1974 Honda CB750 Cafe Build

sweet thread nice and thorough

Swan: You are an artist.

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.

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...

i'm thinking i need to switch beers

Wow, looking good. Pretty awesome you were able to salvage those cases. I might have just chucked it if I had found a hole in the cases like that.

Thanks guys. 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. 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...

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.

Looking Good!

Excellent, I am so looking forward to this build after seeing the magic you are working on the BSA.

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...

Quick update: Cycle X has not sent my valves and guides yet. I was told by a friend their online ordering system sucks and I need to call them tomorrow, grrr.... I removed out the bad exhaust valve guides.


The stator rotor cover was a nightmare. The bike must have been down and the were scrapes and scratches up to 1/8" deep. None of the parts motors in our shop were any better so I washed it in my fancy new <a href="http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=45077.msg493647#msg493647">parts washer</a>





Then I hand filed, sanded with random orbit and bench top sanders, hand sanded from 150 to 1500 grit then buffed and polished on the grinder. I got rid of most, but not all, the scars. It is much better, but not mirror perfect, but I can live with it. I repainted the black parts with Testors black model paint and a small brush. I replaced the outer screws with allen bolts because I could not find panhead (cheese) crews with a small enough diameter to fit the cover.


That's it for now.

Cycle-X, WTF? Never again.

I have never ordered from them before but two of my friends have with one minor problem.

On January 5th I ordered a set of valve guides and 4 exhaust valves for my CB750 K4 through their website, paying with Paypal. By January 14 I heard nothing from them, no package (they are 3 hours away from me, 1 day shipping), no confirmation or tracking information. I called and although they were friendly on the phone, they blamed USPS for the loss of the package. A few hours later I get an email with a USPS tracking number. They never sent a tracking number with my original order on Jan 5 (ie. they never processed or sent my original order).

My valves and guides arrive on January 18. I get to my shop, crack a beer and sit down to work on my cylinder head and realized they sent intake valves instead of exhaust. WTF? I called and rather then return the intake valves in exchange for exhaust valves, I decided to order 4 more exhaust valves, keep the intake valves and install all new valves in my head.


Today, Jan 23 a 12" x 12" x 12" box just arrived with ONE exhaust valve. Seriously, WTF? Now I am pissed and stunned by the incompetence. I try to shop regionally and support small businesses, but I will NEVER order from Cycle-X again. Three strikes, they are out.


My machinist has my head reading to go, waiting for valves to arrive but he is leaving the country on Monday for a few weeks. Now my engine will sit unfinished until his return. Had they sent what I originally ordered in a timely manner, my motor would be done and installed. Now my project is stalled. Cycle-X, WTF? Never again.

sweet build, I'll follow along. I have heard pros and cons about cycle X...looks like I will be passing on their services.

First negative I've heard but rest assured, With me the 3 strikes rule of thumb is all it takes. So deal with them only long enough to get your order straight then F-em!

(I haven't been to a "Wendy's" in nearly 20 years...)

My other three exhaust valves arrived Saturday Jan. 26th, same size box, no invoice.... My machinist left town for two weeks so my cylinder head and motor build is at a stand still.

Update, I just got off the phone with Ken the owner of Cycle-X. He was very upset over my vendor reviews and the poor performance of his employees representing him and his business. He explained he is a mechanic first, a business person second and he has had problems with his newly upgraded online system and some of his workers. Fair enough, I understand and explained I was upset with a simple order being screwed up 4 times. He wanted to let me know he waived the cost and shipping for the three exhaust valves that recently arrived. Without an invoice in my last shipment, I did not realize he had done so. Thank you Ken for doing this and making it right. I did not ask for this, I just wanted what I ordered.

Ken was convinced I was out to "save the Honda world from his business" by "making it my mission in life" to "post bad reviews everywhere possible" and told me he would "come down Winona right now" to discuss this. Sorry to disappoint Ken, it is not my mission life to destroy you, your business or save the Honda world, again I simply wanted what I paid for in a timely manner, nothing more, nothing less, just what all customers expect.

I posted and linked this review twice on this forum and three times on the SOHC forums so other members could make an informed decision on which vendor to use. Both forums offer "vendor review" sections. I have updated all my reviews stating Cycle-X sent three valves for free to make up for their errors, (thanks again). Despite being upset over the multiple problems with and the length of my order, I kept my review factual without name calling or threats. I did not post "bad reviews everywhere possible" and explained I did not post in such places as on Yelp, Facebook, the Better Business Bureau or on any other forums, user groups or social media sites.

If Cycle-X sorts out their systemic and personnel problems, I would consider ordering from them again in the future. As stated in my initial post, I try to support small and regional businesses. Ken, if you are in Winona, you are welcome to stop by my shop, have a beer and talk old bikes.

Awwwwe, group hug.

looking good, even with the minor bumps. Looking forward o seeing the progress

I have a stator cover that looks as bad as yours did. What did you fill the gouges with? Thanks.