Topic: A Tenderfoot's '75 750k

[Anti-Johnny]

I have been lurking around the site for a few weeks now. I finally found a bike and bought it over the weekend. I have only had one bike before and it was a new Yamaha, so I never really had to do anything to it.




This is the bike, it seems to be in good shape mechanically. The gentleman I bought it from has been super helpful already. I have called him at least half a dozen times already and we have exchanged several emails about it.

It came with a Fairing on it, which I took off. I wish I hadn't because wiring it all back together was brutal for me. And now the turn signals dont flash... The headlight bucket didnt have the two inner rings (so I taped it on) , but I think I found some at a local salvage yard, checking that out tomorrow. Some of the wires in the assembly were pretty short and I dont know if I got the grounds wired correctly on the turn signals... I am thinking about just getting some aftermarket turn signals and starting fresh with them.

The gaiters need to be replaced and I think the left fork is leaking at the bottom of the gaiter.

Like I said the bike runs great. I took it by a shop here in town and the owner did a once over on it and said its in great shape and I dont have a lot of work to do. It is pretty dirty though. I am going to spend tomorrow trying to clean it up.

I am not sure what I want to do with it yet. I am not sure about Cafe or bobber. I just want it to look sharp. I might be posting some questions on cosmetic parts just to see what they are called. I would definitely like to get a shorter rear fender, or possibly lose it all together. I do prefer smooth lines and curves over the sharp edges I see on some cafes... And honestly the clubman's look a little uncomfortable to me.

I go to school full time and my budget is non existant so I guess this is mostly to take my mind off things and to teach myself something.

I will probably be asking a lot of technical questions on the forums. I dont want to bug the guy I bought it from too much. I am pretty excited to be back on a bike. I have worked on cars and trucks quite a bit but never a bike, so I look forward to it.

[Stev-o]

looks nice...

[KB02]

+1

Looks to be in decent shape. Needs a new side cover and something different done with that seat, but other than that, a good cleaning will do wonders.

[Anti-Johnny]

Thanks guys.

I plan on doing something about the seat and rear fender first. Seems like the easiest thing to do, I dont have a garage. I am looking for cheaper seat and fender combos. Still doing the research on that one.

I bought some purple degreaser, havent tried it yet. Hopefully that dissolves some of the gunk. It would be nice not to have to wash my hands after touching any part of the bike besides the handlebars.

[Stev-o]

Don't know about Purple, but Gunk Engine Cleaner works great.
Best not to get your electrical wet.

[Anti-Johnny]

I found a guy that collects and works on old bikes. He has several cb750s in various stages of rust. He gave me the entire headlight assembly and a bulb for $10. He even wired it up for me and replaced my blinker. Super cool guy.

So I think after I get it registered and titled in the morning, I am street legal. Looks a ton better without the blue tape holding in the headlamp.

He suggested using some Coil cleaner for A/C units to get the gunk off my engine and frame. He said if I spray it with WD40 and wipe it off right after it wont eat through my chrome. Sounds a little scary.

[Stev-o]

You got a deal!

I used Gunk Foamy engine cleaner today on my new project bike, works great! [get it at auto parts store]

[Anti-Johnny]

I need to get some proper cleaning tools. My toothbrush and sponge lasted about 20 minutes before becoming useless.

I am pretty broke after purchasing the bike, but I plan on learning as much as I can from the forums and then getting a storage building in january or february and taking the whole thing apart and painting and putting on new pieces.

So far, I plan on:
Stripping it and getting the frame, tank, and engine painted
switching to smaller LED turn signals
moving the license plate and brake light to the side of the rear wheel
Shorter fenders
A more cafe style seat (hopefully one that I can either quick swap out for road trips or is still comfortable for one) The giuliari looks nice but too rich for my blood.
The engine runs strong, but my carbs leak when I turn the bike off. I dont know if this is a needle sticking or if they need to be rebuilt.
I dont know how comfortable clubmans are for trips so maybe some that are similar looking.
Maybe a 4-1 exhaust, but this is kind of expensive and maybe not necessary

I would like to see it without the airbox, but I have read that this can mess things up down the line.


