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Don't confuse this with a step by step project! I had previously posted in the "new purchases" forum about buying a 1977 Honda CB750. The purchase was made to support a special needs children's group in Douglas County, Georgia. The kids will accept cash donations but really prefer having stuff donated which they can sell at a yard sale twice a year. This year a motorcycle club donated a bunch of Honda 750 bikes and parts and thus begins this story. I didn't need another project and I am pretty well burnt out on Honda 750s. I was also pending surgery on my left hip and didn't have the time to do anything with the bike before I went into the hospital. Overall the bike was pretty sad, however the engine did turn over and a friend offered access to his hoard of parts to get it going. The purchase was made and off to the hospital I went.
Six weeks later I went to retrieve the bike and two problems surfaced. The motor was locked up and the bike wouldn't roll at all. It took three of us to drag it across a grassy field and onto a trailer. Thankfully a friend loaned me the low entry trailer. I doubt we could have loaded it on my pickup. Once home we dragged it down the driveway where it sat for a couple more weeks. At this point, I was seriously thinking about parting it out, but my curiosity got the best of me.
Getting rolling proved to be a bit more difficult than I expected. The front tire was rotted to the cords and the brake caliper was frozen. Easy fix, I replaced the front wheel with one I had in the garage. The rear wheel was a different story. It was locked solid. I thought the stuck motor might be contributing and I removed the chain...no dice. So I tried to remove the rear wheel. The axle was stuck and you could see where someone in the past had beat the end trying to get the axle to move. So I applied liberal amounts of BreakFree until I got it to budge. Once apart the culprit was the old brake shoes. They had disintegrated into a mass of dust, rust and broken parts. After removing the old brake shoes I was able to reassemble the rear wheel and roll the bike around.
I need to keep this bike a roller as long as possible. However, I did need to address the lack of brakes. I may be hauling this thing west in the next month or two and to safely load and unload it...it needs brakes. Since the rear wheel was a hot mess I started there. Looking around the Garage of Lost Dreams I happened upon a new set of rear brake shoes. I cleaned and painted the inside of the backing plate before assembly.
Not much happening. Bike is back on wheels and I'm working on the front brake. Here's a tech tip...bikes are easier to roll if you fill the tires to the correct pressure! Rolling this pig around was a lot of work. It finally dawned on me to check the tire pressure. Ten pounds in the back and 18 in the front make for a lot of sweat!
Why are these things so expensive? Friday, I went to the local Honda/Triumph/Yamaha dealer. Parts guy said they don't stock parts for this old crap (his words) and it would be two weeks before they arrived at the store. In two weeks, I will be out of state and I need brakes now. I tried the Suzuki dealer with no success. Local auto parts stores were also a no go! I ordered on Amazon and they delivered them today (Sunday). Price was about half of Honda pricing but still pretty steep for two little bits! I guess you can't put a price on your safety and brakes are a good thing.
Minor update:
Front brake installed and working. Replaced bleeder as noted above.
When we picked up the bike, my friend kept stomping on the shift lever thinking it was in gear. That wasn't the case and his stomping did something inside that really was a concern. The bike would go in 1st and neutral but had no return tension on the lever! Big Foot's stomping had knocked the gear shift spindle assembly loose.
Tech Tip: HackaWeek has a good video explaining the assembly of the shift mechanism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYqec2u_4U .
Clutch working-new cable was installed by PO but never adjusted.
Gears shifting!
Motor still locked, but working on that too!
Always in for a SOHC 750. I always thought these things, for some reason, seemed like more of a crapshoot on what the inside of the engine can be like than most bikes. At least until I started messing with 550s and 650s.
Yep! Since this one was an unplanned project, I'm in no big hurry to get it finished. I'm looking for something fun to ride and this probably isn't it. I built at least one 750 a year from 2001-2017. I'm was burned out on them. This however is kind of fun and so far pretty cheap.
Not much going on with this project. I got involved in another 750 rescue for a friend and it has taken most of my time. Hopefully, I'll get my lazy butt in gear and back to this one soon.
Kind of back at it. The good state of Arkansas changed the acceptable date for an antique classification from 25 years to 45 years. This put my 77 just a bit beyond the date. I could try for a bonded title, but since this bike was never complete, I opted to change the year by changing frames. I was at the farm a couple of weeks ago where we do not have cell or internet service. I needed to go to town and used the opportunity to peruse Craigslist. Finding an ad for 750 parts. Now I'm the owner of a 1973 frame.
Kind of back at it. The good state of Arkansas changed the acceptable date for an antique classification from 25 years to 45 years. This put my 77 just a bit beyond the date. I could try for a bonded title, but since this bike was never complete, I opted to change the year by changing frames. I was at the farm a couple of weeks ago where we do not have cell or internet service. I needed to go to town and used the opportunity to peruse Craigslist. Finding an ad for 750 parts. Now I'm the owner of a 1973 frame.
I planned to change to an earlier frame from the beginning. The 77-78 frame is longer and I just don't like the looks. So the 73 frame is being mocked up. I've been waiting patently for some parts. I made a deal for some forks on another forum. Agreed to the price and waited for a response. Three weeks later I get "sorry they are pitted hate to sell them". OK, no problem I get they are pitted, but 3 weeks for a response. I found another set and will post pictures when I get the fork seals. Bought on the Bay. I bought and paid for it on January 3rd. Nothing from the seller until yesterday (1-11) when it posted as shipped with no tracking information. On a side note we acquired a 1954 Chevrolet 3100 pickup today. It's an old California custom. Split manifold, lacquer paint, chrome wheels. We've been trying to obtain for several years and finally the owner said yes to our offer. It's in New Mexico and I'm having it transported to Georgia. I say "we" because my wife is the driving force behind this truck.
Finding a decent gas tank is getting harder and harder. I have been searching the web and I can tell you there is a lot of junk out there. Most at stupid prices. Found this one with a very poor description on EBay and took a chance. Seller took two weeks to send it but in the end it was worth it. Very clean inside, no obvious pin holes or repairs. The paint is usable but not show quality. Only bondo that I can find is covering the badge tabs.
Deviation from the norm. Going with early GL1000 forks. Finding a good set also took some time. The trees are 1975 and the forks are 1977. Still need to source some calipers and some 6 hole Wing discs. The early trees are a bolt on for SOHC 750s.
I like the direction here. I’ve got a 71 cb750. Those tanks are pretty, but I found it uncomfortably wide. I ended up doing some knee dents that helped out.
Funny you said that about the tank. Back around the first of November a guy on another forum posted a bunch of 750 parts for sale. One of the things was a tank with knee dents. It looked like good work and I wanted it for the same reason you stated about the width. I replied on the thread about the tank and also sent a PM. Several others also inquired about parts. None of us received any response from him yet he is on that site nearly everyday. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited until after the holidays to look for another tank.
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