Topic: SoCal Mut-N-Chop CB750 - ITS DONE!!!!

[brycegp]

Hello gentlemen!  I'm finally starting this thread after a year of starts and stops, successes and failures...delays...

Anyway...last year I bought (for way too much money) a '71 CB750 Cafe.  I bought it on FeeBay out of state... 



But I knew I'd make some changes here and there, nothing major.  But boy was I WRONG...!!  After it was delivered from 1500 Miles away I noticed something that was UNACCEPTABLE.  What you can't see in the pics is that the red frame has PURPLE METAL FLAKE in it.  I'd even go so far as to say it was GLITTER.  Needless to say I just spent $2000 on a bike I now had to tear down.


Commence tear down...


Sold the tank and the tail...


Sold the chrome airbox...


Sold the gauges...


The old exhaust was just UGLY!!  Got in a USED 4 into 2 exhaust...  (I like the look better)


They cleaned up...good as new!!  Easy-off oven cleaner and steel wool...works miracles.


Then I get the bright idea (from a fellow forum member) to lengthen the swing arm.  Goodbye stock swingarm...hello 1980 DOHC CB750 Swingarm!!


I mocked it up with a stock tank and new cafe tail.  Just to get a feel for where it was headed.


Then I realized I hated the stock oil tank.  And if the oil tank had to go...so did the electrical.  So I shaved the tabs and chopped the rear A-frame cross brace.  Then I mocked it up again.

[brycegp]

Next step was to complete tear down....

[brycegp]

Then it was time to get the motor cleaned up.


I know you guys wouldn't recommend power washing the motor...     but I sealed it up, sprayed it down with aircraft remover and blasted the hell out of it....worked like a charm.

[brycegp]

Then I sent all the parts out of powder coat and polishing.  I just didn't have the time or ambition to polish all that stuff myself.  Found a local guy (THANKS AARON!) to polish everything for $250.  Powder coat was $350.  Not bad I think...


For Powder coat:


For polishing:

[brycegp]

Before the powder coating, I had some end caps welded on to the rear of the frame for a finished look.  Also had a platform welded on where I'll mount the battery and electrical.  Came out pretty sweet if you ask me..

[brycegp]

So with all the casing pieces off for polishing I masked up the motor and painted it with Aluminum finish Engine Paint.  Everything came back from the polisher and I put her back together.  

LOOKS AMAZING...if you ask me.

Before:


After:

[brycegp]

Time to put the motor back in the frame.  I did the old "lay it on its side and drop the frame on top down" method...easy cheezy!!

[brycegp]

Ok...what I haven't told you yet is that I had the swingarm powdercoated in this awesome "chrome" color...it came out perfect.  The swingarm is gonna be a really nice accent to the bike when it all done. 

[traveler]

Very bike and build.  Thanks for sharing....oh....and, we love pics!

~Joe

[lordmember1969]

Nice

[Jinxracing]

Bike is looking great!

$250 for all that polishing is a hell of a deal...I'm in SoCal too and would like your polisher's contact info if you can give it out.

[brycegp]

Hey, Jinx!  My polisher was is an enthusiast...not a full time polisher.  And after all that polishing, he told me he never wanted to do it again.  Poor guy thru out his back getting it done.  So I don't think he'd do it again...  

[traveler]

You guys in SoCal....I believe Carpy does polishing.

~Joe

[brycegp]

   yes he does...but i'd rather not sacrifice my retirement for a Carpy polished ride...

he charges an arm and a leg....

[brycegp]

So we are current on my build...and today I was rebuilding my 1978 CB550 front forks.  YES...you read that correctly.  I'll explain later.

But this one fork seal was giving me a lot more trouble than usual.  I beat the hell out of it from every angle but it would NOT come loose.



So then I boiled the fork lower (cuz elquenada told me to, thanks!) and it came out with a 10th the effort I'd already put into it. No problem!