Still a lot to learn. Looking through other peoples builds to see how much time and money I am looking at.  I plan on painting everything but the frame myself.

I have a couple months to go before I have spare money, so no real rush. Will be checking craigslist and ebay regularly for deals.

anyway, here is how it looks at the moment, minus the cleaning which didnt do much.

I want to get my gaiters sorted soon. I cant afford much, so looking at shock boots or maybe just the caps that replace them. I am still getting used to the way this forum functions to be able to search and find things.

[Anti-Johnny]

I just used the Gunk engine degreaser and it looks much cleaner. I wish I had bought a few extra bottles though. The underside of the frame and the front of the engine still look scary but its coming together, at least for cleaning. It revealed the engine paint in pretty poor shape. I am hoping to get that painted this winter though.

Found a place that will do powdercoating for about 185. Much cheaper than I was expecting. I have seen a couple threads though where people have just painted it with engine paint, but I would need someone to media blast it anyway, so might as well go the whole nine yards.

My running light problem is fixed, just a fuse. d'oh

probably next week I will order the side cover and get the boots at least ordered. I need a new front tire soon so I am probably going to wait to get those installed. I dont have the proper tools to take the tires off yet. Not even sure how to do it.

One of my carbs is leaking. I added some Sea Foam. Hopefully that gets it taken care of. I took a video because I am not sure exactly what to be looking for.

Any of you guys know where that looks like it is coming from?

[Stev-o]

Buy some more Gunk, you'll want that bike as clean as possible.

I'd pay to have the new tire put on, it can be a real pain and I feel it's worth the $25 they charge. Don't forget to get a new tube & rim strip too.
motorcyclesuperstore.com  is a good place to get tires.

Could be a float stuck in your carb. Try tapping it with the handle of a screwdriver. Seafoam alone probably won't help.

Good luck.

[Anti-Johnny]

I wasnt going to change the tire myself. I should have said I dont think I have the tools to take the wheel off. I need to get those boots changed out, so I have been looking to see how much work that is. I may just buy the boots and get them to put them on when he changes my tire.


I have been looking at youtube videos for carbs and removing the forks. I guess I am still just educating myself so that I dont panic when I get into this like I did with the headlight wiring.

And I am about to go buy some more Gunk

[seaweb11]

The oil you speak of coming from your lower gator is actually coming out of the fork seal underneath the gator. New gators will not fix the problem you need new fork seals

[Anti-Johnny]

That is what the owner at the bike shop said.   I am still looking up how difficult it is to take the forks apart and redo the seal. I know I need a bike lift. I have a set of wrenches sockets and kex wrenches. Just a basic set really. I am slowly getting acquainted with things that need to be done and reading build threads to see how difficult they make it sound. I am definitely starting to feel a little better about all this.

[Really?]

Old toothbrushes are good for cleaning and using mothers on aluminum.  Momma's bike was perty nasty when I got it and it cleaned perty good.  It was so dirty it stunk.  Changing the fork seals isn't to bad, just sometimes it is a pain to get a seal out.



It is cleaner in the link on the sig.

Oh, you don't need a bike lift.  At most maybe a short chair.

[Anti-Johnny]

The bike shop near my apartment just told me it would be around 225 for the fork seal work, and 100 for the new tire install. I just spent about an hour reading and watching videos on how to install the fork seal. I think if I had nothing else to do I could do it in a day in my parking spot. The bike runs okay for now and there isnt a lot leaking out of the fork seal. But that fork boot sure is ugly, and so I figure I might as well get the fork seals out of the way at the same time. I think I have all the tools necessary to take it apart.


What do you mean a short chair? I still have the center stand, maybe it will prop up on that sturdy enough to take the front off for a few hours.

[Really?]

I use one of these.  It rolls around and I stick my tools in the tray underneath.  Harbor Freight has these for $25 and I have a link somewhere for 20% off coupon.



$225 for fork seals?  I should do them around here, lol.  The seals do not cost much.  So it will basically be the seals and fork oil.  If it is not bad, it is something that you may not need to do soon. 

I did not put the gators back on, i used the caps.  The fun part is when you start taking stuff apart is that you will find something else you want to mess with.  I ended up with new fork tubes, tires, brakes, superbike bars, bar end mirrors, SS brake lines, tapered roller bearing for the steering head and went nuts polishing.

