Hey guys,
I had planned to document the beginning phases of my build more thoroughly (like the putting together of the shop and the stripping down of the bike) but as you know ... sometimes things fall by the wayside.
Some background: My dad had a few different CB750s when he was young and loved them. They were always the bike that stood out in his mind. When he got married and had kids the bikes had to be sold ... but down the road my mother made him a promise that if he quit smoking then he could buy a bike. So he did. He bought a 1974 CB750 K4 (some time in the late 90s as I recall). It was great! ... Except for the part where it was in and out of different mechanic shops and none of them could get it to run like he remembered. It ran good enough for him to enjoy so it never went beyond that.
Sadly, in september of 2007 he passed away and we all still miss him dearly. The bike was passed on to me as the only son and the only one with any interest in riding. I rode it as is until this year. I've know graduated with my Mechanical Engineering Degree and have a job and a bit of money that I feel it's time to get it running right and looking good.
I rebuilt the carbs, synced them, did a 3000mile tune up, and replaced the exhaust with a reproduction set from CMSNL.com. This summer it looked like this:
And sounded like this:
Fast forward a few months... I've been planning away and saving my money to create the ultimate "Man Room". I own a 3rd floor condo and it won't be changing for the next few years since my gf has gone back to get her law degree. Soooo .... I had to make do. I laid plastic over the carpet, plywood over that, and then some diamond pattern rubber matting. I added a craftsman workbench with pegboard and cabinets and roll-away tool boxes that fit underneath. I also put in a full height cabinet and an open shelf. See for yourself...
Yes that's a 20gallon parts washer...
The old girl stripped down... got it up the stairs with the wheels and fenders on but it wouldn't fit around the corner into the room! D'oh! So I had to strip it down to this before it would make the corner. ha
I'm a bit worried about the electrical nightmare.
Some parts and junk.
Can a guy buy new chrome edging for the seat? I had my seat recovered and it's in relatively good shape other than the chrome edging.
Repro exhaust... Are old rusted out 4into4s worth anything?
Rebuilt carbs. Can a guy have these soda blasted as is? Will it hurt anything?
Some progress I've made in some basic cleanup... the inside of the headlight "ears" were completely rusted out. Soaked them in vinegar for a couple days and gave them a gentle scrub. Voila!
Before.
After. Think it's salvageable? I think that lip is where the rubber seal is supposed to sit.
That brings us up until now...
The plan: is to bring it back to looking and feeling pretty much factory. I want experience what my dad raved about. This will likely include:
-Engine rebuild (replace pistons if cylinders are out of spec, otherwise just hone and new rings, all new gaskets, etc)
-Abrasive blast the frame, battery box, odds and ends and PC
-Rebuild the shocks
-New wiring harness
-Rebuild brakes front and rear
Clean up and make nice as much as possible where money allows.
I had considered going ballz out on a big bore, lightened crank, lightened alternator, oversize valves, etc etc etc ... but the cost was escalating very quickly and I think the bike is just to special to me to mod it like that. Guess that just means I'll need to do another one after this one! lol
Let me know what you guys figure and any inputs are greatly appreciated. I'll try to update more regularly now that the project is moving.
IW
