Author Topic: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild  (Read 49915 times)

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Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #25 on: November 29, 2012, 08:14:26 AM »
I built four CB400F's and sold them. Working on a new one (my fifth) but this will be a stock restoration and I am going to sell it too.
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline SF

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #26 on: December 04, 2012, 12:13:11 PM »
hope you can save em.
92 wr250 sold
98 zx6r sold
04 zx10r
73 cb350 twin
75 cb550f
75 cb550f
72 r5c
rgid springer bobber project

Offline iron_worker

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #27 on: December 04, 2012, 01:52:45 PM »
Do you have customers already lined up willing to buy or do you just build em and hope to make money?

Or do you make any money? lol I know I probably would never make money on the amount of money I'll have in it when I'm done ... though I would never sell it either so doesn't really matter.

IW

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #28 on: December 04, 2012, 02:26:32 PM »
Restoring and building old bikes is a hobby and therapeutic for me. I do not have customers lined up but I sell my Hondas to help fund my British bike habit. Eventually I would like to keep one. I do make profits from my projects, but I put so many hours into them and my hourly wage works out to be low. I do this for fun.

I like to have a daily rider (my Triton) in fine tune and ride whenever I can and also have a bike to work on when the weather is bad, late at night and over the winter. It is a passion/obsession of mine to restore an old bike to new or better than new condition and then ride them hard as they were designed. I have no interest in "mummifying" old bikes so the can sit in someone's collection, garage, living room, etc gathering dust and never ridden. With patience and experience I have learned to pick the right bike project at the right time and right price. I could not pass up several CB400F's when they were priced $50 to $100. My fifth CB400f which I bought two weeks ago was $400 titled plus 6 hours of driving and a blown trailer tire. I am leaning towards doing a full stock restoration then selling it this spring. Also on the winter list beside the 1975 CB400F restoration and this 74 CB750, is a cafe'd 1975 KZ400, and finally finish pouring money into my 1962 BSA Gold Star restoration. Next summer I would like to start on another British bike, perhaps an A10 BSA, mid 60's triumph Bonneville or Tiger or an 850 Norton Commando.
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #29 on: December 06, 2012, 08:20:44 AM »
I had the crankcases cleaned in at a local machine shop to remove the residual oil before handing them over to my welder. He is going to start on them tonight and is confident he can save them.



I also cleaned the lower end components, cylinder and head and carefully measured the crankshaft journals, bearing tolerances, piston gudgeon, cylinder bore, rings etc. No surprises and everything is well within factory specification. 




The pistons were soda blasted and washed. They have some slight pitting on their tops, but nothing too deep and no scoring on their sides and they measure to factory spec.


This is good news and confirms the motor has low mileage and is in good condition (beside the gaping hole in the crankcases) underneath all the dirt, grease and oil. If my welder finishes this weekend I should be able to prep, prime, paint and heat cure the crankcases and cylinder. Once my new piston circlips arrive, I will rebuild the motor. I am however going to wait to work on the cylinder head until my machinist friend returns and we can accurately measure the valve guides. Stay tuned….
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline iron_worker

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #30 on: December 06, 2012, 09:40:39 AM »
I am staying tuned!

Great build thread. Love your attention to detail.

IW

Offline jerry h

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #31 on: December 06, 2012, 09:31:58 PM »
Really enjoying your thread!  Sorry to see your cracked cases - bought a dirt bike when I was growing up with that same little JB weld secret >:(      Hope there's good news from the welder.
"It is not the critic who counts, the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose hands are covered with grease and oil."

K2 http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,105097.0.html

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #32 on: December 07, 2012, 08:04:31 PM »
Thanks all. Cases were welded tonight, all good! Full story and images tomorrow.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2012, 08:10:18 PM by swan »
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline Garystratos201

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #33 on: December 08, 2012, 08:40:28 AM »
Good job.....................Gary
Visit my build project;
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=111620.0

Current ride; Bass boat.... 2005 Ranger 521VX,250 hp Mercury Verado, super charged and direct fuel injected. Not a bass on the lake can out run me !!!

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #34 on: December 09, 2012, 09:47:08 AM »
Thanks again.

Case update; My friend Pat worked his TIG magic and saved my crankcases. I thoroughly cleaned the broken area with acetone and carb cleaner and later had them cleaned again at my machine shop. He tacked welded in some large pieces of aluminum with 4043 aluminum tig wire, wrapped them in insulation and let them cool over night.



The next day he finished laying a bead around the tacked pieces following a template I made from another CB750 case we had at the shop. He used a piece of carbon to fill the hole in the top halve of the cases so I would not need to re-drill it.



We wrapped them in insulation and allowed them to cool overnight. I ground, filed and sanded the excess weld to match the rest of the crankcase. Ideally this should have been milled, but I did it by hand using straight edges and a flashlight to carefully remove the excess weld to the correct level. The cases mate perfectly, I drilled and tapped a thread in the lower case and now need to find the time to clean, prep, prime paint and heat treat them.


It ain't pretty, but will do the job and is much better than the beer can/JB weld patch that was there before.

While my cases were being repaired I cleaned, soda blasted,washed, tacked, primed, painted and heat cured the cylinder cover, cylinder barrel and oil pan. I used a light mist of Duplicolor high heat primer,  and Duplicoler high heat aluminum 1615 and gloss paint 1613, dried over night then 45 minutes in the oven at 150, 200 and 300 degress F with a cool down period between each bake. I find this works well and makes the paint very durable and resistant to gas, oil and solvents. The pieces look great and I cannot wait to paint the cases and start going clockwise. Stay tuned.