Once you decide to do the fork seals, you will have the wheel off.  So, that will be the cost of the tire, mounting, balancing plus the rim strip and tube if you need them.  Maybe $25-35 for the mount and balance.

Here are a bunch of pics of the front end;

http://gallery.me.com/rturton#100080&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=121

[seaweb11]

Hey, look what I ran across for you tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb5J0zRqcvc&feature=related

[eastoak]

buy or borrow a fork seal puller, makes the job so much easier. you'll be able to do all you want to do to this bike, you'll get lots of guidance here.

[Anti-Johnny]

Hey, look what I ran across for you tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb5J0zRqcvc&feature=related

That video makes me much more confident. I guess if he can do one in twenty minutes then I shouldnt have too much trouble doing them both.

I use one of these.  It rolls around and I stick my tools in the tray underneath.  Harbor Freight has these for $25 and I have a link somewhere for 20% off coupon.


$225 for fork seals?  I should do them around here, lol.  The seals do not cost much.  So it will basically be the seals and fork oil.  If it is not bad, it is something that you may not need to do soon. 

I did not put the gators back on, i used the caps.  The fun part is when you start taking stuff apart is that you will find something else you want to mess with.  I ended up with new fork tubes, tires, brakes, superbike bars, bar end mirrors, SS brake lines, tapered roller bearing for the steering head and went nuts polishing.

Once you decide to do the fork seals, you will have the wheel off.  So, that will be the cost of the tire, mounting, balancing plus the rim strip and tube if you need them.  Maybe $25-35 for the mount and balance.

Here are a bunch of pics of the front end;

http://gallery.me.com/rturton#100080&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=121

Thanks for the links. What do you have holding your bike up when you take the wheels off? I am definitely going to swing by harbor freight this weekend. Ive never been to one before so thats exciting.

I am still trying to figure out exactly what the tapered roller bearings are and how they help handling. The guy at the motorcycle shop said I can swap out the whole front as long as I stick with 35mm, but I am worried about angles being off.

I know I want to order clubmans, and I need to order the boots, and the fork seals. So I guess when I can get all these things together I will be ripping into it.

My bike needs a good polishing as well, and I could probably repaint where the gauges bolt on and my headlight. I think I will pick up a cheap polishing wheel at Harbor Freight as well.


In other news, I came home after work to change so I could meet a buddy at the bar, and I forgot to turn my petcock off. Came home a little drunk to discover the old lady had evacuated herself all over my parking spot.

My battery also seems to not be holding a charge. I am not sure if its an old battery, or the bike isnt charging it. To the forums!

[Really?]

Thanks for the links. What do you have holding your bike up when you take the wheels off? I am definitely going to swing by harbor freight this weekend. Ive never been to one before so thats exciting.

The bike is on the centerstand with two jack stands on the frame on both sides.  Dunno if you have room on the frame with the current exhaust you have but you still may find a place to rest the bike on.  I think I had a heavy tool box on the back of the seat at times.  HF is a candy store at times, lol.  But they have some really cheaply made stuff too.

I am still trying to figure out exactly what the tapered roller bearings are and how they help handling. The guy at the motorcycle shop said I can swap out the whole front as long as I stick with 35mm, but I am worried about angles being off.

There are a ton of threads on switching out front ends but they get quite involved for me.  Supposedly the tapered roller bearing help stability at speed and reduce the chance of wheel wobble (a nasty thing).  Turning the steering is smoother as the loose ball bearing can cause rough spots when they get worn.  Some have trouble changing these out but mine were easy.  Lucky I guess.

I know I want to order clubmans, and I need to order the boots, and the fork seals. So I guess when I can get all these things together I will be ripping into it.

Clubmans look good but I hear can be uncomfortable on longer rides.  I chose the superbike bars because I have read they are much more comfortable.  If you decide to run the wiring through the clubmans, expect a really tough time getting them back in the bars.  A lot of people will grind a notch out of the controls to run the wires through and then run the wires along the outside of the bar.  I have also read that there is clearance problems with the brake reseviour against the tach too.,

My bike needs a good polishing as well, and I could probably repaint where the gauges bolt on and my headlight. I think I will pick up a cheap polishing wheel at Harbor Freight as well.

