Author Topic: From Rundown & Ragged.. To A Mean, Clean & Shiny Machine - My 1977 Honda CB750 K  (Read 8103 times)

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Offline HondaMan

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Yeah, what he said.... ^^^
:)

You may also find that the new one is slightly skinnier. That's what I have noticed. I have little doubt that Honda only ordered them finished (flat ground) on one side to save Yen, that's the sort of thing they had to do to keep their prices where they wanted them back when. You'll find 'touches' like that all over these bikes.

I'm curious to know about the 2nd circlip (the one I circled in the photo). I know you said I had them placed correctly (with the left one's chamfered side facing left (towards M1 and the Cush drive) and the right one's chamfered side facing right (towards M5)), but I remember reading that you said the chamfered side of these circlips should face the gear that is moving and could potentially come into contact with. Wouldn't the gear that has sideways play - gear M4 - ergo a moving gear, be the gear that is moving and potentially come into contact with that circlip?


Normally, you'd be correct: as it happens in this gearbox, that gear only comes up to about 3-4mm away from that site when shifted against that ring/washer/gear. It can't make contact under normal circumstances unless the shifting fork was real bent, so you won't see any wear marks on that face of the gear - unless soemthing is broken. That actually happens sometimes with the C2 gear on the countershaft (bent fork) when the bikes fall over onto the shifter somehow, but I've not seen it happen with the mainshaft gears.
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline Ellz10

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Just wanted to jump on here real quick and say I'm buttoning up the motor tonight and tomorrow, then throwing her back in.

I am curious about one thing I noticed. I see these "witness" marks, for lack of a better term, and I'm just curious if these are normal to see on the inner clutch plate housing?
Thankful for everyone on this forum. Grateful to continue to learn so much.



'77 K7 - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,193043.msg2251436/topicseen.html#new

Offline Ellz10

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Well the motor is back in the frame finally. Time to button everything back up and start her up again and get tuned in.

However, I went to pull the plugs from when it was running and what I found was that spark plugs from cylinders 1 & 4 are very black and dry, HOWEVER the spark plugs from cylinders 2 & 3 are very black but wet.

I'm more concerned with the plugs being wet more than anything else. What could the issue be and is it something I can fix?
Thankful for everyone on this forum. Grateful to continue to learn so much.



'77 K7 - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,193043.msg2251436/topicseen.html#new

Offline Ellz10

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I would discard those as offering ANY usable info given the issues with the bike prior.

They all show too rich a condition, but that could be from idling/lugging the engine cold with the choke applied. Get it fired up, synched, and go for a test ride top confirm your gearbox is correct. THEN turn your attention to tuning.

That sounds like a plan, so I will do just that!

Thank you Cal.
Thankful for everyone on this forum. Grateful to continue to learn so much.



'77 K7 - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,193043.msg2251436/topicseen.html#new

Offline HondaMan

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Just wanted to jump on here real quick and say I'm buttoning up the motor tonight and tomorrow, then throwing her back in.

I am curious about one thing I noticed. I see these "witness" marks, for lack of a better term, and I'm just curious if these are normal to see on the inner clutch plate housing?
Yep, completely normal - and those are quite 'young' compared to most.
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Online grcamna2

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Just wanted to jump on here real quick and say I'm buttoning up the motor tonight and tomorrow, then throwing her back in.

I am curious about one thing I noticed. I see these "witness" marks, for lack of a better term, and I'm just curious if these are normal to see on the inner clutch plate housing?

Those are in very good shape  8)
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Online denward17

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Ellz, are you riding yet?

Waiting on updates....................

Offline Ellz10

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Ellz, are you riding yet?

Waiting on updates....................

Working on it. I had to hit the pause button due to FINALLY buying a house after 3+ years of searching. I ended up getting a good deal, but the lady was a massive hoarder and had 6 cats so the whole place reeks. The yard (Front and back) hasn't been raked, mowed, or even stepped on since 2016 - according to her neighbors that never saw her in the yard - and it definitely shows.

So I've been quite busy having my brother felling trees in the front back and side yards, hauling all the brush, splitting wood, pulling bushes roots and all with the tractor, replacing the roof of the shed that had 3 trees fall on it over the years and just left, tilling the entire yard, then seeding.

And I haven't even started on the inside yet. I gave the lady an extra 30 days after close to be out and clean out all her stuff.

So it's been a very hectic month.


All I have left to do is install the oil pump (The SumpThing), throw the carb on, and install the exhaust. Then I just need to adjust the air-fuel ratio and that should be fun.

I'll update here when I'm at the starting up stage (again).
Thankful for everyone on this forum. Grateful to continue to learn so much.



