Topic: the Red Sled 77. the build of my 750 cafe.

[volkswagendan]

 Greetings and salutations.   
i'm volkswagen dan. i have a 77 750k cafe bike.   This week my bike got nominated for bike of the month.
(I'm totally honored and really excited)  a couple people asked if i had a build threat. i did not because i had finished
the bike (its not 100% finished) before i knew there was one.    ...anyway,  some people said they still wanted to see pics of my build.  so here i am posting a build thread after the fact.  i gotta tell you though, dont hold your breath thinking this is going to be a great thread. i didnt take that many pics, and i didnt have to tear the bike all the way down.
here we go anyway.  enjoy.    ...oh! and dont forget to vote for my bike!!! thanx.



here it is the day i brought it home.  ...after a year of trying to buy it from the shop that rebuilt the motor. 
it sat outside for a year under a thick blue tarp.  the PO never came to pay the bill or claim his bike.
i stopped in about every 8 weeks or so for the year making sure they didnt lose my number.
one day they called and told me the PO was an older guy that had a stroke and ended up in a home down in florida.
thats why they never heard from him.  anyway, his family told the shop owner to sell it in exchange for the rebuild.
the shop owner asked me to pay 1,000 bucks.  i offered him 600.  i got it for 700.   only one problem. you guessed it.
NO TITLE.   thats a whole different story.  ...back to the bike.   

[volkswagendan]

first thing i did was get it running.  new plugs, points,  carb cleaning, compression check, oil change. you know, all the good stuff.   second, i took it for a spin to 7-11 for a cherry slurpie. mmmmmmm.
after my celebratory refreshment i took the stock 750 back to the garage and started the tear down.
i didnt have to go crazy here. the motor was rebuild about a year ago. the frame was nice too so i decided to let well enough alone.   my main objective was to make my dream bike.  i wanted a sohc4 cafe racer. but i had a specific look in mind that i havent seen very often in cafe bikes. i wanted it to scream 1970's. you know... bright red. chrome wheels.
black headlight. basic HONDA. ...yet kinda "california style"  with a  twist of modern 2009 in there too.
i also wanted it to look like it was pulled out of an old garage and washed off.   i wanted the paint job to look authentic, and i wanted the black and white stripes to be thin and worn out looking too.  i searched all over the web for just the right look of tank and seat.  enter BCR.  i found benjie's website and was floored!  my search was over.  i ordered the dolphin tank ,seat, and battery box.   so over the next 6 weeks i put on clip-ons,  and re-wired most of the bike.
i eliminated the tach, speedo, and signals.  i installed 3 micro LED lights into the headlight bucket for oil, highbeam and neutral.  and velcro'd a nice g.p.s. system to see the road ahead and tell me my speed.
. 

[volkswagendan]

when the tank and seat got here i started working on the paint. i found inspiration from the 1972 (i think) cb360 t that my friend had purchased. the 360 was sitting in my garage and every time i looked at it i admired the classic "little HONDA"  style it possessed.  when i asked my friend if my bike could bite the style of his 360t he said he'd be honored.
here's where the rattle-can research began.  for the next couple nights i read up and looked at pics of amazing paint jobs
done with spray paint.  the key was in the wet sanding.  long story short, i must of sprayed 10 coats of red and sanded every one till it looked like automotive finish. then i taped off my stripes based on the 450 and over sanded them to
get that old worn out look you see on alot on them rat rod work trucks.  my tank and seat came out awesome!

[volkswagendan]

this must be the the most boring thread on the forum.  not a single comment from anyone.
maybe i'll just post the most up to date pic and call it quits.

[Hinz]

hey I just found your build thread. Nice work!
You must got a lot of scratch to afford all them fancy Benji parts.
I see that you're in Asbury, NJ...I'm up by Morristown.  I go to Asbury Lanes almost once a month if you want to meet up one weekend. 
Do you know Shane with the CB450 twin?
Post more pics!  I need inspiration for my 76 CB750 build.

[Ecosse]

Sorry VWdan! How could this be a boring thread when it's of your super cool set of wheels? I'm ashamed I didn't recognize your inspiration for the paint scheme. Don't call it quits; keep going... find new stuff to do. Mister I've got Benji gear fancypants money bags can afford to keep findin' stuff to do! (I josh... )

Well done sir!

[Johnny5]

Same base of a bike Im using for my build. It's looking really nice. I really dig the color scheme of the tank. Original!

[volkswagendan]

hey I just found your build thread. Nice work!
You must got a lot of scratch to afford all them fancy Benji parts.
I see that you're in Asbury, NJ...I'm up by Morristown.  I go to Asbury Lanes almost once a month if you want to meet up one weekend. 
Do you know Shane with the CB450 twin?
Post more pics!  I need inspiration for my 76 CB750 build.

aahhhh... i knew i could guilt some of you into a comment or two.  = )
Hinz,  we might of talked before at the lanes. shane is one of my good bike buddies. that black 450 twin he rides was my old surf bike. i sold it to him when i found the 750.  then he went and cafe'd it out. its awesome.  you should come ride with us soon. we'd love ro have more old school hondas.     
as for being money bags, the only reason i can afford his parts is i somehow manage to avoid getting married.

