Topic: Terry's new new redneck K0 "Special"..........

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bill, it might sound like BS, but this engine is the sweetest stock CB750 engine I can remember owning, and I’ve had well over 20 since I bought my first one new in 1978. I’m running the Kokusan electronic ignition and Dyna coils with Bosch carbon leads as well, so with the much higher compression and fat blue spark it absolutely loves 98 RON fuel, and returns 45 miles per (imperial 4.54 litres) gallon, cruising at 70-80 MPH.

I haven’t tried to go any faster because it seems happy @ 4-5K RPM, and anyway, if I want to go faster I’ll ride one of my modern bikes that also handle and stop at higher speeds. I did have fun on my ride today when a fake Harley rider (dressed up in all the “Sons of anarchy” gear) blew past me as I was slowing to the legal limit as I rode into a little town.

I sat on his arse and as we got out of the town limit he pulled hard on the throttle of his Yama-Harley and was undoubtedly pissed off when I sat up his arse at highly illegal speeds. We got into some twisties and he wobbled and wallowed thru them, braking frantically, so I just cruised past him and showed him that his soggy mess of a bike was no match for an angry 750/4. I know I shouldn’t have, but it was fun. He stayed well behind me after that, having learned a valuable lesson......

[grcamna2]

Terry,that last post of yours reminds me a little of that Charley Daniels song 'Uneasy Rider' 

[PeWe]

Terry, have you measured the compression?
Like my cheap tester kit, ca 30-40cm hose, clock and various adapters.
The CI K7 +0.5mm pistons increased compression in my K2. It runs really nice. 
From max 140-150PSI with stock CI 61.0 mm pistons. Now 170- 180 PSI.

Compression test a good tool to verify all are equal and static compression vs cam overlap in a modified engine. Valve lash affect this too.

My K6 has around 200PSI and runs fine with Shell V-Power as my K2 and car also drink.
I do not know when pinging occur, if it will, a more overlap cam and/or thicker head gasket.

I have learned that Honda did not ensure equal chamber volumes. Seen different compression, later measured various volumes.
Engine must run better with equal chambers.
A good idea to measure all, if differ grind them equal. Maybe shave head a little  and/or use thinner MLS gasket too, 0.03".

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Per, no I've never bothered to measure the compression, but the domes on the CB77 pistons were so high in the little K0 combustion chambers I was more worried that something was gonna hit, like the 1428cc Kawasaki pistons did in the GPZ1100 head before I machined them down. I didn't build this engine for performance, but I think a combination of the high comp pistons, the electronic ignition, the Delkevic pipe, and (possibly) a little more duration from the K0 cam has given it a little more "oomph" than another stock CB750 engine.

K0 engine build 7 Nov 2020 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I had another great ride today. This was my first week back in the "Virtual Saltmine" (working from home) after a nice long break over Christmas, and was super-frustrating, due to some errors made by other folks in the defence supply line causing me some headaches that I didn't need. I've found that the older I get, the more difficulty I have accepting incompetence, so there were several occasions where I just wanted to get on one of my bikes and get some air in my face. I'd been thinking how much I'd rather be eating a pie at the Heathcote Bakery than watching what I say in various meetings and phone conversations too, so I'd decided that today, being one of the cooler days in our 4 day "Australia Day" long weekend would be a nice day to punt the old red beast on some of my favourite roads.

I had fun chasing that guy on his pretend Harley and overtaking lots of cars who were sitting on the speed limit, when I felt like I wanted to go a little bit faster. Luckily the cops were busy somewhere else, because I was a bit naughty at times. I did of course, take time out to take some pics of the old beast when I stopped to stretch my poor old back after a couple of big ruts in the road took their toll on my 60 year old bod. I might have the brain of a 21 year old, but my poor old broken body is paying the toll. Luckily for me, the K0 is a much more comfortable bike to ride than my more modern bikes. 

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Regardless, when I got to the bakery I conducted the now mandatory procedure, I bought my pie (steak and black pepper today, mnnnn!) and orange juice, and dropped a couple of anti-inflammatories before I ate my pie. The lady behind the counter laughed when I told her I'd been hanging out all week for a ride to the bakery, but was genuinely happy to think someone would ride 130 miles for one of their pies.

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 7 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I stopped for a pic in front of a place where I had a nice lunch pre-Covid-19, obviously the business was yet another casualty of the virus and the various lockdowns, it was quite sad to think that the poor folks who lost their business and their livelihood just walked away. I hope that they didn't lose everything.

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 8 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 9b by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Anyhoo, I had a great ride back, the only thing that pissed me off was that the day got hotter and hotter, and by the time it was in the 90's, even the ol' air cooled K0 was getting hot, and not appreciating the weather. It would have been much less comfortable on one of my modern water cooled bikes blowing hot air all over me like my ride to my old Ma's place a week or two ago, but I wasn't happy when we got stuck at a set of lights when a BMW car and a Ford Ranger came together, causing airbags to go off, but no injuries. All I wanted to do, once I'd checked that there were no injuries was to get the fcuk out of there and get some air over the fins on that 50 year old engine.

