CB750 cafe racer build [Archive]

jonbuoy

23rd January 2007, 20:35

A run down and picture diary here for anyone whos interested in doing one of these. I bought the donor bike cheap off trade me - a 77'F, it has some issues:

Low Compression
Cam chain rattle
Rear master cylinder stuffed
Fork seals leaking (pitted forks)
Leaking head gasket
Clutch

Other than that it's pretty tidy. I don't want this to just be a show pony so I've taken some good advice and decided to start with the motor. Compression test showed most of the loss was due to the head not the bore/pistons. Exhaust valves are beyond lapping so will have to be refaced along with the seats. I will try to keep the picture diary going and maybe a few words every now and then.

Parts have been sent away here is a rundown of the engine work:

Heads cleaned, valves and seats re-faced, skim.
Barrels cleaned, bore hone

The following will be replaced:
Clutch plates
Piston Rings
Cam chain tensioner
Cam chain
Filter
Gaskets

Doing all the work except machining costs I reckon its going to cost a grand to get the motor running good (carb refurbs will be extra...)

The body work will be:

Clip ons
Rear sets
Fibre glass tank and seat
Paint job
Sort front forks
Sort rear master cylinder

All up I'm hoping to do it for around 5K, for a custom bike this isn't too bad. I was thinking of doing it on the cheap to start with but I reckon I will hold onto this beast till I die. Not everyones cup of tea but I like em'

This is what I hope to get it looking something like:

jonbuoy

23rd January 2007, 20:38

Some pics of the bike now.

Eurodave

23rd January 2007, 20:42

I can probably help with the figlass tank & seat......have a look at my public profile/attachments etc & then PM me if interested.......

98tls

24th January 2007, 05:46

Nice..........looking forward to updates...........

merv

24th January 2007, 07:30

Its a '77 you say and by the look of those forks and wheels its been fitted with those off a later CB750 or CB900 already.

jonbuoy

24th January 2007, 07:47

Its a Canadian import and a bit bizarre as it also has a K3 73' motor but an F frame stamped 77'. I'm not so worried as the later motors sound like they had issues with the valve guides, also the barrels aren't matt black which looks better IMO. I can live with the Comstar wheels.

Cheers

Eurodave

24th January 2007, 09:30

Bonez

24th January 2007, 17:38

That front wheel & maybe the back wheel but cant see it clearly,aint no comstar! looks like an american aftermarket Lester alloy [they had a similar spoke pattern to the later Yamahas like the SR500 XS650 XS1100 etc]
Agreed. A previous owner has obviously done a bit of custom work. Front looks like an 18" instead of the standard 19"er too. Should look sweet when tidied up.

jonbuoy

25th January 2007, 08:30

Interestin, I didn't realise the wheels were aftermarket. Someone has cared for this bike in the past. I got lucky I think. Got blocks and head back yesterday. Will put pics up tonight.

Cheers

Coyote

25th January 2007, 08:35

Awesome. I'll be watching the progress

jonbuoy

25th January 2007, 19:13

Heres head and barrels looking pretty tidy now. Just making up my mind on if I change the rings or not, its had a hone and the old rings look fine and in spec. New ones are over 300 bucks..

jonbuoy

25th January 2007, 19:27

I'm also a bit confused about the order the rings on my piston have been put. I've asked on the SOHC forums but no-one has come up with an answer - two people have come up with two ways of putting these on. There are three rings in total - two compression rings, and an oil control ring. One of the compression rings looks like it has a cutaway for oil control and is a bit thinner than the other solid ring. Attached is a poor sketch (I exagerated the notch). It looks like this engine has been worked on in the past so I don't know if its been put together right. My pistons have been put together with the ring with the notch on first, then the solid compression ring, then the oil control ring. If I measure the side float of the rings like this - the top ring is too loose and the middle one looks tight. If swap them over and put the solid one at the top and the notched one in the middle they are both in tolerance. Hard to explain hence the drawing. It seems odd to have the notched ring at the top. All mine are all like this. Anyone know?

Solved - Rings were in the wrong order from previous rebuild.

jonbuoy

11th February 2007, 20:51

Bottom end pretty much finished:

Casting - degreased (paintbrush, toothbrush, ear buds..) etch primed and sprayed engine enamel, had the odd lump fly out of the rattle can - bloody annoying. I used supercheap auto stuff - I should have used the VHT stuff, good enough for the time being.

Alloy 400/800/1200 then autosol, not mirror finish but way better than before. Should have gone a bit harder with the 400.

Leaving the top end until bike nearly ready to run, engine enamel stays surprisingly soft until engine has some heat to it and I'll be getting mucky paw prints all over it when I put the head back together.

jonbuoy

11th February 2007, 20:55

Aftermarket exhaust was pretty quiet so I've cut out one of the baffles and shortened the pipe. Painted with black high temp paint as chrome was looking sad.

jonbuoy

11th February 2007, 21:01

Found some cheap GB500 clip ons - same fork diameter. Had to shorten the headlight ears so they could fit under yolk, left the old bars on to show how much its lowered by. Will have cut and smooth out the old handlebar mounts un less I can find a top Yolk that will fit - pretty unlikely.

gijoe1313

11th February 2007, 21:05

Fine work you doing there! Keep it up and keep us posted! Decided on a final paint scheme when all the hard yakka has been done?

jonbuoy

11th February 2007, 21:19

Cheers mate, its quite a nice way to while away the time - a few cold beers/rum and cokes and the radio, better than watching mind numbing shite on TV anyways.
If I go for a Cafe style tank and seat I will get the silveryist metalist paint job I can afford, If I go with a CR750 replica look I will go for the honda red paint job.

xwhatsit

11th February 2007, 23:32

Oooh, fuck yes. Do tell us where you get the tank from, if you find one.

If only it didn't have four cylinders :dodge:

Eurodave

12th February 2007, 06:54

Oooh, fuck yes. Do tell us where you get the tank from, if you find one.

I make fibreglass repros of the CR750 tank ,seat & fairing........amongst a lot of others :yes:

terbang

12th February 2007, 07:35

Check out rearsets here at Raask (http://www.raask.se/ind-eng.htm). I've got an ongoing project with my old yella (GSX1100 EZ) and am in the process of rearsets. Two options: Raask or fab up some mounts/linkages and fit Gixxer Pegs and pedals.. More satisfaction doing it yourself though Raask is reasonably priced.

jonbuoy

12th February 2007, 09:30

Yeah I saw them, and your right - not outrageously priced for a confirmed fit, Its quite tricky to make something work with the F2 rear brake set-up. I still have to go and have a scrounge at the dismantlers, not easy when I don't know what I'm looking for. I need to find myself a local freindly breaker that will let me look through what they have.

crack

16th February 2007, 02:02

Jonbouy:

I know where there is (was) a rolling frame, minus engine, as in your photos, it is or was located in Palmerston North a month or so ago, I presume it would still be there.

And I "think" this model came out in 79??? correct me please if I am wrong.

Keep at it matey, great simple technology.

Should post a photo of mine.

Chr's
Crack.

jonbuoy

16th February 2007, 07:12

It has 77' on the headstock stamp, the K3 engine is a bit of a mystery though. There's a couple of nice ones on trade me at the moment too. They are nice to work with - no ECU's or CDI's = simple wiring, maybe one special tool needed on the whole bike - and that can be got around with a bit of effort.

Cheers

John

crack

19th February 2007, 23:36

Go on, try it, I know you will like it.

www.cb750cafe.com

I can not remember if I posted this one before or not?

:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

jonbuoy

20th February 2007, 13:39

crack

20th February 2007, 19:58

Definately, some of Carpys stuff is a bit too bling for me, lots of good stuff on there though. There are some really nice ones done by some other guys on his site - the all alloy tanked ones are uber cool. I'm mocking up some rearset fittings at the moment and waiting on an ebay bid for some other stuff. You got a picture of your 750 Crack?

Excuse my messy work shop:

Not a posed for shot, just a snap I have on stick:

Have a second disc to fit to the front when I can find one.

my Z1 I will be re-storing this winter.

:scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :rockon:

jonbuoy

21st February 2007, 07:22

Nice, I like the idea of matching the headlight bucket to the tank paint - I might do that myself.