[volkswagendan]

Sorry VWdan! How could this be a boring thread when it's of your super cool set of wheels? I'm ashamed I didn't recognize your inspiration for the paint scheme. Don't call it quits; keep going... find new stuff to do. Mister I've got Benji gear fancypants money bags can afford to keep findin' stuff to do! (I josh... )

Well done sir!

thanks Ecosse.  i'll keep the thread going. 
i might have to sell some more organs to get more parts though.   

[volkswagendan]

Same base of a bike Im using for my build. It's looking really nice. I really dig the color scheme of the tank. Original!

thanks johnny5.  i cant get over you polished parts and paint job. incredible.

[DollarBill]

Really nice take on an old design with that tank!  Love it!  Keep it up!!!

[Retro Rocket]

Cool build Dan. I have done a few rattle can jobs myself over the years, all turned out great. Its all in the sanding.....

Mick

[rachet]

yeah, this build sucks.  Boring, un-inspired, complete lack of imagination...

and I'm drunk! 

Ok, I'm not really drunk and this build does NOT suck!  First I've seen of it, but I'm looking forward to it's completion!

Rach~

[Hinz]

Hinz,  we might of talked before at the lanes. shane is one of my good bike buddies. that black 450 twin he rides was my old surf bike. i sold it to him when i found the 750.  then he went and cafe'd it out. its awesome.  you should come ride with us soon. we'd love ro have more old school hondas.     
as for being money bags, the only reason i can afford his parts is i somehow manage to avoid getting married.

Yeh, I dig his Model A too, if he still has it.
I would love to come down for a ride sometime once my bike is all done and on the road!  I was supposed to be down there this Saturday for the Swingin' Utters show but it's sold out.    

[volkswagendan]

shane still has it.  he even let me drive it.  i took these pics for him last summer. (see below.)
he just got a 74 750 super sport too.  so lets get going on your 750. do you need any parts?
let us know. maybe have a build day on your bike to get you going???
 
...and rach. keep drinking that beer up there. its almost time to come out of your house.
i miss Oregon. best skate parks in the country.  ...when they're dry.

[volkswagendan]

ok... back to the bike.
so the tank, seat are painted and ready.  now i had to cut the end of the frame off and weld on the battery box rear frame unit. shane came over with his welding cart and we knocked that out. (more like shane knocked that out for me.) touched up the back with some black chassis paint to match the rest of the frame i sprayed the week before.   this is the part when i rewired the bike and moved a bunch of relays and whatnot out of sight and out of the way.  i even wired up a power 12v power outlet under the seat for the GPS or my cell ,should it lose power on the road.
did i mention that my mail man is a 750 guy and would stop in my garage and take a break.  he said he'd been looking for the original 4to4 exhaust.  he had just bought a 4 to 1 performance system and said it was too loud. 
how ironic.  we swapped exhaust systems and all was good. some might say he got a great deal. all i know is he's happy, and i'm happy.now for the 4 to 1. first thing i did was toss the muffler. (it wasn't easy getting the carbs dialed.) then even though the chrome was great i wanted to wrap them with header tape to give the bike an organic look. (also keeps my retarded dog from melting his hair to a hot bike freshly parked in the garage.)
by now i was itching to ride the bike.  what the hell. i bolted the tank and seat down, charged up the new battery, and filled the new  tank with gasoline.   here's where i kinda remember benjie telling me i might need to seal the tank
before adding gas.   i thought, "whats one little ride gonna hurt?"  and it was bike night at the asbury lanes. all the vespa mod kids where having a show and we needed to crash there show rocker style.  i put on an extra fuel filter and fired her up!  what a fun ride. the bike ran good but as i rode it home it started to sputter. i almost didnt make the mile ride home.  i turned off the petcock and said i'd mess with the carbs in the a.m.   BIG mistake.  what i didnt know is the gas in my fresh fiberglass tank mixed with the resin and made it through the filter. when it got into the carbs and got a little hot it gummed up the works like i have never seen.  enter total carb clean #2.  and top end clean.

 * i have pics of the carbs gummed up. i just have to look through some discs later.
(ironic that the lanes came up again.)

[Hinz]

those pics have officially inspired me to get my ass movin.  I'm liking that Enfield too.
I got all the parts i need, it's just a matter of cleaning, painting, polishing and putting them back on the bike.

That sux about the resin cloging the carbs.  I think somebody else either here or at dotheton.com had a similar problem with a fiberglass tank. 

[KB02]

this must be the the most boring thread on the forum.  not a single comment from anyone.
maybe i'll just post the most up to date pic and call it quits.

