Topic: The CB 750 does its first long trip to the Dragon and the Smokies ..

[IndianRider]

i got the '78 cb 750 k8 this winter as a winter project and after lots and lots of hours i took it for its first long distance test ride the past weekend (May 19 and 20) and the bike was so much fun ..  let me tell you all that i am very surprised with the super comfort of the stock seat and handlebar riding position ..all i did was install a universal ss spitfire windshield and it worked great .. 

it was about a 700 mile round trip in 2 days and i started from lexington, kentucky and took the country roads (very little freeway riding on I - 75) all the way down to Maryville, TN .. then i hit the cherohala skyway and then did the Tail of the Dragon ..  the CB 750 was performing flawlessly on the cherohala skyway .. i usually stop to take a break and take some pics on the skyway as butt aches after a while on the newer sport bikes .. but on the good old cb 750 , the ride was effortless .. like playing music when hugging the sweepers ..  the lack of power was meaningless as you never went in a corner too hot ..  the torque was more than enough to tackle the sweepers neatly ..  the handling was very good after i rebuilt the front forks and dropped the tubes half an inch for faster steering ..the rear was set at the stiffest ... my dual disc upgrade was very good and performed better when the brakes got hot ..  

side note (a triumph tiger rider chased me and stopped me in maryville, tn and told me he had the cb 750 in the 70's and was thrilled to see another one in good shape ..so he joined me and we rode the skyway and the dragon together ..  )

then stayed overnight in maryville, tn and started riding back home to lexington, ky next morning .. on the way back, i discovered an awesome roads in Tennesee ( highway 116) and it was better than the dragon as there was no traffic .. and to top it off, i rode the lake cumberland region in KY and it was so beautiful that i am going to go back on day trips ..    also saw a groupf of 4 riders on older UJM bikes and 2 of them were CB 750's in great shape .. at a stop light one of you asked me for directions to get to I - 75 .. anyone from here ?

i usually take a lot of pics when im down in the smokies, but i was so comfortable and was enjoying the cb 750 that i didnt feel like taking any breaks and didnt stop that much .. 
all in all , my most satisfying trip ever down to the smokies area and i am sure i will take many more trips on it ..   

all in all .. i never imagined in my wildest dream that a winter project bike would bring me so much fun ..    enjoy the pics ..


at the dragon .. the cb 750 was the odd bike out .. 


the dam north west of maryville, tn .. route 95 in TN


another pic of the lake at the dam ..


highway 62 before entering Petros, TN .. i love riding on roads like this when the tall trees barely let the sunlight come through .. 


this is how highway 116 in TN looked ..one of the many many beautiful twisties .. almost 45 miles of non stop twisties with not a lot of traffic at all .. 


another of the switchbacks on 116 in TN ..


another pic of 116 in TN ..


lake cumberland .. a beaufitul day to fish ..


entering pulaski county in KY .. highway 90 ..



another shot of one of the stream connected to lake cumberland in KY .

[canyon750]

Sounds like a lot of fun!  Just don't end up on the bad section of this site:  http://www.killboy.com

Most of the pictures are great but the crash pictures make yopu want to cringe!   

Congrats on the bike!   

[xtalon]

Man, sounds like you had one awesome ride.  One word... Nirvana!

I just started putting together a planned trip I hope to take in the next couple months and I'm planning on hitting some of that same area.  I'll definitely have to check out 116.

Thanks for reporting and posting!

--xTalon

[andy750]

Great photos and sounds like a great trip! Keep posting those trip photos - always enjoyable to see a CB750 out and about.

much appreciated,
Andy

[dusterdude]

i recently got a deal on a trip from bass pro shops,going to pigeon forge next spring,cant wait to ride the dragon.

[Frank T]

The four riders you saw on Sunday were probably Jerry, Len, Russ and Terry. They were heading home to Michigan. They had just attended the 2-stroke rally at Deal's Gap. If you were at the Gap on Saturday you probably saw some 2-strokes buzzing around. Also at this rally was ILbikes with his 74 CB750 w/836 kit and Allen with his CB350F. BTW Allen rode the CB350 to the meet from Panama City, FL. ILbikes' CB750 is an amazing bike, beautiful restoration that has been documented in this forum.

Frank
Decatur, AL

[dusterdude]

frank,is the 2 stroke rally a yearly thing?

[BobbyR]

Great ride and congrats. As soon as I replace my fork seals, I will get one of those spitfires. You mentioned work to the forks, what did you do other tham lower them.

[Frank T]

Duster,
Yes, the 2-stroke rally is held yearly in the May timeframe. This was the seventh annual, I believe. This year about 75-100 bikes showed, hard to get an exact count since folks stay at several different locations. All 14 Gap motel rooms were booked by 2-stroke folks. There is another smaller 2-stroke rally held at the Gap, usually in August.

Frank T
Decatur, AL

[IndianRider]

there were 2 cb750's and a suzuki water buffalo i think and another bike .. yes , i did see a few 2 strokes ..saw a couple of well restored blue kawasaki triples ..

The four riders you saw on Sunday were probably Jerry, Len, Russ and Terry. They were heading home to Michigan. They had just attended the 2-stroke rally at Deal's Gap. If you were at the Gap on Saturday you probably saw some 2-strokes buzzing around. Also at this rally was ILbikes with his 74 CB750 w/836 kit and Allen with his CB350F. BTW Allen rode the CB350 to the meet from Panama City, FL. ILbikes' CB750 is an amazing bike, beautiful restoration that has been documented in this forum.

Frank
Decatur, AL

[IndianRider]

all i did was replace the fork seals and cleaned the forks properly and filled up with regular automotive Castrol Dexron Mercon III ATF fluid .. and dropped the top triple clamp 1/2 inch down the fork tubes ..

Great ride and congrats. As soon as I replace my fork seals, I will get one of those spitfires. You mentioned work to the forks, what did you do other tham lower them.

[CHM]

ARE YOU GOING TO THE HONDA HOOT IN KNOXVILLE? 

[IndianRider]

ARE YOU GOING TO THE HONDA HOOT IN KNOXVILLE?

no .. ive heard about it but is it a manufacturer supported rally ? ive been a kawasaki fan for the past few years and this is my first Honda .. i'll look up more info on the hoot online ..