Topic: Opinions needed (750K3)

[Monster]

So my goal is to tear this bike down and build in back up.  I want to do it over the course of spring - fall.  So that it is ready for the following summer.  But I need to be prepared, what I'm asking of the community is to help me figure out what I should turn this motorcycle into. My only small criteria is the following:
-Above all it must be realistic for a long distance ride as my overall goal is to go on a long distance trip
-Not overly modified (I'm a complete beginner so nothing crazy)
-And I don't want to look like a fool with some goofy bike

Thanks ahead of times.

Monster

[Terry in Australia]

Well the d1ckhead who owned it before you must have looked like a fool, what a fuggin mess! Have you got a welder? You'll need to repair the frame mods so you can install a stock tank and seat, (any seat, as long as it's not that one) then you can decide what you want to do with the longer forks, ape hangers, etc. The rest of the bike doesn't look too bad mate, and don't worry about the 16" rear wheel, as long as the rubber is good, it won't affect too much. I hope you got it cheap? Cheers, Terry.

[Monster]

Thanks for the reply, yeah $180 was cheap enough for me, bought it from my cousin.. I think he picked it up in texas?  Who knows not that point, I am definitely no welder, so this may be prove to become a bit more difficult than I had hoped. (I had hoped I wouldn't have to cut/weld any metal).  What kind of style is comfortable for long distance riding.  I want to go from Manitoba west to BC then down the west coast to California

[754]

Nothing that cant be fixed..
 if you make a nicer oil bucket, you could keep the lowered frame, maybe needs a bit of cleanup.
 What do you want or expect out of a bike?
 if you want a bobber or moild custom, you have the right one to start with.if you want cafe or touring,  gonna be a bit harder..

 When you come thru BC, look me up, if you got time..

[bender01]

Ive got some 4 inch risers and dragbars. At least youll be sitting upright not leaning back. Seat??? You could keep that tank then. The seat will have to be fixed.Cant the fork tubes be let in a little to bring the front down some? Im looking at this the inexpesive way.  

[Monster]

@754
My problem is I really like mild cafe racers and bobbers, but I want something that isn't going to hurt after hours of riding.  I have some friends going to the west coast in two summers from now so I want to be able to go with them, it will be kind of hard without a bike, so here I am. I expect it to be reasonably comfortable, I have a scooter and I can ride that thing for ever its so comfortable and I'm hoping for similar comfort.

@bender01
I'll be honest I don't even know what a 4 inch riser is or a dragbar is.  The seat on the bike in the photo is completely ruined the foam is wrecked and the bottom of it is rusted out.  And as for the forks ?? I don't know, I'm the up most beginner and looking for budget fixes.

[the technological J]

i think(just my opinion) or should i say if i were u... i would make the seat like a one seater (like u see on choppers) take all the covers off and polish the crap outta them... maybe strip it down to the frame and paint it someting that will make the tank pop( i like different color frames tho) and sell it... make some money and take that experience and find a stock bike with an unaltered frame and make it the way u want. it is what it is already so take it to the top of its class and make some money... nice bikes ready to go sell good in the spring for decent money.....(im also drinking and optomistic)  good luck

[the technological J]

i didnt look real close at the bike till after my first post i would try to hide the coils if u could... is the frame altered? it looks like u have some 4 over forks and a stock tank may fit on it... more pics please

[Zaipai]

One thing to consider, look for some one with just a frame for sale and then use what you can from that bike, even the 16" rear wheel and then get a good tank, tanks maybe a bit pricey but you do have time on your side and you never know what you can find. If you want a good comfy ride, what ever seat you go with get a gel insert for it. I have a quote to completely rebuild my stock CB550 seat including an insert for $175. The guy comes out with his trailer and makes sure every thing fits. Its pricey but not that bad and makes for very comfortable long rides. Just some thoughts..

[Monster]

@thegabrielj
Thanks for the idea, but selling it is something I'm really not considering at this point.  I originally bought this motorcycle from my cousin who was going to sell it off but kept changing his mind as he was attached to it, so he sold it to me for cheap with out hesitation because he wanted to keep it in the fam. also I am looking for a project to learn from.

