Topic: CB750F Project

[dragracer]

Ok, i promised Sam i'd post a few pictures of a project i'm working on with a good friend. He's a cancer survivor and an old drag racer. He's always liked the looks of the Super Sports so when he had  desire to ride again, we located this bike and started down the path of mixing old school with new school.

The frame was stripped and powder coated black. We extended a Katana 600 arm and added the complete mono shock set up. We put an oil cool GSXR frontend on the bike. The bike rolls on a set of polished Hayabusa wheels. The seat has been cut down so the rider can sit low. The motor will remain stock(for now) but a V&H sidwinder from a CB1100F will be added for shock appeal. We hope to complete the bike by mid May 2010. Looking for a set of side covers for it now and once secured we'll paint it and continue reassembly.

Will post more picture as the work progresses.

[KRONUS0100]

what is required to make that swingarm fit? how about lining up that rear sprocket...how far out is it?

[bgfootball67]

oil cool GSXR frontend ??  Are you talking about their anti-dive front end that they came out with?  Nice set up!

[Sam Green Racing]

Hey Frank, that looks cool, I can see that on the strip.

Got my V&H sidwinder for the auto tonight, $236 delivered from CycleX, looks good quality chrome, well made.

Did you not spot the PM I sent you re the side covers, here it is.

Here ya go Frank, check this guy out.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62441.0

Sam.

Just spotted that you've seen the covers, I'm old.

[dragracer]

what is required to make that swingarm fit? how about lining up that rear sprocket...how far out is it?

We used the carrier off of the Katana on the Hayabusa rim. Not sure just yet on the alignment as we haven't installed the motor since the wheels were put on the roller. Will use a set of dummy bottom end cases with just the output shaft to align things. I do have an offset sprocket from Cycle Ex as an option.

The width of the stock Honda arm pivot point and the Katana are about the same. You just have to ditch the dust caps. We added a zerk fitting on the arm to keep the bearing lubed due to exposure. Not likely the bike will ever be left outside so moisture in the bearings should be  problem. We cut off the upper shock mount tube from the Katana frame and welded it to the Honda frame. It had to be extended just a little so we slipped pieces of steel tubing on either side and mig welded it up. Because the arm was being extended we put the pieces in at a point that allowed it to be wider at the back to accomodate the wider Busa rim. I then had to have a new, longer axle made at a local machine shop. I also had a set of axle adjusters fabricated to fit the arm and the axle. All in all it was an easy modification. The key was having access to a 600 Katana donor bike to get all the suspension parts. I'm sure any Katana would do as most of them are set up the same way. Even an oil cooled GSXR or Gs1150 set up would work if you can get your hands on one. Will try to post pictures of the swingarm set up soon.

[dragracer]

oil cool GSXR frontend ??  Are you talking about their anti-dive front end that they came out with?  Nice set up!

Its an 86-88 frontend from a GSXR1100. Yes, it does have the anti dive adjusters on it as well. Decided not to block them off. We initially tried using the Katana 600 frontend but the Busa wheels wouldn't fit in between the fork spacing with the rotors on the wheels. I didn't think it was wise or legal to go without front brakes .  We then checked the width of the GSXR frontend and it was perfect for the Busa wheels. We now have to make a hanger for the front brake caliper. We determined that we have to use the Busa caliper  as well due to clearance issues with the wheel and rotor. Spacers were machined to allow use of the GSXR axle in the Busa wheel bearings. The same was done for the back. Since the Busa uses an electronic speedometer, the wheel didn't have provisions for a mechanical speedometer. I did some Net research and found a company in California that sells electronic speedometers. It uses a magnetic pickup to send a pulse signal to the computeized speedometer unit. A magnet is attached to the wheel or rotor and a fixed pickup is then attached to the fork. The unit is digital and has a tach, signal indicators, high and low beam light, clock, hour meter and some other features. Its  cool setup and cost less than $135 to my door.

We pressed the Honda stem out of the triple and had it pressed into the GSXR triple tree. A bit of material was machined off for it to fit the GSXR tree. Although it has a good press fit, we will pin it with a set screw for safe measure. The top plate had to be bored a bit for the Honda stem. We used the Honda stem so there wouldn't be any issues with bearings or fitment in the neck.

We are using the stock Honda round headlight to retain the old school look. The signal stalk will be shortened a little and small signals attached in place of the lolipop Honda signal.

The project is on  hold for a little while for my buddy to recover from some minor surgery. As work moves forward, i will add more pictures.

Feel free to ask any questions or offer any advice you can give us on making this project a success.

[Retro Rocket]

I did the same thing except i used the whole 89-90 gsxr front end with wheel so i had no problems with brakes, and the Honda stem pressed straight into the gsxr clamps....too easy..

Mick

[dragracer]

Hey Frank, that looks cool, I can see that on the strip.

Got my V&H sidwinder for the auto tonight, $236 delivered from CycleX, looks good quality chrome, well made.

Did you not spot the PM I sent you re the side covers, here it is.

Here ya go Frank, check this guy out.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62441.0

Sam.

