Topic: Getting an old bike running

[Johnie]

UPDATE TIME BOYS!!!!

So we got the bike to his garage which was tons of fun with no front brake and an ATV ramp but we were careful. We got the carbs off the engine after fighting with the boots (which are in good shape) for a while. The carbs were really stuck and the old gas inside them looked like syrup and stunk to high hell. It didn't take too long to get the carbs apart and once we did we soaked them in carb dip. My buddy was freaking out about the old technology, he says this is the oldest thing he has ever worked on. We were both so pumped about the start of the project we wanted to work on it all day but a lack of tools brought us to a screeching halt. He is going to bring home some tools on Thursday so we can get a lot more done. While we had the bike on the lift we found what looked like an oil leak. He thinks its just a gasket but I'm not sold on that yet. He is brining home his compression tester to so I will give you boys some readings soon. This is the most fun Ive had all month.
thanks again for your help
void

Void...you for sure have the right attitude.  I can hear the excitement in your text.  Have at it and have a great time.  Just don't forget the pics for us.  Plus, once you get that done you will be glad you have the old pics of the new bike...Good luck with it.

[void909]

Thanks TwoTired Ill go get a points file first thing.

Thanks dboblet, thats a great and inspirational story. It is really cool to have some help working on my bike. Up to this point it has just been me on a 8' x 8' slab called my back porch so being able to get this thing up in the air has been cool.

Thanks Johnie, I am very excited about this project. After seeing and hearing all the success stories on this forum I really want to be able to contribute one myself. I will be sure to bring my camera from now on for anything that comes up.

I really appreciate the support of everyone here. You guys have help a guy who doesn't no sh!t about anything feel like he can tackle just about any project that comes up. Once again this forum is the best!

[void909]

Alright boys I have some reporting to do.

So we got the carbs back together tonight and got them mounted on the bike after about 30 min of turning the boots and pushing them on. It was a b!tch. We got the air box back on but we didn't get the air box boots up tight around the carbs. They were ridiculously hard. The battery I just bought didn't come with enough acid to completely fill it so my friend is going to take it to his work and top it off tomorrow. We decided to try and kick it over anyway. As soon as we hooked up the gas lines gas started pouring out onto the floor. I think it was partly due to the hoses being old so we pulled them and inside the T shaped tubes leading into the carbs (sorry I don't know the proper name)was still clogged. No fuel even drained into the bowls. SO as of today we got beat up and we really got nothing accomplished.  We gave it a couple of kicks for good measures. Nothing. I work all this weekend so Monday we are going to charge the battery, pull the air box to figure out why it wouldn't seat Properly, pull the carbs back off and clean out those T's. He is getting some new fuel line from his work so we can start fresh. I really feel like after seeing the carbs get taken apart and put back together I could do a better job of cleaning them then he did. He is more experienced than me and knows way more than I do but I am A stickler for detail. I have that 75 parts bike, I think I am going to pull the carbs off of it and try it myself. So far 74 cb750 2 - rookie 0. I will get it though if its the last thing I do.

[Johnie]

Well, you are finding out that is what it is all about.  Fix it, put it on, take it off and fix again.  Great learning experience and you will feel good when you get it right.  I also am a stickler for detail and it sometimes takes me longer to do stuff because of that...but if you like the detail it will all show in the end.  Good luck and keep us posted.

[TwoTired]

... but I am A stickler for detail. ... I will get it though if its the last thing I do. ...

Both statements are assets for carb work. 

Patience, perseverance, and practice.

If you buy new carb boot rubbers, you'll wonder why you ever bothered with the old, hard ones.

Cheers,

[dboblet]

of course, there's a nice thread on making the old hard rubbers soft and supple again.... worked with mine anyway.  And once I had them treated, it made a world of difference...  Took all the sweat out of re-seating the carbs, literally.

[void909]

It wasn't the carb boots that were giving me the trouble. It was the air box boots. mo matter what we did they just wouldn't go back up snug on the carbs. I can see why so many people go with the pod filters. I thought about using them but after reading so much about getting them to work, I decided I would just go with the stock box until I was more comfortable jetting and tuning.

Do you guys know if you have to have the battery hooked up to get the bike running? I was pretty sure you had to but he swore that it would start with the kick start even if the battery was disconnected.
thanks again guys
void

[mystic_1]

You cannot run a CB750 without the battery.  The alternator requires power in order to make power.

mystic_1

[BobbyR]

You cannot run a CB750 without the battery.  The alternator requires power in order to make power.

mystic_1

Mystic is correct. We do not have magnetos as they did in the past. You need to power the coils to get a spark. The alternator also requires power.

[void909]

Thats what I thought. So we did a lot of kicking for nothing.
Thanks guys

[my78k]

Well....not really for nothing...consider it practice!! You will have much more kicking to do before you are through!!

Dennis