1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline SF

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #35 on: December 09, 2012, 01:25:52 PM »
HOLY CRAP! THAT LOOKS GREAT!! SUN LIGHT SHOT NEEDED
92 wr250 sold
98 zx6r sold
04 zx10r
73 cb350 twin
75 cb550f
75 cb550f
72 r5c
rgid springer bobber project

Offline iron_worker

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #36 on: December 10, 2012, 06:57:46 AM »
Agreed. That looks great!

IW

Offline Garystratos201

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #37 on: December 10, 2012, 07:02:15 AM »
Very nice......Gary
Visit my build project;
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=111620.0

Current ride; Bass boat.... 2005 Ranger 521VX,250 hp Mercury Verado, super charged and direct fuel injected. Not a bass on the lake can out run me !!!

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #38 on: December 12, 2012, 07:09:24 AM »
Thank you! Finished painting the crankcases and plan to bake them tonight. They look much better! The trick is to get them very clean and take the time to prep and tape everything well. Priming and painting is relatively quick. I have some travel this weekend and cannot work on my bike. No hurry, snow is here and spring is many months away... Stay tuned.


1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline SF

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #39 on: December 12, 2012, 09:01:05 AM »
that looks realy good! going to look better than new when she's all back together.
92 wr250 sold
98 zx6r sold
04 zx10r
73 cb350 twin
75 cb550f
75 cb550f
72 r5c
rgid springer bobber project

Offline iron_worker

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #40 on: December 12, 2012, 11:58:56 AM »
Nice. I hope to be at this stage fairly soon.

IW

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #41 on: December 12, 2012, 03:58:54 PM »
I'm close to getting there, too.
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 swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #42 on: December 13, 2012, 05:15:35 PM »
Cases heat cured, parts, gaskets, seals, tools, proper lubricants gathered, but NO time. I plan to start going clockwise on Tuesday.

weapons of mass construction...
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline mwvachon

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #43 on: December 13, 2012, 06:15:32 PM »
So I'm NOT the only one who's coming across the damaged case next to the drive sprocket!
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=108498.new;
I now have two K1 engine cases headed to the scrap pile. Fortunately I had 2 other salvage motors. The next in line was a K2 unit and it looks fine in that area.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2012, 06:18:43 PM by mwvachon »
M.W.Vachon
2014 CB1100 Deluxe
1999 Valkyrie I/S
1971 CB750-K1 (Candy Gold)
1971 CB750-K1 (Candy Red)
Project link: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=108498.0]
1965 Honda S90
1976 GL1000
1975 CB400F

Offline Retro Rocket

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #44 on: December 13, 2012, 06:44:41 PM »
There are plenty of examples of damaged cases on these old bikes, actually, with the crappy chains that were on the bikes from new it wasn't that surprising. Don't throw the cases, they are no that hard to fix. In fact, if you plan on throwing them away, why not give them to someone who can fix them....
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #45 on: December 23, 2012, 08:54:05 AM »
Thanks guys, I hate to throw anything away without at least trying to fix it.  A snowstorm bumped me back a few days but I am finally going CLOCKWISE!! I made some time yesterday to work on my bikes including my lower end of the CB750K4.

I ground the repair welds to fit the gears on the layshaft and checked to see if the drive sprocket would not hit the repair. After much grinding and test fitting, I got it right and meticulously cleaned the cases (again). Here we go with lots of images:


Blank canvas


Partial layshaft


Layshaft complete





Gear selector spindle


Cam chain guide


Kick start assembly


liberal use of engine assembly lube


crankshaft, drive and cam chains and drive shaft are now in

Tonight I plan to double check everything and install the top half of the crankcase, pistons and cylinders. I need to wait on my cylinder head so I will paint and polish the side, stator, chain and clutch covers.

Good news/bad news on my cylinder head. I met with my machinist friend and we measured the inside of the valve guides. The intake valves and guides are good and within factory spec while the exhaust guides are worn. Hmmm.... all new guides and valves or just the exhaust??? I am going shopping, stay tuned...
« Last Edit: December 25, 2012, 10:07:10 AM by swan »
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #46 on: December 24, 2012, 07:30:08 AM »
Lower end is buttoned up:


Bolts torqued to factory spec


Yamabond semi-drying gasket material between upper and lower crankcase halves


Starting look like a Motor. I will install the pistons soon and am ordering new valves and guides.
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0

Offline 70CB750

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #47 on: December 24, 2012, 07:37:16 AM »
Pure porn, man!
Prokop
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Pure Gas - find ethanol free gas station near you

I love it when parts come together.

Dorothy - my CB750
CB750K3F - The Red
Sidecar


CB900C

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Offline FrankenFrankenstuff

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #48 on: December 24, 2012, 08:07:17 AM »
looooooking goooooood. Your "starting to look like a motor" pic is my new screensaver.

Offline swan

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Re: 1974 Honda CB750 K4 Cafe Racer rebuild
« Reply #49 on: December 27, 2012, 06:49:59 AM »
Thanks guys. Quick update with few words but lots of images for reference.  The gear change mechanism is in and the tranny shifts smoothly through all the gears. Next the cylinders block went on last night and I finished, cleaning, prepping, painting and heat treating the clutch and chain covers. New circlips for the pistons and used my high tech specialty ring compressors (two hose clamps), plenty of oil and the block went on easily on the first try. Looking more like a motor. Ordered guides and valves today.







I kept them in order when removed.


All good


new gasket, o-rings and o-rings underneath the cylinders


New circlips for the piston gudgeons



Yeah.



Polished the cover with #0000 steel wool and Mother"s Polish

Next up will be the carnage of my rotor stator cover, oil filter cover and finishing polishing my transmission cover, stay tuned...
1975 CB400 F cafes, 1974 CB750 K4 Cafe, 1966/1976 Triumph/ Norton Triton Cafe and 1962 DBD34 BSA Gold Star Clubman.

CB750 build http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=52551.0