Cheers.

John

jonbuoy

28th February 2007, 07:20

Just scored this from EBAY australia, Genuine Paul Dunstall (or so I'm told) and some engine covers to go with it.

Eurodave

28th February 2007, 08:45

Looks nice,the black bike in the pix is that tank in context , the next pic is an early Dunstall CB750 advt & the last pic is a Dunstall Suzuki GS750 , like mine,with the tank cover & later Dunstall bodywork that was almost identical to the CB750 version. What you doing for a seat & fairing?

jonbuoy

28th February 2007, 09:07

Ah cheers looks better than I thought it would from the side, photos on the auction weren't great. I bought a seat - its way too long and will need some modding to work hopefully I can use the hinges and seat lock from the old one. I'm thinking of getting the whole seat covered in black or silver vinyl like the pictures below. Getting the paint to match the tank might be tricky, I have the paint numbers but still probably won't be 100% match.

Eurodave

28th February 2007, 09:13

Paul in NZ

28th February 2007, 09:24

I loved a lot of Paul Dunstals work with Nortons (still got his tuning book someplace) and used some of his kit in my Atlas cafe racer but to be honest...... I never liked the later fibreglass stuff for the big japanese bikes.

But then again - a lot of the english 'style' was a bit odd. It was more a deliberate opposition to the trad cafe racer style.

jonbuoy

28th February 2007, 09:34

Cool, I have often found that its quite difficult reusing the original seat hardware, without resorting to A LOT of work & I usually make up my own fittings to suit.... good luck with that. My only comment is that the tank is very rectangular & sharp edged & a roundy seat , only in my opinion, looks a bit out of place. Generally speaking I try to match up the seat shape with the back part of the tank, works for me :)

Yeah I guess, I did see some seally type seats that Carpe uses, I wasn't too keen on the boxy look. Hopefully it won't look too odd when its all together. I don't mind fidling around with the brackets might end up making some myself. Its saved me enough money in the budget to get the frame and bits and bobs powder coated which I wasn't planning to do, seems a shame not too now that I've gone this far.

jonbuoy

28th February 2007, 09:50

Heres one that Carpy did, makes me think the tank should be red..

Eurodave

28th February 2007, 10:02

I loved a lot of Paul Dunstals work with Nortons (still got his tuning book someplace) and used some of his kit in my Atlas cafe racer

I agree, some of the early Dunstall Jappa stuff was a bit OTT, but I dont mind the later offerings. FYI, I can do figlass replicas of the Dunstall Commando fairing/windscreen/dashboard, front mudguard & seat unit/upholstry amongst a lot of other Norton stuff including Commando , Manx & Kennedy tanks,sidecovers & Norvil seats etc

Eurodave

28th February 2007, 12:56

but to be honest...... I never liked the later fibreglass stuff for the big japanese bikes.

But then again - a lot of the english 'style' was a bit odd. It was more a deliberate opposition to the trad cafe racer style.

When taken in context with the 70's 'glam rock' & later 'disco' & their often flamboyant clothing styles, Dunstalls jap bike offerings were purely a reflection ,quite representative & in tune with the fashion of the era..... DISCO RULES!!! :dodge:

jonbuoy

28th February 2007, 13:14

Some of it is very Buck rodgers style. Need some flared leathers to go with it! Still very cool in its own way.

jonbuoy

5th March 2007, 20:38

Just finished the bars, controls and top yolk. Ground (hacked) off the bar clamps and was left with two holes that I was going to get filled in, they look kind of funky so I'm going to leave them for the time being. Casting was pretty rough under the paint, filing and lower grades of emery paper got it pretty good, I had a small accident with the grinder which left a mark too deep to get rid of. Clip ons came up nice, switch gear was a bit tricky - they were black anodised before - emery paper was a stalemate - aluminium oxide vs aluminium oxide. I had to use a stainless wire brush, then emery out the brush marks and move up to the finish. Not show quality but good enough and still got some character in them.

jonbuoy

5th March 2007, 20:41

Also frame is completely stripped - forks are just back in while I was measuring some stuff up. I did flat it back for painting but it will be powder coated now.

jonbuoy

11th March 2007, 20:37

Both arrived. Had to have a go at putting it all on. Seat has been cut down but is only resting on the frame. Blue masking tape on the tank is just for protection while I'm dicking around with the seat. Starting to look like a bike again. I will have to mod the steering lock with a blob or two of weld as the clip ons will touch the tank on full lock. Electrics will all go under the seat hump so I can ditch the ugly side covers, will be extending the wiring loom. Lots of plates and brackets to be made yet.

crack

16th March 2007, 00:31

Matey, well done. I like it, what color will you choose?
:rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :scooter:

jonbuoy

16th March 2007, 07:07

Hey,

I Like the tank as it is, the seat will be covered all over in black vinyl and I was thinking of a very dark grey/silver for the powdercoating on the frame, I haven't looked into the powdercoating yet. By the way Crack there are some cheap CB750 rings going on EBAY at the moment:

http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/mrssuperdeals/

$35 US for all four!

Kickaha

25th March 2007, 10:14

Some nice stuff here
http://dotheton.com

quite a bit of CB750 stuff on there (as well as lots of others)

jonbuoy

25th March 2007, 19:29

Cheers for the link Kickaha, thats a new one.

jonbuoy

25th March 2007, 19:36

jonbuoy

25th March 2007, 19:41

This light will be almost flush with the rear of the seat on the ally plate below - number plate will go on the long bit thats sticking out in the photo I just haven't bent and trimmed it yet.

jonbuoy

25th March 2007, 19:48

I've bent up some steel rails and cut a plate for the seat to fit on, there will be a layer of rubber and some industrial style velcro to hold it down, also there will be a hoop that will fit into the rear hump again with velcro. Seems a bit of a bodge using velcro but at least I won't need tools to take the seat off if I break down. I will (hopefully) braize the rails on, my brazing is a bit rough and needs more practice first. All this will be coming apart again for painting and cleaning I had to put the wheels back on to see how everything was going to look.

jonbuoy

25th March 2007, 19:49

BTW all the steel and ally was from bunnings who have a surprisingly good range of stuff.

xwhatsit

25th March 2007, 22:10

Most of my time has been spent scratching my head and staring at the frame and seat mounts and tail light. Tail light and number plate bracket has been the hardest to get around. I Bought a nice replica 50's style Lucas tail lamp and have been struggling to find a way of fitting it so that it looks nice and won't get kicked by the rear tyre under full swingarm travel. I decided to make up a little alloy box, hopefully I will be able to fix it together with durafix brazing rods. Its held together with sticky tape at the moment. I will finish filing it and polish it up when I've braized it together.

Ah cool! I saw those tail lights for sale and was really tempted, but I was worried about whether I'd get them through WOF, as they don't have DOT markings, do they? That bike is looking great. It's going to look far superior to that Carpy over-the-top stuff he does.

Never thought to check out Bunnings. Will have to go and see when it comes time to do my rear end.

I'd love to come and see this bike one day.

FROSTY

25th March 2007, 22:32

Just a thought dude. Nows a good time to brace up the frame.
Those ol gals had flexi frames

xwhatsit

25th March 2007, 23:15

Just a thought dude. Nows a good time to brace up the frame.
Those ol gals had flexi frames

I thought that was half the fun, the way some of you guys carry on :scooter:

Kickaha

26th March 2007, 06:21

Just a thought dude. Nows a good time to brace up the frame.
Those ol gals had flexi frames

3/4 of "frame flex" can be fixed with decent swing arm bushes and good rear shocks

jonbuoy

26th March 2007, 07:59

Just a thought dude. Nows a good time to brace up the frame.
Those ol gals had flexi frames

Theres a thought....

jonbuoy

26th March 2007, 08:02

Ah cool! I saw those tail lights for sale and was really tempted, but I was worried about whether I'd get them through WOF, as they don't have DOT markings, do they? That bike is looking great. It's going to look far superior to that Carpy over-the-top stuff he does.

Never thought to check out Bunnings. Will have to go and see when it comes time to do my rear end.

I'd love to come and see this bike one day.

