Author Topic: 1975 CB750 Build! "Kona" - Sold and gone. (Read 71241 times)

Ravie · « **Reply #200 on:** February 16, 2015, 06:46:04 PM »

I don't remember mentioning Corvairs. Maybe I did in my first post. I am a late model Corvair lover. I had a 65 that was fully rebuilt by myself that was the most fun car I've ever had. I sold it to make time for babies rather than garages. 140 bored 40 over, decked, a little bit hotter than stock cam, KB forged pistons, magnetic ignition, headers with stinger mufflers... It was one hot car. I sold it for about what I had into the motor alone.

Anyhoo...

Some things I have decided on that are a bit different than originally planned:

Dunlop K70 tires. Boring and vintage. Stock sizes. I was going to use the 16" Harley rim I have for the fatter tire but have officially decided against it. Too many people talk about it effecting the handling and the fat tires barely clearing the chain, etc.. The K70 is a classic tire with great reviews and I think it looks neat.

Handlebars: I'm doing clip ons. They'll be higher than the clubmans that came with my bike, but lower than even the renthal ultra-lows I talked about maybe going for. Part of the reason for this decision is because:

Rearsets: I'm going to get Devin/Cognito rearset brackets. Not sure what I'm doing for hardware there. Definitely not the 400 dollar ones they sell. I'm sure they're great but...youch.

For now I'm going to stick with stock wiring. I managed to fix my original wiring harness. I think the M-Unit is in my future but for now I'm going stock to keep my budget in check a bit.

I started to futz with my head doing some removal of the casting lines in the bores, etc.. but decided I don't really have the right stuff to get it done right...so I think (I'm waiting on a price list...) I'm going to send it to Mike Rieck and have him do his magic.

I'm gonna use the exhaust system I posted before. The one I painted black. If I find that the rear baffle plate is too restrictive, I'll drill the holes bigger. If I get rich I'll ditch it all and by a Mac 4-1.

I'm trying to decide if I want to stick with stock style coils or go for the Dynas. My plan is to get a transistor ignition from Mark and use good ol' points. I like the Dyna coil for it's ability to change plug wires. My plan is to run D8EA plugs.

A few issues I need to research more: I know it is said you need new sprockets with new chains...but my rear 48 tooth sprocket looks really good. grr. I've read some conflicting advice about this. I get that if your sprocket is worn that it could spell trouble for wearing in correctly with a new chain, but...I dunno. The front one needs changed...it's just nasty. Someone give me some definitive advice here! please!

I wasn't originally going to install the center stand. I am now. I've already wire brushed and sanded and painted it to match the frame.

That's all I've got for now. :-)

Ravie · « **Reply #201 on:** February 20, 2015, 04:51:03 PM »

It's funny, you know...the further I get into my build, the more stock it becomes, as I try to "trim the fat" on my budget.

To get running and riding I've decided to skip the rear sets and clip ons for now and go with stock bars. This will also allow me to use the original seat pan I have as well. I can upgrade later. I have to force myself to set my sights on what gets it running and reliable and worry about the fun stuff later, as I'm trying to keep my budget down (I keep saying that hoping it will come true...)

Are there other seats out there (or does anyone HAVE a seat...) that look better than stock...(I'm sorry stock bike lovers...but I am not a fan of the stock seats on these bikes) that are relatively cheap? I have a plastic seat pan I could use, I suppose I could bring it to someone to have them do foam and a cover.. I actually have the foam that came on the seat I have but the cover is in bad shape and it is not a stock pan or seat, so I can't just recover it with an off-the-shelf cover. If anyone has a decent seat kicking around I'd be interested in it.

:-)

Also, if anyone actually reads my thread...i'd appreciate some thoughts about sprockets in my above post.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #202 on:** February 20, 2015, 05:23:20 PM »

definately replace the front sprocket, that is the one that wears the most, fastest. A new chain without 2 new sprockets is definitely going going to wear faster than if you had replaced all three. I have swapped used stuff around between bikes to come up with a useable combination and the chain only lasts long enough to get by in this situation. The parts will eventually mate and the wear rate stabilizes, but you need to have some "meat" to start with. On one hand rear sprockets can be had for as little as $25. On the other, my guess is you would be good for 5000 miles or so just doing the front sprocket and good quality new chain.

