'81 CB750C "Rock-It" (X-Basket Case)
- Thread starter Hoosier Daddy
- Start date
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
peteGS said:
Hey Pete! It was a perfect day, and the first time I had seen the Cooley theme paint job GS, It was hard not to stare!
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
OK, 325 miles on the trip meter since the rebuild, bad week at work so I needed some relief add to that a beautiful afternoon for a ride... Suited up and took her out for a jaunt on the curviest road around these parts Hell bent for election. "It is a good day to die" I says.
Sweet Mary Mother of Christ ... this bike is friggin AWESOME!
Sure the 'oldWing is powerful in a "gentleman sort of way" and the GS750 is a handful at WOT.. but hold onto your hats boy's this som-bitch is fuckin INTENSE! low to high RPM it grunts!
WHOO-HOO! I am attributing the thrill to the handling because wide open throttle on the twisties is a fuckin RUSH!
I need to to sell this beast before it KILLS one of us....or maybe not. :
Sweet Mary Mother of Christ ... this bike is friggin AWESOME!
Sure the 'oldWing is powerful in a "gentleman sort of way" and the GS750 is a handful at WOT.. but hold onto your hats boy's this som-bitch is fuckin INTENSE! low to high RPM it grunts!
WHOO-HOO! I am attributing the thrill to the handling because wide open throttle on the twisties is a fuckin RUSH!
I need to to sell this beast before it KILLS one of us....or maybe not. :
peteGSX
Zuk's Rock!
Hahahaha sounds like a barrel of fun to me Scott!!!
That's the one thing I'm missing with my 450... some pull out of the corners... 6 - 8K RPM keeps her fun in the twisties, but riding with the Kat boys they tweak the throttle on the way out of the corners and they're gone in no time...
That's the one thing I'm missing with my 450... some pull out of the corners... 6 - 8K RPM keeps her fun in the twisties, but riding with the Kat boys they tweak the throttle on the way out of the corners and they're gone in no time...
SoyBoySigh
Been Around the Block
~BUMP!~
Love this bike!
A whole bunch of stuff I would've done differently. Such as the leading-axle fork, 19" front wheel ... and 17"/16" rear - the mid aka forward foot-pegs, two matching bar-end mirrors on a clubman bar aka "café-kit", turned-out mufflers, modern mini-lights, "hollow" under-seat, ultra-thin seat padding (need to look up names for Tampax branding for best description of this somewhat recent trend, ala Wrench-Monkeez) SOHC exhaust(ennit?) headers, shorty-shocks, "cat-eye" tail-light (another catalogue part, takes away Honda OEM character - a matter of taste but the OEM mount wasn't THAT bad) ditched rear-fender....
And yet it comes off looking fantastic 'cause of all the stuff that's DEAD ON. Such as the stripped/polished reverse-type Comstar rims with cross-drilled rotors, chrome front fender, four-into-two pipes (((I want this on my NEXT one, too enamoured with my WOLF 4-1 yet it prevents the deep-sump mods I developed on my last DOHC-4, so next time it's gotta be 4-2 or 4-4 & do the sump thing BIG time, RC-series Hailwood-replica-style))) Them black barrels are UBER MONDO GONZO COOL like a mid-late model SOHC a distinct 1970s Honda thing, the whole engine paint job is top notch (though I've always thought the head itself should go two-tone so the fins all match and the upper part of the head matches the valve cover - wouldn't that be cool? Haven't seen one done like that - Yet!) With the polished engine covers over silver crank-cases, very nicely done, with the black powder-coat only in the last and only place where there's a good argument for retaining it. And refraining from polishing the edges of fins, very retro, classy, under-stated. Or the 'C-type front master-cylinder, with the tipped reservoir for the buckhorn/ape-hanger bars - on a clubman bar! Yanno, that part was ALSO specified on the CB1100R racer, on the adjustable clip-on bars. So it's a mistake to interpret that as a "cruiser thing" - Heck I'm diggin' around to swap my 'F-type master-cylinder with somebody who wants the horizontal "Superbike-Bar" set-up. It's just one feature that makes the 'K and 'C models so perfect for a Café Racer - that and the perfect rear-set mounts in the form of the passenger-peg hangers. For a single-seater, the 'K and 'C chassis is better than the 'F version, IMHO. And the CB900F frame (such as on my "CB900K0 Bol Bomber" - for the time being!) has the rubber-mounted engine so even with the heavier-tube construction & additional bracing, the preferred option is an upgraded 750 frame of any type - IMHO the 'K or 'C is what I'M looking for at least. Heck the TANK too, really great choice for this build. And the matching frame & bodywork, very tasteful as well as conscious of the bike's heritage. The aftermarket, Ceriani-clone headlight "ears", great stuff though it must be said the headlight & clocks could always squeak down a wee bit more - but then you DID move 'em downward a wee bit so that's one huge improvement in the bike's whole stance etc.
