1973 Yamaha TX750 Cafe Mix

[Pardee]

Yes, the title reads correctly, a TX750...

Most of you may turn away and laugh, but no shame here.

The bike sat in a barn for over 20 years.
I inherited it from a great-uncle that passed away years ago.

When I got it, my first goal was to see the bike run again.

After rebuilding the carbs and checking all the electronics, the bike finally fired and ran pretty good.

Next step was to offer it a bit of a facelift, but stay within a budget.
Since these bikes were prone to self-destruction, I did not want to break the bank to create a time bomb.

Some paint, bolt-on parts, and a little creative work, the bike is near completion.
Aiming for a rugged, ridden appearance, not perfection.

See the attached pictures of my BEFORE and ALMOST-DONE.

Please do offer any suggestions.
I am open for experience and knowledge from anyone.

 

[Pardee]

Here's a list of things I've done to the bike within a decent budget:

- Painted frame, wheels, engine, and other brackets / components.
- Installed oil pan / strainer spacer from a '74 TX750.
- Removed pod-style oil filter. Updated with newer BMW-style filter.
- Lowered front-end a few inches.
- Drag-style handlebars.
- Rebuilt / jetted carbs.
- Pod-style air filters.
- New battery.
- Welded Emgo shorty mufflers, wrapped with titanium-colored heat wrap.
- Cut down rear fender. Painted matte black.
- New tires front and rear.
- New x-ring chain.
- New gas tank petcocks.
- LED tail light and low-profile signals.

TO-DO LIST
- Custom seat. (Still contemplating style and height)
- Cut down front fender. Will be painted matte black.
- New clutch perch.
- Lower-profile front brake master cylinder. (Honda 400EX master cylinder will not interfere with front forks)
- Bar-end round mirrors.

Other than a few items to double-check, and some adjusting, the bike will then be on the road.

 

[kopcicle]

I'll check my incomprehensible scribblings from that epoch and see if I can find common replacement balance , starter and cam chains . I'm sure you've read about the scavenge pump being used for pressure , the head gasket fix that does us no good as the supply dried up long ago , the late balancer and it's adjustability , doing away with the exhaust cross over , not getting caught in traffic on a 114 degree day ......

Yeah they were a nightmare but the XZ 550 with over $1600 of recall and warranty work at pdi before flooring is a fair second .

Seriously I do have a few notes on this beast and so does the xscafe for starters . Remind me if I forget ya .

~kop

 

[Pardee]

I would appreciate it greatly.

I plan on riding the machine this year to see how it will actually stand up.

It doesn't get horribly hot in Ohio, but will definitely keep everything in check.

 

[two-smoker]

Those bikes get a lot of flak, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot. They're good looking bikes, and are sweet to ride when everything is working like It's supposed to. Signed on.

 

[cb 400 t]

The bike is looking good. I like the orange

 

[VonYinzer]

Neat bike. Measure the distance between the top of the fork lowers and the bottom tree. Make sure its longer than the compression distance. Looks close...

 

[kopcicle]

from a "friend" in .de

There are some TX750 user sites out there that may be able to help:
http://www.tobyfolwick.com/tx750/partsupp.php
Original TX Balancer chain, Tsubaki; had 54 links, 3/8″ (9.525mm), Roller dia 6.3mm,
Pin dia 3.5mm, Link inside width 5.00mm , the links had a straight form.
Chain sprocket on the Balancerweight/Crank @ 4.5mm (chain sideplay~ 0.5mm)
http://www.iwis.de/en/home/ in München produce a chain that TX users here in Germany use, it is not exactly the same but so far there have been no reports of problems or wear. Inside width is 5.5mm(+0.5mm ie 1.0 m sideplay), pin dia is 4.4mm (cf 3.5mm), link form is straight as original, production is of an endless 52 and 56 link(a 54 link chain can be made with an order of min. 25 pieces and delivery time of 4 weeks) … (If a chain joining link is available a 56 link chain would work and the chain could easily be replaced and joined in situ)

~kop