Topic: I just rode 1,200 miles on my Cb750

[68grandprix]

I recently moved to Utah from California, where I had lived for less than a year after moving from my home state of Iowa. I left my '75 Cb750 at a friends in Iowa with the intention of shipping it to wherever I eneded up. I've had the bike for over five years(since I was 20) and I originally bought it as a $200 heap which sat outside in the Iowa weather for years. I've been messing with it ever since.
   My younger sister was due to have her first child at the end of July, and she said she'd kill me if I didn't visit. Being low on cash, and not able to afford a round-trip plane ticket and shipping of the bike, the only reasonable alternative was to ride a bus to Iowa(note:riding the bus sucks), and then ride the Honda back after visiting with friends and family. The only problem-The bike had been sitting since October '09, it had almost 50,000 miles, and on the longest stretch I'd ever ridden it, which was just over an hour, my right hand was numb and my back and backside were killing me...
  Well, I made it to Iowa after 36 hours on a bus, and the next morning my sister went into labor. I promptly went to stay at my friend's where I could work on the bike. Relax, I spent plenty of time with her and Baby Brody(who weighed a lean nine pounds when born)after I was done preparing my ride.
   First order of business, new battery. Second, I fixed all the wiring. Over the years I removed a lot of things(turn signals, horn, kill switch, etc) and I had about fifty splices which were just twisted together and taped. The bike blew fuses every now and then. Now the few splices are soldered and shrink wrapped, and I have a functional oil warning light. After the wiring I adjusted the timing chain and valves. The tires and chain were nearly new (I put them on last summer).     

[68grandprix]

Some pics after I pulled it out of the barn. The bars are renthals off my deceased uncles KX500 desert racer that I added after I got back to Iowa. The replaced my clipons. My back would be broken and I would have no feeling in my right hand if I hadn't done this(these are thick aluminum filled with rubber).

[bender01]

Nice story. I need to find some rubber filled bars! My hand becomes painfully?? numb after 30 minutes!

[68grandprix]

The x-pipe I made three years ago was hitting the tire, but I couldn't pound clearance into it because the baffles were in that spot. I welded chrome tips on, put the baffles in those, the beat away with a big hammer. Plenty of clearance now. I decided a fairing would be nice, so I modified the old one I had, and used an old Riviera headlight panel and my old '70 LeMans headlight buckets to make a dual headlight setup, complete with vintage T-3s. I bent and welded a rack off an Rd250 parts bike I used to have. It worked great, and will even hold my weight. The seat was a last minute addition. It doesn't look quite right(I'll probably build another fiberglass seat for it)but it's a hell of a lot more comfortable than my old couch foam one. I replaced the fork seals in the gl1000 forks and changed the oil and plugs. Laso cleaned the carbs and replaced the air filter. Bought a Crampbuster for the throttle last second, and glad I did.

[68grandprix]

Yeah bender, these transmit ZERO vibration(with thick foam superbike grips). The Crampbuster, at $11, was an absolute lifesaver. I also drilled the carb spring brackets for less spring tension.

[68grandprix]

Anyway, I left Monday at about 10 AM from Cedar Rapids IA. It was a beatiful day. I got to Newton, IA about an hour and a half later. According to my questionable odometer I got 39mpg. The pic is my bike at a truck stop with Iowa Speedway in the background. The day was nice but with the wind my I picked up 5mph when I ducked behind the fairing. Unfortunately I have a bad back, and this aggravated it. At every gas stop I took at least 30 minutes letting the bike(and my body) rest, and checking oil, chain tension, etc. At around 2:19PM I made it to Atlantic, IA. I met a nice guy named Keith riding a newer Yami cruiser with a trailer from Denver to Michigan. We talked for a bit and parted ways. This gas stop said 44mpg.
   At 5 PM I was outside Lincoln, NE. A guy came up and told me my bike reminded him of Mad Max. A compliment I've received many times over the years. At the gas station was a guy with a Harley painted in a FDNY scheme and a New York license plate. I said, "Holy Cow, New York huh?" and he looked at me like I was an idiot and said "Yeah".