Just spotted that you've seen the covers, I'm old.

Lol, don't sweat it Sam. We are all getting old. Which now makes me curious, what do you think the median age is of the members of this forum??? Who else but us old farts have enough of a liking for these dinosaurs to restore them for show or play?.

[dragracer]

I did the same thing except i used the whole 89-90 gsxr front end with wheel so i had no problems with brakes, and the Honda stem pressed straight into the gsxr clamps....too easy..

Mick

I'm sure that would have been the right thing to do but we had these freshly polished Busa wheels sitting on a shelf and wanted to use them.

What kind of back half did you put on your bike? Can you post a picture of it in this thread?

[Retro Rocket]

I used a 86-88 GSXR 1100 swingarm cut down and modified to be twin shock compatible.



It works out about 45mm longer, so it shouldn't effect cornering too much..

Mick

[Sam Green Racing]

Hey Frank, that looks cool, I can see that on the strip.

Got my V&H sidwinder for the auto tonight, $236 delivered from CycleX, looks good quality chrome, well made.

Did you not spot the PM I sent you re the side covers, here it is.

Here ya go Frank, check this guy out.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62441.0

Sam.

Just spotted that you've seen the covers, I'm old.

Lol, don't sweat it Sam. We are all getting old. Which now makes me curious, what do you think the median age is of the members of this forum??? Who else but us old farts have enough of a liking for these dinosaurs to restore them for show or play?.

Frank, you wouldn't believe how many young ones are on here with these old bikes, not sure if there is any way of checking the stats as telling your age when you join is not compulsary.


Sam.

[J.Webster Designs]

dont count us young guys out....

im 23 finishing up college and still working on my old dinosaur.....

[Sam Green Racing]

Why ain't you at school or are you still dooing last nights home work.

Sam.

[J.Webster Designs]

hahaha.... what, you didnt know that there is an at home class called Slacking101?.....

Just got done with one of my bigger finals.... 1 down 3 to go....

[Sam Green Racing]

Hey Frank, that looks cool, I can see that on the strip.

Got my V&H sidwinder for the auto tonight, $236 delivered from CycleX, looks good quality chrome, well made.

Did you not spot the PM I sent you re the side covers, here it is.

Here ya go Frank, check this guy out.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62441.0

Sam.

Just spotted that you've seen the covers, I'm old.

Lol, don't sweat it Sam. We are all getting old. Which now makes me curious, what do you think the median age is of the members of this forum??? Who else but us old farts have enough of a liking for these dinosaurs to restore them for show or play?.

This isn't everyone Frank (138) but in this poll, the younger ones take it by miles.

 Poll 
Question: How Young are you? 16 to 20 years  4 (2.8%)
20 to 30  39 (27.3%)
30 to 40  45 (31.5%)
40 to 50  23 (16.1%)
50 to 60  27 (18.9%)
60 to 70  4 (2.8%)
Older  0 (0%)
<16 (special option for Benly Ben)  1 (0.7%)
 
Total Voters: 138

Sam.
 

[bgfootball67]

Here is my Gsxr front end on my GS 1000:



Great build, can't wait to see it through the completion...

[dragracer]

Hey Frank, that looks cool, I can see that on the strip.

Got my V&H sidwinder for the auto tonight, $236 delivered from CycleX, looks good quality chrome, well made.

Did you not spot the PM I sent you re the side covers, here it is.

Here ya go Frank, check this guy out.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=62441.0

Sam.

Just spotted that you've seen the covers, I'm old.

Lol, don't sweat it Sam. We are all getting old. Which now makes me curious, what do you think the median age is of the members of this forum??? Who else but us old farts have enough of a liking for these dinosaurs to restore them for show or play?.

This isn't everyone Frank (138) but in this poll, the younger ones take it by miles.

 Poll 
Question: How Young are you? 16 to 20 years  4 (2.8%)
20 to 30  39 (27.3%)
30 to 40  45 (31.5%)
40 to 50  23 (16.1%)
50 to 60  27 (18.9%)
60 to 70  4 (2.8%)
Older  0 (0%)
<16 (special option for Benly Ben)  1 (0.7%)
 
Total Voters: 138

Sam.
 

Interesting stats Sam,

Who would have figured those young guys had any interest in the dinosaurs.

[Sam Green Racing]

Now that you've figured out how to post pics, how about some of your own bike Frankie babe.

Sam.

[dragracer]

Well, its been a little while since i last posted anything on the project CB750 F. My partner, Coop,  had a little health issue  that laid him out for a bit but he's back on track now. We were able to find some workable used side covers for the bike here and there and they even had decent looking emblems. Since Coop is a bodyman by trade, fixing the flaws on the tank and sidecovers wasn't an issue. After getting everything all primed and sanded slick, it was off to the paint booth of one of his friends for some color. We opted to stay with a blue that was close to the factory color to keep the bike somewhat original.

