Topic: 1973 CB750 Project Unknown

[Rookster]

I am going to loosely call this a project.  I picked it up today for a few hundred dollars.





The Good:

• Has a clear title
• Frame is not bent
• Frame tag matches title
• Carbs were complete and stored inside the garage
• The hubs and rear brake bits are mostly there and serviceable
• It was cheap

The Bad:

• Engine is toast - Huge hole in the cases from chain break - Left outside for years - Water inside the engine
• Entire bike left outside for years
• Missing some stuff - Engine bolts - Front caliper - Seat - Footpegs - Rear brake lever
• Tank probably has pinholes
• Surface rust on everything
• P.O. claims he has a box of missing bits somewhere and will contact me

Its too far gone to restore back to stock.  So, I want to do something different with it.  I'm not sure what that something is?  Maybe a Tracy body or some other custom.  Probably not a cafe bike.  At this point everything is on the table.  Here's what I do know.  It will have a stock frame and standard riding position - no clip-ons or rearsets.  That's all I know at the moment.  This will be a long term project, so I probably won't have any updates for a while.

Scott

[Rookster]

The final shape of the bike is still unknown but I am trying out some different things.  I picked up this Giuliari seat for the F model.  It is new old stock but has a bit of dirt on it.  It originally had a fiberglass "whale tail" that was held on by 3 bolts.  Here it is on a K frame with a K tank.  I'm thinking of having a short aluminum bump stop made in a more rounded shape to finish it off. 

The frame and swingarm just went to the powder coaters this week.  Will post some pics when the parts come back.



Scott

[seanbarney41]

I like that seat and have one also.  Excited to see where you go with this.  All your stuff has been super tasteful.

[Schnell]

Good luck with this long term project!

[Rookster]

Thanks guys.  Much appreciated.

I did some CAD (cardboard aided design) work for the seat cowl.  I like it so far.  I have to wait to get the frame back to see how this will look on the bike.  Then I have to find someone to make it out of aluminum.



Scott

[Rookster]

I got the frame back from powder coat today.  The color is Prismatic Powder Heavy Silver.  It has a bunch of silver flake in it.  I had the frame, swingarm, engine brackets, footpeg holders, rear turn signal mounts and side stand done as well.  Next on the to do list is the front forks with dual disk. 









Scott

[BenelliSEI]

Funky paint. I like it!

[RAFster122s]

Your turn signal brackets used the conductivity of the chrome to ground to the frame through the bolt up of the stems and the brackets to the frame as a ground path. You may need to snake a small ground wire into the light sockets so your powder coating does not need scraped off to provide that ground path.
Cool flakey silver...60s & 70s funk

[Stev-o]

Nice project Scott, following....

[Rookster]

The idea with Project Unknown was for me to try something different.  Usually when I build a bike there is a specific end result in mind before I start.  I didn't really have anything in mind when this wreck came up for sale close to me.  So I bought it and thought I would let the project evolve over time.  Well its evolving again.  I picked up a Tracy tank really cheap and have used this as the basis for the next steps.  Originally I had thought about a cafe-ish bike but this new tank has me thinking more chopper / hot rod vibes.  So now I'm thinking small tank, slim seat and short fenders. 

The tank needs some work.  I have to line it and then try to sand off the black paint.  I can see sparkly gold underneath the black.  The pinstripes are a neat yellow green but the signature is the best part.  The letters are really tiny.  The person who did it had some talent and possibly a drug habit.  If this tank works out it will get a nice sparkly metal flake paint job.  There's still a long way to go but I think I have the basic shape and style down.  That is until I change my mind again. 







Scott

[BenelliSEI]

Nice. “roll with it”.

[Kevin D]

The tank needs some work.  I have to line it and then try to sand off the black paint.  I can see sparkly gold underneath the black.  The pinstripes are a neat yellow green but the signature is the best part.  The letters are really tiny.  The person who did it had some talent and possibly a drug habit.  If this tank works out it will get a nice sparkly metal flake paint job.  There's still a long way to go but I think I have the basic shape and style down.  That is until I change my mind again. 


Scott

Way back 55 years ago, there was a local painter “overdose” who did some terrific paint for the boss’s CL450. I worked with overdoses brother at the Honda shop.
Later, he made a career, pin striping Prowlers for Chrysler, as Dr. Ru, Rudy Kutey.
Recently, Rudy did a repaint for Shtonecb500. There’s photos here somewhere in Shtonecb500s thread.
I think he’s in Oakland county, MI.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15135759/the-secrets-of-dr-ru-car-news/

[Gurp]

Great start!
interested to se where this bike goes!

[newday777]

Interesting project Scott and even more interesting Kevin is the facts on the painter.

[MauiK3]

Very cool project

[Rookster]

Kevin, Thank you for the info on Rudy Kutey.  I contacted him and he confirmed he was the pinstriper.  He requested some pictures and I sent them this morning.  I wish the paint was in better overall shape then I would leave it but it is pretty far gone.  It looks much worse in person than in pictures.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.  I'm as interested to see where this goes as you. 

