Topic: Would a CB750 be too much for a beginning rider?

[JimJ]

Hey...a guy down the street (literally down the street, I could probably push the damn thing home if I wanted to) responded to one of my CL ads with a 1972 CB750K2...he mentioned it was a project, the gas tank needs to be put back on, carbs need to be worked on, fork oil needs to be changed. But, his price seemed to be in line for a project - $700. I can at least justify putting money into it to get it running again for that price, maybe even turn a profit if I flip it in the future.

My question is, would riding a 750 be biting off more than I can chew for a beginning rider? I'm not a terribly big guy (5'8", 150lbs)...when I sat on the CB550F it felt fine, but I'm sure the 750 is a much bulkier machine, at least going by the printed weight...

Thanks in advance

 

[Kev Nemo]

From my experience, it should be fine. You and I are about the same specs.
I did start on a 2004 CBRf4i, so I went big, fast, and torquey first and big,truck-like, and torquey now!

what do you ride now?

[JimJ]

what do you ride now?

Nothing, this would be my first

[joeyboy]

Well I am 5'4" and the only thing I had to do was lower the bike a bit.  As far as the power being too much, well that is up to you.  If riding it makes you nervous, it's probably not a good idea to ride it.  If you had someone holding a pistol in your direction and his hand was shaking vigorously, you would not feel very safe, well neither would drivers on the same road as a nervous biker.  Of course, if someone is holding a gun in your direction, it is nerve racking anyway, ha ha.  Anyway, if you don't feel comfortable, then don't, if you do, then by all means, do.

[750K2]

i'd jump on the deal and push the bike home as soon as possible!  i have the same year, am just about the same size as you and weigh 160.  it's a great bike and lots of fun but as a beginning rider myself, i do have some recommendations and they all revolve around moving the bike when it's not running. 

firstly, these are considered top-heavy bikes and i found out the hard way that they like to try to fall over until you learn the sweet spot in moving the bike around on your own power.  i put a small crack in my left side cover when i had to put some muscle into keeping the bike upright...the crack is driving me nuts too! this could be why original left side covers in pristine condition are as rare as a hen's tooth.  keep the bike as upright as you possibly can, otherwise you'll be investing in some new parts you hadn't anticipated.

secondly, putting the bike onto its center stand is a test of your manhood if you do it by yourself.  it's a heavy mo-fo but it can be done if you're willing to put your legs into it.  if you try to just hump it up with your back and arms, be prepared to see a doctor afterwards.   

finally, leaving the bike on its kickstand on asphalt on a hot day is not a good idea.  the kick will sink into the asphalt like a hot railroad spike and gravity will take over before you can say 'g-dammit'!  i keep a peice of plywood handy at my usual parking places.  and i bought some case guards. 

other than that, go for it! i'm somewhat mechanical and after some advice from the good people here and some local friends i dove into the carbs and whatever else my bike needed.  this site is OUTSTANDING in all aspects concerning advise, comraderie and good people. 

good luck!

[jmckinne]

I find the SevenFiddy's weight and balance to be super. I started on an XJ550 and it didn't take long to get tired of it. To buzzy at highway speeds and too light. You might find that out in the wind and truck wakes a little weight makes you feel safer - I did.

I love the way the 750 handles too. When you go to turn it leans smoothly and predictably thru the whole arc. I suppose it would still be smooth right up until it laid down - I hope I never find that out. My other bike is a Naked GoldWing - the very definition of "not top heavy". You can actually feel it reach it's tipping point when you overcome the balance offset in the big opposed 4. I don't love the way it turns but I do love the way it goes straight

As for the bike tipping over when parked: I wouldn't worry about it much. First: don't do it. But second if you are standing on the side of the bike that it is tipping away from you're screwed no matter what I think. There is just not enough leverage for you to stop a Honda Trail 50 if it's falling away from the side you're standing on. That's an exaggeration but not as much as you might think. If the bike is falling towards you you've got a chance, but away...pretty tough.

BTW I'm 5'9" and I try to keep it at 180 lbs.

[SKTP]

my first bike ever is my 1978 cb750k...I'm 6'3"...I've been riding almost 1 year and now want something faster! (in addition to my cb, i love that thing.)

[JimJ]

Thanks for all the input. I'm checking it out tomorrow, hopefully if everything seems to be in good condition...we'll see

this site is OUTSTANDING in all aspects concerning advise, comraderie and good people.