I do not know if you have polished aluminum before but this can be time consuming.  You can go with just the different rouges on the wheel or use wet sandpaper along with the polishing rouge and mothers.  Be sure to have a different wheel for each rouge, do not mix them.  The fork tubes will have a ton of casting marks on them, I had to use a file is places to start on those areas.  There are different drill/dremel attachment for some of the tough areas using the black rouge.

In other news, I came home after work to change so I could meet a buddy at the bar, and I forgot to turn my petcock off. Came home a little drunk to discover the old lady had evacuated herself all over my parking spot.

Not uncommon, even sober, lol.

My battery also seems to not be holding a charge. I am not sure if its an old battery, or the bike isnt charging it. To the forums!

I never have had much luck with lead acid batteries so yours could be just bad.  I would loose one every 6 months until I went to a gel matte type battery.  Many have good luck with them, they must maintain them better.  The bike has to be above 3k for it to get a good charge.  You could have low cells in the battery or it is full of calcium deposits.

Tons of info in the forums, finding the right keywords to use is key.  It will take a little time to learn your Search-Fu. Start your searches on the Home page to get better results.

I live north of Dallas so I am not close.  I do not get down your way often either.  When I do, I ride the Three Sisters down in the Hill Country.  Should be down there one week next year when the kids are in camp.

Depending on the time you have in the day and where you have to do the work, be careful on what projects you take on.  It can easily take longer than the day, especially when you break something and have to order a part or you get stuck somewhere along the line.

[Anti-Johnny]

What do you recommend for battery? When I head to Harbor Freight I can swing by Batteries Plus. There is also a Cabelas nearby. I think they sell batteries.

The PO tells me that the battery is fine, but I dont understand how it could be dead so soon after AutoZone charging it. I bought a multimeter and will be checking out how much juice it is pumping out. I guess I will go by Walmart and get a cheap trickle charger to use in the mean time. I normally ride the bike to work about two miles and then to school which is about three. I hit maybe three lights at most. From what I have read this really shouldnt be killing the battery in two days. I am over 3k rpm at least a third the time. The bike was sitting for a few months before I got it, but I dont know what effect that would have.

I have started looking into LED replacement lights but I want to eventually replace the housings as well. So hopefully with at least a charger, and maybe a new battery, I can tide myself over until I have some spare cash.

Where did you get your tapered bearing? I still have some time before I can afford too much. And the weeping on the forks is kind of minimal, so I may even be able to wait on that because I need a new front tire soon.

I was able, with help from the local bike shop owner, to pinpoint that the gas is leaking from my second carb. He says that the gas lines were pushed in too far and an O ring inside the carb has come off. Does that sound right? He says I can figure this out myself but to expect about two weeks of the bike being down to take the linkages apart and getting that carb sorted if I did it myself. So petcock off. I think I need to make a note and stick it to my gas tank. Carb work looks a little too complex for me to figure out on my own any time soon.

I have read the clubmans can have clearance issues. And I am pretty tall (6'2") so I am a little worried about fatigue. But as this is mostly an around town and short trip bike I hope it isnt too much. At the worst I could flip them over.

I havent read much yet about polishing, but thanks for the tips. Found a decent cheapo polisher/grinder on harbor freights webiste for $15.

I have three midterms next week and have kind of been beating myself up over things that dont need to be done immediately. This is all pretty exciting but I need to pace myself a bit.

new priority list
 - battery sorted
 - start ordering:
       -boots
       -side cover
       -fork seals
       -tire
       -tapered bearing (research still to be done)
       -handlebars (pretty confident I can finagle them on myself)
  hopefully at this point all the important mechanical and obvious cosmetic things will be sorted
       -seat pan (used/might make my own)
       -shorten fenders
       -LED turn signals inside small housing, looking into an all in one for the shorter rear fender or inside the new seat. a la hednut
       -eventually disassemble bike and paint engine and get frame powdercoated
       -watched a few videos on putting the knee dents in the tank yourself. I like the look and saving $600 on a custom tank is nice.
       -not sure where carbs fit into this, its just the one thats leaking and theyre all working. At this point I just need to remember to turn the gas off.