Sure thing mate, your right theyre not DOT approved, they don't have a reflector either, but all of the old lights and indicators are on a frame I can bolt on and off for my warrant :innocent:

xwhatsit

26th March 2007, 11:32

Sure thing mate, your right theyre not DOT approved, they don't have a reflector either, but all of the old lights and indicators are on a frame I can bolt on and off for my warrant :innocent:

Ah, that's how I've got it planned too -- everything needs to be reverseable in case of WOF etc.

Are you going to keep the alloys?

jonbuoy

26th March 2007, 12:31

Yeah for the time being, wire wheels would look better I'll just keep an eye out for any bargains.

xwhatsit

26th March 2007, 23:41

Yeah for the time being, wire wheels would look better I'll just keep an eye out for any bargains.

Hahaha I've got a pair of really, really, really skinny ones from my parts CB250RS going cheap :D

The CB750 cafe is almost a genre of its own, so alloys won't look too out of place.

Kickaha

27th March 2007, 06:42

Yeah for the time being, wire wheels would look better I'll just keep an eye out for any bargains.

I think I have a disc brake wire rear wheel from a Honda in the garage I will have a look later and let you know, easist to get front is a GN250 they have a black plastic cover on one side you can take off and a second dics can bolt on, then you can find some alloy rims to get spoked on

jonbuoy

27th March 2007, 08:10

Cheers, That would make a big difference to the looks. Good tip on the GN250 front end too.

psyguy

27th March 2007, 19:04

thanks for posting at my thread jonbuoy (gs engine rebuild)
good luck with your project, it looks very promissing and i look forward to seeing more of it
:rockon:

jonbuoy

28th March 2007, 21:05

thanks for posting at my thread jonbuoy (gs engine rebuild)
good luck with your project, it looks very promissing and i look forward to seeing more of it
:rockon:

Likewise,

cheers.

Kickaha

1st April 2007, 11:29

Another site with some nice stuff on it

http://www.thetankshop.com/

jonbuoy

3rd April 2007, 22:24

Another site with some nice stuff on it

http://www.thetankshop.com/

Some quality work on there.

jonbuoy

3rd April 2007, 22:35

This stuff has been easy to use on the 3mm plate but I can't get the bigger castings up to temp - I need a bigger tip on my Oxy torch which I think I can scrounge soon. I made up the tail light box (at the expense of my finger prints on my left hand :stupid: ) - it still needs a finishing and polishing. The Durafix is nice to work with when the workpiece is up to temp.

I tried to use it to fill in the gaps on the yolks - I made some thin alloy plate cut outs and was hoping to wave a bit of the liquid durafix over the top and polish up. Couldn't get it hot enough in the end and ended up melting the thinner plates so have to start over again. I should have tried it with a bit of scrap casting first. Not sure how they are using a butane torch in one of their demos to heat up a giant casting - it would take forever.

jonbuoy

19th April 2007, 20:59

Finally got the yolks hot enough to take the durafix - I made the inserts out of 5mm ally this time. The durafix works well but is softer and polishes to a mirror finish more easily than the cast ally leaving a few shiny patches - still not too bad.

jonbuoy

19th April 2007, 21:02

I needed to reduce the travel on the steering lock - I did think about a blob of weld or braize but I'm still learning to do both. I drilled and tapped a couple of holes and used a hex bolt and a couple of washers - best thing is they are adjustable now.

jonbuoy

19th April 2007, 21:08

I bought some cheap NOS pegs off EBAY and made the rest out of stainless tube and 5mm plate bent in the vice, the brake pedal will have a rubber pad glued on it. The shafts are either press fits or held with locktight shaft lock. The brake pedal has two small bolts on the back and is braized up with my old mate durafix.

jonbuoy

19th April 2007, 21:10

Tail light is almost done - the box came out nice - did I mention I use Durafix?...

psyguy

19th April 2007, 21:30

hey, i've been wondering what you've been up to since your last post...
my comment to your work is simple::rockon:

Duc

20th April 2007, 09:38

nice progress jonbuoy. Like the tail light.

Hope to give you a call in next couple of weeks so I can check out your project.

My CB550 project starts tomorrow with arrival of the bike at my shed.

jonbuoy

20th April 2007, 13:44

No problem, "Workshop" is being generous picnic table and a vice :rofl:

psyguy

20th April 2007, 15:41

No problem, "Workshop" is being generous picnic table and a vice :rofl:

oh, i like this...
my workshop is half a sheet of 18mm mdf screwd on a $20 worth of chinese made stand
(and no vice)
:Punk:

jonbuoy

20th April 2007, 15:47

I scavenged it from an in-organics collection - Its a bloody good workbench, I can work on a few bits at once - built in all round seating too I've left the motor on it at one end which holds the thing down well, I'm thinking of bolting the motor down for a test fire as I can't even get the cam cover off the damn thing when its back in the frame. Needs some bracing now after all the filing and hacksawing she's getting a bit wobbly.

jonbuoy

29th April 2007, 17:52

Battery holder was corroded and wouldn't have stood a good sandblast, I was going to make a complete hanger as well but its a pain bending the ally the way I am and the top part is hidden anyway. I'm not sure about the rivets either might go back to countersunk screws.

jonbuoy

29th April 2007, 17:55

Got the seat rails on - the won't win any beauty pagents but they are held on good. I just have some more things to grind off and then it will be ready for powdercoating.

jonbuoy

29th April 2007, 18:02

Its easy to see why these big old bruisers were so heavy I weighed a few things for no other reason than I'm a bit of a closet geek and was wondering if all my brackets would affect the weight:

Horn 750g
Rear mudguard hanger 600g
Rear brake lever 500g
Pillion pegs 400g (200g each)
Riders footpeg 1240g (620g each)
Rear light frame 1200g
Centre stand 3000g
Rear light and bracket 1100g
Indicators 1600g (400g each!!!)

None of the above bits are going back on, weighing up the new bits I will be loosing around 8KG's of weight. Staggering.

jonbuoy

29th April 2007, 18:45

Shes a roller now - my elderly neighbours looked relieved to find out It was a bike and not a P lab I was working on in the wee hours. I'm fairly happy with the left hand side - as it is. I'm not liking the oil tank on the right hand side. Also the side stand is too short - I've bent it as far as I can but still needs another inch or so to get the right lean angle - I've read that others have the same gripe.

I had to toe the seat in a bit at the front to match the tank exactly, glassed in some ally brackets for the rear of the seat. Next it will go to trimit for the vinyl treatments

Eurodave

29th April 2007, 19:14

Lookin farkin good bud!! , nice stance!! :)

jonbuoy

30th April 2007, 20:50

Cheers Dave.

xwhatsit

30th April 2007, 21:09

My word that is very shiny for something dating from 1977 :D

Looks great -- the tank/seat line looks excellent, they really define the bike. Congrats, wish I had your skills.

TS99

30th April 2007, 21:12

Nice lines coming up... good work JB

PS that centre stand is a brick shithouse 3kg? WTF

jimbo

30th April 2007, 21:47

:scooter: lookin nice mate.seat n tank work real well,lookin forward to the next instalment:yes: :Punk:

psyguy

30th April 2007, 22:02

some serious fabrication there, jonbuoy!
she should look sweet once powdercoated :sunny:

by the way, imo, just for the neat looks, i think i'd go for the countersunk screws rather than the rivets on the battery holder (if you can be bothered?!)

cheers

jonbuoy

1st May 2007, 08:21

psyguy

1st May 2007, 10:27

Thanks guys, Yup I agree the rivets don't look as nice as countersunks I will change them. He he the side stand is a temporary fix.... not sure what to do about it, I will either get this one extended or find or make a new one. Bloody odd that its so short.

yeah, i'll need to do that on my gs side stand, too.
whenever i use it i worry the bike'll fall over...
oher than extending it, i think (possibly) the stand bracket and/or the stand itself can be bent inwards a little ?!

