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Author Topic: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"  (Read 13748 times)

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Offline rafanomenon

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1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« on: March 01, 2009, 11:46:59 PM »
Hey All,

My name is Jason and I was born and raised in Seattle, WA. Don't know where my love for vintage motorcycles came from (I'm only 25), but I've got the bug and there's no stopping it... I got my endorsement at the ripe age of 16 and have been riding ever since. I'm still a relative newbie to this scene, but I'm learning and learning quickly. Still not confident enough to tear into the engine, but I'll get there eventually because new paint and polishing require a tear down  ;)

Bought October 2007 for $1100 cash. 18,000 original miles.






cleaned the carbs


new spark plugs


points look okay (along with coils, wiring harness, etc


oil filter, new oil




seat mods and rear end mods

I know how a picture is worth a thousand words, so I dumped a ton in this post. Enjoy!

I'm currently having some problems with diagnostics. Here is the post: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=47403.0

any help would be greatly appreciated! questions, comments, concerns - hit me!
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Offline Johnny5

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2009, 07:38:44 AM »
Nice progress. Keep up the good work.
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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2009, 11:15:18 AM »
Nice purchase, Jason. 
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2009, 04:10:00 PM »
about 4 weeks ago, i knew little to squat about bike repair. having to deal with issues, i feel i'm moderately educated on carbs (cleaning, jetting, needles, etc) combustion, coils, points, oil, brakes, etc. on top of cosmetic modifications. not bad for such a short time  ;)

i already want another one! 550K will be next... ahhh...
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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2009, 06:03:41 PM »
Jason,

Great looking blog, too.  Stay with the project.  You're going to have a kick-ass ride.
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2009, 04:42:35 PM »
Been making some headway on the bike. I've been keeping track of everything on my blog, but I'm also trying to stay consistent with posts on here. Just a few photos to show everyone where I'm at:

















Follow me here: rjrcreative.com/bike

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Offline rachet

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2009, 05:00:36 PM »
Jason,

The bike is looking Great!  You've got a great build going and I'm looking forward to seeing it finished!

Welcome to the forums!

Rachet~
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Offline Roach Carver

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2009, 07:21:49 AM »
welcome, looks like you are doing a nice, detailed job. keep the pics coming.
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Offline FunJimmy

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2009, 08:14:19 AM »
Jason

Excellent build! Your blog "rjrcreative.com/bike" is a great read too.

Thanks for posting it.

Cheers
FJ
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You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a psychiatrist's office!

CB550 Cafe Interceptor a Gentlemans Roadster
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Offline MosquitoJones

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2009, 12:14:19 PM »
Great job on the build.  However, I giggle everytime I see this thread, since "red rocket" is a euphemism for dog dick.  "Fido got all excited and showed off the red rocket."  Maybe change the name to Red Rocker?  :D
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Offline Roach Carver

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2009, 08:16:21 AM »
I like the euphemism and assumed it was intentional.  ;)
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Offline DollarBill

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2009, 08:59:50 AM »
Jason, that bike is looking really nice.  Keep it up! 

Very nice design work on your site as well!
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1975 CB750F Project Yellow Jacket - CBR600rr Swinger GSXR 600 Forks
1955 BMW R25/3, 1966 Honda CA160, 1975 CB400f, 1975 CB550, 1976 CB550

Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2009, 09:59:26 AM »
Oh, 'Red Rocket' is THEE only reason I'll be going with red for a final color scheme. I was going to go with 'Throbbing Dog Boner' but that'd be hard to explain to the paint shop.  :P

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm 5 weeks into wrenching. A rookie. A newbie. And probably will be for the next 2-3 years. I've got a great bunch of guys in the Seattle-area that took me under their wings. Great knowledge. Great feedback. And these forums... there's seriously a wealth of knowledge out there for any newbie to tackle a project. I'm already looking for my second one, so if anyone out there is selling a beat-up 350, I'm your guy!
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Offline MosquitoJones

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2009, 03:28:13 PM »
You should go with a more pink/purplish tone then  ;D
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'82 CB650, 65 CP77 Superhawk in chunks

Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2009, 11:04:01 AM »
Okay.. made some progress this past weekend and I forgot to update. Here goes!

It was my first attempt at seat upholstery, and I went into it with some help from Chris, a guy in my crew. We first started by drawing a template with some butcher paper i.e. grocery bags. after taping everything for mock-up, we brought the template to the fabric, made the cuts and started joint-sewing (terminology?)

The shape of the seat presented some problems as you'll see in the photos. there were some weird transitions, curves, and finding a place to tuck it under the cowel was going to be tricky. We later found out that we couldn't tuck it under the cowl because of the tail light mounting, so we decided to drill into the cowel and secure the cushion with rivets. Note: fasten the cowl and THEN cut. we made the mistake of doing it the other way around. we were a little short with not enough slack for the rivets. i think it still came out pretty damn good for the first go around.

we also cut the seat cushion, but didn't take the extra time to perfectly smooth out everything with a belt sander. i plan to go back and fill in the 'cellulite' with batting. should be good to go.

