I know everything can be done on a budget. I read through HedNut s thread and his bike looks pretty fancy for nearly everything being done himself.

When I decide to take the front off, I think I will get a storage building. Theyre like $55 for a 5x15, which I think is enough room. I may just do the fork boots and then wait til around january to try the fork seals. Hopefully by then I will be confident enough to take the engine out to get the frame and engine painted. As well as all the little cosmetic things I want to do. I really dont want to do anything very drastic for fear I wont be able to put it all back together.

I dont know if I should be worrying about gaskets or anything in the engine. It isnt leaking as far as I can tell and the bike runs strong. So at this point I just plan on proper maintenance.

Thinking about reaching out to you guys that live around central Texas, just in case the need arises and I need a second pair of eyes on the bike in person. My girlfriend and I make some pretty tasty food and beer would be provided of course.

Sorry for this long post. Feel like I am writing a book. But it helps to write it all out to get my priorities right, and of course if I am completely off base on something then one of you guys can correct me.

[Greggo]

Tapered is just a different style bearing than loose ball bearings:

 

I found my All Ballz steering bearings for $30 shipped on ebay..  They're sealed, meaning you don't have to worry about keeping track of loose bearing balls, and they greatly improve turn in feel.
-
Gregg

[Really?]

Here is the link to the 20% off HF coupon.

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html/SingleMagLanders/americanprofile/images/20_c.jpg

Print a bunch of these.  When I go in there, it is one coupon per item.  Not one coupon for all items.  I end up making about 10 purchases a visit.  The people behind me kind of trip out and also wish it would stop, lol.

[Anti-Johnny]

I ordered parts on Tuesday. Mostly from eBay though so I dont think they will be in by tomorrow.  I have most the weekend off, so I am considering doing the paint on the tank.

I ordered the replacement side cover advertised through the site. Not sure if he has put it in the mail yet, people seem to like the quality of his parts, so I am hopeful.

I may just try and clean the bike up some more. But I have been reading and watching videos on rattlecanning and painting in general. Since the bike will be down until I get the gasket, and maybe longer if I have to take a carb apart to get an O Ring replaced, I figure I will try my hand at painting.

this youtube video is pretty informative. I will be doing it with a rattlecan though.

Not sure yet if I will do a design or a solid color.

Once I have the carbs going better, I hope to get the front end off and boots, seals, and maybe bearings replaced. Hopefully do that next weekend.

Waiting on stuff to come in the mail is pretty lame.

--
here is a pic of the gasket that came off. It looks pretty swollen to me and it is a little out of shape. I couldnt get it to go back into the groove with the carbs still on the bike. Bowl is pretty clean though so I am optimistic about other parts of the carbs. Not prepared to do a rebuild yet.



--

[Really?]

Ordering parts is fun but can wear on the pocketbook. Good thing it is cheaper with this bike than buying a newer one.

The carbs on these bikes are super easy, at least to me. I had momma's out, cleaned and back in the same day.  Here are some good steps - http://www.salocal.com/sohc/tech/carb/carb.htm   The carbs on my bike are a nightmare.

Ahh cleaning.  I seem to do more of that then riding sometimes.  Mequires Cleaner Wax is some great stuff.  It will bring back the frame paint if it is not too bad.  The cheap Turtle Wax Chrome Polish works well on chrome.  Plastix is great on turn signal type plastic.  To get between the fins on the engine, you can get pipe cleaner brushes, cut the end off and stick it in a drill.  Keep your old toothbrushes, they are good for spreading mothers aluminum polish and scrubbing grease buildup in places you don/t want to scratch.

You get what you pay for with rattlecan painting.  I think its called spraymax 2k clear that you want to use for the top coat.  Your gonna spill gas on it when fueling.  It is fuel resistant from what I read.  But make sure your base coat and primer are compatible.

I got new sidecovers from LPM over in England.  I saw Frankendude's cover a day after I ordered the LPMs.  I would have bought his instead, cheaper.

Enjoy your new money pit/mistress.  haha