[68grandprix]

Sometime around 7:30 PM I was riding down I-80 and saw the sky looked dark up ahead. I stopped and put on an extra pair of pants (I had no raingear). They didn't help. I rode straight into a thunderstorm and was instantly blind and soaked. I slowed down and thought, "A trucker is going to drive right over me.", so I got off at the next exit, which led to a Love's truckstop in Aurora, NE. I ate at the Arby's there while waiting out the rain. It was warm outside but inside they had the air on and I was freezing. As it got dark I wondered what to do. I had asked the employees about campsites but any were 20 miles either way. Finally an employee told me about a motel north over the overpass. I headed into the dark rainy night, soaked and (now)cold. As I pulled up to the motel and got off my bike I saw the sign. NO VACANCY. I restarted the bike and pulled away, heading north towards the town of Aurora. A couple miles down the road my bike starting cutting out and then died. It wouldn't restart, and I was in the pitch black middle of nowhere.

[Tinman]

Neat story, I can't wait to hear more. Be glad you did it now instead of late October when the wx in Iowa is really "cool" !
 I know about those KX 500 bars, I had a '89 what a beast !!! I loved it.

[68grandprix]

I figured it was the coils. I sat in the rain, wondering what to do. I finally decided my only choice was to turn around and push the bike. I reached down to turn off the gas...and almost cried with relief. I had turned it off at the motel, but not turned it back on. The bike started right up and I rode into Aurora. I rode around town, and ended up on a muddy gravel road(which wasn't fun) but finally I found Ken's Motel. I walked in, freezing and wet, and asked the woman behind the counter if she had a room. It was practically a prayer. "yep, i got one left. $37." . Thank ya Jesus. As I walked to my room I saw another motorcyclist who had been at the truck stop. He said, "So you decided to stop too huh?" I said yeah, I don't have raingear like you. He said raingear didn't help, and the laundary room had a good drier for $0.50. I got a nice bath, and a shower, and all my clothes dry. I also slept in a bed.
   The next morning I checked out the bike, then checked out at 11:00 AM. I would have left early, but I was waiting out the rain, which was supposed to stop as the day progressed. I went next door to the Early Riser diner. The waitress looked to be around my age and was very pretty. I ordered an Early Riser stack and coffee. I overheard the cook telling the waitress to make sure I knew the pancakes were big, so I yelled back that I'd take a short stack. Lucky I did, as they were huge, and I'm ashamed to say I was stuffed after only consuming about 1.5 cakes and two cups of (good) coffee. I paid, went outside to ready the bike, then came back in to use the restroom. As I walked out the door, the waitress called "Byyy" from where she was sitting with the other employees and regulars. I hadn't even gotten her name.

[68grandprix]

Yep Tinman, my aunt still has my uncle's 500. I got to ride it while I was in CA. It's modified for desert racing(he raced from LV to Barstow, etc) with a nice suspension and engine mods. I got to ride it at El Mirage. It has a very small rear sprocket, and I guarantee it goes over 100mph, and will still wheelie in every gear! Great Bike

[68grandprix]

By the way, this is now Tuesday Aug 17. After eating I rode 19 miles straight to Grand Island, where I bought a $30 rainsuit at Wal-Mart. Stopped in Lexington about 2 PM. Barely raining. I rode to Ogallala, Ne and stopped for gas. 43.4 mpg at average speed of 73mph. While checking out the bike a big Harley rider came over and asked, "Is it F-ed up? My buddy in town has a shop where he can fix it, and they only charge, like, a twelve pack." Isn't the barter system great. I told him, no, it's fine, but I appreciate the offer. I did find that my plug welds on the headlight mounting had broken(should have fully welded it) but somehow my design worked in a way that the headlight panel would still stay secured, although it pointed slightly up and made them almost useless at night, as I later found out. I wrapped some wire and duct tape around the tubes just in case though. Over the various stops I had been checking the tires(pressure stayed pretty constant, around 36-38psi) and the oil(used a quart of Honda 20W50 over the whole trip), and the chain(which stretched a fairly large amount and spewed reddish brown lube all over my chrome tip, which is no longer chrome). That was the only maintenance. Keep in mind I was running 5500-6500rpm for hours on end. I'll post more tomorrow. My back and shoulders are still killing me.

[Dave-and-his-550]

Sounds like quite the odyssey. I would enjoy a long road trip on my bike sometime, gotta get it prepared for one first though. I know time is running out. Glad you made it home safe.

[Stev-o]

Good story.........staying tuned.