Ravie · « **Reply #203 on:** February 20, 2015, 05:28:55 PM »

The only rear sprockets I've been able to find online are more like 40-50-60...

I understand what you're saying.

Then there's the other issue of...I've heard from Mark as well as others that the tooth cut on most new sprockets isn't the same as the old ones and it makes the chains louder, etc... So then I think...what's the best choice?

It should not be rocket science but....

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #204 on:** February 20, 2015, 05:41:34 PM »

You might be right on the price...I am now realizing I bought my last couple sprockets through a friend that worked at a Harley dealer for cost. The Hondaman stuff is true, but will not matter unless you are really gonna be a total chain maintenance stickler. I have found for mere mortals like me, a decent quality o-ring chain is the best bet. Don't run a badly worn front sprocket, period.
Just leave the chain sprocket issue til last and try and save as much as you can before then.

Ravie · « **Reply #205 on:** February 20, 2015, 05:44:33 PM »

I can dig it. I'll be definitely doing a new 17t front sprocket and a diamond chain. I may end up getting a rear sprocket, too. i found one online that someone was selling used/new for like 18 bucks. I think I just need to keep an eye out for those deals.

Ravie · « **Reply #206 on:** February 24, 2015, 08:47:20 PM »

Well, tonight I started ordering parts. I don't just mean a few...I mean all of them. I sent my head off to Mark in CO for porting and whatever else he thinks it really needs.

I only have a few things left on my list:

Good set of points/condensers (I was hoping for Diiachi Japan...)
The 15.5" Upper Brake Hose (no one seems to have one in stock.)
Blade-type Fuse block I will buy from O Reilly and adapt for use on the bike.

Ended up getting the Dunlop K70 tires in stock sizes.

Didn't really order anything "wow" except maybe for Dyna Coils and a Biltwell flip-visor full face helmet in flat black. Everything elsse was just....parts. lol

Oh, I also went for it and ordered the universal "cafe" style seat from Hong Kong today. I looked into getting mine redone or buying a used one...and they were all basically similarly priced. I really liked the style of the eBay one so I went for it.

A buddy of mine is fixing my side covers. After he finishes them I will bringing my tank and side covers to a local guy who owns an auto body shop to paint them Kona Coffee Metallic, which he's doing as part of the payment for buying my wife's wrecked 05 Pontiac.

P-r-o-g-r-e-s-s.

Ravie · « **Reply #207 on:** February 25, 2015, 05:33:12 AM »

Ah, lookie lookie what I found! TEC everything. Looks fairly newish... no pits or welding...

Sent from my mobile

Ravie · « **Reply #208 on:** February 25, 2015, 06:38:12 PM »

Meh, a little bit of welding/pits but not terrible... I cleaned them up a bit. Ordered new tec condensers to be safe.

Ordered a brand new Sunstar 48 t rear sprocket today. Found one very cheap. So I'll have new sprockets and a nice 100 link DID chain.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ravie · « **Reply #209 on:** March 01, 2015, 11:07:09 AM »

I'm sick of typing...so I made this video. Go watch it.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="

frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And yes, my garage is a complete clusterfack right now.

martin99 · « **Reply #210 on:** March 01, 2015, 12:30:59 PM »

Ravie I liked your video, your garage isn't cluttered it's just got character

I hope you don't mind if I comment on a couple of things. Firstly, that bearing you're not sure about. IIWM I'd replace it. If you spun a new one up next to it, even ungreased, you'd notice the difference. Could be that your old one will keep going for a good while, but engine stripdowns don't hold the same enjoyment for me as they used to so I tend to just replace everything while it's apart. Perhaps I'm OTT

Only other thing I would mention is the choice of tyre. Without turning this into a tyre thread, my experience of K70s is that they actually perform better in the wet than the dry, and I've lost the back end of my Norton - which wears a K70 rear purely for aesthetics - more than once on a dusty road. The compound is actually pretty hard, and they don't grip as well as one might think. Anyways, thought I'd mention it before you fit them, I'm sure others will have other ideas. Great stuff so far, I ain't got a lot of dough to spend on bikes myself so I appreciate where you're coming from.

