Topic: Alan's CB750K3 RestoMod version 2.0

[azuredesign]

Good job Alan, they're much easier and more impressive to see here than on your tiny cell phone screen!

[Alan F.]

Thanks Ben!  I really think they'll go over well. They're reminiscent of tracker style but with the shape and curve of a stock side cover.

I've started wetsanding them already, I just can't wait to see them polished out.

I'll post pics for sure when they're shiny!

-Alan

[Alan F.]

It's been a little while since I've posted but I'm making a little progress here and there as time allows. I've made myself a spacer to fit between the front wheel bearings (saved about $14) and I made a speedometer drive plate for it too (saved another $8) got the front wheel bearings installed and everything seems good with the front wheel so far.  Today I finished the spacers for the rear wheel. I'm using the 90's 750 Nighthawk rear wheel, complete with it's 17mm axle which is a little longer than the 750K axle.  The spacers I've made are 'top-hat-shaped' and have a narrow sleeve that adapts the 17mm axle to the swingarm that left the factory fitted with a 20mm axle.  The NH axle is a little long so I made a pair of spacers that fit outboard of the swingarm, I've cut a .100" groove in them so they look a bit like swingarm spools, and I've painted them silver so they'll stand out a little.
Here's a few crappy cell phone pics.  I still need to get the bearings in the rear wheel, but I did finish cleaning up and reassembling the rear drum brake assembly, so it won't be too long now...
-Alan

[andy750]

Very nice Alan!

[Alan F.]

Thanks Andy!

[HavocTurbo]

Good looking progress Alan.

I def like the side covers. Giant mirrors on the side of your bike would be distracting to other drivers too!! Make em all crash behind you! 

Hows the tank coming?

Keep up the lathe work and you can make your own pegs and controls also!!

[Alan F.]

Thanks Joe, nice to hear from you.

I'm still gonna use the original tank and haven't really spent any time on it.
But I'm still planning to make that thick polished trim piece we talked about a while back.

The other week I did a little work on the lathe's motor controller, it was getting really weak and stalled all too easily, but it has plenty of power now considering it's a very early model HF 7x10... 
I've got the HF micro-mill too so I'm only limitted by creativity and tooling for now, it'll be interesting to see what else I can come up with next...

Probably a nice steel brake stay rod with lots of speed holes and painted to match the wheel spacers...
-Alan

[HavocTurbo]

I have a very old BRD 9x20 that I got from BESLY Cutting Tools' back storage room.
*Free*

Had a Bridgeport but the moving truck crashed when I moved cross county to my new place.
*Insurance money was used elsewhere* 

And somewhere there's a homemade mill in storage. Made it from a drill press and lathe pieces in high school shop.


With all the machine shop closings as of late there's tons of cool finds in this area. I only with they could stay open. It's sad to watch this once industrial area turn to crap.


You ever think of using wood forms for the tank pieces? Might be an interesting way of shaping.

[Alan F.]

Very old lathes are the best kind aren't they?  I'm working in my basement with only a narrow winding stairway so a South Bend 9" would have been my first choice, but this came along and the price was right...yada....

I know what you mean about shops closing, it's like that all over and it's gotta end somewhere.  Politics aside, giving away the store won't keep america strong.

What do you mean by using wood forms for the tank pieces? Do you mean like a plywood buck to it panels to?  I've got a spare tank I'll probably use to fit the trim pieces to, I'm not worried about scratching that one.  I'll probably make a couple sets if they come out well. I'll probably strip the spare tank down eventually and re-bondo it if it needs any and paint it up as a spare. My primary tank just needs a good wetsanding and a respray of the new color and then I'll hit it with spraymax most likely.

[Alan F.]

I found a little time over the past few nights to get the bearings and seals installed, mocked it all up and found out the sprocket studs were hitting the inside of the left chain adjuster. So I milled them down from .910" down to .825" which leaves plenty of meat for the locknuts and clears the adjuster by about .070" that should be enough.  So I bolted the wheel up tonight and everything fits right, impressive for spacers that I made from notes that are about a year and a half old.....




Found a fender and mocked that up, looks like it'll work just fine.  clearance is huge because the bike is hanging from the ceiling still...


Time to order up any parts I'll need to put the forks back together.

[Alan F.]

Pretty tough to get a decent photo of 'em...but they're polished.  Comments?

I just ran them through 400-600-800 wet sanding, then hand polished with a paste polish I picked up at a swap meet last spring.

[Alan F.]

Here's a couple more shots outdoors after a half dozen coats of turtle wax. (not the best stuff but it's what I've got on hand)

[traveler]

looks good!

~Joe

[Alan F.]

Thanks Joe!  I can't wait to see them on the bike.  Should be fun posting it in the 'Let's see your CB out on the road' thread...

[fastbroshi]

  Those look cool, I remember when you first made those.  A suggestion if I may:  would it be possible to make the outer diameter a little bigger and then just roll over or fold the edge to match what you did there?  Might make it more aesthetically pleasing, give it some more strength. 
  I know nothing about metal shaping, lathework etc. but I'd like to learn.  If this sounds ridiculous I'll go pound sand.

[Alan F.]

Well anything's possible, but they're made of .100" aluminum sheet. getting the radius bend on the panels was quite a feat for a home shop project I thuoght.  Rolling the edge might look better, but it'd take some pretty heavy machinery do do it.  I didn't want to copy a stock side cover anyway, just make something original to get the job done.  -Alan

[HavocTurbo]

Gahahaha that's #$%*ing sweet!!!!

[Retro Rocket]

WOW....i do like them....

Mick

[Alan F.]

I can make a few more sets if anyone's interested now....


Thanks everybody for the approving comments, I can't wait to find some time to finish them.  I'll be dabbing a little J-B_W. onto some divots on the mounting tabs and giving them a little shot of gloss black so that they'll blend in behind the shiny part when mounted on the bike.
CHEERS!
-A

[HavocTurbo]

Well the aussie (Mick) and the dego (me) agree... They are hot stuff.

Great work Alan. Most impressive original thing I have seen all year. If I were using the original oil tank I'd buy a pair!!!

[Retro Rocket]

I wish we had guys like you making #$%* like that over here........all "made in China" here and i bet they don't know what a Honda 4 is...!!!!!!!!!!!

Mick

[HavocTurbo]

Mick.... I bet if you sweet talked him Alan would ship you a pair!!! 

[Alan F.]

Mick.... I bet if you sweet talked him Alan would ship you a pair!!! 

Hell yeah! But no sweet talk required.

Great work Alan. Most impressive original thing I have seen all year.

Year aint over yet, I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve, stay tuned....
-Alan

[Retro Rocket]

Hell yeah! But no sweet talk required.

Not even a couple of sweet nothings Alan.?....

I am in no Hurry Alan and i have a pile of stuff i am waiting for from overseas, there is no rush is there?
Would it be a problem to get a couple of covers in a couple of months time?

Let me know what you are doing mate..

Cheers Mick

[greasy j]

those side covers are pretty cool!

I've always wanted some metal ones to match my tank.

I had a 450 w/ metal side covers that I stripped down along with the tank and painted. they came out cool, and it'd be cool to have something similar for the 750.

found a pic: