Author Topic: Project Black Hornet - 1974 CB750k4 (Read 8041 times)

Blueknight105 · « **on:** August 01, 2009, 08:49:35 PM »

Hi all...wanted to first introduce myself and my '74 cb750k. My name is Bryan and Ill try to keep it to the 'Readers Digest' version of how I got my '74 cb750.

Back in October of 2008 my dad gave me his '74 cb750k with about 10800 miles on her. She has a production date on her of December 1973. He bought her off the showroom floor in the spring of '74. He stopped riding her back in 1985, drained the gas out of tank and carbs and stored it in the garage ever since.

I got her trailered to my house and gave her a good look over. Even though she sat in a covered garage with a blanket over her for the past 23 years or so, I knew I had a big project on my hands. I realized right away it was going to take quit a bit of time and money to get her on the road again.

I took a few days to think about what to do with her and decided to keep the frame stock and work around that. I thought of a cafe style but wanted a unique look.

I knew I needed expert or not so expert advice to get me going so I started my project by searching the internet for someone who might know Honda motorcycles quit well and contacted a good guy via the internet who goes by the title of 'Mr. Honda'. Thanks to him he steered me to this SOHC website / forum.

I consider myself mechanically inclined and can follow directions so I started reading posts of others who had experienced the ups and downs of working on a bike that has been around so many years.

I thank all of you from novice to expert for all the knowledge you guys / gals posted. If it wasn't for this forum I don't think I would have been able to take on such a project myself. Ok enough a$$ kissing!

I began the project in November of 2008 after spending about a month gathering up as much info as I could. I downloaded and printed all the manuals etc from SOHC forum and put it in book form.

I began taking pics of everything from removing the first nut / bolt to the almost completed bike.

I had planned on doing a progress build since I liked the idea of building the bike and keeping everyone posted on the website of the progress throughout. I didn't want to let too much time go between updates so I gave myself a 2 month head start. I figured this way I could keep the pics and updates coming on a consistent basis.

I had taken about 40 to 50 pics over the first 2 months and was getting ready to start the progress thread under the project forum.

The bad news is I still am not sure what happened but I downloaded the pics to my computer from my digital camera. It appeared the pics were saved ok so I went ahead and deleted the pics from the digital camera. HUGE mistake...the pics seem to be there on the computer but they are no good and for some reason a SNAFU occurred. Consulted with a computer guy and Im SOL. I was so pi$$ed...not just for the forum but no proof of all the fu@king work I did on stripping her down to the frame, tearing the engine apart and for the most part, putting everything back together with NOS / aftermarket parts.

I still continued to take some pics but I figured I would never bother posting any of the progress or the project itself.

A friend of mine who is big on motorcycle and auto forums talked me into posting the pics I do have. I know...so much for the readers digest version.

So I will begin posting the pics I do have...

Here is a pic of the bike with the gas tank off...I took this pic a day or so after I got her home. I pulled the tank to clean her out and recoat it.

I used POR-15 and I was happy with results. More pics to follow...

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 01, 2009, 09:03:40 PM »

I forgot that I had taken some pics that were 'saved' to the main memory of the digital camera so here are a couple of them. These two are of the left side and right side of the stripping down process. Ill be posting more real soon...

Hush · « **Reply #2 on:** August 01, 2009, 09:34:35 PM »

Dad was a rocker in his day by the look of it, welcome and happy wrenching.

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 02, 2009, 05:22:13 AM »

Hi Hush...yeah you could say that...he had planned on stretching out the front end and turning her into a chopper.

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 02, 2009, 05:39:00 AM »

Here is a pic of the original rusty and crusty rear wheel...

Here is the new rear wheel that I laced up. Its a 16" Harley rim laced to the original Honda hub. I was lucky to pick up a set shorty spokes from a company who went out of business. They found the set in their warehouse that had been sitting in original packaging since 1975.

Here is the new front wheel. I bought a NOS front rim with NOS spokes and used the original front hub. I polished the front hub as best I could on a buffing wheel.

Here is the completed rear wheel. I picked up a set of Avon AM21's for the rear from Dennis Kirk. Best price I could find anywhere. Had to take it to a shop to get it mounted.

And finally here is the new front wheel mounted on Avon AM20's also from Dennis Kirk.

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More pics to come soon...

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2009, 08:21:39 PM »

I thought I would post a few pics of her back in her glory years. The first one is back in summer of '74 when she was only a few months old. Unfortunately these are the only pics I could find for now and it happens to be me on her when I was 3 yoa. The next is a year later in 1975 after my dad made some changes to her.

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 03, 2009, 08:56:58 PM »

Well Ill start posting the rest of the pics I have including the ones I recently took or her now complete.

Here are a few pics of the motor once I got it back together and ready to go. Since the anodizing was peeled and worn away on most of the aluminum pieces I decided to use aircraft stripper and just strip and sand every piece. I used etching paint along with high temp paint and repainted her from there.