Bonez

1st May 2007, 16:26

Nice lines coming up... good work JB

PS that centre stand is a brick shithouse 3kg? WTFWeight is low, they're designed to handle a 200kg bike, and they come in handy when servicing time comes around. But you knew that already ah?

yod

1st May 2007, 16:42

yeah, i'll need to do that on my gs side stand, too.
whenever i use it i worry the bike'll fall over...
oher than extending it, i think (possibly) the stand bracket and/or the stand itself can be bent inwards a little ?!

yeah what is it with GS's ?? a mate of mine had a '80 GSthou about 15 years ago and it was practically at 45 degrees on the side stand...was a pig to pick up again!

yod

1st May 2007, 16:44

this thread is great mate....looking forward to the next interesting post

can't wait to see the finished beast!

good on ya

Kickaha

12th May 2007, 14:55

Another link for you if you don't already have it
http://www.satanicmechanic.org/

nice list of frame builers who made stuff for them on it, nice Dunstall model in the March Classic Motorcyle Mechanics as well

jonbuoy

31st May 2007, 21:12

Been polishing and wet sanding my fingers off. I thought if I got a buffing wheel and more abrasive cutting stuff I could skip the wet and dry or a least some stages of it. Going from dull ally I can go straight to the wheel, but the forks and calipers were all rough cast under the paint. I had to go from 80(!) to 120 then tried the buffer - no good still too many deep scratches. So in the end it went from 80-120-400-800 buffer. Still some small areas that my chinese "dremel" needs to get into yet.

I'm please with the front headlight/instrument layout - I'm going to stick with analogue gauges and get some new faces from the states. Also managed to find a longer NOS sidestand in the states - along with the headlight visor and a tapered steering head bearing kit and an early K ignition switch.

Seat was covered by Rider Seats in Tauranga - nice job. It must have been tricky to cover - the fibreglass seat was not completely symetrical. It lines up with the tank nicely and should be comfy for a few hundred k's.

The wet sanding and buffing has been draining my enthusiasm - I keep having to put bits together to keep me going. Working with a pile of bits isn't the same as working with a bike. Its starting to look good. Toying with the idea of a 50's stlye fish tail silencer. Its a kind of confused 70's 60's 50's mix cafe racer - I'm just picking the bits I like from different eras.

Still need to do something about the oil tank its fugly and has a nasty cheapo plastic cap.

Paul in NZ

31st May 2007, 21:23

Confused??? No! TOP effort mate

jonbuoy

31st May 2007, 22:09

Cheers,

I'm thinking of one of these two for the pipes, I steering towards the round style as it will be easy to mod the pipe I have and not choke the motor.

xwhatsit

31st May 2007, 22:21

Very nice, the headlight brow looks cute :)

Might I ask how much it cost to cover that seat? That's one area I'm still trying to work out how much I need to spend.

jonbuoy

1st June 2007, 09:22

Very nice, the headlight brow looks cute :)

Might I ask how much it cost to cover that seat? That's one area I'm still trying to work out how much I need to spend.

$250 + GST, I think it would have been a lot less to get just a padded insert done. Yeah headlight brow has grown on me - I thought it was a bit tacky to start off.

xwhatsit

1st June 2007, 21:00

$250 + GST, I think it would have been a lot less to get just a padded insert done. Yeah headlight brow has grown on me - I thought it was a bit tacky to start off.

Holy mother of...

Time to read up on how to do DIY upholstery :D

Duc

1st June 2007, 21:54

Hey jonbuoy.

Looking good but can I comment on something.

I think part of the cafe racer 'look' and design is a straight clean line thru' the base of the tank and the base of the seat. Maybe you can raise the front end of the tank a fraction to achieve this. ( If you happen to agree with my comment of course)

psyguy

1st June 2007, 22:08

nice to see the update on your project!
i really like the silver seat vinyl
and those polished calippers look primo
:rockon:

jonbuoy

8th July 2007, 13:54

Have been reasonably busy on the bike, its been hard to get off my arse and into cold damp garage of an evening so things have been finding their way into the kitchen sink and on the coffee table - the perks of being an antisocial bastard!

I had a bit of a spend up on Ebay:

New forks (chrome was stuffed) & fork boots from cycle X - about an inch longer than my standard forks I knew that anyway - I'll make a spacer up for the spring and drop them a little in the yolk - will still be sticking up slightly but I can live with that. Bar end mirrors added.
And some cool little aluminum bodied indicators, they are clear lensed and a bit modern looking but they seem to disappear when on the bike. They look a lot better than any chrome/plastic retro ones I've seen. They are not E marked, I'm hoping the wof man will turn a blind eye, if not I'll put my old ones on for the warrant and swap back.:innocent:

I'm pleased with how its looking, the motor will really make the bike - I found some finned covers on Trade Me which make it look a lot meaner. It will be pretty hard to tell its a Honda as there will be no logo's on the motor or frame. By chance I found some solid aluminum bar while out on one of my scavenging sorties, I'm using this for gear and brake pegs on the rearsets. Looking very chunky and a little home made but I like that look.

The oil tank was looking really ugly so I cut some aluminum sheet and made a bezel to go around it, this covers up the spot welding and creases. I'm still on the lookout for a knurled ally disc to go on top of the old dipstick - I'll cut the plastic handle off leaving the thread and dip stick then screw/epoxy the disc on top as a filler cap.

Wiring loom is almost finished, I stripped the whole lot back as the electrics are all under the seat more to come on that.

jonbuoy

8th July 2007, 13:55

More pics.... I'd really like to get the rotors cross drilled and ground at some stage probably when its back on the road.

slowpoke

8th July 2007, 14:47

Looking good mate. Not a criticism at all, just a comment: that has got to be the biggest rear disc I've seen in....in....well, ever really. Funny how things evolve.

jonbuoy

8th July 2007, 16:53

Its a beast ain't it! I'm hoping if I get it drilled it won't look so massive or just a little cooler. I don't know what Honda were thinking when they put that on the back end.

Duc

8th July 2007, 17:55

jonbuoy

8th July 2007, 18:37

Where /who painted your tank JonBuoy?

I want a good painter in the Auckland region to do my CB550 tank in two tone.

Anyone who can do this could PM me please.
(Tank is stripped to the metal already)

Hey Duc, I got it already painted on EBAY, I hear Reflections have a good rep and feedback on here - I've never used them myself.

fergie

10th July 2007, 10:34

jonboy,
love what you are doing,keep up the great reports. very insperational.

gijoe1313

10th July 2007, 22:56

Bluddy fan'frikk'ntastic... good effort there and it's an inspiration to me and any others doing rebuilds! Will have to put the effort in double time now! Looking great and can't wait to see the final product!

Conquiztador

10th July 2007, 23:49

But if U can do it, so can I!!!

Thanks for inspiration!!!

kneescraper

14th July 2007, 18:38

Thats pure sex mate, youve done real well. I was unsure about the top triple tree but it looks real good fitted to the bike.

Why do you shorten the travel lengh of the steering?

jonbuoy

30th July 2007, 21:49

I had to shorten the steering lock as the clip ons would touch the tank on full lock, it means I have to do an Austin Powers style 20 point turn to turn the bike around - I can live with that. Its all in bits again - dropping it into the powder coaters tomorrow. I've ground a fair few brackets off the frame that weren't needed. Left the centre stand bracket on for making up a paddock stand at a later date.

I stripped the oil tank and instruments covers myself as they were thin steel, I wanted to fill in some of the bumps and dinks in the tank with liquid steel myself. Should be able to handle the powdercoating temps. I'm going for aluminum ceramic coating on the swingarm, instrument covers and oil tank. The rest will all be black.

Looking forward to seeing it come back and what this ally ceramic coating will look like. In the meantime I'm putting the top end back together on the motor and touching up other bits. Carbies have been stripped and re-assembled- the only bits out of the service kits I needed were the gaskets and the float bowl springs. Inlet rubbers are rock hard - I'm hoping a good boil up in ATF will soften them enough to put them back on.

I've stopped keeping receipts now... Hope to have her on the road for Spring :Punk: I'll have to start having a look around for my Leather jacket, pudding bowl helmet, draggin jeans (with turnups) and some Biggles goggles :dodge:

jonbuoy

30th July 2007, 22:07

I was thinking of not having idiot lights but they are handy, I made these from some LED's from Jaycar - only a couple of bucks each, they even had a decent bright blue one for high beam.
As the tail light I'm using is pretty old school and doesn't have a reflector I've put one of Jaycars LED stop/tail lamps in the tail light - its bloody bright and should last a while which is just as well as the bulb is a bit of prick to change. The bike came with an aftermarket oil cooler but its an ugly bit of kit I don't ride in stop start traffic very often and the motor is stock so I think I'll be OK to ditch it.

kneescraper

31st July 2007, 19:51

Awesome mate, call me stupid (well, dont) but whats liquid steel. Is it like a bog for metal or someting. I was looking for something to fill my rather deep scraps on my engine casing after the fall. Maybe this "liquid steel" would do the trick?

Looking forward to the completion of this bike, cant wait to see the end result!!

psyguy

31st July 2007, 22:24

hi jonbuoy
always a pleasure to read your updates and see the bits you fabricate yourself!
:rockon:

jonbuoy

1st August 2007, 08:27

hi jonbuoy
always a pleasure to read your updates and see the bits you fabricate yourself!
:rockon:

Cheers mate.

jonbuoy

1st August 2007, 08:30

deanohit

1st August 2007, 09:35

Only just found this thread and read through the whole thing over breakfast. Ya bike is looking awesome mate, always loved the look of a Cafe Racer and your one is starting to look real sweet.

jonbuoy

18th August 2007, 10:50

Only just found this thread and read through the whole thing over breakfast. Ya bike is looking awesome mate, always loved the look of a Cafe Racer and your one is starting to look real sweet.

Thanks mate.

jonbuoy

18th August 2007, 10:57

HPC get a 15 out of ten for service. I didn't think the frame would come up as well as it did. The pictures don't do the finish any justice. Aluminum ceramic finish on the swingarm arm and clocks is perfect - it looks like polished/lacquered aluminum, you can tell it isn't when you get really close up, I prefer the look over chrome and its a fraction of the cost. The black powdercoat was done in satin finish -looks better than when it rolled of the Honda line. They masked off all the bearing surfaces, everything was bubble wrapped and protected when I picked it up, I even got a free notebook.

HPC - http://www.hpcoatings.co.nz/

jonbuoy

18th August 2007, 11:02

More bling.... If I hadn't have just put the top end on the motor I would be tempted to get the whole engine done in it too. Maybe in a couple of years if I ever do a big bore upgrade.

Conquiztador

18th August 2007, 16:13

psyguy

23rd August 2007, 23:08

i can definitely tell that's going to be one mean cafe racer, mate!
:rockon:

jonbuoy

5th September 2007, 20:56

Engine is done new:
gaskets
rings
hone/skim
valve's and seats re-faced
new cam chain & tensioner and runners
Dyna Electronic Ignition,
finned covers.

I replaced the standard rubber o rings in the head gasket kit with some Viton O rings (a staggering $25 for 8 O rings). Should last a lot longer than the standard ones and keep the leaks at bay. Cases polished or sprayed with supercheap auto engine enamel (big mistake, its shite I went for this when I still had a budget in mind for the build). Should have used VHT, bit late now though. Next step is to shoe horn this mother into the frame without damaging the powder coat.

I impulse bought another CB750 today as well, this one isn't road registered - I think its been raced in post classics. It was on trade me a while ago and I missed out on it - 2nd time lucky. Its got proper spoked wheels, twin drilled discs and some other trick looking bits on it. I'm thinking I'll swap the alloys for the spokes on the cafe racer, the alloys have been bugging me for a while - they don't look quite right, not wrong just not right. I'll make the other one into a CR750 replica for track days or have a go at the post classic racing myself, haven't decided yet.

Paul in NZ

5th September 2007, 21:19

Top job mate - I'm loving the finned covers - sooooooo 70's

xwhatsit

5th September 2007, 21:20

That engine is bloody massive, that surely can't be a one man job? Cor blimey. But then again it's a full cradle frame, don't have to worry about supporting it from underneath. Good luck with that ;)

Yay! Spokes! It'll look horn. Keep the double discs for the CR? They had twin front stoppers, didn't they? I love the CR look, very reminiscent of the earlier Honda GP racers. Even the big fairing.

pete376403

5th September 2007, 22:04

Pic of CR750 replica from the baber museum.
It would be a lot of work but a 4 into 4 exhaust system would be in keeping with the look

tri boy

5th September 2007, 22:35

Lov'n ya work.:niceone:
Can I suggest flat polished alloy, flush mounted with the frame for side covers to hide batt/elecs etc.
A machinist can spin up some dowls that can be TIGed to the flat so you can utilise the original side cover mounts.
Worked on some Rickman Z900 conversions.

jonbuoy

5th September 2007, 23:07

That would have been easier - electrics are under the seat hump now, I'll tidy up the oil tank and leave it without a cover.
It is a big lump, I got impatient and put the engine in the frame tonight, laid the engine on its side and lowered the frame onto it then rolled the whole lot over - not my idea but a brilliant one anyway, not a scratch on the frame or the engine. it makes the tank and seat look small now. There is a guy in Invercargill building a beautiful CR750, he's making a set of four into fours himself. I might make a pilgrimage and ask to take look at it one day:

www.mypages.co.nz/~andyf/Honda3.htm

psyguy

6th September 2007, 23:21

hey, that engine looks mint ! and it souns like it's going to perform real nice too
but you left us high n dry a bit, saying the engine's now in frame - and no photo of it??? can't wait to see it!
:rockon:

jonbuoy

9th September 2007, 12:21

jonbuoy

9th September 2007, 12:29

Pic of CR750 replica from the baber museum.
It would be a lot of work but a 4 into 4 exhaust system would be in keeping with the look

I only started to get into the older bikes after seeing one of Carpy's cafes but they are really growing on me, those CR era bikes are so sexy. I wasn't even a fan of the standard CB750 but now thats starting to grow on me.

jonbuoy

22nd October 2007, 19:54

Been making slow progress, garage flooded from next doors drain which made it a minging place to work. I've nearly finished the electrics, just the idiot lights to wire into the headlight bucket. All the plugs have been chopped off and remade with identical ones from Jaycar. Loom has been shortened and extended in a few places, I used one layer of insulation tape under the black braiding you see in the photos. Its a lot more flexible than the standard loom and makes the steering much lighter. The rest of the loom has been tested and seems ok.

jonbuoy

22nd October 2007, 20:03

Airbox and carbs stole nearly a day of my life to fit, not something I want to do too often so the bastard better run good. I painted the wheels with rattle can paint as I'm not sure if I will use these or the wire wheels. I can run better rubber on the alloys and they are period lesters so I might just stick with them and get them painted properly next year, both front and rear wheels had new bearings which were a prick to fit. Still waiting for a swingarm needle bearing kit from the states to arrive to finish up the back end.

I had to move the tank mounts up and forward as the pet cock was fouling the engine. A lot of other little bits and bobs have had to be done which I've forgotten about.

jonbuoy

22nd October 2007, 20:08

Guages came out nice - they don't look as good in the photos as they do in real life, I used the older style faces from the Donor bike I have.

jonbuoy

22nd October 2007, 20:12

Pictures...

kiwifruit

22nd October 2007, 20:16

very cool :cool:

Goblin

22nd October 2007, 20:19

What an awesome project! :cool: Looking very very cool!

FJRider

22nd October 2007, 21:25

I had a 77 CB750 F1 when I was living in Singapore,back in1980. The twin disc setup was not standard, but added later. Bought in kit form as an improvement to the standard single stopper. The discs were often drilled to aid stopping in the wet. The rims look similar to the ones I had fitted. "Kruger" cast mags. Take a close look at the rims. The makers name may be cast into them. Japan exported bikes with a red light above the steering head bearing, that came on at 50mph. Japans speed limit. Yoshimura made engine overbore kits, upto about 900cc. Mine, from memory, had an 843cc kit installed. I added an oil cooler as air cooled bikes in the tropics, got overheated easily. Yoshi exaust systems were also available for the 750 hondas. Individual pod air filters were popular too. The chassis was a "little" flexy but you learned to live with it. The F1 and later F2 were both 4 into one exaust setup as standard. Crappy looking mufflers though. Dunstal made a muffler that fitted straight onto standard headers. Parts on the later 750's were a mixture from previous models. Most are interchangable and made to renew not replace (seals etc)

jonbuoy

22nd October 2007, 21:43

Cheers,

I have thought about a big bore kit, problem is from what I understand I'd be needing a decent port job as the standard heads are pretty restrictive, then carbs to make the most of the port job and then a higher lift cam which would need stronger springs oversize valves, and then I'd be needing rods, big end bearings & primary chain, to handle the extra power. I know a few guys on the SOHC forum have been getting close to 90BHP from these engines, I just can't justify the cost which would probably be close to $10K for an extra 15-20BHP. Would be cool to give the odd 600 rider a fright, till the first corner when I'd be the one getting the fright :shit:

FJRider

22nd October 2007, 21:54

My choice AND MINE ALONE, its a "Cafe" racer, not a "Road" racer, if it looks good...it must be. DONT bankrupt yourself, or take ten years building a FUN good looking bike. Get it on the road and ENJOY. See ya out there

psyguy

23rd October 2007, 08:40

FANTASTICO ! :2thumbsup

jonbuoy

23rd October 2007, 08:50

HenryDorsetCase

24th October 2007, 11:28

That is really coming along, huh?