[andy750]

Very good story! Looking forward to hearing more. Got any more fairing shots? How is it mounted? Looks very good!

thanks
Andy

[mycb750k6]

What happened to him? Suspense is killing me.

[Speed King]

Great story man. I'd love to see some more pics of the bike as well.

[Grnrngr]

I'm a sucker for a good travel adventure story too.  Love the twin headlight fairing.. more pics please...

[boulder74]

Ken's motel was probably a 1 star motel and felt like a 6 star resort when you got in there huh?
 

[zzpete]

  I'm in!

[68grandprix]

Actually Boulder, Ken's Motel was very nice. I got a two queen bed room that was clean and didn't smell. I'm amazed it was so cheap. A few notes about my cross country travels. I've driven to Utah and back maybe five times. I've driven my mom and sister there twice in my mom's 2000-something Impala, which was super comfortable, reliable, and economical. When I was 19 I tried to move back to CA where I was born, only to break down in Utah with a bad axle bearing and blown front wheel cylinders(I was driving my first car, a 1968 Pontiac Grand Prix, towing a trailer. Luckily the brakes held out until I was down the mountain). After six months as a live in nanny at my big sister's, I drove the car back to IA, getting 13mpg at 75-95mph, which was better than the 10mpg I got on the way out, towing the trailer. I sold my first motorcycle to get back, which was an '82 Yamaha XS650 Heritage Special.
   In '06 I drove a '95 Plymouth Neon that I had all of $500 dollars into. My mom and little sis came along. I had no trouble with that cheap car, except the rusty muffler blowing out as the trip went on. It made the car loud, but the mileage went up, to a max of 37mpg!
   Last October I decided to drive my '71 Pontiac LeMans to CA for a move. I built the car from a flooded wreck in the year and a half leading up to the trip. One of the few things I didn't do was build the bottom end of the engine. As I pulled into Sidney NE, home of the Cabela's headquarters that I had wanted to visit every time I passed it on other trips, but never had, I heard a rattle from the engine and saw my oil pressure was down. Spun rod bearing due to the builder running tight rod clearances. That was one of the worst times of my life, having to waste thousands of dollars towing  my

[68grandprix]

newly built car through an ice storm in the mountains that was almost the end of me(at one point I went over a bridge and the whole U-haul/trailer started jackknifing crazily side to side), and then rebuilding the engine in my Gma's garage. An interesting note:On the first day I drove the LeMans, it was so uncomfortable with the drag race buckets and loud exhaust , I only made it to Grand Island, which is 19 miles further than I made it on the first day of Cb750 riding. If not for the rain, I would have made it much further. So basically, I could handle riding the CB better than driving my car.
   Unfortunately, I have no more trip pics. I started this trip planning on visiting museums(really wanted to hit Bill Smith's in Lincoln) and taking lots of pics, but as fatigue set in and the weather turned bad, I just wanted to get to my destination in as little time as possible. This always happens on my trips. If I had a friend or two with me it'd be different. I'd stop at museums and such because then I'd be able to enjoy them with someone else. I will get more pics of the bike though. Now, Back to the trip. My shoulders hurt already

[68grandprix]

So, around 6 PM on Tuesday, after a beautiful day, I passed the welcome to Wyoming sign and pulled into Pine Bluffs, WY. This was the longest stretch I rode without a stop on the trip. 127.9 miles at 40.62mpg. I only stopped because the bike had just hit reserve and the town looked kinda interesting.
   It's funny. That morning while getting gas it had been raining and gloomy. One of the female clerks at the gas station had asked another what the weather forecast had said. The other clerk replied, "More rain.". I said really, I actually heard it was going to be sunny and warm and beautiful. She laughed, but that is how the day turned out.
   Anyway, back in Pine Bluffs, I filled up with gas and ate at the connected A&W, which had very good diet root beer but mediocre everything else. I charged my cell phone in the one booth outlet they had and called my sister. She informed me I still had seven hours of riding left. Ouch. A touring Harley rider and his wife came in. I had a nice talk with them. It started with him saying something about needing a break after riding for hours. I told him to try riding my bike for hours and he said, "I couldn't do it.". I left town in a good amount of pain. I still figure I'd ride another couple of hours, although it would be dark soon. I then planned on camping somewhere. My camping gear consisted of a 6'x8' tarp, four tent stakes, loops to secure it to the bike, and a cheap sleepin bag. I never did use the stuff to camp, though. As I rode toward Laramie, the sun went down and I realized my lights were pointing toward the sky. I rode through the weaving, downward sloping road of the Medicine Bow National Forest(?) as the temperature dropped and I got a little chilly. It was unfortunate I could barely see, as that would have been a fun stretch of road.