Ravie · « **Reply #211 on:** March 01, 2015, 01:22:34 PM »

Yeah, down the road I'll probably switch to some Avons or Spitfires...I went a bit cheap, and they have good reviews. I'll just be careful on those twisties. It gets me rolling and it's better than the 30 year old tires that were on it...haha

I did a bit more cleaning of that bearing..not convinced one way or the other yet... I wonder how hard it is to press that off of there, and if I can do it with the bearing on the other side still on, since that one is nice and quiet.

Made a mount for that fuse thing. Well, working on it right now anyway. I just built a bracket that bolts where the original went out of an old piece of license plate I cut to fit. Good stuff.

I think my propane grill is eating up all of the oxygen cause I feel a bit "woo" when I come out of there. Probably not healthy...

stewonepot · « **Reply #212 on:** March 01, 2015, 01:26:51 PM »

Cheers Ravie
Interesting vid

I love other peoples gararges!
Regards Stew

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #213 on:** March 01, 2015, 04:22:13 PM »

Just my $0.02, but skip the Spitfires. I've run them and they feel like plastic pucks. The Roadrider's are much better. The BT45s are even better.

Ravie · « **Reply #214 on:** March 01, 2015, 04:43:41 PM »

Good to know! The roadriders seem to be pretty popular around here, so I'll probably do those in the future.

What about the Metzeler Lasertecs?

Like I said, I'm gonna stick with these K70's for the first go round, but I'll do something better later.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #215 on:** March 01, 2015, 06:01:26 PM »

I love Lasertec's and they are available in the correct 3.25x19 front and 4.00x18 rear...They are kinda pricey though...

Ravie · « **Reply #216 on:** March 01, 2015, 06:43:12 PM »

So, I realized that LED light was cool but it was just the equivalent of a single filament, so it wasn't going to work for tail light AND brake...so i brought it back and decided to just use the stock lens. It was in decent shape so I got out my buffing pad and some polishing compound and it looks pretty nice now. I'll use it for the time being...

How fitting that this photo ended up being picture DSCN1157.jpg in my camera. haha

Ravie · « **Reply #217 on:** March 03, 2015, 09:59:39 AM »

I think what it was with that one I spun was that it was completely dry and the cage was noisey. I hit it with a couple of drops of oil and it is utterly smooth and silent.
I'm gonna chance it. I found new bearings cheap but I can tell replacing them wouldn't be simple or easy. I honestly feel like that bearing is fine.

Sent from my mobile

Ravie · « **Reply #218 on:** March 04, 2015, 01:19:35 PM »

I will have a lot more to say later, but i wanted to share a really great resource I found and utilized.

Tom Tokarz at True Disc LLC does an AWESOME job with rotors. For less than 100$ including shipping he parallel flat ground it AND drilled it the way I wanted it.

He is a very nice guy. Even called before he did the job to talk about it.

I highly recommend his service.

Oh, and I'll be buttoning up the case halves today.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #219 on:** March 04, 2015, 02:20:21 PM »

Very nice. I wonder if he will thin them too, like Goddfrey. The only thing cooler are Cal's slotted and drilled discs.

Ravie · « **Reply #220 on:** March 04, 2015, 03:02:40 PM »

One more teaser?

Ravie · « **Reply #221 on:** March 04, 2015, 08:39:57 PM »

Spent a good part of the day organizing and then proceeding to build an engine.

Between Dean's video on shift linkage installation, Mark's book, and a clymer manual, i was able to get the case together, side covers on with their various wiring..

Only one freak out today when I couldnt find one of the clutch roller pieces, but my crazed persistance paid off and all was well.

Some obligatory pics...

Davez134 · « **Reply #222 on:** March 04, 2015, 09:03:15 PM »

Feels good when it starts to look like an engine again right!

Ravie · « **Reply #223 on:** March 04, 2015, 09:13:10 PM »

Hell yes it does. I didn't want to come in...I just wanted to stare at it. Lol

Restoration Fan · « **Reply #224 on:** March 05, 2015, 12:56:24 AM »

Very nice. If I could make one suggestion, you might want to take that cover off from over the shifter assembly once you get it back in the frame. It makes it much easier to snake the wires from the starter and the alternator through the little passage to where they'll connect over the front sprocket. Then you can just re-attach the cover.

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Author Topic: 1975 CB750 Build! "Kona" - Sold and gone. (Read 71241 times)