'77 K7 - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,193043.msg2251436/topicseen.html#new

Online denward17

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^Good Luck with the house, that definitely takes precedence.

Online newday777

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Congrats on getting your house.
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 2 K4, 2 K6, 1 K8
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A

Online scottly

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All I have left to do is install the oil pump (The SumpThing),
Did you take the oil pump apart and clean all of the glitter out of it?
Don't fix it if it ain't broke!
Helmets save brains. Always wear one and ride like everyone is trying to kill you....

Online grcamna2

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Ellz, are you riding yet?

Waiting on updates....................

Working on it. I had to hit the pause button due to FINALLY buying a house after 3+ years of searching. I ended up getting a good deal, but the lady was a massive hoarder and had 6 cats so the whole place reeks. The yard (Front and back) hasn't been raked, mowed, or even stepped on since 2016 - according to her neighbors that never saw her in the yard - and it definitely shows.

So I've been quite busy having my brother felling trees in the front back and side yards, hauling all the brush, splitting wood, pulling bushes roots and all with the tractor, replacing the roof of the shed that had 3 trees fall on it over the years and just left, tilling the entire yard, then seeding.

And I haven't even started on the inside yet. I gave the lady an extra 30 days after close to be out and clean out all her stuff.

So it's been a very hectic month.


All I have left to do is install the oil pump (The SumpThing), throw the carb on, and install the exhaust. Then I just need to adjust the air-fuel ratio and that should be fun.

I'll update here when I'm at the starting up stage (again).

Buying your property/house  ;)
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline Ellz10

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^Good Luck with the house, that definitely takes precedence.

I'm going to need it! I've exercising muscles I didn't even know I had! In fact, I've been moving and doing so much that yesterday on the drive back to our condo, I was on the Harley and I had to pull over immediately due to a charlie horse in my quadricep on my right leg!

Congrats on getting your house.

Thank you!! It's been such a long time coming. We put in 12 offers over the last 3+ years, just to be outbid each and everytime, almost always by all-cash offers.

We're pretty excited and the neat thing about a rough house/fixer upper is that we get to mold it to what we want it to look like.


All I have left to do is install the oil pump (The SumpThing),
Did you take the oil pump apart and clean all of the glitter out of it?

I did, yes! After you (I think it was you?) had suggested to do so because of any metal flakes that could've gotten in there, I figured it was the best thing to do.
Thankful for everyone on this forum. Grateful to continue to learn so much.



'77 K7 - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,193043.msg2251436/topicseen.html#new

Offline Ellz10

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Ellz, are you riding yet?

Waiting on updates....................

Working on it. I had to hit the pause button due to FINALLY buying a house after 3+ years of searching. I ended up getting a good deal, but the lady was a massive hoarder and had 6 cats so the whole place reeks. The yard (Front and back) hasn't been raked, mowed, or even stepped on since 2016 - according to her neighbors that never saw her in the yard - and it definitely shows.

So I've been quite busy having my brother felling trees in the front back and side yards, hauling all the brush, splitting wood, pulling bushes roots and all with the tractor, replacing the roof of the shed that had 3 trees fall on it over the years and just left, tilling the entire yard, then seeding.

And I haven't even started on the inside yet. I gave the lady an extra 30 days after close to be out and clean out all her stuff.

So it's been a very hectic month.


All I have left to do is install the oil pump (The SumpThing), throw the carb on, and install the exhaust. Then I just need to adjust the air-fuel ratio and that should be fun.

I'll update here when I'm at the starting up stage (again).

Buying your property/house  ;)

No!  ;D

We've got so much work still ahead of us, it's crazy! We're doing new hardwood flooring, new paint and then updating railings (it's a bi-level with a few steps up and a few steps down when you first walk in), and then we'll be moving in and continuing with rennovations as we go!
Thankful for everyone on this forum. Grateful to continue to learn so much.



'77 K7 - http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,193043.msg2251436/topicseen.html#new

Online grcamna2

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Ellz, are you riding yet?

Waiting on updates....................

Working on it. I had to hit the pause button due to FINALLY buying a house after 3+ years of searching. I ended up getting a good deal, but the lady was a massive hoarder and had 6 cats so the whole place reeks. The yard (Front and back) hasn't been raked, mowed, or even stepped on since 2016 - according to her neighbors that never saw her in the yard - and it definitely shows.

So I've been quite busy having my brother felling trees in the front back and side yards, hauling all the brush, splitting wood, pulling bushes roots and all with the tractor, replacing the roof of the shed that had 3 trees fall on it over the years and just left, tilling the entire yard, then seeding.

And I haven't even started on the inside yet. I gave the lady an extra 30 days after close to be out and clean out all her stuff.

So it's been a very hectic month.