That's the feeling I'm getting  Armed with a few repair manuals and this site, I think I could tackle it...except paint work...I defer that to my friends who are gods with HVLP guns, I know my limits

[chrislib]

What all of those folks said.... I`m 5`8" @ 165 and I have no probs. I LOVE my 750, would`nt trade it for a brand new anything!

[micol]

Had a girlfriend once who would ride my 750.  She was about 5'4" and maybe 115lbs.  Bike had air shocks.  Would lower the shocks and remove the seat.  Once everything was lowered she had no problems.

[joeyboy]

Oh great, the only other mention of lowering the bike because the person was 5'4" would have to be a girl rider, wouldn't it.  I figured I'd be the only midget man here, ha ha.  I mean, boohoo.  I think of myself like a jockey on a steel horse, yeeha-ha-h-hold on!!

[bistromath]

Just FYI, getting it onto the centerstand is much more finesse than brute force. Gotta learn how to do it right and then it's easy-peasy, no struggle at all. Hint: Use your right leg to push against the left-side turn signal as you rock it back and up.

[754]

Offer him  300 or 400 unless he fixes the stuff..

 and let him sit on that for a while, tell him you prefer a runner for that price..

 remember you ran the ad, you are the driver.. favorite line.. I will wait a few weeks and see what else my ad turns up..

 remember.. a lot of riders that dont ride anymore may not be up on current value..

[Dunk]

My first bike was a '72 CB750. I had rode dirt bikes plenty before getting that bike. From little XR200's and 250's on up to big two stroke bikes like the IT465 (now that was a fun ride, would probably give my old K2 a run for it's money). In any event, the bike was great for a first bike for me. It was a little heavy but I quickly got used to that. Once moving the CB750 handles beautifully. It handles very smooth and predictably in the turns, as others mentioned. I've had many times scraping my pegs and throwing sparks on that bike and even when I gotta lift my leg way up to keep my boots off the ground I still feel comfortable and in control. Also, I'm 6'4" and 185 lbs, bike is comfortably sized for me.

As for the price, I think $700 is ludicrous for that bike. For my K2 I paid $100, gave a used set of Warn Dana44 hubs, and did the labor on rear brakers on a Blazer. Finally I cracked the trans case near the sprocket on that bike, too much powershifting I think. I bought a '71 CB750 K1 for $700. Bike is mostly complete, nice paint on tank and side panels, chrome is half decent, only light pitting on some pieces. Engine is insane. Power comes on around 8000 and it pulls to 12000. It ran rough when I got it but all I did to get it running nice was spray some carb cleaner into the carbs, never even had the bowls off.

Anyhow, go for it if you like the bike, but I'd get that price down by at least half. $700 should get you at least a bike you can hop on and ride, or an immaculate bike that just doesn't run.

[GammaFlat]

Offer him  300 or 400 unless he fixes the stuff..

 and let him sit on that for a while, tell him you prefer a runner for that price..

 remember you ran the ad, you are the driver.. favorite line.. I will wait a few weeks and see what else my ad turns up..

 remember.. a lot of riders that dont ride anymore may not be up on current value..

I think you're dead on.  My brother is a "horse trader" and he would say, "if you want something too much, you won't get a good deal".  I just paid 250 for a '74 that needs lots of help but I understood that going in and had a lot of the parts it needed (including an engine if necessary).  Another distinction my brother makes is "if you like the guy or you're gonna have to deal with him again, don't push too hard... if you know you'll never see him again, squeeze for everything you can".   I gotta love my brother but his tactics are sometimes beyond my abilities. 

[JimJ]

My first bike was a '72 CB750. I had rode dirt bikes plenty before getting that bike. From little XR200's and 250's on up to big two stroke bikes like the IT465 (now that was a fun ride, would probably give my old K2 a run for it's money). In any event, the bike was great for a first bike for me. It was a little heavy but I quickly got used to that. Once moving the CB750 handles beautifully. It handles very smooth and predictably in the turns, as others mentioned. I've had many times scraping my pegs and throwing sparks on that bike and even when I gotta lift my leg way up to keep my boots off the ground I still feel comfortable and in control. Also, I'm 6'4" and 185 lbs, bike is comfortably sized for me.