Due to the hot-rod catalogue bits and the OEM Cruiser-ized/"Chopperette" features, it's still got it's own custom cruiser-kitsch '70s hot-rod culture type of character showing through the sharp smart café mods - Wherein nothing is TOO functionally retrograde (((well ... the leading-axle forks induce stiction, chopper-esque geometry creates inherent stability that fights the quicker steering of the Café ergonomics - however this is stuff inherent to just about all BMW's, one possible reason Beemers are difficult to turn into a truly monstrous Superbike ... that SINGLE win of the 1977or1978 first AMA Superbike racing Daytona, single-race-per-series championship, notwithstanding!!!))) The 19" front wheel and 17" or 16" (?) rear wheel combo only exacerbates those characteristics, but then again the 19" has a higher load-bearing rating per given tire width than does the equivalent-width 18"-er. And the smaller fatter rear wheels were the de rigueur performance-mod for a long time, with a wider (straight-line) contact patch and less rolling inertia - Plus an equivalent 18" wheel WITH the drum brake is a tough one to find in this version of Comstar rim, being either a built-up DIY construction or a weld-widened rim from another model and a smaller drum at that - Which is to say, options are limited so far as Reverse/Black Comstar rims. And the rear disc brake is a dubious upgrade, with a ton of additional weight, greater complexity ergo more points of failure, plus you lose the drum's better wet-weather performance.
(((All round, the only way to have done better with the wheels would be to go with wire-spokes - and I'm a Comstar-Lover ("Only when it's really COLD!" -Ace Ventura) so I give bonus points for KEEPING the things! Comstar wheels are AWESOME. And one of these days ... when I'm done building the five or six different pairs of wire-spoke alloy rims I've already bought (got carried away - wouldn't you?) ....)))
(((I plan to SOMEDAY build the ULTIMATE COMSTAR wheel-set. Talking like, 2.50x18" front with 3.50x18" rear, 3.0x18" with 4.50x18" rear, 3.5x16" with 4.50x18" rear, and 3.50x16" with 5.00x17" rear - [just some of the sizes I'm currently working on in wire-spoke!] involving hubs in spoke-blades from either two FRONT wheels, or smaller drum-type rear hubs with plug-type disc conversion kits ala pre-'75 SOHC CB750K, OR even replacing their hubs with lumps of Billet alloy - XBR500 for Boomerang, CB400T for early style "silver" Comstar and/or reverse/"black" Comstar - both bikes come with 18/18 sets with compact 140mm-ish rear drum. Two front hubs with bolt-up cush-drive would shave a lot of weight too. 240mm front discs off of GL500 would make a great compact rear disc! For "odd" sizes, 2.50x16" front Boomerang from VF750F, 3.50x17" rear Boomerang from VF1000F Bol D'Or models. I don't recall a 16" front in five-point, but maybe a REAR one could be converted? Either way, these could be welded-up, Kosman Industries style, to 3.50x17" & 6.00x17" crotch-rocket spec. But even better than that, for straight up rim replacement the AKRONT "NERVI" with it's center flange, Comstar style thin light-weight alloy rims used in Composite Magnesium-centered rims from MARVIC and TECHNOMAGNESIO, etc. 3.00x16" is easiest to find, but I've seen 5.75x18" - just didn't know wtf to DO with a rim that size, so didn't snap that one up ha-ha. 200/55ZR18??? Works for a VTX1800, but I don't know WTF else it would fit! But still - at one time, Akront made 'em in pretty much every size same as their other rim styles. Recently seen a set on a Dutch CBX on a Netherlands forum, so proof positive my theory wasn't bullshit after all - GOTTA score some "Nervi" rims, 3.50x18" & 4.25x18" at the top of my shopping list! All else failing, certain "Technomagnesio" rims used regular Akront un-dimpled rims with a screwed-on lug, five of 'em in a star pattern. Certain Marvic Magnesium rims bolted through radially instead of side-to-side, but these Technomagnesio rims had rivets and bolts together, inches apart ha-ha. Kinda hokey, but very light-weight. I think FRITZ EGLI used this brand of rims. Amoung ohers. Marvic were fitted to the most exclusive Ducati models, late '80s early '90s. "Astralite" rims seem promising, but rims are split left-to-right. If all else fails, and "Nervi" rims are unavailable perhaps a flange could be WELDED into an Akront rim? Do the flange extra thick, then any lateral run-out could be machined down concentric. The key feature is that the Akront rim is somewhere around 50% the weight of the D.I.D. rim in the Comstar wheel!)))