[traveler]

  yes he does...but i'd rather not sacrifice my retirement for a Carpy polished ride...

he charges an arm and a leg....

yeah....I know

[brycegp]

So I mentioned above that I was rebuilding my 1978 CB550 forks.  Well...I am swapping in those forks because as you can seen they are 1.5" shorter.  So now I don't of have to drop my fork tubes into the triple tree to lower the front end, which looks sloppy in my opinion.  Now it will be a clean look on the top triple tree but still be 1.5" lower, too!

AND the dual disc caliper mounting points match up so no disc brake swap necessary!

[Jinxracing]

Hey, Jinx!  My polisher was is an enthusiast...not a full time polisher.  And after all that polishing, he told me he never wanted to do it again.  Poor guy thru out his back getting it done.  So I don't think he'd do it again...  

That's a bummer...seems like most polishers fall victim to the same fate sooner or later. 

[brycegp]

WHEELS:

So I know that people swap hoops and hubs all the time.  Does anyone know of an 18" front RIM I can use for a stock front 1971 CB750K hub???  ...and it match the look of the rear 18" hub??

The tires I want for the front ONLY come in 18" ...wtf, Coker??  I gotta say that Coker has CRAP for sizes on their vintage tires.

I have an extra 18" rear hoop...but Buchanan told me it wouldn't work.  The reason is that the holes for the spoke nipples are punch at a different angel in order to lace up the BIGGER rear hub.  So lacing a SMALLER front hub into it would cause the spoke to seat at the wrong angle and thereby BEND the spokes and the wheels would be f#cked up.

This pic is a little demo of the fact that the spoke sits at the wrong angle...



Any solutions??

[mrrch]

Don't the 550's or 400's use an 18 inch front rim?
No
Just checked
500 550 are 19 inch and 400 are 18 inch but with 36 spokes.

[brycegp]

So no 18" hoops out there huh?

I considered going to 16" front and back but again the tire size for 16" in the tire I want only comes in 500 width which won't fit between the front forks.

Coker really needs to get some variety in sizes.

[brycegp]

So the GB500 uses an 18X2.15 40-hole DID rim in front.  But I can't find one for sale, yet.  Nothing on Ebay, AT ALL...

Can a 450 width tire fit on a 2.15 rim?

[brycegp]

UPDATE on Wheels:

The only 18" hoop that is available to fit, I guess, is the GB500 from 2.15x18.  The 450x18 tire will fit 2.15x18 size rim.

Problem: Can NOT find a GB500 front rim available to buy ANYWHERE.  Honda OEM doesn't offer them either. 

Only apparent solution: To buy 18" hoops from Buchanan and have them custom punched.  Have to buy front and back cuz their brands don't match the stock rear rim style.  This route will put me at over 1k just in wheels/tires...OUCH!!!!!!!!!! 

But the look I WANT just can't happen with stock rims.

[brycegp]

WHEELS:

anyone know another company I can get custom hoops...BESIDES Buchanan?? 

Everywhere I turn...I can't get the size or style I want.  The style I want is always the wrong size.  The size I need is not the style I want. 

GRRRRRRR....

[brycegp]

So I'm preparing to do a tapered bearing swap...and I'm having trouble finding threads that describe it in detail.  I've found people talking about having done it...but nothing about exactly HOW they did it.  My plan here is to change that.  Unless someone can provide a link to the thread where it is described, I'm getting its started.

I purchased the PartsNMore.com STEERING BEARING KIT, Part#28-2011.  It seems easy enough to install and I've identified the pieces that need to be removed from my Frame Neck and Triple Tree Stem in order to reinstall the new tapered bearings.

Here are pics of what needs to be removed. BUT I need some advise on HOW to remove the top and bottom bearing cups and triple tree bearing cone.

1. Top Bearing Cup seems like it is a separate piece that is merely seated in the neck.


2. Bottom Bearing Cup also seems to be a separate piece seated in the neck.
 

3 Triple Tree Bearing Cone at base of stem.  Removal tips??