I finally got home, and the first order of business was to take the jacket, helmet, jeans and boots off, and to sit out in the shade under the canopy and celebrate my ride with a "Ginger Joe".

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 9c by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr







   

[PeWe]

Mmmmmm that's a ride!
I really look forward. I have to wait at least 2 months  more.

Those pistons look healthy!
Compression number very interesting to verify how much possible before pinging on best std fuel.
More really do a difference for more fun before running too hot and/or pinging.

I saw a really good front fender in my garage and verified it as the earlier for late K0-K1- early K2.
I need to find the other parts!
I have a beated up unrestored K1 bottom end, fresh K1 cyl w pistons and K1 head. NOS K1 rear fender.

K1 tank badges look really nice.

Need frame no 4, K1....

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I had fun chasing that guy on his pretend Harley and overtaking lots of cars who were sitting on the speed limit, when I felt like I wanted to go a little bit faster. Luckily the cops were busy somewhere else, because I was a bit naughty at times. I did of course, take time out to take some pics of the old beast when I stopped to stretch my poor old back after a couple of big ruts in the road took their toll on my 60 year old bod. I might have the brain of a 21 year old, but my poor old broken body is paying the toll. Luckily for me, the K0 is a much more comfortable bike to ride than my more modern bikes. 

Stay young at heart, Terry!!

[BenelliSEI]

Terry..... thanks for keeping us interested. I hit the shop today, planning for Spring! Stay well! John.

[Terry in Australia]

Mmmmmm that's a ride!
I really look forward. I have to wait at least 2 months  more.

Those pistons look healthy!
Compression number very interesting to verify how much possible before pinging on best std fuel.
More really do a difference for more fun before running too hot and/or pinging.

I saw a really good front fender in my garage and verified it as the earlier for late K0-K1- early K2.
I need to find the other parts!
I have a beated up unrestored K1 bottom end, fresh K1 cyl w pistons and K1 head. NOS K1 rear fender.

K1 tank badges look really nice.

Need frame no 4, K1....

Thanks Per, I'm building my K1 this year, and have slowly been gathering new and used parts for it. I scored a very tired, but original paint tank (so I know there's no bondo in it) on Ebay USA cheap last week, the Lesters that I was gonna use on my Z1 will now go on it as I have both Z1 OEM wheels now, and the front wheel has those magnificent cast iron drilled discs, so it should stop way better than my K0. I've got a new CycleX 849cc big bore kit, so I think I'll build another mild hotrod, albeit with stock paint scheme.

I've got two frames here, the one that hasn't been cut is 112XXXX which is way off my early engine number (106XXXX) so I'll have to check the other frame that's been modified to see what number it is, it'd be nice to have them both in the same ballpark.

[Terry in Australia]

Terry..... thanks for keeping us interested. I hit the shop today, planning for Spring! Stay well! John.

Thanks John, stay warm, and enjoy, it's gonna be over 100 deg F today, so apart from swapping out the K0's handlebars with the all NOS stuff (thanks to you) I won't be cruel and ride any of my bikes in this heat.

[71 V12]

As much as I want to keep it as original as possible, I'm less than impressed with the front brakes, so in the interest of safety I'm getting Hugh Robinson to make me a drilled cast iron rotor and mount it on a spare K0 carrier, and I've ordered braided lines. I know some of the rivet counters will probably cry "Heretic!" but once again, it's a rider, not a show bike, so no biggie.

Hi Terry, Have you considered going the dual disc route? Makes the bike usable even on our congested U.K. roads

[Terry in Australia]

As much as I want to keep it as original as possible, I'm less than impressed with the front brakes, so in the interest of safety I'm getting Hugh Robinson to make me a drilled cast iron rotor and mount it on a spare K0 carrier, and I've ordered braided lines. I know some of the rivet counters will probably cry "Heretic!" but once again, it's a rider, not a show bike, so no biggie.

Hi Terry, Have you considered going the dual disc route? Makes the bike usable even on our congested U.K. roads

Thanks mate, that's a beautiful bike! I've been doing the dual disc thing on CB750's for 40 years, and it's definitely an improvement, but the weak point is the OEM disc rotors themselves. Honda made some very pretty stainless steel discs that don't rust and are so hard they'll never wear out, but they're also mostly the reason why they don't stop well. One drilled cast iron rotor with braided brake lines will pull it up way better than the OEM ones, especially in the wet.

