Topic: greasy's re-rebuild 'the utilitarian transcendentalist' 71 cb750

[greasy j]

finally starting a project thread, been putting this off because I wanted to wait til I was able to actually work on it for a solid chunk of time. but it will just have to be a little bit at a time for now. I am busy with work and all the damn bills eat up my parts money.

so I got this bike a few years ago and did a quickie lo-budget overhaul, not touching the engine at all. I used what I had layin around and did it in my back yard and kitchen at my old house. needless to say it was somewhat half ass. it looks really cool, though. I rode the hell out of it and raced modern bikes. rode it every day until a gasket blew and I lost compression.
here she is:






time to do it for real. I now have a killer garage/lounge, spray booth, blast cab, most tools I will need. no welder but have friends who weld and can do stuff over there. the plan is to have a bike that will go, stop, handle as well as possible. this will not sit in the garage. I intend to keep this bike forever and will ride it to Seattle and back a few times a year, and to work every day I don't need the truck. and every time I go anywhere basically. this is the utilitarian part, it must work. well.

on to the transcendental. I have a few different ideas for the end look, but it will be more or less the same style as what I have now. I like exposed bare metal a lot, so there will be a bit of that. I am going to use a bit of jade green/british racing green but mostly black and metal. I am a painter so I will be doing all of that myself, no powder coated parts on this one. unless I buy a PC'er and a toaster oven, but I don't see the point.

not into the 16" wheel anymore. I will use 2 18" wheels most likely, possibly 18 and 19. wider alum rims for wider tires. like a 110-120 front, 130-140 rear. I want the front and rear wheel to be close to the same size. I have a GL front end I am using and nissin brakes (cbr style) with big dual discs that I got from another sohc member, fishead. he is a great guy and lots of help.







I also have a frame kit by Gordon, thanks to Hednut via Heyjones that will be put on the frame. gettin rid of the passenger pegs/mounts. my gfriend is a real woman, she rides her own bike. I may have Hondaman refurbish my swingarm, but I am considering an upgrade for better handling. a boxed swingarm would be nice. Carpy makes one, don't know if anyone else does. wondering if one from an early CBR would work. don't want anything too bulky or obviously modern, though. think Carp's my best bet. I also really dig his Yosh style exhaust. my Mac eats up a lot of ground clearance and just all around kinda sucks. I like my bikes a tad low but want good clearance. no rearsets, I don't think. I do like low bars, though. I'll prob use lo rise clip ons. I am short with long monkey arms, so stock foot pegs/lo bars suits me well and I have used that set up since I was 16 on all my CB's. (I've had a dozen or so) I want to use race tech emulators in the GL forks, and set up the air caps then get some real rear shocks. not sure which shocks to use. the rear is definitely sagging as is, but I don't want it super high either. as low as is reasonable for good handling and ground clearance. maybe you guys have some ideas on that.

um, I have a 750A tank that I kinda dig.  I'm gonna put some knee dents in, and I have a japanese design themed paint job in mind for it. I either want to make another seat similar to the one I have now, which sits lower and hugs the tank better or make a seat with the end of a kz750 tank that I have. it is a good shape and the rear is the shape of the top of a tire, so it could hover right over the wheel. I'm going to get the engine, frame, wheels, electrics and handling stuff done first and have everything set up for the best ride then worry about what would look good with what I have. and I can always use my current tank and seat, which ain't so bad.

here's the tank on the frame and the kz tank that may make a nice seat:






I also got a better stator cover, (mine was roadrashed bad, fixed with jbweld to not leak oil). and a set of stainless bolts from member cubg1:

[greasy j]

I am currently taking a motorcyle engine overhaul class at city college of san francisco. it's a great program but they're cutting funding and it's getting harder to get into the classes. bummer. my teacher is a badass, he's into old yamaha trackers and used to race. so I'm rebuilding the engine in class. hopefully next semester I can take an electrical systems class. I am super rusty on electrics and not sure what to do about my current situation. all my wiring needs to be redone I'm thinkin. so I have my engine mostly taken apart and want to start cleaning stuff up this weekend. we have the next week off for spring break. some break, I will be working my ass off. when I get back in class I will cut my valves and seats.

by the way my head looks ported and polished already. but I know it's stock cuz the PO was the original owner and he did nothing but change the exhaust and let it rust. this was the 1st time the engine had been cracked open since 1970! I have heard 71 CB750's were better for some reason engine wise, this is proof! my teacher was impressed as well. there is only a little bit that can be taken off in a couple of the exhaust ports, other than that it is pretty damn smooth. I always thought this bike was amazingly fast, this must be why.

so here is the engine rebuild to date:




notice the extra stud? someone used a screw upside down here, some kind of fix, so someone at least got into the head at some point...











5 wires, 4 all the same color. oh, boy how do I deal with this?




finger indicates short pin






this is all just tear down stuff. I am going to try and get stuff cleaned up this week. I have a hole in my eye from recent drilling for rust due to metal embedded deep in my eye. so I can't do any sanding, grinding, etc. until monday. maybe order some engine parts.

progress may be slow, but I've seen guys take years on here, hopefully I won't. I have another ride in the meantime so I won't go into withdrawals or anything.