[68grandprix]

I stopped at the 1st Inn in Laramie, WY. I had decided not to camp, because I was cold and sore(and I guess I'm a wuss). The female clerk at the 1st in was kind of strange, but nice. She did get me a $12 discount on the room, which came to $62 and had a single king size bed. It was no nicer than Ken's, though. When she asked for ID, I gave her both my CA and IA licenses. She responded with surprise, asking how many I had, if they were fake, and if I was a fugitive on the run. I thought she was serious at first, but now I think she was just trying to flirt with me. She told me about the attached sushi restaurant, and I admitted I love sushi. She said I just had to try it, but I had just eaten, so I ended up going to my room for another bath/shower combo, and sleep.
   When I woke up the next day the weather was beautiful. Clear blue sky, with a cool temp that was rapidly warming. I had a nice continental breakfast(raisin bagel with cream cheese and two cups of coffee). I was amazed to see they had a waffle maker that you ran yourself. Apparently the safety police haven't been to Laramie yet.
   I had checked the plugs and saw the bike was running a tad bit rich, due to the 7000ft elevation. I took the carbs off behind the motel and proceeded to tear them down. I really wish the Keihins were like some Mikunis I've had, with easy to access needles. I dropped the needle one notch, and replaced the #1 needle with a spare I had brought, because it was slightly bent at the top. This turned out to be a mistake. I also put in the stock mains(had 115s in) and slightly leaned the idle mixture screws. Then I put it all back together and prepared to leave.

[68grandprix]

As I started the bike up to ride 200yds to the gas station, I noticed the idle was high(around 1500rpm, which is very high for my bike when it's cold). After having no luck trying to adjust it, I figured it was just the throttle cable and I'd adjust it after getting gas. Simple fix. WRONG. Turns out the needle I put in was hanging up and wouldn't allow the carbs to completely close. Luckily I was able to pry the slide out without taking the carbs back off and change the needle back. Problem solved. What sucks is I was all set to go, then had to remove my gear. My riding gear consists of a Simpson Bandit helmet(that I got in a trade to my old boss, who wore it in his Pro Mod '68 Camaro, going 214mph in 6.8 seconds), leather Alpinestars jacket, ACE backbrace borrowed from my mom, aviator glasses, and my lucky Fox Pawtector gloves, which were also my uncle Randy's. I also have a lucky Zippo that was my Grandpa Jim's, who died just before I was born, and who I was named after. I don't smoke, but I'm guessing Grandpa and uncle Randy helped me out along the way.
   I also had to remove my sleeping bag, which wasn't a total waste, because by now I had figured out I could strap it to the tank and lay on it. This allowed me to (almost) comfortably ride behind the windscreen. Unfortunately, it also covered my tools, which were strapped to the tank with a belt that aslo serves as my rear tank mount. The stock mount won't work, since I extended the tank. I think the belt's kinda neat looking anyway. I finally took off, a couple hours later than I wanted to.

[68grandprix]

I figure you guys would appreciate some pics.
   Lucky gloves and lighter, also the belt.
   The fairing is mounted with one 13mm bolt on the bottom front light panel, two 10mm in the top light panel, and one 10mm on either side at the rear. The rear mount is a stainless steel bed strip from an old Dodge truck my friend Rocky was restoring for a customer. He runs Rocky's Auto Body in Manchester, IA. Does great work at good prices. The strip runs under the tank and is secured to the frame tubes with two zip ties. The faring sides are snug to the tank so the back doesn't move. When the fairing is removed the light panel stays attached to the bike. It has kind of a speed triple look.
   The ligh panel in from a 70's Buick Riviera. I welded two 1" electrical conduit pieces to it, then welded(not well enough)two pieces of tubing inside of them. Two pieces of conduit were stitch welded to the headstock to minimize heat. A brace is welded between those. The headlight panel tubes were slid into the headstock tubes, then drilled through and secured with one grade8 bolt each.
   Keep in mind, none of the bodywork is finished. I could have done it all at Rocky's and layed on  slick paintjob, but I was in a hurry (Rocky would say, "Like always.".