Hi everyone, I was a member of the old SOHC/4 site about 10 years ago when I had a ’74 CB550, but at the time I was getting into the more modern bikes and sold it. Now that I’ve just passed the magical half-century mark in age, my interest in the classic CB750s has been renewed. I already have a few classic Japanese bikes I acquired in the last few years, including a ’77 Yamaha RD400, a ’78 Suzuki GS750 and a ’78 Suzuki GS400. Last year I bought a new Honda CB1100 which I love, but that bike had the interesting side effect of renewing my interest in the original CB750s. I knew I wanted an earlier one, preferably a ’70 or ’71, but, as I’m sure you all are aware the prices of those are reaching pretty crazy levels lately.
Last week a ’72 K2 showed up in the local classifieds so I called the owner and asked some of the usual questions like what does the inside of the tank look like? Does it run? Does it have a title etc…The ad said Make An Offer and I know a friend of mine had already offered $1400 which was rejected. I offered him $1675 and he countered with $1800 and we settled on $1750. That seemed about right on the market for one of these with ‘needs,’ but still I suppose I might’ve overpaid, I’m sure you’ll all let me know if I did! Then again, it’s the only early(ish) CB750 I’ve seen pop up locally in years, so I figured what the heck. I kind of did a quick mental pro/con evaluation as I was looking at the bike and these were some of my thoughts:
The bike has some issues including rusty tank inside – although the exterior of tank is solid even on the bottom – and the exhaust has some small rust through spots on the bottom of some of the mufflers. I have no problem replacing them with replicas if it comes to that. Oh, and each of the fenders has a shallow little gouge on them, kind of a shame as they’re very nice otherwise. The bike also has these funky lower links bolted onto the rear swingarm which lays the shocks down at more of an angle, but fortunately they appear to be totally bolt-on and easily removed. Another drawback is the rear wheel isn’t original; it looks like one of the so-called ‘Harley’ conversions which I believe is bolted to the stock hub (correct me if I’m wrong, please). And of course the Vetter fairing with the broken windshield, which I’ll be giving away for freebies to anyone who is able to pick it up once I remove it (rear rack too if you want it). I believe I will have to locate a stock headlight ring, possibly headlight too and also stock turn signals if the ones on the Vetter turn out to be incorrect. And I’m sure those items will just be the beginning of parts needed.
Despite all that, the bike did have some good positives including: 1.) Relatively low miles at 19k. 2.) Bike was registered and ridden up until about 2007. 3.) It runs! Seller had it hooked up to a fuel bottle and was able to start it for me. It was running a little rough, possibly not firing on all cylinders, but the motor didn’t make any weird noises or rattles I could make out. 4.) Other than the period mods bike hasn’t been hacked or messed with and is still pretty much stock. 5.) Other than the rust inside the tank, the rest of the bike is surprisingly rust and corrosion free. I couldn’t even find any of the engine paint that was missing or flaked off, very clean for the most part.
I’m still thinking about a restoration strategy, but I will being doing a stock-style resto with possibly some minor, year dependant variations. In any event, I still have to go through all the mechanicals of the GS750 first, so it will be a while before the CB gets any love. Still, I thought it would be good to introduce myself, and I still do have a couple of questions to ask. Sorry for the lengthy introduction, sometimes I just can't shut up when I'm excited about a bike! Here’s a photo taken by the seller as I won’t be picking the bike up until this Thursday (tomorrow).