Scott

[BenelliSEI]

Kevin, Thank you for the info on Rudy Kutey.  I contacted him and he confirmed he was the pinstriper.  He requested some pictures and I sent them this morning.  I wish the paint was in better overall shape then I would leave it but it is pretty far gone.  It looks much worse in person than in pictures.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.  I'm as interested to see where this goes as you. 

Scott

Cool connection!

[willbird]

 The pinstripes are a neat yellow green but the signature is the best part.  The letters are really tiny.  The person who did it had some talent and possibly a drug habit. 







Scott

As a teen a friend had a sprint car, almost universally anybody who was really talented with upholstery or pin striping and hand lettering seemed to live a life filled with alcoholism and or drug addiction and other forms of personal chaos. Finding them to do work usually involved going to where they lived or worked the last time you had them do something, and then finding out where they went after being evicted from that place LOL.

[Rookster]

Well this project has sat for almost a year as I was doing other things.  This summer my goal was to get the front end set up, possibly figure out an oil tank and get it up on its wheels so I could move it around.  I'm still waiting for some parts to come in to finish up the front suspension then turn my attention to the dual disks.  That update should be posted in a week or so.

The swing arm got new top hat style bushes from Kibblewhite and new Honda shock bushings.



The oil tank is a K3.  I filled the 4 indents to make it look more like the K0 oil tank.  Then I silver leafed it.  I applied 6 coats of 2k clear over the weekend.  Color sanded and polished it up.  I did a brushed finish on the cap.  Just waiting for 3 new rubber mounts to come in.  I like how it turned out.  It looks like a mix of old scratched chrome or aluminum. 







Scott

[BenelliSEI]

Scott. Very funky! Have fun with it, I like your style…..

My first car was a 1959 “Bug Eye” Austin Healey Sprite I bought from a police pound for $40, in 1968. I was 15 years old. The grill was missing and a new one was $100! My Dad (he restored fine furniture for a living) used his band saw and a hand held jig saw to cut one out of a scrap piece of 3/4” plywood. We then filed and shaped it like an original and filled the centre opening with some galvanized expanded metal screening. Primed and sanded it to perfection and my Dad silver leafed it. Several coats of clear varnish and it looked just like your tank! We painted the car with several BRUSH coats of a nice red enamel (lots of sanding in between applications) and it looked spectacular. Can you imagine?

[BenelliSEI]

Gosh…. Found the ONE photo. Took my final driver’s test that afternoon….. there’s the wooden grill! Note the missing hood emblem. They were about $20 and I couldn’t afford it. A car club member took pity on me and gave me one a few months later. Best days ever!

[Rookster]

Thanks John.  Awesome story and very cool car.  Great minds think alike. 

Scott

[chesterburnet111]

Gosh…. Found the ONE photo. Took my final driver’s test that afternoon….. there’s the wooden grill! Note the missing hood emblem. They were about $20 and I couldn’t afford it. A car club member took pity on me and gave me one a few months later. Best days ever!

British cars were so cool but it was hard to own them. They had weird problems plus Lucas Electric. I sold Jaguars which also was a Triumph and MG dealership from 80 to 82. I made great money plus I got a company vehicle. I got to drive a lot of cool cars including a little tiny Austin Healey Sprite. I took a brand new Jaguar sedan to Unadilla one year. I had special edition Triumphs and MGs. 80 was the last year for them but there were a ton of leftovers. I also drove a lot of late model luxury cars and sports cars that got traded in. The coolest one I had for a while was a TR8 which was a TR7 wedge convertible with a V8 motor. They only made 400 or so and it ran like a raped ape. I had a couple of years of driving these cars with none of the problems of ownership.....and let me tell you, they had a lot of them.  If one broke, I just picked out a new one to drive.   

[BenelliSEI]

Thanks John.  Awesome story and very cool car.  Great minds think alike. 

Scott

Scott… Pleasure! Your tank reminded me of that grill surround. Took a while to find that photo, but glad I did! Will be following to see what comes next!

[BenelliSEI]

Gosh…. Found the ONE photo. Took my final driver’s test that afternoon….. there’s the wooden grill! Note the missing hood emblem. They were about $20 and I couldn’t afford it. A car club member took pity on me and gave me one a few months later. Best days ever!

British cars were so cool but it was hard to own them. They had weird problems plus Lucas Electric. I sold Jaguars which also was a Triumph and MG dealership from 80 to 82. I made great money plus I got a company vehicle. I got to drive a lot of cool cars including a little tiny Austin Healey Sprite. I took a brand new Jaguar sedan to Unadilla one year. I had special edition Triumphs and MGs. 80 was the last year for them but there were a ton of leftovers. I also drove a lot of late model luxury cars and sports cars that got traded in. The coolest one I had for a while was a TR8 which was a TR7 wedge convertible with a V8 motor. They only made 400 or so and it ran like a raped ape. I had a couple of years of driving these cars with none of the problems of ownership.....and let me tell you, they had a lot of them.  If one broke, I just picked out a new one to drive.   

I persisted with them until 1979 when I raced my first (of four) Honda Civic. Late in 1983 I did a track shoot for the 1984 Honda Canada line up brochure and drove the first CRX that came to Canada. It became a magazine test car for about six months and then the folks at Honda sold it to me for $2000. I drove it for +10 years and then my two sons another 5. They sold it for $2500! Best car I ever owned. Never another Brit.