I took a sanding block and lightly sanded the fins of the motor to bring out the original aluminum finish and give it a different look. I used VHT aluminum colored paint to paint the rest of the motor.

I purchased new carb insulators and installed them. The cam chain and tensioner are in good shape and I guess they should be for the only 10800 miles.

I purchased all NOS screws for all the exterior pieces of the motor, which I think really makes a difference.

The frame was in good shape with very minor areas of surface rust. I hand sanded the frame and repainted it.

I removed the center stand and you'll see why in future pics.

Ill have more pics tomorrow...

Dave-and-his-550 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 03, 2009, 09:02:37 PM »

Engine looks great. I'm in the process of repainting my 550. I ordered VHT black for the block and their aluminum for the rest of it. What brand of etching primer did you use? VHT doesn't make a hi temp one, and I couldn't find a hi temp etch primer at any store...

Did you spray the parts down with a cleaner before you painted? What did you use?

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 03, 2009, 09:18:54 PM »

Once I stripped and sanded down the parts I rinsed em really good in water then soaked em in Simple Green degreaser...the heavy duty stuff and rinsed em good in water and a sponge. I used a heat gun to dry em and let em sit for a day or so just to be safe.

I couldnt find high temp etching paint so I bought a few cans of it at the local parts store and sprayed just a few light coats in hopes it would make a difference. I didnt wait too long after the etching paint to start painting with the hight temp paint since etching paint dries very quickly. I carefully used a heat gun as soon as I finished painting to try and cure it a bit...since Im not an expert I dont know if that really made a difference or not. Ive had the motor running a few times now and noticed no peeling, flaking etc...I guess we'll see how it goes.

Dave-and-his-550 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 03, 2009, 11:21:53 PM »

Quote from: Loco4my750 on August 03, 2009, 09:18:54 PM

I carefully used a heat gun as soon as I finished painting to try and cure it a bit...since Im not an expert I dont know if that really made a difference or not. Ive had the motor running a few times now and noticed no peeling, flaking etc...I guess we'll see how it goes.

I kind of wonder about this...I thought I might use a heat gun also to cure because I don't think I'd be able to get the engine back together and running in time. But the question is...IS there a time limit for curing the paint? Say, after 3 days you get the engine together and run it, wouldn't the paint cure then anyway?

scunny · « **Reply #10 on:** August 03, 2009, 11:35:41 PM »

mine was 2 months from painting to runnig cure, no problems at all

Hush · « **Reply #11 on:** August 04, 2009, 12:28:43 AM »

Yikes!! Dad wasn't a rocker..he was a butcher!!!

From mint new stock 750 to something out of a biker movie, I'm glade you are turning it into something different ha ha...........

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 05, 2009, 06:31:31 AM »

I figured I would leave the painting of the tank and side covers to the professionals. I have an aquaintance who manages a body shop. I just happened to be talking to him about my Honda 750. We got to talking and he asked if I wanted him to, he would strip down the old tank and covers and repaint them for cheap. Well I never trust anyone who just uses the word 'cheap' but he had his paint guy strip them, prime them, paint them and coat them all with PPG primer, paints and clear, all for only $120. bucks US...I say that is a pretty good hook up!

I believe he shot it with 3 coats of paint and 2 coats of clear. He found and used a color off of a Honda vehicle but I do not know what make or model or what they call the color. Its a high gloss black shot with a blue pearl metallic. The blue pearl stays dormant until the sun hits it. You can see the blue come out in these pics. You can also see the new handlebars I bought for her.

I just attached these photos to the reply so you'll have to click on the attachments.

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 05, 2009, 06:44:57 AM »

I took the original seat to a guy I know. He works at a shop where they do mostly custom interior work for classic cars. He charged me $100.00 to reshape the foam and recover the original seat. I learned a lesson about giving something to someone and telling them to run with it instead of being a bit more specific as to what I wanted. I gave him a pic of the original bike and told him my vision of what I was going to do her and told him to come up with something and this is what I got. The stitching, design and shaping was his idea...to me it doesnt look that bad but not exactly what I was looking for. Oh well...Ill probly pick up another used seat and have him redo it later.

The front of the seat is to the left.

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 06, 2009, 11:22:23 AM »

Here are a couple more pics of the bike. In these pics I have the left and right handlebar switch wiring ran through and the handlebars put back on.

The speedometer and tach are back installed. I rebuilt the brake master cylinder and brake caliper. I used Rustoleum automotive paint on the master cylinder and caliper as well as the front brake disk cover. Leaves a real nice high gloss finish. The front turn signals are installed. I picked up a new pair of shorty shocks to lower the back end and to get rid of the gap between the rear fender and wheel.

By the way I dont know if it has ever been mentioned anywhere in the forum but I used Oxalic acid (powder wood bleach) on the fenders and all the chrome pieces that had any rust on them. It works awesome...the BMX guys have been using it for a long time on their chrome frames and chrome pieces of bicycles. It eats away the rust without harming the chrome finish. It will leave the pitting behind if there is any so if you use you'll have to use wax to keep the rust from coming back.

