1982 CB750F...Better Devil

Jimbonaut

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DTT SUPPORTER
Found this online after a couple of beers (how many build threads start with that sentence?) -

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- after sticking my finger through the rusty gas tank and finding a 25th generation rats (?) nest in the airbox I made it mine for about $250. Lovely guy, and at that price he literally made me buy it. Despite a few...incongruities it looks pretty solid, tank notwithstanding.

1982 CB750F apparently. I thought it was the K model judging by the side panels but as I am starting to learn you should never judge a bike by its covers. The seat looks original but the gap between that and the tank suggests the tank is from a different model CB750. A previous owner has also ditched the stock pegs and levers for a rather intricate forward control/floorboard set up with crash bars - all heading for an online auction site near you soon. It's a bit weird - the bike's an F but from what I can tell has been made to look like a K. Hoping the fact that it's an F (sport model) won't mean it'll cost more to plate here in Quebec? Could be a snafu, hope not.

Anyway, plan is to not do a Rhonda on this one, and therefore this thread finds itself in this section. Amazing how comfortable this bike is in its (almost) stock duds - the seat, the bars - all nice and ergonomically very pleasing. So in the spirit of my newfound desire not to bother my osteopath every time I go for a ride on the brat, this build will see a more comfortable, more sensible and dare I say practical (my 20 year old self shudders while my middle-aged self nods in approval of such mature considerations) CB750.

Of course that plan could all go down the shitter quicker than a fart in a fan factory, remains to be seen.

Any and all input on the F model would be fantastic, as would any takes on why this bike may have been reformatted into a different spec'd CB750 (at least in outward appearance).

Itching to get started. It's going to be green. Very, very green.
 
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Re: 1982 CB750F Resto Mod. At least that's the current plan.

I'm in. Looks like a nice Kerker on there. Bet you could carry plenty o' beers in that luggage too.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/documents/publications/liste-motos-risque-eleve.pdf

Here’s the list of “at risk” bikes at the saaq
Basically cbr’s, gsxr’s etc
Starting in 1985

I know a guy with (literally) a barn full of old tanks and bikes and anything you could ever want for a bike, just pm me if you want his #
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

farmer92 said:
https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/documents/publications/liste-motos-risque-eleve.pdf

Here’s the list of “at risk” bikes at the saaq
Basically cbr’s, gsxr’s etc
Starting in 1985

I know a guy with (literally) a barn full of old tanks and bikes and anything you could ever want for a bike, just pm me if you want his #

I'll take that number my man, thanks a lot
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Apparently beer gets me trikes with death wishes. Love the build, my man.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

irk miller said:
Apparently beer gets me trikes with death wishes. Love the build, my man.
And instantly regrettable xt350's. (You can say you were drunk, even if you weren't) lol

And I'm in jimbo. Always enjoy watching your projects!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

I had an 82' CB750F project at one point but I passed it on. I'd have it back if I could. I really dig the saddlebag setup on yours. Make it your own Jimbo.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Cool. I missed this, now signing up!
 
1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Welcome one and all, bugger all to report other than I plan to switch out the tank/carbs/battery etc with Rhonda's (my other CB750) and see if I can't breathe some life into this old girl. Anyone need a seat from an F model CB750? Seems to be in good shape, along with the, er, scaffolding that's holding up the saddlebags. All manner of peripherals on this thing - it'll feel archaelogical getting her kit off.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

The Jimbonaut said:
Welcome one and all, bugger all to report other than I plan to switch out the tank/carbs/battery etc with Rhonda's (my other CB750) and see if I can't breathe some life into this old girl. Anyone need a seat from an F model CB750? Seems to be in good shape, along with the, er, scaffolding that's holding up the saddlebags. All manner of peripherals on this thing - it'll feel archaelogical getting her kit off.

Jim when you pull the bags off I may be interested in the bracketry holding them on. Post up some pics or send em over my way. I'd like to replace the crappy homemade ones on the BMW
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Absolutely - hoping to tear into it this weekend so I'll post up some pics. If they work for you mate they're yours for an al pastor and cerveza next time I'm in Texas =)
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

The Jimbonaut said:
Absolutely - hoping to tear into it this weekend so I'll post up some pics. If they work for you mate they're yours for an al pastor and cerveza next time I'm in Texas =)

Well that I can gladly oblige
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Ok, pitter patter let's get at 'er.

The bike's a non-runner so the plan is to pull and clean the carbs (a once-over at this point), switch out the tank with my other CB750, sling in some new spark plugs and see if I can get her started. Before doing that I pulled the timing cover, got a 17mm socket on the crank bolt and turned it counter-clockwise - all the pistons are moving freely so they're not seized and that's good.