I'm going to fit my K1 (next CB750 project) with dual cast iron discs, braided lines etc, and it'll be almost as good as an early 80's bike. Not a patch on modern 4 and 6 piston calipers of course, but a little less "pants filling" in an emergency stopping situation. I was actually surprised yesterday that when the woman in a car in front of me decided to jump on her brakes rather than drive thru an amber light where there wouldn't have been any danger at all, I grabbed a big handful of brakes on the K0 and stomped on the rear brake, and actually pulled up pretty good. "Pretty good" isn't "Pretty great", but I was happy I didn't impale her Mitsubishi with my front end.    

[BenelliSEI]

Terry..... seen this?

[Terry in Australia]

Terry..... seen this?

Beautiful! There was a slightly tatty one for sale in Adelaide last month for $15K AUD, which I thought was very reasonable John, I've seen mint ones selling for twice that amount. I did think seriously about buying it, but decided that I didn't need to completely empty my bank account and risk being murdered in my sleep........

[BenelliSEI]

Terry..... seen this?

Beautiful! There was a slightly tatty one for sale in Adelaide last month for $15K AUD, which I thought was very reasonable John, I've seen mint ones selling for twice that amount. I did think seriously about buying it, but decided that I didn't need to completely empty my bank account and risk being murdered in my sleep........

No comment! I sent an offer on that Amen Chopper and dread explaining the need for another bike!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I had another great ride today. This was my first week back in the "Virtual Saltmine" (working from home) after a nice long break over Christmas, and was super-frustrating, due to some errors made by other folks in the defence supply line causing me some headaches that I didn't need. I've found that the older I get, the more difficulty I have accepting incompetence, so there were several occasions where I just wanted to get on one of my bikes and get some air in my face. I'd been thinking how much I'd rather be eating a pie at the Heathcote Bakery than watching what I say in various meetings and phone conversations too, so I'd decided that today, being one of the cooler days in our 4 day "Australia Day" long weekend would be a nice day to punt the old red beast on some of my favourite roads.

I had fun chasing that guy on his pretend Harley and overtaking lots of cars who were sitting on the speed limit, when I felt like I wanted to go a little bit faster. Luckily the cops were busy somewhere else, because I was a bit naughty at times. I did of course, take time out to take some pics of the old beast when I stopped to stretch my poor old back after a couple of big ruts in the road took their toll on my 60 year old bod. I might have the brain of a 21 year old, but my poor old broken body is paying the toll. Luckily for me, the K0 is a much more comfortable bike to ride than my more modern bikes. 

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I stopped for a pic in front of a place where I had a nice lunch pre-Covid-19, obviously the business was yet another casualty of the virus and the various lockdowns, it was quite sad to think that the poor folks who lost their business and their livelihood just walked away. I hope that they didn't lose everything.

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 8 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 9b by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Anyhoo, I had a great ride back, the only thing that pissed me off was that the day got hotter and hotter, and by the time it was in the 90's, even the ol' air cooled K0 was getting hot, and not appreciating the weather. It would have been much less comfortable on one of my modern water cooled bikes blowing hot air all over me like my ride to my old Ma's place a week or two ago, but I wasn't happy when we got stuck at a set of lights when a BMW car and a Ford Ranger came together, causing airbags to go off, but no injuries. All I wanted to do, once I'd checked that there were no injuries was to get the fcuk out of there and get some air over the fins on that 50 year old engine.

I finally got home, and the first order of business was to take the jacket, helmet, jeans and boots off, and to sit out in the shade under the canopy and celebrate my ride with a "Ginger Joe".

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 9c by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Okay Terry, the K0 definitely qualifies as a runner. I know you're not big on tooting your own horn, but I think it's BOTM material.  Hoping you'll accept the nomination.







   

[grcamna2]

I 2nd the nomination for Terry's K0

[Terry in Australia]

Well it's Saturday night as I write this drivel, the first half decent day in the last few, no rain after about 10am, so I started to form a cunning plan to go for a ride. Now my oldest boy (36) who was only going to be moving back in for a couple of months after he broke up with his previous girlfriend, got stuck here due to the Covid lockdowns for over a year, has finally leased a new apartment in Bondi in Sydney, overlooking the beach, so as I knew he'd be blocking the driveway with his Ford Exploder as he loaded all his stuff in, I'd intended to drive over to the self storage place and jump on the big blue Yamaha or VFR750 and go for a squirt.

The wife explained that no, big boy will wait for me to get home before he blocks off the driveway, so I can take the K0 out if I want to? I want to! The K0 just keeps getting better, it started right away with minimal choke, but did decide to dribble a little fuel while warming up, so I had to tap the float bowls with my big wrench to nip that in the bud. I think it was just trying to get rid of the 95 RON fuel I put in it last time. I presumed that the hot weather was making it a little cranky last week, but I think it was the fuel, because after I filled it up with Shell 98 this morning, after a couple of miles it just felt so much better. I rode on to Heathcote for a pie (I know, I know, "All Terry does is ride to Heathcote for a pie....") but what the hell, after a week of either no riding due to crap weather, or being stuck down the virtual salt mine, I'd been looking forward to it all week, and it really is a great ride, with a minimum of (yawn) freeway, and lots of twisties, fast sweepers, and opportunities to be a little bit naughty with the throttle hand.