[greasy j]

here's 2 bikes that I dig style wise.


I'd love to have that tank and tail. and wheels. and oil tank. and...


sublime

[traveler]

Looks good...thanks for sharing.

~Joe

[greasy j]

Looks good...thanks for sharing.

~Joe

in other words, bo-ring. ha ha. I'm not planning anything extreme so it will prob get lost in all the other projects.

your bike is lookin great by the way.

I want alloy pieces at some point. I wanna learn how to make em myself, though. more school.

[traveler]

Looks good...thanks for sharing.

~Joe

in other words, bo-ring. ha ha. I'm not planning anything extreme so it will prob get lost in all the other projects.

your bike is lookin great by the way.

I want alloy pieces at some point. I wanna learn how to make em myself, though. more school.

No....not at all.......I think it's great you are doing most of the work yourself....and it's cool that you ride it regularly.

~Joe

[sangyo soichiro]

GreasyJ,
You should put a link to this thread in your signature (like what's in mine).  It makes it easy for other people to find your project.  If you want any help doing this, let me know.


On a side note, I kinda hope you keep the tank and seat the way it is....

[bikerbart]

Love the style.Really like what you are doing.Until I take care of my original tank I am going for the "steampunk rat cafe"Almost done as a matter of fact.Gonna watch your build.Wish I could take a class,but this website gives me all the help I need.

[greasy j]

GreasyJ,
You should put a link to this thread in your signature (like what's in mine).  It makes it easy for other people to find your project.  If you want any help doing this, let me know.


On a side note, I kinda hope you keep the tank and seat the way it is....

you're not the only one. I'm keeping them either way. I could always switch out pretty easy. like changing jackets and pants. an outfit for every occasion.

[andy750]

GreasyJ,
You should put a link to this thread in your signature (like what's in mine).  It makes it easy for other people to find your project.  If you want any help doing this, let me know.

Good idea! Can you also tell me please?

BTW Greasy great project you have here and looking forward to how it turns out. I always liked your polished tank look  - are you keeping that?

cheers
Andy

[greasy j]

GreasyJ,
You should put a link to this thread in your signature (like what's in mine).  It makes it easy for other people to find your project.  If you want any help doing this, let me know.

Good idea! Can you also tell me please?

BTW Greasy great project you have here and looking forward to how it turns out. I always liked your polished tank look  - are you keeping that?

cheers
Andy

definitely staying with that look. it's my trademark! I might change this but right now I am planning a tank with black and polished metal as now, but incorporating some dark green. and instead of stripes, some ram horn/nike swoosh type shapes, similar to some japanese design themes. make sense? not to me either. it will all depend on the best looking areas of the tank when I strip it. those will have the bare metal areas.

I'm also considering leaving the frame bare, clear coated. just an idea. more likely it'll be boring black. it'd be too much sanding/polishing so if I did it that way it'd have to be just raw looking. prob no go.


by the way as far as leaving a link at the bottom of your posts, here's the html to paste into your profile:

<a href="URL">Screen Text Here[/url]

put the url (http://...topic=******) between the " " marks and whatever you want it to say where it says 'screen text here'

an example, I put this in my profile:
<a href="htp://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67854.0">project ultra[/url]
(I left out a t in the http so it would not show as html, and you could see the code)
and it came out as you see at the bottom of the post vv

[greasy j]

I got some stuff done. cleaned up my cylinder head. I'm a little bit, or maybe a lot, compulsive. I can't do something halfway. so I cleaned the #$%* out of every nook and cranny. someone at class asked me if it was a new head. no, 40 yrs old.













there were some chips in the mating surface cuz I am a dumbass and used a putty knife to break the gasket. it was really on there. I used some devcon to fill the chips. it takes a few days to cure.



the teach decided we should use the devcon to fix a broken fin as well. I was hesitant. but it's worth a shot. I'll file it out and sand it smooth. then see if I can break it. if so, weld.



I cleaned the carbon crud off of some valves at work while waiting for primer to dry. I used my drill for a couple of em, but the drill press at school is much more efficient for this. if you are someone who doesn't know don't sand the guide, the shaft of the valve.








then I cut the valves in the valve cutter machine. I still have 4 more to do. and the valve seats. then lapping. on tues.

[motomotard]

awesome.

im diggin the first tank that was on there. the chrome one.  what was that from?

[greasy j]

it's an original tank. I just stipped and polished it, painted the top and the bare metal stripes are a brushed finish.

I kinda want to use something longer. a lot of people tell me not to change the seat/tank but if I do it will be a very similar style. and I take it as a compliment for sure. thanks! I have a one track mind aesthetically so don't worry.

and the pics of inspirational bikes I have in another post are just so in the sense of the layout and flow, wheel size and stuff. anything I do will be in my style. the motodimale style

my co. is DiMale painting, so motodimale is my imaginary motorcycle division. someday...

here are some other tanks that I refinished in a similar style:





I love the 450 one with the matching covers. the scalloped one is on my buddy's bike. I saw it at a bike show once. pretty cool to see something you painted on a bike at a show when you didn't expect it. I'm painting his bicycle frame when I get time. I think we should make it match. he wants metallic green. cool with me, cuz I might use leftover paint for little details on something. green is my fave color and the original color when my bike was new.