I took it for its first spin this past sunday. first time on the road in 19 months. October 2007 is when i rode it home, and the last time the rubber met the road. i opened it up on the freeway and she screams REEEEAL nice. it starts choking for more gas around 7,000-8,000, so i plan on moving up to 125, maybe even 130 jets to run it nice and rich. the 45 slow jets and stock needle position work as is with the pods and cycle x pipe, so we're good on that front. after the mains are dialed, it's time to sync... and then scream some more.. stay tuned for more updates, or check my blog for more details: www.rjrcreative.com/bike
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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #15 on: April 02, 2009, 11:30:18 AM »
Nicely done, Red Rad Raf!  Your blog and your rocket kick ass.
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #16 on: April 02, 2009, 11:35:05 AM »
Haha thanks! I'm basically waiting for a sunny day with some rattle cans and wet sand to get the red on there... i plan on taking it to a shop for the polyurethane (or whatever they use) clear coat. gas drops eat the rattle can stuff right up!
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Offline Flying J

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #17 on: April 02, 2009, 08:58:48 PM »
Looking good man. I did a 78f in red like you are doing. Im moving on to my 550, and my name is jason also. You might be my evil twin. or vice versa. ;D
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Offline Ecosse

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #18 on: April 02, 2009, 09:10:43 PM »
adding my kudos here. and thanks for your blog too. i think these build journals are inspirational and informative. we can always more of both.

btw: red rocket, ever watch south park?  ;D
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Jagerbgger

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #19 on: April 03, 2009, 10:42:17 AM »
This looks Awesome! Very well done!
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Offline Flying J

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #20 on: April 04, 2009, 09:17:14 PM »
hey, so what pods do you have and what jets do you have in there?
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fuzzybutt

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #21 on: April 05, 2009, 12:48:05 AM »
sweet looking motorcycle! i bet i know what that tail light is off of, suzuki titan if i'm not mistaken. also meant to ask, how bad did it feel when you got your melon tattoed? i know how bad it felt on my wrists and hands, i cant imagine what it was like getting inked on my skull
« Last Edit: April 05, 2009, 01:27:57 AM by fuzzybutt »
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Offline Flying J

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #22 on: April 05, 2009, 08:56:10 AM »
Fuzzy im pretty sure that is just his hair.
see
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Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #23 on: April 12, 2009, 01:04:17 AM »
haha oh man... i haven't been following this thread that closely, and i come back to laughs. My hair is what happens when you give a drunk cousin some clippers. He did a damned good job ironically...

FFJMOORE: I'm following you on dotheton... check the reply on your 'rearsets' post  ;)

For everyone else, I'm running those cheapo Emgo pods. 45 slow jets and 135 mains. Note: I have the older K-model carbs on my '77... good riddance to those OEM carbs! What a pain to deal with...

Updates: As soon as the weather turns here in Seattle, I'll be giving molding and glassing a shot. Been wanting to give it a try for awhile after following a ton of other seat building posts. I also want to get a hang of upholstery too. Can't wait....

Lots to do as soon as the weather turns nice...

 
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Offline rafanomenon

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Re: 1977 CB750F Cafe Racer "Red Rocket"
« Reply #24 on: April 17, 2009, 02:52:09 AM »
The Backfire Moto Night gave me a ton of inspiration (check my blog), so I spent a little free time today in Photoshop mocking up what my bike will be turning into within the next couple months. I’m getting a seat, battery tray and oil tank from Benjie. I was going to give glassing a shot, but after much deliberation, I feel that this combo will definitely nail the look I’ve been going for, and will save me a ton of time and money spent on repeating the glassing process. Who knows - maybe this new look will set my bike apart from the rest and move towards a show quality cafe racer?! Here’s where I'm going in the next couple months (damn i love photoshop):

    * New seat and oil tank from Benjie (in progress)
    * Remounted battery and electronics under seat pan/rear cowl
    * New tach and speedo
    * Clip-ons
    * New headlamp and mounting ears
    * Dyna-S electronic ignition & coils with red spark wire (in transit)
    * Yamaha R6 rearsets with welded brackets and custom linkage (in transit)
    * Reservoir shocks (getting a pair from a buddy for $100)
    * Shaved tank with kneedents
    * Gloss black paint with gray accents

I don't think I'll be going the "red rocket" route, but will probably throw in some red accents or pinstriping when all said and done.

The Future:


Now:


During (barf):


When I bought it:


Full-size pics on my blog: http://www.rjrcreative.com/bike/

It's been a long and fun journey  ;D
« Last Edit: April 17, 2009, 03:00:09 AM by rafanomenon »
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