Excellent excellent bike. Keep up the good work. It will be awesome on the road!

Duc

25th October 2007, 15:36

Looking Good jonbuoy

Heres few pix of where I am at with the CB550: sorry not sure how to insert images in to the thread properly!

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondatanksm.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondasm.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondasidecoverssm.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondarearwheelsm.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondapolishedecoverssm.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondagaugessm.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u262/shooterbucket/Hondacallipersm.jpg

jonbuoy

27th October 2007, 17:38

Hey thats looking sweet, did you make the mold of the seat yourself?

xwhatsit

27th October 2007, 21:08

Yeah I want to know about the seat :devil2: Having trouble tracking down a cheap seat/cowling.

That looks great.

Duc

28th October 2007, 11:23

I got the seat from Malcom at EconoHonda. He took a mould off it before he delivered it to me so maybe he has them available now.

BTW -I have another seat cowling for sale - cheap. Might suit you X....

Laava

2nd November 2007, 10:39

Nice work guys!:niceone:
Getting the urge to do anothery. What do you reckon about an XS750 triple? For me it's not about performance, it's all about looks. And sound!

jonbuoy

5th November 2007, 21:01

750 triple sounds like a great idea. Got the motor up and running and its now a fully rolling chassis, Cycletreads sorted out the chain which was good quality and almost new but bizarrely too short when I bought the bike. Needle bearings in the swingarm , wheels and oil tank painted, braided oil lines. Number plate is the original but was black on white. I stripped it back polished the aluminum and masked and sprayed the rest. Might go for a smaller one later, it looks vintage so I'm happy at the mo.

Exhaust took a while to fit - chrome is pretty shabby but it will do for this riding season anyway.

Motor up and running on Sunday - spent half a day trying to prime the oil pump using starter motor pouring oil in various places. In the end I fired it up with the cam cover caps off and kept spraying oil the old fashioned way into the cam and rockers till I could see oil squirting out. Fired up first time and runs nicely considering I only bench synched the carbs and set the timing by eye.

Brakes Rearset linkages, gas tank sealer, exhaust and final tank adjustment, wiring up the idiot lights is pretty much all thats left to do. Then its off to the warrant station and on the road :headbang:

Goblin

5th November 2007, 21:23

:drool: That looks Stunning!! Have really enjoyed watching the progress. Well done! :clap:
Cant wait to hear it. Bet it sounds sweeeet! :love:

deanohit

5th November 2007, 21:27

Dude, that is looking awesome!!!
Good work.

rustycharm

5th November 2007, 22:16

Hey there.. was stoked to find this wee thread. Am in the strip down stage of a CB650C chop down to a bobber style rebuild. Would like to see how far you've come with the build.
I do have a question re the machining you got done.... what did you end up handing over and how much did the work cost..

Did you do a complete strip down of the bottom end or clean it up with transmission intact?

xwhatsit

5th November 2007, 23:42

What a mint idea, inverting the plate colours :D I've half a mind to do the same with mine once I get the tail sorted, looks very classic. I know you can order new plates for very cheap ($20 or so, `it fell off'), but can you specify which shape you want? My existing one is long and thin, not so good.

Duc

6th November 2007, 07:36

Nice work jonbuoy. Looks great.

Love to hear how you get on at the WOF with no rear guard?

fergie

6th November 2007, 12:44

well done jonbouy, have followed your progress with great interest. i hope to see/hear it it the flesh sometime, cheers.

jonbuoy

6th November 2007, 15:00

Thanks guys, I don't think the rear fender will be a problem as the number plate should act as one. A lot of sportsbikes have those tail tidies and seem to get away with it so fingers crossed I will too. Regarding bottom end - 750's are tough as old boots in this respect - I've heard of people doing well over 100,000 miles on original bottom ends with no hassels. I got the head and barrels skimmed and seats cut, everything else I did myself. Half the fun of these old motors for me is that they are pretty basic and totally rebuildable with shed tools.

kneescraper

10th November 2007, 15:22

I havent been around here for a while....been spending my time on 4 wheels. So I thought I better catch up on the build. All I can really say is WOW!, you have created a 1 off bike...I cant think of a word or sentence for that matter that would truely show how impressed I am...WOW!

You should be very proud!

jonbuoy

10th November 2007, 15:47

Duc

10th November 2007, 19:26

It is customary with Cafe Racers that we get an invite to "baptise" the new baby.

When,where?

rustycharm

11th November 2007, 13:43

Heres head and barrels looking pretty tidy now. Just making up my mind on if I change the rings or not, its had a hone and the old rings look fine and in spec. New ones are over 300 bucks..

Jonbuoy... just out of interest - who did the machining and recon work on the head and the block for you. Also looking for a good bead blaster and powdercoater for a CB650 project ..... all things you've done and had done quite well by the looks of it.

jonbuoy

11th November 2007, 17:26

Jonbuoy... just out of interest - who did the machining and recon work on the head and the block for you. Also looking for a good bead blaster and powdercoater for a CB650 project ..... all things you've done and had done quite well by the looks of it.

North shore engine re conditioners did the head work and HPC did the ceramic and powdercoat.

jonbuoy

11th November 2007, 17:28

It is customary with Cafe Racers that we get an invite to "baptise" the new baby.

When,where?

Looking forward to the first ride, I'll probably turn up to one of the Thursday night rides when I'm sure its not going to shit itself and embarrass me...

rustycharm

11th November 2007, 19:59

Another site with some nice stuff on it

http://www.thetankshop.com/

Thanks for the link Kickaha..... some amazing tanks ... might save me hours of hard work and heartache trying to get that poished alloy look with a dodgy tank to startwith. (not cheap tho aye) :crazy:

rustycharm

11th November 2007, 20:10

JB.. just another question... why did you Oxy weld most of the components on this bike as opposed to mig/tig welding?

deanohit

11th November 2007, 20:11

Maybe the Oxy is all he had sitting in his shed?

And Rusty, good luck with your build man, ya got any pics?

rustycharm

11th November 2007, 20:45

deanohit

11th November 2007, 20:51

Bit premature for pics unless you like looking at bins of parts waiting to get shipped off to the strippers and bead blasters. ... I do have a pic or two of what it was like when I got it so I'll post those up first..

Haha, early days then, will be cool to see the pics of what it was like to start with though. ;)

jonbuoy

12th November 2007, 07:13

Yeah Oxy was my choice - I did have access to a stick welder but my welds either looked like shit or had no structural strength. I was already used to soldering so went with the Oxy and braize. Been handy as I couldn't have migged or tigged a lot of the stuff I have done for the rearsets.

psyguy

12th November 2007, 19:22

Looking forward to the first ride, I'll probably turn up to one of the Thursday night rides when I'm sure its not going to shit itself and embarrass me...

hey, make to sure to let us know when you intend to join that thursday night ride - i'd really like to see the bike - great work!!!
:niceone:

jonbuoy

10th December 2007, 20:54

hey, make to sure to let us know when you intend to join that thursday night ride - i'd really like to see the bike - great work!!!
:niceone:

Will do mate. Progress has been a bit slow, I lost a bit of enthusiasm for a while . The rearsets I spent so long making were a bit of a disaster in use - the brake pedal bent far too easily and the plain bearings weren't working out so well. I've bitten the bullet and ordered some Tarrozzi universal rearsets. Bit gutted as they would have looked cool, least I have a bit more peace of mind and know I won't be getting stranded in the middle of no-where with a broken gear shifter. Sealed the tank just in case there were any leaks I didn't know about. Still got a few little jobs to finish off but getting closer. Its physically quite a big bike - must be a long as a Harley and the ergonomics definitely suit lanky bastards like me.

jonbuoy

10th December 2007, 21:03

Tarozzis...........

deanohit

10th December 2007, 21:06

It's looking very nice there Jonbuoy.
So how many litres is that tank? the thing looks massive.

psyguy

11th December 2007, 06:40

hi there jonbuoy

just the other day i wondered how you haven't posted anything in a while...
but mate, that bike looks sooooooo cool

:2thumbsup :clap:

how does it run?

jonbuoy

11th December 2007, 15:02

It's looking very nice there Jonbuoy.
So how many litres is that tank? the thing looks massive.