[greasy j]

finished cutting my intake valves. they are harder than the exhaust, I think.

still have to do the seats and lapping.

here's the valve cut machine

[greasy j]

I am thinkin of using a 4-2 exhaust I have and getting upturned shorty reverse megaphones for the mufflers. the current mufflers are straight and full of holes. my gf really likes the look of having mufflers on both sides and everyone's got 4-1's.

and I'm also thinkin of making a seat to go with the larger tank like I was talkin about before, but without the cowl end piece. I like really small cowls rather than big bumstop bumps and I like the idea of having it match the bare metal of the tank, but my girl likes all leather seats better w/out the cowl. I kinda do, too. but I could go either way. here are some examples of seats.


i like the shape of this one and think it would look good with a fender, my gf thinks it looks like a banana seat. 

I like how this goes onto the fender, might do something a bit like that but up onto the tank in the front a tad bit, also. like you see on norton commandos only shorter.

this ones is really cool, I think. and would look good with a big tank. but maybe a bit of a duck bill in back?


these two are similar and I like them, but not quite so flat.

this ones cool, too. also goes up onto the fender, but with less shape.

I would stick with the shorty fender I have now if I go this route and might wanna do a loop in the back of the frame. the big 750A tank I have would get the knee dent treatment, it needs more shape. I'm imagining something like a motoguzzi tank. kinda similar at least. fat in front, less so in the back.

[HavocTurbo]

DiMale eh?

There's a good paisan name.

We could debate the differences of paint/powdercoat all day long... in the end only I can take a hammer to mine. 

Lookin good man. What I wouldn't give for a valve cutter.

Geep up the good work!!

[greasy j]

DiMale eh?

There's a good paisan name.

We could debate the differences of paint/powdercoat all day long... in the end only I can take a hammer to mine. 

Lookin good man. What I wouldn't give for a valve cutter.

Geep up the good work!!

DiMale is my mom's name. don't know my dad so I don't wanna use his for my co. the bum

I wish I had a valve cutter, too. it's the school's. $800 for the cutter and another $800 for the collets! teach said the price is based on how much they think you can make from doing valve jobs. bastids!

[rebabal]

Those bikes are solid inspiration.

[SKTP]

This thread is awesome...I am liking the inspiration a lot...very cool

[greasy j]

thanks guys!

so I cut the seats last night. I want this to be helpful for others so I'll explain a lil how it works.

the seat cutter is like a pencil sharpener kinda. you use the size post that fits your valve guides, then put the right size and angle of cutter on there and turn it a few times with light pressure and then a bit more w/ almost no pressure.



after cutting the seats, I did the lapping. lapping compound is like toothpaste. liquid sandpaper. you put the right valve into the corresponding guide w/ a bit of oil on the stem. lapping goo goes on the valve edge only, DO NOT get it on your stems or in the guides. I used a rubber tube on the other end to make a good spinnable handle and spin it around a bit. you can hear a grinding noise and as it gets smooth it will start to sound smoother.



when you feel like it is smooth you need to clean it off really well and check the contact pattern. it is pretty obvious usually, but you can use the machinists blue dye or a sharpie to check, also. put it on the seats then spin the valve on there and look at the pattern that transfers. it should be in the middle and not too thin or thick. mine came out perfect the 1st time, but sometimes you need to raise or lower the contact patch by cutting different angles in the top and bottom sections of the seat.

here's a blue dye contact pattern before lapping, after cutting.



it's a bit thin. after lapping it was perfect, but the pic did not come out so I can't show you. the lapping makes a darker grey patch which is really obvious so no dye or sharpie was required.

here's the seats after cutting



and you wanna clean all the lapping stuff off really well. it is BAD for your engine.

[bucky katt]

i like the look of it. i have a little black and white shop helper that looks alot like yours though mine looks like he ate a bowling ball 

[greasy j]

i like the look of it. i have a little black and white shop helper that looks alot like yours though mine looks like he ate a bowling ball 

haha

her name is Soi, after Soichiro Honda.

she is a smitten cat, small as a kitten. full grown, though. only 5 lbs.

[ksmith0034]

by the way as far as leaving a link at the bottom of your posts, here's the html to paste into your profile:

<a href="URL">Screen Text Here[/url]

put the url (http://...topic=******) between the " " marks and whatever you want it to say where it says 'screen text here'

an example, I put this in my profile:
<a href="htp://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67854.0">project ultra[/url]
(I left out a t in the http so it would not show as html, and you could see the code)
and it came out as you see at the bottom of the post vv

This is what i LOVE about this forum!!!  It's all (or mostly) about people helping people.  Thanks Greasy!

[greasy j]

me too!

that's why I do it. forum karma

I prob have learned more from this site than any other single source.