As for the price, I think $700 is ludicrous for that bike. For my K2 I paid $100, gave a used set of Warn Dana44 hubs, and did the labor on rear brakers on a Blazer. Finally I cracked the trans case near the sprocket on that bike, too much powershifting I think. I bought a '71 CB750 K1 for $700. Bike is mostly complete, nice paint on tank and side panels, chrome is half decent, only light pitting on some pieces. Engine is insane. Power comes on around 8000 and it pulls to 12000. It ran rough when I got it but all I did to get it running nice was spray some carb cleaner into the carbs, never even had the bowls off.

Anyhow, go for it if you like the bike, but I'd get that price down by at least half. $700 should get you at least a bike you can hop on and ride, or an immaculate bike that just doesn't run.

Very good point. I'll see what it looks like, if the paint, frame and everything is in perfect shape but it's just partially disssembled, that's one thing, if it's in obvious need of paint & replacement parts I'll obviously have to factor that in. This is just one of several options I'm mulling at the moment...

[svenD]

if you for example was to enter a blind corner alittle too fast and meet somthing unexpected the sevenfifty would be a serious handfull.i think that starting on something lighter will give a beginner
more "feel" for a 2wheeler and a safer start in trafic.

[754]

Jim, if the bike turns out to have good useable SToCK painted sidecavers and tank, and the seat is good , and the stock pipes are there.. that is worth at least 700 (without the bike).. then offer 500 quickly... and hope he has not startedlooking around or telling others he is selling..

[JimJ]

Saw it today...the chrome wasn't in great shape, but who knows, that might clean up with some polishing and elbow grease. The frame looked to be rust-free for the most part. Seat was original and in good shape. Side covers and tank were dent-free but the paint had seen better days, the seller did offer to repaint them for me in the price. I noticed it had the original 4-4 pipes on it, but one of them looked like it had a hole about an inch away from the tip, and whoever did the weld wasn't too fussy about it. He said the previous owner rebuilt the carbs, but they needed to be adjusted as it was running way rich.

I've gotten a few other replies to my CL ad, I'm holding off on this one for now...

[bggann]

If you really are a 1st time rider - I would go for something smaller.  I've picked up a few people from ditches on their "1st bike" and it was often something that could not handle.  Actually, the statistics used to show that you were most likely to crash in the 1st 3 months of having a new bike (regardless of your experience level).

My first bike was a cb350f (some 30 years ago) and it was just right to learn on.  Graduated up to bigger ones, and now after 30 years and 100K+ I'm back on a 400f which feels pretty good - but I'm in that 3mo period so being extra careful.  It's fun to do tire howling emergency stops once in a while when nobody is watching....

Little too small to ride to the airport tomorrow for that business trip - but hey - hard to carry the suitcase anyway (and where do I put the helmet...)

My recommendation to new riders:
- Get something smaller than you think you need
- Get something used and a little beat so you won't feel bad when you drop it at the stoplight and scratch it
- Take a class if you haven't
- Wear a helmet - period.

I wear a helmet, gloves and a modern jacket with armor - even at 95+ degrees....

------------
BTW - also a firefighter for 20+ years, so I've picked up my share of crashed bike(rs)
Lessons learned...

BG

[greenjeans]

All are good points....but,  I taught my wife how to ride on a '72CB750.  She does have a background in mountain bike riding, so 2 wheels
were familiar.  She's 5'7' 130 with a brick in her pocket and she can handle it.  They (CB750's) are what I would consider a good bike to
learn on.  They ride very comfortably as compared to modern crotch rockets etc.    A motorcycle safety course is never a bad idea either.
I think if you took it easy till you become familiar with it, you'd be fine.   Then you wouldn't have the trouble of selling and buying something
bigger.  It's becoming harder and harder to find good 750's these days for a good price....  I'd try and get that price down closer to the $500
mark...good luck.

[Kev Nemo]

Something else to consider is the bikes they will use to teach you on in your MSF Course (which I can only hope you've signed up for ). They are going to probably have you on a 250 and it will be a UJM of some sort unless you go through Harley (which my friend did for laughs and said was well worth it). It's a great point to decide if you'd like a little more CCwise.

[bggann]

One other thought I forgot to mention.

Often you will find the first bike is not the bike you want - you will learn "I want a little lower/higher, or a different seating position, or whatever"  By staying smaller and cheaper on the first one, then the, almost inevitable turnover to a new bike will be cheaper.

BG