Attached are some pictures of the parts freshly painted today, inside the booth. Next step is to get the rolling chassis to my machinist friend to complete the axle spacers and to make a custom brake hanger for the Hayabusa front rotor and caliper. While the roller is being readied with stopping power, we'll get the motor cleaned up and prepped for painting. A Vance and Hines CB1100F sidewinder exhaust will be on order soon so when the roller is brought back to the shop, assembly of the bike will begin with installation of the modified wiring harness, the motor, carbs and pipe. Right now i'd say we're shooting for the end of February to have the project completed and ready for its maiden voyage around the block.

More pictures to come.....

[dragracer]

The last of the pictures....

Sorry, not a full shot of the fender.

Stay tuned folks, we ain't done yet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dragracer]

Update on the status of the restomod project. I see its been a year since i last posted anything- wow, time does fly. Lots of things have taken place in the last twelve months and we are way behind our original projected schedule. More health issues for my friend, racing season for me and then an unforseen problem with the original motor has forced use to slow down considerably. As it turns out we had problems with using the Busa caliper that came with the Busa wheels on that GSXR front end. Just not enough room to get a hanger in place. I finally settled on an aftermarket Grimeca front caliper and my machinist fabricated a hanger for us and respaced the wheel in the forks. The final product turned out good- i just hope that small body caliper will net sufficient stopping power on the street. The rear caliper wasn't a much of an issue as we used a GSXR part on the rear with a brake arm. Our next small problem showed itself in the old and brittle wiring harness. We had to manipulate some connectors but it seems to be ok now. My next step is to mate the GSXR handle bar control wiring to the Honda harness. Will also trace and hook up the new electronic speedometer/tach and guages to the wires inside the headlight.

We had a serious problem with the original motor. It seems the PO left the bike out in the weather a lot longer than he reported to us and it had a lot of water damage from the top end to the bottom end. After removing the head and cylinder it was time to slip the cases. I removed all of the bolts but it refuse to seperate. After some gentle tapping we went to mild prying. Once again the cases would not seperate completely. CLoser inspection of the cases in front of the sprocket revealed a surprise we were not expecting. The case halves  had been welded together. I would surmise at some point the PO had a chain to break and it cracked the cases. Some wise azz mechanic/welder simply band aided the cracks by welding them up but left the cases unusable for future builds. Luckily i had an extra set of cases but we now had to completely rebuild the motor. We just finished the build last weekend. It now has fresh rings, main and rod bearing, a fresh valve job on a ported head i had laying around and an Andrews "D" cam. Unfortunately, we had to use the stock bore pistons. This bike is just an "around the block" cruiser so its no big deal that the displacement and compression are low. We're leaning more to pleasure riding than performance.

Find below some picture of the rollling chassis and the finished motor. We intend to install the motor on saturday and hope to fire it up on sunday if all goes well. Any comments or criticism is welcomed.


 

[dragracer]

hope this one works

[dragracer]

More pictures.

[dragracer]

Set the newly rebuilt engine on the chassis last night. Hope to get this puppy up and running soon.

[dragracer]

The bike is now complete and on the streets. I will try to post some final pictures of the bike next week.

[jaguar]

This all really makes me want a drag bike...

[Retro Rocket]

This all really makes me want a drag bike...

Who in their right mind would ride one of these in fishnets, high heels and a dress.......

[dragracer]

Bumping this one up for Bill Benton to see how the mono shock set up was done. Still need to get some recent pics on here.

[dragracer]

This is an old topic but I wanted to update it anyway. The owner of thisbike passed away several weeks ago. Sadly, his cancer returned and he could not overcome it's wrath. One of his last wishes was for the bike we built together to be turned over to me. His family called last week and I picked it up from his shop. We had removed the engine a while ago for maintenance and upgrading to an 836 kit but I never got a chance  to rebuild it for him as he has been battling this demon for some time now. I do plan to clean the bike up, build the engine and take the bike out some in memory of my old friend, mentor and brother from another mother. Rest in Peace Harry 'Pa' Cooper. 

Stay tuned. I will post updates as I put it back up.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Sorry to hear of your friend's passing Frank.

Ahhhhh, another project for you  My blue project is progressing again. Looks like #3 was out of round TWICE. Second time not as bad haha. WTF?! Boxed up and heading to Kenny today for a fresh 915 kit.

[dragracer]

As I read through my old posts on this topic, it reminded  me of how long he was dealing with the cancer issue. Mixed emotions for me on this one because he was more like a big brother than a friend. I've stored the bike away for now but intend to work on it in a few months when I get my head straight. Shouldn't take long to built the engine and get it back on the frame. I'm shooting for the end of August to ride it.

Hate to hear about your problems Jerry. I know you felt it was fixed once and for all. Try to evaluate the underlying issue so you can fix it right this time.   

Sorry to hear of your friend's passing Frank.

Ahhhhh, another project for you  My blue project is progressing again. Looks like #3 was out of round TWICE. Second time not as bad haha. WTF?! Boxed up and heading to Kenny today for a fresh 915 kit.

[dragracer]

Man its dust and dirty from sitting so long. I should have detoured by the car wash before I came to the shop.