Not sure - a lot I think - just as well I won't have any reserve or fuel light with the set up.

jonbuoy

11th December 2007, 15:04

hi there jonbuoy

just the other day i wondered how you haven't posted anything in a while...
but mate, that bike looks sooooooo cool

:2thumbsup :clap:

how does it run?

It seems to run real nice even though I only bench synched the carbies, Haven't had it out on the road yet (waiting for rearsets and brakes) and I don't want it idling for too long till I've scrubbed the rings in.

psyguy

11th December 2007, 15:09

Haven't had it out on the road yet (waiting for rearsets and brakes) and I don't want it idling for too long till I've scrubbed the rings in.

yeah, i figured from your previous posts patience's your virtue :calm:

(not like me) :whistle:

geoffm

11th December 2007, 20:05

noice - although I think it needs a megaphone exhaust for the proper look.
Geoff

fergie

12th December 2007, 07:04

love those pegs jonbuoy, gotta say it looks awesome, well done on a fine resto/rebuild.

Duc

12th December 2007, 15:46

jonbuoy

12th December 2007, 19:35

Hey jonbuoy. Looking good....

.....BUT what about that ugly airbox! ?

I fitted some pods to my CB550 Cafe Racer - see pix at the link.
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=2429.0

Bike was started for first time today (woohoo). Balancing and tuning the carbs now.

Keen to see what your new reasets look like. I just did it the cheap way meantime.
http://dotheton.com/index.php?topic=2404.0

Looking good their Duc - I like the look of the pods but I'm steering away from them for the time being - I heard they can be a pain in the arse to jet right and glitchy in crosswinds and wet weather riding. Be interested to know how you get on with them? Once I know how the bike runs with the airbox I might go for a set.

Cheers

HenryDorsetCase

19th December 2007, 21:17

Tarozzis...........

they're a really nice looking bit of kit.

and your bike's looking great, too BTW

jonbuoy

4th January 2008, 18:13

Mixed progress - Rearsets arrived and fitted with a lot of shagging about spacing with shims, rose joints rods etc. Brakes have been a pain in the arse seems to be harder than I thought to keep the fluid in the old girl, original rear master cylinder kept leaking so had to replace it with my spare - slightly different type, I couldn't be arsed polishing it up as I wanted to be on the road ASAP it doesn't look too shabby as it is anyway. Now having hassels with the fronts - missing a part from a re-build kit, another one on its way from the UK. Finally got all the wiring done and loads of other little jobs horn, cool retro "Performance" air fork kit fitted.

On the plus side I took it for a spin up the road which was when I found I had a few issues with the front brakes :Oops: Engine was running well, idle mix is good now I think maybe a tad rich, timing and valve clearances done again, exhaust packed out as it was a bit obnoxious straight through- haven't balanced the carbs properly yet.

I can see why there are a lot of 90-99% finished projects up for sale, my enthusiasm was on a downer until I had that quick spin up the road. All the little jobs take so much time. I still have a few things to sort - oil light LED is too dim in sunlight, high beam LED is too bright for night time, battery needs securing, front master cylinder to be sorted, few drips from the sump. Blah blah. Still a sweet ride and turned a few heads on my short and kamikaze like run.

Edbear

4th January 2008, 18:27

Now that's a NICE JOB!!!!:first:

Swoop

4th January 2008, 20:10

What Edbear said. That looks superb!!
Well done.

psyguy

4th January 2008, 21:41

I can see why there are a lot of 90-99% finished projects up for sale, my enthusiasm was on a downer until I had that quick spin up the road. All the little jobs take so much time. I still have a few things to sort

Mate, always a pleasure to read/see your updates! :niceone:

jonbuoy

20th January 2008, 21:22

Cheers guys.

My celebrations at getting the bike on the road were short lived after a stupid fall off the sidestand - that'll learn me to disconnect the clutch safety starter switch.... Luckily there was hardly any damage - a bent mirror and a broken fin on the generator cover. I knew I should have walked away at that stage but I thought I'd cut the broken fin off the cover and tidy it up. In my rage the hacksaw slipped and took a detour over my index finger and knuckle so the rest of my evening was spent at A&E waiting for stitches :Oops:

Onto the good stuff - It does ride like a modern bike - pulling quite well up to 130 or so. The engine's got a really nice sound - very mechanical with all the chain drives, an unmistakable 70's IL4 exhaust note, nice induction growl and a surprisingly nice whine from the straight cut tranny

Clutch was a bit tricky to set up - either dragging or slipping. Neutral is a rare find with the engine running, gearshift is clunky until its warmed up - might try a different oil grade. I've not been gentle with her on the run in and I can tell the compression has come up since the rings have bedded in, still a few hundred k's to go. Brakes are definitely a four finger affair which is taking some getting used to.

Riding position is quite sporty, and handling isn't bad at town speeds, interesting to see how it goes on the twisties.

I haven't had chance to open her up much more than a few test runs up the motorway (no warrant as yet). I've popped in standard 110 mains anyway as it was chronically rich on the 115's it came with. Plugs are still sooty think I need to drop the needles a notch as well. A new set of Bridgestone Battleaxes from Cycletreads make a huge difference in the handling. Running a few PSI in the air fork adapters makes a big difference to front end dive - to be honest I thought they were a bit of a gimmic and decoration only. Happy to be proved wrong.

I

psyguy

21st January 2008, 15:02

My celebrations at getting the bike on the road were short lived after a stupid fall off the sidestand

i have once had the brake pads changed at a shop and the brake seemed a bit sticky to me but with the rain storm just starting and me wanting to get home asap i hastily jumped on the bike thinking "everything's gonna be fine" (but really knowing i should ask the mechanic to test ride the bike and double check everything)
sure enough, on the way home, trying to stop for a trafic light, i highsided in the middle of the intersection... :doh:

good to know you're getting there with your project :niceone:

vifferman

21st January 2008, 15:22

Great work, jonbuoy! :niceone:
You've done very well indeed.
Bad luck about the bike falling over - you must've been really pissed off.

Just a question - are the footpegs slippery? They don't seem to be knurled or anything for grip.

HenryDorsetCase

21st January 2008, 16:15

Ouch re the stitches. karma trying to tell you to take it slow for a while?

Hang in there, at least its a runner with only minor fettling now.

On a related note I went into Pitlane in Chch a couple of weeks back and Don has got a Seeley framed Honda 4 leaning up against the wall. He is building it for CAMS next year apparently. 810cc kit, double disc front with cast iron Brembo rotors, and a tidy Seeley tank/seat with the Seeley "kit" nickel plated swingarm. It fair made me salivate, its fair to say.

Wired1

22nd January 2008, 20:19

Nice work, I like the combination of silver and chrome, you must have been up all night polishing it though. I wonder what an SR500 cafe racer would look like?

xwhatsit

22nd January 2008, 21:10

Nice work, I like the combination of silver and chrome, you must have been up all night polishing it though. I wonder what an SR500 cafe racer would look like?

Pretty damned cool!