All I have left to do is install the oil pump (The SumpThing), throw the carb on, and install the exhaust. Then I just need to adjust the air-fuel ratio and that should be fun.

I'll update here when I'm at the starting up stage (again).

Buying your property/house  ;)

No!  ;D

We've got so much work still ahead of us, it's crazy! We're doing new hardwood flooring, new paint and then updating railings (it's a bi-level with a few steps up and a few steps down when you first walk in), and then we'll be moving in and continuing with rennovations as we go!

A lot of work,but worth it once it's complete.
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline HondaMan

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I got it for general rebuild and found all the damage, and the new owner wanted it all kept "numbers correct" for his Concours-style resto, so dug/ground/drilled out all the JB Weld and had the holes welded closed, then had the chain hole welded shut, then had the surface of the lower case welded up/milled back (3 times each) until the case would close again, and seal.
There is no possiblity that the location of the crack in his pictures could EVER cause enough distortion to make the cases not close. I'm not sure what situation you had, but the repairs must have been significant (I'm thinking the dreaded case crack from a broken drive chain) to need to re-machine the mating surfaces. And a competent machinist would have welded above the mating surface then either milled or fly-cut the repaired area flush to the mating surface. Job done. 3 times? What the Ef?

There is so much internet mythology to the "welding distortion" with aluminum that unless you weld, you should refrain from advising people (not directed at you, Mark, anyone in general that opoines). Aluminum is a major heat sink. It takes an incredible amount of heat to staturate these cases that TIG welding up a crack will never produce sufficient damage.

My original counsel to jig it up was due to misunderstanding where the crack was from his picture. Where these pictures show, its no big deal. A 30 minute repair, both sides. It would take longer to pack and drop off at the shipper than to repair it.

Yeah, the back-and-forth trips for repairing those precious cases were due to not knowing 'how high' to weld them, and the sagging that occurred in the web area in front of the sprocket. The lower portion of the area below the break-in was also dented somewhat, which complicated things: the 1st pass was to build up the whole area about 3/4" thick, then reshape (with a coarse hand file) it on the inside-the-cases side so that a wall could be built at all. That was the 1st effort, and it cleared the countershaft gears' teeth tips by 1mm less than a 'normal' case, but that was the best we could do and get a seal, because there are only 2 bolts in that area in these early ones, not 3. Then we built that whole section up until it was above the case parting line and I had it milled back down (flycut) to match the rest of the case. There were several tiny airholes where impurities in the case material near the welding areas were still contaminated with oil debris, so in the last pass those were all welded up proud again (8 of them, IIRC) and re-flycut to match the rest of the case. Tedious, but it worked!
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline Nightshift

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And here we are. At the end of this exhaustive journey. The final end result of over 2.5 years of blood, sweat and tears. Literally. However I wouldn't change a thing. I learned SO SO SO much and that in itself was worth all the headaches. I met alot of good people along the way, in person and over the internet, mostly from this forum.


I want to take this time to give an enormous and very special thank you to Mark (Hondaman), Cal, BertJan at Outsiders Motorcycles for his outstanding product and professionalism, and Frank (Rest in Peace). There are so many more of you on this forum that have gave me amazing and helpful advice over the last few years and I will forever be thankful. Without this forum, it's threads and the people therein, I would NOT have been able to fulfill this goal and dream in the way that I have. Attaining this dream of mine is one of the top 3 greatest moments of my life. I've wanted it for so long. Some of you may think I sound silly or stupid because it's just a bike, but it's far more than that to me. My old man who went with me to get the bike back in 2009 passed away from lung cancer and he made me promise him that I would build this bike into the coolest, most badass cafe racer ever. And in my heart and mind, I've done just that.

Thank you everyone!










[big snip]

Lastly, I want to say that the only thing I have left to do on this build is fabricate the rear cowl that'll sit directly behind the seat backing. Once I get that completed and back from paint, I'll throw it on and post some updated pics, but other than that she is good to go, and I could not be happier with the end result. I did it. I built a bike.

Wow, I gotta say you did a great job on this. Seriously impressed with your fab skills too. I'm just starting a resto on a (very tired) CB750K7 similar to yours. Well done! Bill
Can someone update me a what's offensive today? It's really hard to keep up!

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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This bike has been re-nominated for Bike of the Month but needs a "second" nomination posted in the following thread:  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180400.0.html
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline Floshenbarnical

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What an amazing journey.

And especially exciting for me because I have a SumpThing and had heard a rumor that you can get the DOHC headers to work with the SOHC + SumpThing. Which you confirmed! Can you tell me how you modified the headers to get them to fit?
"All things change in a dynamic environment. Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you."

'77 CB750 SS