Topic: Early cb750??

[BenelliSEI]

Yesterday, I went and picked up my first ever “Chopper” (see earlier post). There was also another “bike in the barn” that I also collected.  It has no vin plate and looks like it never had one. This bike came from Michigan. On the left side, the headstock is clearly stamped: cb7501001250. The engine is in the frame, missing carbs and airbox. It’s stamped cb750E-1000582. NO chain case damage. Turns over on the kick starter (with compression) and I can find gears.

It has a “wrinkle tank” and red foam seat. The pipes appear original, no stamps or numbers. The seat latch has the extra safety hook. Horn is on the left and there is an awkward looking bracket on the frame for the steering lock. Front fender is double cut. It is missing carbs, airbox, batt. box, tool tray, ignition switch, and one side cover. Otherwise fairly complete. The tach and speedometer are totally there, speedo reads 17,629 miles. It has a truly ugly rear luggage rack that cracked the rear fender and has been unfortunately welded to the rear peg supports. It will be coming off soon!!!

So what do you guys think. Odd the engine is so much earlier than the frame?

[BenelliSEI]

More photos

[BenelliSEI]

Last photos. I think I’ve read somewhere that really early bikes had a seperate bracket for clutch lever/ mirror mount. Is that one here, in photos? Feed back most welcome!

[Shtonecb500]

god ur lucky.

[Henning]

god ur lucky.

No. Hard work makes luck. Good find!

[BenelliSEI]

god ur lucky.

I do work at it, but this one was a bit of luck! I’ve been looking at choppers for years and it turns out this was actually a bike Maurice got for some work he did, 25 years ago. He kept it in his shed, “in case he needed any parts” . Fortunately, he never had to dig into it!!!!

[754]

I think it's a tad cleaner than mine was when I found it, same color.
So it will clean up quite good.
 Mine was frame #572  and engine was #749 or close to that.  The first ones did not have frame tags and I think model was just called CB 750.
 Better an earlier motor than later . I do not remember  a separate perch for the clutch.
 
Not only this but your motor In the chopper is a fairly early KO... like  a Dec 69 , or Jan 70 build .
 Did you get any loose parts  ?

[chiefum]

Nice!!!

[Stev-o]

I'm sure you know this, but that is a valuable bike. 
The motor could be original or a replacement, you'll really never know for sure. I say original.
A good plan needs to be put in place on what to do with it, join http://cb750sandcastonly.com/smf_forum/index.php  and register it.  Good Luck.

[HondaMan]

Wow, what a find!

[ekpent]

 Great find John and congratulations.  That's a trip you'll never forget. Looking at some pictures of other sandcast engine vin pads I find it interesting I think that the earlier ones like yours had that extra little square raised box above the pad and later ones did not. Interesting and I,m sure the Sandcast Forum guys would love to have pictures and look it over well also.  Now that lightning has struck you better go buy a lottery ticket next !! 
PS- Thanks for sharing and showing everybody that there are still some rare birds hiding out there in garages,sheds and barns. Give us all a little lift and hope. 

[754]

Very cool to have horn on other side, it definitely  makes it clear it is an early one .
 I had  FRAME #572 for a few years.. I scoured the parts books,  and found around  35 to 50 differences  that it had that the last sandcasts did not have... so lots of changes through those  for 5 months  or less that they put these bikes out..

[BenelliSEI]

Wow, what a find!

That comment just about sums it all up! It’s hard to believe I just stumbled on it. This entire adventure was totally precipitated by my STRANGE interest in having a real ‘70’s Chopper. Weird how these things happen.

 I’m not sure how to start on the “spare parts bike”. Maurice picked it up from a guy in Michigan who owed him money. He’s a very successful farmer, in S.W. Ontario, and it literally was my “bike in the barn”! I’m still dumbstruck. Can’t believe I sent off those NOS K0 switches to Terry a few weeks ago. I want them back, now.......

[Prospect]

Unreal. Wow. Very happy for you. You'll be on a high for weeks during these tough times.

Does it have the thin lip alternator cover and the 9 hole clutch cover?

[34barab]

Karma?

[Don R]

 That's an amazing find. Congrats and enjoy it. The story is, engines were taken out of line for testing or repair and returned to the assembly line later. There were occasional earlier or later number spreads. The frame to engine number spread around the 10055xx range is around 400. Seen on multiple bikes in that range.

[newday777]

Most excellent score with both bikes!

[PeWe]

This thread a good lesson for Too many bikes thread.
Here finding the real treasure as  a parts bike when buying a chopper.
That sandcast is waiting to be restored and back on the roads again. Keep the patina intact so it will look like an old bike in good shape. If tank paint is good enough, keep it that way.

Good that you have gauges, if not they cost some.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224329102105

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-NOS-750-Speedometer-CB750K0-1969-1970-37230-300-671-/224329132312?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

[BenelliSEI]

Unreal. Wow. Very happy for you. You'll be on a high for weeks during these tough times.

Does it have the thin lip alternator cover and the 9 hole clutch cover?

Prospect.... no idea. Will check!

[BenelliSEI]

That's an amazing find. Congrats and enjoy it. The story is, engines were taken out of line for testing or repair and returned to the assembly line later. There were occasional earlier or later number spreads. The frame to engine number spread around the 10055xx range is around 400. Seen on multiple bikes in that range.

Don...... thanks for this info. The engine certainly appears original to the frame. I wondered about the lower numbers!

[BenelliSEI]

This thread a good lesson for Too many bikes thread.
Here finding the real treasure as  a parts bike when buying a chopper.
That sandcast is waiting to be restored and back on the roads again. Keep the patina intact so it will look like an old bike in good shape. If tank paint is good enough, keep it that way.

Good that you have gauges, if not they cost some.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224329102105

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-NOS-750-Speedometer-CB750K0-1969-1970-37230-300-671-/224329132312?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

PeWe..... just going to look and think about it for a few day. I want to finish the Rickman and am in no rush on this one.

[ekpent]

 A friend of mine discovered a low number original owner Sandcast here in Michigan some years back.He took it to a local shop where the guy dropped the carb bowls and cleaned them enough to get it to fire/run. I asked him if he was going to clean and polish it all up before he put it on E-bay. He said hell no, going to leave it completely untouched as far as cosmetics. He really wanted me to get it. As the auction wound down on the last night he called me and said I could have it for 20k and he would end the auction early.  I declined and of course in the last flurry of bidding by the snipers the price shot up to over 26k. Ooops - bad move on my part    The winning bidder came over to Michigan and picked it up during a raging snowstorm,tossed it in the back of his open pick-up truck and ironically took it back home with him to Canada.
  If I find a picture of the frame vin for number difference as I can't recall I'll share and also the bike got chatter over at the Sandcast Forum back then.
Update - The frame was #889.

[BPellerine]

everybodys dream stumbling across a sandcast,or ko !

[PeWe]

everybodys dream stumbling across a sandcast,or ko !

..... for a very low price

[MauiK3]

Very cool find
I noticed that the oil filter can is finned, perhaps it was replaced at some point. That early an engine likely came with a smooth oil filter can.
I'm jealous.
Vic World missed this one!!