Topic: I will never learn... (new stablemate for my CB750K1)

[Raul CB750K1]

Remember my "long whining post" about a CB350 twin I saw in an ad? I went yesterday to see it (70 miles from home) and though I didn't want to pay more than 100-120 euros for it finally I took the plunge and bought it for 200 euros.

The tank have many dings, the bike is oily and dirty, the handlebars are not stock (I believe), the chrome have surface rust and the bike have no title. But 200 euro is not bad for a RUNNING bike with 3000 miles and metzelers tyres with only a couple hundreds miles on it. It's a rara avis, imported from France with the tank warning sticker in french.

Frame number is CB350-4042817. I believe it is a CB350 K4, but can somebody identify year-month of manufacture? Does anybody have the part/shop manual?

Here you have some pics for the "before" and "after". This is a more affordable challenge than the "moss covered bike".

Raul



P.S. Terry, you've done a terrific work with that paint. I would love to send you some parts for you to paint, but I'm afraid that the shipping alone will exceed the buying price of the whole bike...   

[mcpuffett]

hi raul, that new bike of yours has lots of character  your going to be busy again  but you will enjoy it good luck mick.

[eldar]

This was news? We know you never learn!!
Godd luck on the new project and enjoy the smell of NOO  (new old oil)

[Raul CB750K1]

BTW, are those what you call "clubman" bars? I noticed it's hard to steer with them, I don't like them.

[eldar]

I think they may be clubmans. I have never used them and I dont think I would like them either. Not my cup of tea so to speak.

[Uncle Ernie]

Those are rare handlebars. For one year only a catalogue company named Lillian Vernon sold "clubman kits" for the home do-it-yourselfer. They got sued out of business by the estates of riders who went down while trying to steer.  I'm sure they'll maintain their value in the years to come. Don't restore them though- they're worth much more with the original patina.

So- how do you balance that bike like that?

[Raul CB750K1]

Uncle Ernie, I'm not balancing the bike in the last picture - actually it's running, that's why I posted it. To show that it runs.

After the initial euphoria I now think about it with less enthusiasm. It's true that for 200 euro I don't have much to loose, but I've realized that putting a bike back into good shape is harder and more expensive than rebuilding an engine. It's wiser to buy a seized bike that cosmetically looks OK than buying a runner that have lots of parts missing or in need of replacement. I bet you can do a complete overhaul on a CB750 engine for the price of a set of sidecovers...

Anyway, no turn back now. This week I'll take it to the gas station for a good water spray and degreaser. It will be easier then to determine what is needed. My plan is not to put it in showroom condition. I will use all the serviceable parts as long as they don't look crappy or I can't get a cheap replacement.

By surfing the web I finally have identified it as a CB350 K4, built in 1972. But there are some odd things. For example, both fenders (mudguards) are completely different to the ones used in the US models. I know it's a french model, but having the parts manual will definitely help as they list the different codes depending on the market.


Raul

[74cb750]

a little elbow grease, a little grease grease, oil the chain, and VIOLA! a "new to you" mc. Good luck with it. Parts should be easy to find as Honda sold thousands of these in the USA anyways. 

[bryanj]

ID book says its a 72/73 K4 and the Honda importer should be able to give you a build date, at a cost of course,  but probably no other details. One hint is NEVER work it hard till its warm or you will shatter the compression rings Also Good old Dave S seems to have lots of parts for them including NOS tanks last time i looked

[jaannaktin]

 

Raul-- 

Nice acquisition. Do you have any idea how old the tires are? The Metzelers seem to find you. I see you had put Metzelers on your 750, too. Not to digress too much, but any follow up on the performance of the front ME11 and the rear ME77 on the 750?

Jaan

[Raul CB750K1]

Hi Jaan. According to the seller, the tires are about two years old. He fitted them as he intended to use the bike (in the small village where it was, without intention of getting insured so only for short rides). Then he changed his mind. That's why I didn't mind to pay some more. I didn't looked at the manufacturing date -I will-, but I believe him as the rubber was soft and still had those little "rubber hairs" the new tyres have. Do you know those stickers tyres have, with the tyre size so you can read the size when they are piled up? The front wheel still have the remains of it on a sidewall (seems like the mechanic didn't put much effort in removing it) so that's a sign of an almost new tyre.

Regarding the Me11 and Me77 in my CB750 I'm VERY satisfied. They have a lot of grip and they feel very confident when turning. Only once I #$%* the pants when the rear wheel locked, but that's something I can't blame the tyre. Later, when browsing magazines, I've seen that 99% of the period bikes that appear on them -pictured lately- like Kawas Z1, BMW R90S and even Kawas H3 have the same tyre model, so it means some other users favor those Metzelers too.

It's strange, that while many touring riders favor Metzelers, they haven't had success in competition, as opposed to Dunlop, Michelin or Bridgestone.

[Raul CB750K1]

I cleaned it thoroughfully with the high pressure hose (and a previous spray of degreaser) and it looks much better now but still many parts have rust.

I've found that the tires were manufactured on Feb. 2000. Not too bad.

BTW, I found an odd thing. The rear sprocket seemed way too white. I checked it and... it is a f)(%/ing nylon sprocket! And it's cracked!!! Have you ever seen that before?