I had a delicious "Beef and Shiraz" pie, my juice, and my anti-inflammatories, in the reverse order.

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I hadn't stopped for any pics so rode to a nice old building up the road from the bakery and took some.

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I was about to get back on the bike and go when I glanced at the odometer. That was kind of ironic, 1 mile per cc so far!

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Spotty, wonderful man-mountain that he is, had been working fervently to pull the DT1 engine out of the rusty frame so I can (hopefully) harvest some organs, so I rushed back to Melbourne, refuelling again (didn't need to, it only used around 13 litres for the 140 miles, but I wanted to further expel the dregs of the 95 RON muck and have a full tank for my next adventure, next weekend. Very happy though, it's now done 800 miles, which is a bit of a record for me, I don't think my K2 bitsa has done 800 miles on the 3 or 4 engines it's had in it since I built it in 2017.

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 7 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

My poor old boots have finally gone to God after almost 20 years. I was given them by a former employer and found them very comfortable, so always wore them, until the other day I realised that I've not just worn the tread off them, I've actually worn a hole through the sole.

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 9d by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K0 Saturday 23 Jan 2021 9e by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I supposed I could have bought a tube of "Shoe Goo" and patched the hole, but hell, this isn't a third world country, and anyway, I have more boots than Amelda Marcos. I ratted thru my wardrobe, and found this pair of actual motorcycle racing boots that I bought before I bought this house in 2001. I think there was a bike shop having a closing down sale not far from where I was working in my first job after I resigned from the regular army. Looking at the price tag, it was a very long time ago.

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 9 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Yes they're red, but what the hell, I was riding a red bike, so I was colour coordinated. Not particularly comfortable for walking any distance in, but fine for their intended purpose.

K0 Saturday 30 Jan 2021 8 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

And that was it. I rushed over to Spotty's place and had a yack, grabbed the Yamaha engine and some other bits, and tomorrow will do some work on the RT3, hopefully sorting the ignition issue. We'll see.........  

[PeWe]

Shell 98 = happy bike.
Even my K2 when using stock compression pistons ran better on Shell V-Power. More evenly.
I tested 95  in my K6 1000cc. It behaved like running leaner.

I always filled 98 or more back in 1979-90. Some countries 100.

[seanbarney41]

Love those red boots, Terry!

[BenelliSEI]

Terry...... can’t believe I sent you that set of switches, and two weeks later I stumble on a “sand cast”! Timing is everything!!! Good to see the K0 running so well. Enjoy.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Love those red boots, Terry!

+1

[Tintop]

Love those red boots, Terry!

+1

Those need a gold Nike swoosh to go with the K0 Terry.

[grcamna2]

Terry,you didn't get those boots from a fellow with no legs,did you?? 

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, the boots were in the box so long that the tissue paper stuck to them, and I had to peel it off in small pieces. I had another pair of boots that were new in the bottom of my wardrobe, but the rubber in the soles and heels had gone soft and gooey, so they went into the bin. I'd never seen that before? They weren't cheapies either.

The fuel thing is interesting Per, any brand of 98 RON fuel is fine, so I didn't think that 95 would make much difference, but it did, your thoughts about your bike feeling like it was running lean was very similar to mine, I thought the heat was making it overheat. Last ride it didn't like playing at the lights on my way home, and when I got home, I hopped off to open the gate and the engine conked out. It took several stabs at the starter button before it'd fire up again to ride down to the garage.

No such problems yesterday with Shell V-Power (used to be called "Optimax") on the way up, and Caltex Vortex 98 for the 15 miles back from the gas station on my way home. I stop at that gas station and fill it, so that by the time I get home I've used just enough fuel so that I can put the bike on the sidestand without fuel dribbling past the new cap seal, especially if it's parked in the sun.

My oldest boy left for the drive back to Sydney today in his recently re-commissioned Ford Explorer cram packed full of all his worldly goods and his old cat who thinks he's her husband, at the ungodly (on a Sunday) hour of 0730, so the wife woke me up to go say goodbye to him. I had no plans for today as I was expecting to help him load his car, so now I have to decide whether to put on my pretty red boots and go for another ride, or do some work on the RT3. Decisions, decisions......

[Trevor from Warragul]

I've been using 98 RON in all my bikes for years. I started to do this after I read an article where the author said it was a good idea, because those fuels are more refined, and therefore cleaner. I also add Lucas upper cylinder lubricant/fuel treatment, which definitely increases the MPG, and makes the bikes easier to start after weeks of inactivity.