Topic: A long, long wait for Candy Gold

[kyle750]

@BenelliSEI Candy Red tank is absolutely gorgeous.  As an example of poorly painted I found this Candy Red repainted tank on Ebay.  I've never seen Candy Red in person but this tank just looks wrong.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/227127983828

[BenelliSEI]

That tank on my cb750K1 is the original paint. Last winter I gave it a very good detailing, new cap, Yamiya  bottom trim, tank badges, and side covers. Good for another 50 years!

[kyle750]

^ ^ ^ Absolutely Gorgeous ^ ^ ^

[BenelliSEI]

^ ^ ^ Absolutely Gorgeous ^ ^ ^

Thanks! It’s easily my favourite and definitely gets ridden the most.

[kyle750]

It’s easily my favourite and definitely gets ridden the most.

Riding that bike must be a complete Joy.  I spot another Candy Red tank sitting on the shelf?

[BenelliSEI]

It’s easily my favourite and definitely gets ridden the most.

Riding that bike must be a complete Joy.  I spot another Candy Red tank sitting on the shelf?

Good catch! That is in fact the original tank from my K1. It has a “broom stick” ding on the far side. The one I moved to the my K1 last winter was an EBay find several years ago. Funnily enough it came from Z1 Enterprises when they were selling off a ton of used motorcycle parts. It’s not “perfect” but 99%.

[kyle750]

I installed an older Honda gas cap latch and small spring removed from an original tank on the new Yamiya tank.  There was a slight bend to the the latch and some wear and corrosion to the plating.  It just does not look sturdy and reliable.  I decided to buy this replacement gas cap latch.  According to the seller:

This fully CNC machined latch is an excellent reproduction of the original cast gas tank latches.  However this latch is machined from billet brass making it much stronger than original cast alloy latches which were prone to breakage or the cheaper aluminum versions currently on the market.  The brass not only makes it stronger but ensures that the beautiful chrome finish will be lasting and will not peel like the aluminum versions are prone to do.

Should be arriving in the next consolidated shipment from the USA

[kyle750]

A very nice 1970 CB750 in Candy Gold just popped up for sale on Ebay.  Looks like a lot of work went into the bike.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/168011440765

If the odometer reading is correct at 1,254 miles why would the engine need to be rebuilt??

[newday777]

That tank was painted and then gas leaked out pinhole bubbling the new paint. It looks like they put sealer in the tank but probably didn't coat to top of the tank.

[kyle750]

That tank was painted and then gas leaked out pinhole bubbling the new paint. It looks like they put sealer in the tank but probably didn't coat to top of the tank.

Excellent insight.    I would have never made the connections!  Very impressed

[BenelliSEI]

Too bad about the tank. Still an excellent buy, I bet (and know from experience) he probably spent that!

[Stev-o]

I installed an older Honda gas cap latch and small spring removed from an original tank

Did you know that Honda recalled this type of latch back in the day?  Apparently, in a crash, the cap could open creating a fire hazard.  The replacement was a lockable latch.

[Stev-o]

If the odometer reading is correct at 1,254 miles why would the engine need to be rebuilt??

Good question for the seller, could be lots of explanations such as gauges were replaced or rebuilt and returned to zero?  Or bike sat for an extended time and engine got "stuck"? [rings rusted to cylinder wall]

[kyle750]

Did you know that Honda recalled this type of latch back in the day?  Apparently, in a crash, the cap could open creating a fire hazard.  The replacement was a lockable latch.

Thanks Mate. I'm not surprised that the early latch design was recalled.  I have the later lockable latch on the CB550 and it seems like a much more sturdy design.  But I prefer the look and originality of the early thumb latch on my CB750 K1 

Photo of the original vintage gas Honda cap latch that was installed on the Yamiya tank.  Latch was installed with a new stainless steel pin with tiny c-clip.  Latch functioned OK but I felt like it would break at any time.  Not worth the risk so a new latch was ordered.

[Ozzybud]

I installed an older Honda gas cap latch and small spring removed from an original tank

Did you know that Honda recalled this type of latch back in the day?  Apparently, in a crash, the cap could open creating a fire hazard.  The replacement was a lockable latch.

