike would scratch/chip the paint.  Piss poor paint job.  Since the covers were all original, I did not want to experiment on them as my auto body painting skills were nill.  What I did was buy, off e-bay, a second set of body panels.  These I wet sanded off all the old paint, epoxy primed the set and then proceeded to do a flake candy finish with clear coat.  As a first attempt it looks beautiful but there are some minor flaws.  Since the prep and coatings (six in all) were done properly I know it will last a very long time. 

If you can find decent used parts that you can repaint your self or have an expert repaint, I suggest you go that route.  It is the best of both worlds if you carefully save the originals.  Yes, it is a cost because a good tank, not rusted inside, is expensive even if it is an old one.  In my case, I was very afraid to open my original tank and look inside since it had sat in my barn for almost 30 years with no storage prep.  to my delight and amazement when I finally got the courage to open the tank and take a peek, I saw some very slight surface rust in a few places.  I  was expecting heavy rust/sludge and even an empty tank due to rust holes.  The gas inside even still smelled like fresh gas instead of that funky stale gas smell.

Original, in decent shape is worth much more and if you want to change the look, save the original and get used to repaint if you can.  Best of both worlds.

-P.

[Dunk]

I'm a purist, but I like my bikes to look new. Original paint is great if it only has slight fading or some minor chips, keep it. If it's much past that then i would repaint to match original as closely as possible.

[Kevnz]

Sovereign Man, a bit off topic but I just looked at the pictures of your rebuilt carbs on one of the other posts. Impressive. Have they been painted or is that a natural alloy look. How was it achieved? Bead blasting, solvent? Its so hard to get into all the crevices to get an even finish.
Cheers,
Kevin

[The Sovereign Man]

Sovereign Man, a bit off topic but I just looked at the pictures of your rebuilt carbs on one of the other posts. Impressive. Have they been painted or is that a natural alloy look. How was it achieved? Bead blasting, solvent? Its so hard to get into all the crevices to get an even finish.
Cheers,
Kevin

Hey Kevin, I’ve vapour blasted them (wet blasting).

You get a much finer finish on the surface and, as the water flushes out the abrasive, there’s no impregnation and no sediment/residual left behind.

The process is very gentle and can be used without warping softer metals (no frictional heat) and won’t damage rubber etc.

Here’s the finished product (I did the rail too)

[Kevnz]

Nice. Does vapour blasting use baking soda or is that soda blasting? Can you use a standard blasting cabinet and do the carbs need to be dismantled?
Thanks

[The Sovereign Man]

Nice. Does vapour blasting use baking soda or is that soda blasting? Can you use a standard blasting cabinet and do the carbs need to be dismantled?
Thanks

Wet blast and dry blast cabinets and guns are are different. You can convert a dry to wet, however, purpose built is in my opinion better.

The medium used will depend on what your removing from the surface. Soda (sodium bicarbonate base) will remove paint, indelible staining, etc. but for applications where the surface is pitted and/or really weathered I’d use glass.

The more disassembled the part/s, the better the finish. Carbs don’t take long to breakdown and reassemble.

[itsahonda4]

just my thoughts....my son and I have a decent collection of both restored-to-the-nuts and original, patina'd bikes ranging from a 1952 Francis Barnett 150 to a 1971 jap-market CB750 [seen elsewhere on this site].
We work really hard to keep original patina and in an extremely unsophisticated seat of the pants opinion poll, the unrestored bikes win the popular vote every time, without exception.
I also have the good fortune to have a 1971 Triumph Bonneville, a 1977 Yamaha RD200DX and a 1979 Honda CBX in New Zealand and all are original unrestored, but mind, are in exceptional original condition in every case. I seem to spend far too much time talking to people who stop me at petrol stations, rest stops, pubs and every point in between to want to talk about how nice the bikes look in their original condition.
But at the same time my son rides his 1975 Ducati 350 Sebring all over Western Canada and the same thing happens to him, and me with my K1......
So what does all this prove- not a thing!
if you have the good fortune to acquire or own a bike that is original then Id recommend you keep it that way, even with a few warts, blemishes and dings.....but DO NOT compromise on the safety related items such as brake shoes, cables, horn, tyres, brake hoses etc. You will never be criticized for updating those items in the name of common sense and safety [yours not theirs]......
But just like us when we acquire a basket case with rattle can black goop on the tank, sometimes no matter what you wish for, a rebuild/resto/repaint is forced upon you. If thats the case then go for it and make the most of what you end up with.

Lastly, unless its in your DNA, dont build trailer queens that never get started/ ridden no matter how precious you may think your pride and joy is. Look to the classic car scene for the fact that even multi-million dollar Ferraris get raced/thrashed and often crashed. And what does the owner do? Fixes it and repeats the process.
And remember it doesn't have to be show quality - just do what you want and be happy with the end result.