And I'm going to strip it down and paint the frame I already have some one lined up to powder coat it.

The frame seems to be altered around where the seat lines, as for the 4 over forks??? (dont know what that is amigo).

@Zaipai
Thanks for the info on the gel insert on the seat I will definitely look into that when I'm hunting for a seat.  As for the frame I'm going to start poking around scrap yards looking for part bikes and such and maybe i will go down that road.

[the technological J]

The frame seems to be altered around where the seat lines, as for the 4 over forks??? (dont know what that is amigo).

four over means four inches longer than the length of the stock forks... if u wanted to get rid of them im sure you could prob trade someone for stock sized forks or even shorter than stock (for the cafe style)

[Monster]

@thegabrielj
Ahh ty for the enlightenment, my question is.  What is more comfortable? Longer/Stock/Cafe forks? The only rider I have ever done is on my Yamaha 49cc BWS, oh and when I tied a rope to the front of the bike when I "rode" it home.(Yup she was towed home)

[andy750]

Monster - if I were you Id get a stock frame and transfer engine to that. Get some stock forks, stock seat (the K2 ones are very comfy for long distance) and some euro bars ($20). Basically a return to stock style with some comfy touring bars and you can ride all day like this....well at least thats how I did it...and I toured a bit

good luck - its a good learning experience to rebuild it from what you have. And its not that hard. Just takes some patience and parts collecting. Easy enough. And the you ll know how everything works and how reliable it can be.

good luck
Andy

[the technological J]

i dunno about shorter than stock it will cause u to turn faster..  and longer forks affect how well u turn( do some googling on choppers and trail) i think stock is great... it handles like it should ... my dad has a kawl vulcan750 and it has a little longer forks. and makes a little better for cruising but i notice it doesnt take tight corners as good....... basically the cruisers have a longer rake fork and trail( to hold steadier on the highways)...and the sportier bikes have a shorter rake trail for better handling on tighter bends and racing....... but like i said stock is pretty good honda put millions into researching they're bikes geometry... id trust it

[mystic_1]

It's hard to make general statements about your steering geometry because we don't know for sure what's been done to it.

My recommendation would be to read up on "rake" and "trail" and then take careful measurements of your existing setup before planning any changes.

I guess the big question at this point is, do you want to keep it as a chopper, return it to stock, or rebuild it in some other style?

mystic_1

[Monster]

@andy750
I think I might take that route, it seems like a really good option.

@thegrabrielj & mystic_1

I've honestly never even rode on a real motorcycle so, I don't know what would be right for me.  Like I said previously I am just looking for something that makes sense as an everyday rider/touring bike.

[nobody]

If I were you I'd just follow Andy's advice, it will be your easiest/cheapest route. With time on your side you may want to be on the look out for a parts 750 (preferrably with a title). You might be able to find one with a useable/repairable tank, seat and forks. Use the two bikes to make one in the parts bike frame.

[Toxic]

What part of Canada are you in?  Maybe someone local has parts you need.

Your best option is to find a donor bike that is as close to stock as possible.  It will be cheaper in the long run.
That bike is going to need alot of parts to make it comfy for a long trip.

If you found a donor with a ruined motor it wouldn't cost you much at all.

Put an ad on the local Craigslist, etc.

you might be surprised with what turns up

[mystic_1]

Finding a frame should be easy, finding a usable, affordable frame with clean papers is somewhat less so, but still do-able.

They guys are right that this is your fastest, surest way to a reliable daily rider.

Having never driven a motorcycle before, a stock CB (any of them really) is a pretty good bike to learn on.  It's pretty much the epitome of the "standard motorcycle" aka the "Universal Japanese Motorcycle".


Your existing frame may be savable in terms of returning it to stock configuration depending on what's been done to it, but it would take a fair amount of work by a reasonably skilled welder to do so.  More than that, too, if the neck of the frame has been altered.

Having your frame numbers not match your title, or altering the frame numbers, would be Bad Things btw.

mystic_1

[754]

Monster, they are just scaring you..
 Easiest way to proceed, get it working & running, then decide what you want to do

 To get it rideable it needs rear fender and seat dealt with. To be honest a tired stock seat can probably work. a lot of stuff will have to be checked over, a played with and a few rthings played with, to get it going.