Cleared the way to the engine by removing the floorboards/forward controls/crash bars and pulled the carbs. Here's the now-ubiquitous carb hero shot -

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Getting into them it was clear that this bike has sat for a very long time. The varnish was thick, black and everywhere. Most of the main jets were completely blocked and this vacuum slide was completely seized -

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- a few love-taps with a rubber mallet got it freed it but boy was it a mess in there. Cleaned it up with some eau du carb cleaner and a rub with some 2000 grit sandpaper - now all four slides are moving as they should. The carbs were disassembled to the point where I could blow carb cleaner though most of the ports, but I'll wait until the bike's running before completely disassembling the rack and getting all Pinesol on their grubby ass. For now I just want to get the thing breathing smoke.

The choke butterfly's are in horrendous shape -

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- how in the world do these things rust? Am I right in thinking these are for the bin, or can I clean them up to the point where they're salvageable? The things look like Faces of the Damned - each portraying its own sentiment of anguish and despair. Frightening.

This pockmarked monstrosity is the tank-shaped rust bucket that's soon for the dump -

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- sitting alongside is Rhonda's tank that'll be the stand in while I try to get it fired up. I'm also going to re-clear Rhonda's tank but that's for another thread. Here's the state of the workbench as of Saturday -

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and here's the bike -

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Hoping to get the carbs rebuilt and back in the bike, sling the tank on and see what gives. Here in Quebec any bike that's been off the road for more than a year has to go through a safety inspection - before I start chopping into this one I'm going to get it through that inspection first.

Pretty sure I'm going to call this bike The Upsetter. For reasons that may or may not become clear.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

I'll get some photos up as well of all the gubbinery that I pull off the bike and won't need (crash bars, front fairing, forward controls, boards, rear scaffolding/bags etc) and most of which I'll give away to whoever can make use of it. Advco's got dibs on the rear end stuff but anything else is up for grabs. Should note that I'm in Montreal so bear in mind the shipping but other than that it's all yours.

I'm on the look out for some footpegs and levers - if anyone has any or could point me in the right direction that would be terrific.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Jim once you know what you're sending Nick, it may work best for you and him if you bus it to me and I drive over to Maine and send it to TX. We can look at that when the time comes.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Maritime said:
Jim once you know what you're sending Nick, it may work best for you and him if you bus it to me and I drive over to Maine and send it to TX. We can look at that when the time comes.

Mike Maritime - cementing his Legend status one post at a time 8)

Good man, can't thank you enough. Unless several beers next time you're in town work in which case I totally can ;D
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Wow that tank was pretty rough, eh? looks like its got the chicken pox.

Appreciate the help if those racks work out, Mike.
 
Re: 1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Could save you $20 or more depending on size of box. I'd hate for UPS or Canada Post to get that extra LOL.
 
1982 CB750F Resto-mod. At least that's the current plan.

Drained some of the oil, wasn't milky or weird smelling and tried setting setting it on fire but didn't light so pretty sure there's no gas in there. Rebuilt the carbs, jammed them back in the bike and hooked up Rhonda's tank as a stand-in. Don't mind the enormous fairing up front, slung that on for shits and giggles...

https://youtu.be/-EHuxVzExoc

Getting a non-runner to start for the first time is a feeling like no other. Love it. Took a while to fire, but that's because (I think) of the empty float bowls and vacuum petcock set-up. You may be able to see the can sitting on the frame - that's Honda carb/combustion chamber cleaner and it's good stuff. Much thicker than regular carb cleaner which - for whatever reason - works really well (guess it sticks around longer, burns slower?). Either way, with the airbox not connected to the carbs and a good 5-10 seconds of that stuff sprayed into the carb body and it's off to the races.

The bike sounds pretty damn good too, no weird rattles, clanks or leaks yet. Did see that one of the spark plug threads is cross-threaded so I guess I'm going to have to pull the head and re-tap it or get a TimeSert in there . Other than that, so far, so good. Will check compression tomorrow, but all four pipes were nice and hot (ie totally burnt myself on all of them) - including the cylinder with the cross-threaded spark plug.

Included in the vid is a close up of the air filter housing. Me and my wife have a jewelry business - if I find a skull in amongst the rats nest in there I'm casting it in bronze and it's going on this bike.

Sweet. So now that I know it runs I'm gonna do the basics on her to the point where she'll pass her safety inspection, then bring her home and get the grinders out. Good people - onwards 8)
 
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