The carbs were kind of a pain to put back on but a little silicone grease in a spray can on the inside of the carb boots helped a lot.

I purchased shorter bolts with nuts to mount the rear passenger pegs back to their original location.

More pics to come...

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 08, 2009, 08:22:56 AM »

Here are pics of her finally completed. I finished her up about a month ago.

I like it loud so I put a set of straight pipes on her. I went with pods (for now) and settled on larger main jets #120. She came with 105 mains. It took about three days of plug chops, needle positioning, range of main jets and carb adjustments before I finally got her running good.

After all that though Im looking to put the stock air box back on because I found it ran better over all. The pods might look better (my opinion) but I do notice it runs better with the stock air box on.

More pics to come...

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 08, 2009, 03:29:32 PM »

Here are some more pics...

I purchased some instrument appliques from ebay. Wasn't too bad taking the speed and tach apart. I def like the new look over the green stock look.

For the taillight I went with the tombstone style but will probably change it. During night riding the taillight and brake light work great and are bright but not so much during the day due to the angle of the taillight and fender.

I purchased a new sealed beam headlight from Napa...I notice its brighter than stock.

I purchased 5 ohm Dyna coils, new wires and installed new points / condensors. Im not a big fan of points so I had purchased a new Dyna S that I bought some time ago but havent decided to put it on yet.

KB02 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 09, 2009, 05:21:46 AM »

Nice looking grill you have there in that last picture.

An indication of a great looking paint job.

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 09, 2009, 02:24:06 PM »

Thanks for compliment KB02?

Didnt even notice when I took the pic...

I thought I might post some pics of my recent carbs sync. I purchased a Motion Pro SyncPro for the job.

I took the brass fuel tubes out of the old petcock and used them for the hose connections. I picked up 1/4 fuel line at the Home Depot along with a plastic 'T' to connect the existing fuel lines to the 5 gallon gas can.

I had a syphon pump lying around and used that to get the fuel flowing from the 5 gallon gas can to the fuel lines.

I used carb #1 to calibrate the SyncPro. Hooked the other lines up to each carb. I was a bit intimidated at first when I heard about syncing the carbs and how important it is but it went better than I expected.

Wasn't sure if I really needed it but I used a fan to try and keep motor cool.

Well thats about all the pics I have left of my project. It was a fun project overall and Im pretty happy how the bike turned out.

Here are the latest and last pics I have...

saveahorserideahonda · « **Reply #19 on:** August 12, 2009, 03:40:38 PM »

Bryan---such a sweet story!!

great pics i'd like to see more

my dad used to take me for rides all the time, i miss it sooooo much!!

bucky katt · « **Reply #20 on:** August 12, 2009, 04:20:38 PM »

sweet looking paint and engine! want to sell those original pipes?

saveahorserideahonda · « **Reply #21 on:** August 19, 2009, 07:39:58 AM »

No updates lately??? Are you out riding much??

Blueknight105 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 19, 2009, 01:15:20 PM »

Howdy Saveahorserideahonda! Thanks for the interest!

I just had a set of highway pegs delivered recently that I purchased from JC Whitney for about $61.00. (ouch!) Ill post pics of them on the bike soon. I love em...its great to stretch my legs out when rididing and hell yes - Ive been riding as much as I can, everyday I have off!!!

I actually work right next door to where you live, in Plymouth Twp. Im planning to ride it into work on one of my next scheduled Saturdays or Sundays. Its about 50 miles one way to work from my house. Back roads though...too many crazy a$$holes on I-94 and M-14. Probably take N. Territorial in...its always a nice road to take.

I just put the stock air box back on too and I think Im just going to leave it instead of putting pods back on. I cleaned the box up, replaced the hardware to it and gave a good paint job...now it shines and looks fine to me. I finally put my Dyna S ignition on her and I don't know why I didnt do it sooner. Whoa...what a difference!

Ive put about 350 miles on her over the past week or so. I drove out to Michigan International Speedway (MIS) last Friday during race Friday then onto Harley / Honda (& other metric bikes) dealership in Cement City down the road from MIS. The bike ran great! Ill update the news pics as soon as I get em to my computer.

verboten1 · « **Reply #23 on:** August 19, 2009, 03:37:57 PM »

lunch in jonesville this saturday.

I'll be riding the virago this time.

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,41796.0/topicseen.html

-J

saveahorserideahonda · « **Reply #24 on:** August 19, 2009, 05:57:53 PM »

No Way...u work in Plymouth!...well I don't live in Canton anymore. Going through the big "D", so I'm staying with my mom in Novi. That's how I found this site. I was trying to find things that used to make me happy and my Dad used to take me for rides all the time on his Honda. It was a 1973 I think. Your story was sooooo cool.

. So I created this account just to chat about it. Brings back a lot of GOOD memories. I need that. So thank you for sharing

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Author Topic: Project Black Hornet - 1974 CB750k4 (Read 8041 times)

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