ANYWAY YEAH ha-ha - I DO so love this bike!
As I was saying, features of it that still bug me, stick out like a sore thumb. While others are pure inspiration and couldn't have been done better had I been standing around "supervising".
The combination of the two schools of thought ("SoyBoySigh DIGS it" vs "Puts a bug up the Tofu-Head's Butt") is pure, rockin' MUSCLEBIKE! Very effectively RETRO-FRIED, with a character of the '60s/'70s so authentic that it's a lil' bit distasteful, just like much of the music of that era - Which is to say, it carries forward the 'spirit of the age' such as it WAS, not how it was remembered via rose-tinted spectacles!
It's got CHARACTER. Not a carbon-copy of "the perfect Café" or "Retro-Superbike" etc. A true ORIGINAL.
-S.
Love this bike!
A whole bunch of stuff I would've done differently. Such as the leading-axle fork, 19" front wheel ... and 17"/16" rear - the mid aka forward foot-pegs, two matching bar-end mirrors on a clubman bar aka "café-kit", turned-out mufflers, modern mini-lights, "hollow" under-seat, ultra-thin seat padding (need to look up names for Tampax branding for best description of this somewhat recent trend, ala Wrench-Monkeez) SOHC exhaust(ennit?) headers, shorty-shocks, "cat-eye" tail-light (another catalogue part, takes away Honda OEM character - a matter of taste but the OEM mount wasn't THAT bad) ditched rear-fender....
And yet it comes off looking fantastic 'cause of all the stuff that's DEAD ON. Such as the stripped/polished reverse-type Comstar rims with cross-drilled rotors, chrome front fender, four-into-two pipes (((I want this on my NEXT one, too enamoured with my WOLF 4-1 yet it prevents the deep-sump mods I developed on my last DOHC-4, so next time it's gotta be 4-2 or 4-4 & do the sump thing BIG time, RC-series Hailwood-replica-style))) Them black barrels are UBER MONDO GONZO COOL like a mid-late model SOHC a distinct 1970s Honda thing, the whole engine paint job is top notch (though I've always thought the head itself should go two-tone so the fins all match and the upper part of the head matches the valve cover - wouldn't that be cool? Haven't seen one done like that - Yet!) With the polished engine covers over silver crank-cases, very nicely done, with the black powder-coat only in the last and only place where there's a good argument for retaining it. And refraining from polishing the edges of fins, very retro, classy, under-stated. Or the 'C-type front master-cylinder, with the tipped reservoir for the buckhorn/ape-hanger bars - on a clubman bar! Yanno, that part was ALSO specified on the CB1100R racer, on the adjustable clip-on bars. So it's a mistake to interpret that as a "cruiser thing" - Heck I'm diggin' around to swap my 'F-type master-cylinder with somebody who wants the horizontal "Superbike-Bar" set-up. It's just one feature that makes the 'K and 'C models so perfect for a Café Racer - that and the perfect rear-set mounts in the form of the passenger-peg hangers. For a single-seater, the 'K and 'C chassis is better than the 'F version, IMHO. And the CB900F frame (such as on my "CB900K0 Bol Bomber" - for the time being!) has the rubber-mounted engine so even with the heavier-tube construction & additional bracing, the preferred option is an upgraded 750 frame of any type - IMHO the 'K or 'C is what I'M looking for at least. Heck the TANK too, really great choice for this build. And the matching frame & bodywork, very tasteful as well as conscious of the bike's heritage. The aftermarket, Ceriani-clone headlight "ears", great stuff though it must be said the headlight & clocks could always squeak down a wee bit more - but then you DID move 'em downward a wee bit so that's one huge improvement in the bike's whole stance etc.
Due to the hot-rod catalogue bits and the OEM Cruiser-ized/"Chopperette" features, it's still got it's own custom cruiser-kitsch '70s hot-rod culture type of character showing through the sharp smart café mods - Wherein nothing is TOO functionally retrograde (((well ... the leading-axle forks induce stiction, chopper-esque geometry creates inherent stability that fights the quicker steering of the Café ergonomics - however this is stuff inherent to just about all BMW's, one possible reason Beemers are difficult to turn into a truly monstrous Superbike ... that SINGLE win of the 1977or1978 first AMA Superbike racing Daytona, single-race-per-series championship, notwithstanding!!!))) The 19" front wheel and 17" or 16" (?) rear wheel combo only exacerbates those characteristics, but then again the 19" has a higher load-bearing rating per given tire width than does the equivalent-width 18"-er. And the smaller fatter rear wheels were the de rigueur performance-mod for a long time, with a wider (straight-line) contact patch and less rolling inertia - Plus an equivalent 18" wheel WITH the drum brake is a tough one to find in this version of Comstar rim, being either a built-up DIY construction or a weld-widened rim from another model and a smaller drum at that - Which is to say, options are limited so far as Reverse/Black Comstar rims. And the rear disc brake is a dubious upgrade, with a ton of additional weight, greater complexity ergo more points of failure, plus you lose the drum's better wet-weather performance.
