Fairly recently I purchased a 1980 CB750 custom off of CL. Performance-wise, the bike seems to run OK. Cosmetically, it was dropped, but as far as I can tell, the only damage was a broken hand break lever, and a small dent on the tank. The previous owner had also cut the pipes off so it sounds awful and unnecessarily load. The headlight stopped working recently, which I think is due to a grounding issue, but when I pulled apart the wiring system I couldn't find anything out of place, so it's probably the fuse I'm guessing.
My plan was just to ride it over the summer and get to know it's quirks/idiosyncrasies, but it's just not really that fun to ride as it is right now, so instead of riding it this summer, I plan on starting a rebuild, mechanically and cosmetically.
I'm mechanically-inclined, i.e. I work temp at a machine shop, but mostly on CNC mills and lathes. Occasionally I'll hop on the Bridgeport for some small volume (one or two pieces) job. That being said, I don't really have experience with engines other than lawnmowers. I wanted this to be foremost a learning experience, but before I go and start disassembling the bike and pulling apart the motor, I just want to make sure that I'm not in over my head. Space, tooling and time are not a factor. Money somewhat is, but this project doesn't have to be finished tomorrow, so I can acquire whatever parts I need as I have money available.
Basically, I just wanted some advice on how to approach this project. If there are no oil leaks or any noticeable issues with the engine, is it worth pulling it apart to clean it, put new seals, etc? Also, I would like to paint the engine too. Cosmetically, I'll probably be going the cafe route, a more aggressive stance, but slightly modified for a more comfortable ride. Fork swap for dual disks from an '80s Goldwing might be something else I would like to do.
I'm new here so I'll be checking out more of the threads, but it'd be great if someone could give me some advice on how to approach a new project, keeping in mind that this is my first time.
My plan was just to ride it over the summer and get to know it's quirks/idiosyncrasies, but it's just not really that fun to ride as it is right now, so instead of riding it this summer, I plan on starting a rebuild, mechanically and cosmetically.
I'm mechanically-inclined, i.e. I work temp at a machine shop, but mostly on CNC mills and lathes. Occasionally I'll hop on the Bridgeport for some small volume (one or two pieces) job. That being said, I don't really have experience with engines other than lawnmowers. I wanted this to be foremost a learning experience, but before I go and start disassembling the bike and pulling apart the motor, I just want to make sure that I'm not in over my head. Space, tooling and time are not a factor. Money somewhat is, but this project doesn't have to be finished tomorrow, so I can acquire whatever parts I need as I have money available.
Basically, I just wanted some advice on how to approach this project. If there are no oil leaks or any noticeable issues with the engine, is it worth pulling it apart to clean it, put new seals, etc? Also, I would like to paint the engine too. Cosmetically, I'll probably be going the cafe route, a more aggressive stance, but slightly modified for a more comfortable ride. Fork swap for dual disks from an '80s Goldwing might be something else I would like to do.
I'm new here so I'll be checking out more of the threads, but it'd be great if someone could give me some advice on how to approach a new project, keeping in mind that this is my first time.