Love the paint. Love the theme. Love that battery tray. In fact that tray is the reason I didn't respond. As soon as I saw that I went on a quest to find it on Bejnie's site and to see if I could find it in my budget.    Then I had to go to work. 

That really sucks about the carbs. Oh well. Consider it a learning experience, right?

One question for you:
What are you doing for an oil tank? I can't see one in the pics to your posted at the lanes. Or can it just not be seen from the other side of the bike?

[tarule]

nice work VWdan. I am loving the tank and seat cowl graphic treatment. Nice mod/update on the classic look. Got any better pics of the bike all put together? Good luck with those carbs!

[volkswagendan]

nice work VWdan. I am loving the tank and seat cowl graphic treatment. Nice mod/update on the classic look. Got any better pics of the bike all put together? Good luck with those carbs!

you can find the finished (almost. oil tank not done yet.) pics on the bike of of the month nomination thread.
...or stay tuned.  they'll be here shortly.  ...and dont forget to vote on the 15th for the robbers. not the cops.
hehe. just kidding. the interceptor 650 is way cool too. (if you like CHiPs, i'm more of a Bandit kind of guy.)

[volkswagendan]

One question for you:
What are you doing for an oil tank? I can't see one in the pics to your posted at the lanes. Or can it just not be seen from the other side of the bike?
[/quote]

the stock tank is still there. just hard to see in those pics.   havoc said he'd make me one from a front fender like the bike that was on ebay.  maybe he'd make one for you too.

[Leaky]

whats up Hinz! rumor has it that VW Dan has boots that match his bike! ha ha Shane

[Hinz]

hahaha. hey what's up Shane?  How's the 450? I'll prob. see you down at the Lanes once the weather gets a little nicer.
Post more pics VWdan!
It's not much, but here's my 750 build thread...
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=45694.0
sorry to hijack your thread. 

[volkswagendan]

hahaha. hey what's up Shane?  How's the 450? I'll prob. see you down at the Lanes once the weather gets a little nicer.
Post more pics VWdan!
It's not much, but here's my 750 build thread...
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=45694.0
sorry to hijack your thread. 

no worries at all.     more pics coming soon.
shane, forgot to say thanks for the beers today.

[volkswagendan]

whats up Hinz! rumor has it that VW Dan has boots that match his bike! ha ha Shane

...and shane, dont be goofin' on my boots.   after all, there's two thing i like to do in those boots.
 kick ass and chew gum.    ...and i'm all out of gum.   hahahahahahaha

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Dan,

What's the story on your fuel cap/gauge.  Looks pretty trick.  Does it work decently?  If so, can you give up the goods on your parts source? 

Don

[Leaky]

aftermarket gas gauge cap. your not gonna find one of those babys for cheap! if you do the lens is usually clouded up and it doesnt work. but I'll let u in on a little secret... (Dans got another one layin around that I broke) cha-ching$$$$

[volkswagendan]

hey don.  those caps are kinda hard to come by.  my first one is fogged up and broke.(thanks shane. hahahah)
that one i got from dusty on this forum. and it works. i gave him a seat and some other stuff for it.  if you find one and its under 100 your lucky.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Do you know who makes it.  I have a friend who owns a motorcycle repair business.  He might have a supplier that carries it; if so, I could get a pretty competitive price.

[volkswagendan]

they're made by  ASAHI-DENSO. or "AD"  i've only seen them on 69 - 77 hondas. from what i've been told alot of honda stores offered them as dealer options on bikes.  the company  AD did not sell to parts stores or distributors. just dealers. when they pop up on ebay they're on tanks or bikes for sale and 9 out of 10 times the seller doesn't know what they have.  a friend of mine bought a 15 dollar tank with an 80 dollar AD cap.  but then last month someone had an n.o.s. cap that went well over $100 bucks.
you just got to keep your eyes peeled.     

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Thanks, Dan. 

[volkswagendan]

no problem. let me know if you find one.  ...and good luck.

[Sweep]

Nice going on the bike, I never saw this thread because I haven't been to the forum for a while.  Now you have to show me how to rattle can because I'm going to paint soon.

[Leaky]

Hey Sweep, I see your'e from our locale! Im in Asbury where ya at?

[volkswagendan]

Hey Sweep, I see your'e from our locale! Im in Asbury where ya at?

hey shane, SHUT UP!
  i just made friends with him first so back off! 
hahaha.
he's in rumson.  lets all ride on monday! (i'm off to kari's in 30 seconds.)
later.

[Leaky]

Rumson??? I think I emailed him invites to the bike runs we did last year.
Hey Sweep are you A friend of Glens? or friend of the guy that works at Range Rover with the Yural sidecar???

Sweep, watch out for VWDaN... he has a criminal record and like to wear dresses.. haha

[Leaky]

 I thought we were gonna play video games on Monday, oh wait thats right... I have a job! ha haha

[volkswagendan]

today you do.  hold it tight. 
...and i have a job. unfortunately things are slow in the carpet cleaning world lately.
spring cleaning season is right around the corner though.