 You dont have to get another frame or put all the stock stuff back on to use it, or at least try it out..
 

[Monster]

@Toxic
I'm in manitoba

@mystic_1
Yeah, I don't really think its a good idea to be mismatching frame vin's with motor vin's, it just feels shady but its still okay to do right? As for a title, well I don't even have one as of yet, my cousin who I bought it off is a pilot in Toronto so I don't talk to him all that much.

@754
Yeah, I havn't even started it up yet, all the cables were rat nested around, a lot frayed or hanging loosely not attached to anything, even one of the spark plug cables was snapped off all together.  So I was hoping to do pull everything off the frame and paint it before I try and get it running, unless this is largely recommended against.

[mystic_1]

Oh, mismatching frame number and engine number is not only fine, it's totally normal.  It's when your frame's number doesn't match the title that the nice officers take your bike away

mystic_1

[Don R]

My opinion is a stock tank would look better just because it covers the wiring, plumbing and coils. Back in the day there were a lot of guys chasing a certain 'sportster' type look, very few got it right though. I started with a bike a lot like that one, before it was rideable I found another one closer to what I wanted. The engine had issues so I combined the two bikes and now have a really nice running 750. Mention to friends you are looking for a parts bike and you may be suprised what turns up. I've used 4 parts bikes for my 70, a couple only had a few things left but they were what I needed.
 The trip getting it together and the way you want it is rewarding. Then you get to ride!

[Grnrngr]

I'd have to throw my vote behind getting it running before you do anything else. When was the last time it was run? is it seized? if the frame has been altered, probably a waste of time if the motor is also no good, except for the educational experience and sentimental value.

Kinda hard for me to say which is more comfortable, I have a hard ass. Put lots of long distance miles on my Suzuki380 with clubmans, I was younger, the seat was OK but it was hard on my wrists then, wouldn't wanna do it now. Choppers and cruisers were theoretically designed for long distance comfort, but "comfort" is all about your body type, size, and what you feel is a comfortable position for your seat and upper body to remain in for extended periods of time. The nice thing about a project is you get to make it fit you. Sometimes on long rides, I don't feel like stopping, but feel the need to stand, so I just stand up on the pegs for a while, work the leg muscles a bit, kinda fun at 70+mph, but it's hard to do that if your leaning forward on a cafe, or if your pegs on a cruiser are so far forward you can't stand up straight. My daily 750 has a somewhat thinner than stock seat and "superbike" bars, and is probably the most comfortable bike I've had since my stock XS650. Your seat looks a bit like the seat on my Fatboy, and I'd have to rate it "less than comfortable", OK for around town but not nearly as comfortable as I was expecting for distances.

Drag bars are "flat" bars, a slight curve to them for grip, but no "rise", Risers, sometimes called dogbones, are used to raise any set of bars higher than the stock mounts on the top clamp.

[Monster]

@mystic_1
Good to know, thats comforting to know.

@Don R
Yeah I would love to get a stock tank going, honestly the one on it now is nice but, it does not suit me well, I'm not a chopper kind of guy, I think the stock look of a 750k looks amazing, or even stockish.  So yeah I think im going to start hunting for parts bikes.  I am currently a student with student budget (very cheap).  How much do part bikes usually run for?

And yeah the whole reason I got this bike was as a project to really learn some sound mechanics skills.

@grnrngr
Well I don't know when the last time it was running was. 10 years maybe a bit less? It has been sitting under two tarps for quite some time. BUT the motor is anything but seized, put a couple drops of oil in each cylinder and tried to turn it over the oil shot right out, and it was one smooth turn.  And my car mechanic friends told me it was a good sign.  My cousin said the motor was running when he put it away but the rest of the bike was in need of serious overhaul.

And as for handle bars I guess I'm just going to have to feel some styles out and see what works for me, I'll look for some "superbike" bars as my first stop when I start trying some out.

Thanks for the replys everyone, I'm starting to get somewhat of a real plan going with this thread.