Yes when your "Junk" slid accros the cap it would open the cap and a tragedy would ensue. Not a pretty picture. It must have happened more than once.

[kyle750]

Also I noticed that although my CB550 gas cap looks the same as the CB750 it is different with a much more rounded and deeper/longer back (taller gas tank neck?)

This earlier comment I made about the gas caps on the CB750 and CB550 being slightly different is incorrect.  The gas caps are identical. 

[kyle750]

Rebuild those petcocks

Only 1 could be saved. Cleaned inside and out and new petcock rebuild kit installed including new screws and red fiber washers.  Installed the spare petcock on the spare CB750 tank.

Tank is no longer needed for the bike restoration and will just sit on the shelf until the next CB750 is found rusting in the jungle 

[kyle750]

I found this K0 Candy Gold set for sale on Yahoo Japan.  According to the seller the tank and headlight bucket are original and the other parts are aftermarket.  IMO a decent price at 142,000 yen vs the Yamiya K0 set priced at 212,000.  Looks like a very good paint job and to my eye very similar to the Yamiya candy gold paint??

https://buyee.jp/item/jdirectitems/auction/s1212271504

Yamiya Candy Gold K0 set

https://www.yamiya750.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=246_157_270_166&products_id=1832

[jlh3rd]

to my eye the aftermarket pieces are darker, but the price is worth the original tank just by itself.

[MauiK3]

It's really hard to tell about the colors, even if a NOS tank were stored out of light exposure all these years I don't know what the actual paint would do over that time. I wonder what the Mona Lisa looked like when the paint was fresh.

[jwurbel]

I have a tank I bought from DSS in 1999.  It was Candy Ruby Red and I just mounted it.  Side covers came from Yamiya last year.  The match is perfect.  Not sure how they do it, but they have it nailed.

[kyle750]

I buy almost all of my used Honda CB parts from the USA but occasionally look at what is on offer in Japan.  I have been using a proxy buying service to buy vintage watches for many years on the Japan auction sites but vintage motorcycle parts are very difficult to buy as many are prohibited items (no international shipping). Smaller NOS items are usually OK and often good prices. Just for my own knowledge I contacted my proxy service about the gas tank set for sale.  Here is the response.

Thank you very much for your email.

Regarding auction s1212271504, please kindly note that there is a high possibility this item cannot be shipped internationally due to shipping regulations.

Even if the gas tank is empty and contains no gas, an official inspection and certification are required to confirm that an item is completely free of any residue. Regrettably, we are unable to arrange or provide such certification on our end.

For this reason, if you choose to proceed with this purchase through our service, shipment would be limited to a Japanese address only.

Please also note that, in this case, an additional fee of 5% of the total Charge 1 and Charge 2 amount (excluding the plan fee) would apply.

 

[jlh3rd]

It's really hard to tell about the colors, even if a NOS tank were stored out of light exposure all these years I don't know what the actual paint would do over that time. I wonder what the Mona Lisa looked like when the paint was fresh.

it would look like this.

[MauiK3]

Some of motorcycles best design. Today's bikes look like movie set props from a Transformer movie.

[kyle750]

Out with the Old . . .  In with the New 

Front fork ears and headlight buckets.  Old reflectors and mounts will be installed on the new Yamiya fork ears. NOS Honda  upper and lower rubber bushings will be installed on the new fork ears.

Front forks will be cleaned and polished, NOS seals installed, and new 10W synthetic Motul fork oil. Very surprised that the 55 year old fork tubes had no rust (Honda Quality).  Had a fun year with the K1 restoration project - slow and steady progress but still have a long way to go!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!  Thank You for all the very helpful advice and assistance in 2025 - very much appreciated!

Late Edit:  Notice how quickly the front damper tubes flash rusted once they were removed from the fork oil and cleaned. 1st photo was taken 12 hours after the 2nd photo.  Damper tubes were sprayed with WD-40 and then scrubbed with a scotch brite scouring pad to remove the flash rust.