(((All round, the only way to have done better with the wheels would be to go with wire-spokes - and I'm a Comstar-Lover ("Only when it's really COLD!" -Ace Ventura) so I give bonus points for KEEPING the things! Comstar wheels are AWESOME. And one of these days ... when I'm done building the five or six different pairs of wire-spoke alloy rims I've already bought (got carried away - wouldn't you?) ....)))
(((I plan to SOMEDAY build the ULTIMATE COMSTAR wheel-set. Talking like, 2.50x18" front with 3.50x18" rear, 3.0x18" with 4.50x18" rear, 3.5x16" with 4.50x18" rear, and 3.50x16" with 5.00x17" rear - [just some of the sizes I'm currently working on in wire-spoke!] involving hubs in spoke-blades from either two FRONT wheels, or smaller drum-type rear hubs with plug-type disc conversion kits ala pre-'75 SOHC CB750K, OR even replacing their hubs with lumps of Billet alloy - XBR500 for Boomerang, CB400T for early style "silver" Comstar and/or reverse/"black" Comstar - both bikes come with 18/18 sets with compact 140mm-ish rear drum. Two front hubs with bolt-up cush-drive would shave a lot of weight too. 240mm front discs off of GL500 would make a great compact rear disc! For "odd" sizes, 2.50x16" front Boomerang from VF750F, 3.50x17" rear Boomerang from VF1000F Bol D'Or models. I don't recall a 16" front in five-point, but maybe a REAR one could be converted? Either way, these could be welded-up, Kosman Industries style, to 3.50x17" & 6.00x17" crotch-rocket spec. But even better than that, for straight up rim replacement the AKRONT "NERVI" with it's center flange, Comstar style thin light-weight alloy rims used in Composite Magnesium-centered rims from MARVIC and TECHNOMAGNESIO, etc. 3.00x16" is easiest to find, but I've seen 5.75x18" - just didn't know wtf to DO with a rim that size, so didn't snap that one up ha-ha. 200/55ZR18??? Works for a VTX1800, but I don't know WTF else it would fit! But still - at one time, Akront made 'em in pretty much every size same as their other rim styles. Recently seen a set on a Dutch CBX on a Netherlands forum, so proof positive my theory wasn't bullshit after all - GOTTA score some "Nervi" rims, 3.50x18" & 4.25x18" at the top of my shopping list! All else failing, certain "Technomagnesio" rims used regular Akront un-dimpled rims with a screwed-on lug, five of 'em in a star pattern. Certain Marvic Magnesium rims bolted through radially instead of side-to-side, but these Technomagnesio rims had rivets and bolts together, inches apart ha-ha. Kinda hokey, but very light-weight. I think FRITZ EGLI used this brand of rims. Amoung ohers. Marvic were fitted to the most exclusive Ducati models, late '80s early '90s. "Astralite" rims seem promising, but rims are split left-to-right. If all else fails, and "Nervi" rims are unavailable perhaps a flange could be WELDED into an Akront rim? Do the flange extra thick, then any lateral run-out could be machined down concentric. The key feature is that the Akront rim is somewhere around 50% the weight of the D.I.D. rim in the Comstar wheel!)))
ANYWAY YEAH ha-ha - I DO so love this bike!
As I was saying, features of it that still bug me, stick out like a sore thumb. While others are pure inspiration and couldn't have been done better had I been standing around "supervising".
The combination of the two schools of thought ("SoyBoySigh DIGS it" vs "Puts a bug up the Tofu-Head's Butt") is pure, rockin' MUSCLEBIKE! Very effectively RETRO-FRIED, with a character of the '60s/'70s so authentic that it's a lil' bit distasteful, just like much of the music of that era - Which is to say, it carries forward the 'spirit of the age' such as it WAS, not how it was remembered via rose-tinted spectacles!
It's got CHARACTER. Not a carbon-copy of "the perfect Café" or "Retro-Superbike" etc. A true ORIGINAL.
-S.