Thumpers are the real café racers :innocent:

The third photo is an SR500 mill in a slimline featherbed :laugh: Wicked! My current avatar is an SR400.

jonbuoy

22nd January 2008, 21:17

Thanks fellas - Those Seallys are sexy as be cool to see one on the track. Pegs aren't slippery but they can fold up a bit too easily at times. I was a bit wild after the drop to say the least, I had torrets syndrome for about an hour the old granny next door closed her windows :whistle:. Meh all good now, just as well I didn't hacksaw through my tendons or that would have been the end of my polishing days. Cafinated SR500 would look pretty sweet I reckon.

Laava

23rd January 2008, 07:47

Congrats Jon, that is a sweet looking machine. I bet you are proud of the finished result. I know the feeling too! Well done!

jonbuoy

21st February 2008, 14:33

Nearly passed the WOF first time - only a blown bulb stopped me riding away all legal like. :pinch: A few little jobs to sort out and a bit more fiddling with the carbies and it'll be finished. I'm moving overseas in June so it will be coming up for sale sometime before then. I'll be gutted to see it go but its not viable to take it with me.

I also have a near complete F1 with a dunstall tank and a cafe seat that would make a great project - just needs some TLC - no papers with it unfortunately. If anyones interested in either drop me a PM - good to see it go to an enthusiast.

jonbuoy

18th March 2008, 19:49

The good news - now fully legal 6 rego and warrant :woohoo: Had a chance to take her out through some twisties, gotta say it doesn't handle anywhere near as badly as I thought it would. Maybe the tapered steering head and needle bearings in the swingarm are doing the trick? Not comparable to a modern bike but definitely usable on the road.

The bad news, I've been made a job offer I can't refuse in Spain, exporting from NZ to Spain is a complete mare I have to export it to the UK first then through to Spain, its causing me a bit of turmoil as I don't know if I will ever do another build like this again.

So it looks like I really am going to have to part with her, will be selling along with a heap of engine spares, a 2nd complete supersport with an identical fibreglass dunstall tank, all parts/materials/oils/lubes/fluids from my garage and a few tools used in the build that are too big to take with me.

What do you's educated fellas reckon she's worth in the real world? I can split the bikes but would prefer to sell as a whole.

Powder coated frame
Alluminum ceramic coated swingarm
Needle bearing swingarm kit.
Top end engine rebuild cam chain/tensioner
All brakes rebuilt with new seals and boots
Braided brake lines
Braided oil lines
Tapered steering head bearings
Lester alloys with new bearings all round
New O ring chain and sprockets
New Tyres
Tarozzi rearsets
New Battery

The rest of the details you can pick from the pictures. Don't want to put on Trade Me unless I have to.

xwhatsit

18th March 2008, 22:28

Shit, I want this bike so bad, but have no money :(. Somebody on KB buy this so I can buy it again when I'm older and richer!

psyguy

19th March 2008, 09:01

why don't you store it, or are you never coming back from spain???
i doubt you'll get the money it deserves
market value? ... $4000 ?

jonbuoy

19th March 2008, 09:32

why don't you store it, or are you never coming back from spain???
i doubt you'll get the money it deserves
market value? ... $4000 ?

Not for a few years at least - I'm not a kiwi so don't have anywhere free to store it. I can ship it to the UK for storage but can't road register it over there with the fibreglass tank.

psyguy

19th March 2008, 09:45

don't have anywhere free to store it

wish my garage was bigger :love:

fergie

20th March 2008, 06:33

have been following the rebuild since the beginning, love your posts, very intertaining. sorry you will have to part with her but thems the breaks, good luck in spain.

jonbuoy

20th March 2008, 09:46

have been following the rebuild since the beginning, love your posts, very intertaining. sorry you will have to part with her but thems the breaks, good luck in spain.

Cheers, looking like I don't need to re-cert or have any formal inspection done to get the bike on the road in the Uk as its classed as a classic vehicle. As long as I can get an MOT (warrant) I should be sweet. I'm figuring if I go in with a full tank of fuel and take it to a modern bike shop for the MOT they won't even think about checking the fuel tank construction. Fibreglass tanks were banned years ago so they won't be expecting one now. Long as I can get it shipping over for a reasonable cost I'll take it with me. :woohoo:

Paulo

20th March 2008, 13:01

jonbuoy

20th March 2008, 13:26

Hey Jonboy I too have been watching your build , Great stuff, I'm doing up a cb750F1 Have a seat from carpy and bars , am deciding on paintjob and rims etc, I've mocked up a pic in photoshop of the color scheme (keeps my overalls clean this way ;) ) anyways thanks for the great progress reports , hop mine turns out as nice as yours. and Yes you should take it with you for sure!

Hey that looks sweet, is that the standard F steel tank? Those rims look good in black, to be honest I think I would prefer to have spokes as well. Wonder if they can be coated black instead of chrome?

Paulo

20th March 2008, 13:38

Hey thanks, Yep thats the standard tank, was looking for a dunstall then gave up, found out carpy made a seat for the 750F that fiited just right with the original tank so I got it, keeping the padding pretty minimal to keep the lines, not too comfy. Yeah I'm a fan of the black rims. I'd like to get the spokes black too and laced, it's all about money at the moment. will have to chip away at this. Cheers : )

jonbuoy

20th March 2008, 13:46

Yeah that way you can spread the payments, "loose" all the reciepts and not think about how much you spent - ignorance is bliss! Yeah I wonder if HPC could black coat them - way cheaper than chrome for the other parts I've had done. Not sure if spokes would loose their temper in the heat treatment/dechroming?

Paulo

20th March 2008, 13:56

LOL, yep the less I know the better I feel, good point on the spokes , I'll keep this in mind.

Wired1

20th March 2008, 17:00

I had my entire wheels sand blasted and painted black and it worked fine, but if I was going for looks I'd powder coat the rims and use stainless spokes, the spokes will set off the rims nicer.

Kickaha

20th April 2008, 10:54

How about this for a performance upgrade for it
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Parts-accessories/Performance/auction-150511036.htm

ynot slow

21st April 2008, 20:35

Two words to say BLOODY NICE.

jonbuoy

9th May 2008, 18:49

How about this for a performance upgrade for it
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Parts-accessories/Performance/auction-150511036.htm

Damn only just saw this now.

jonbuoy

1st September 2008, 04:06

I crated the bike up and shipped it back to the UK via world moving and storage - they've been great to deal with. Bought my own crate off of trade me and mixed in some riding gear, spare parts, my pc tools clothes cd's so was well worth it in the end.

Registering in the UK was a piece of cake this might be useful info for someone else importing - I needed to get insurance so I could ride to the MOT station - didn't need to get a full compliance test as it was over 10 years old. Only thing it needed to pass was a rear reflector. Insurance companies here are so anal about mods - your supposed to list everything you've done to it - if you don't they'll try and squirm out of paying up. Wasn't easy when the guy on the end of the phone didn't know shit about bikes. After the MOT I had to go into the DVLA office and hand over the customs import form, MOT certificate, and old NZ LTSA rego papers. Two days later I got a tax disc and an allocated rego number.

I had to get a "show" plate as technically I'm not supposed to have a classic black and silver plate as any vehicle made after 1973 has to have yellow and black numberplates - whatever :zzzz:. A few numberplate companies wouldn't make one for me as they are supposed to be linked to DVLA office - eventually found somewhere that would make one. Yellow and black would have looked like shite.

Happy I didn't have to sell it in the end, I can't bring it to Spain as I've got no garage for the time being. As a side note they have some awesome little 50cc two stroke supermoto mopeds which are pretty tempting for nipping to the shops :shifty:

Wired1

1st September 2008, 08:35

Sounds like they've got a smooth system - how much did it cost from start to finish? I was talking to a guy the other day about the rules in Canada and he was saying they aren't allowed to import any bikes less than 15 years old. Then you see the crap these "chopper" builders are building on discovery and they just hop on them and ride them as soon as they are finished without any cert or rego or anything.

Paulo

1st September 2008, 16:45

psyguy

1st September 2008, 18:02

jonbuoy, glad to know things worked out well for you in the end
enjoy your ride!

jonbuoy

2nd September 2008, 17:33

jonbuoy

2nd September 2008, 17:34

jonbuoy, glad to know things worked out well for you in the end
enjoy your ride!

Cheers mate hows the GS going?

jonbuoy

2nd September 2008, 17:37

Hey Jonbouy Good to know you 've got you bike over there after all that work! Guess you'll be heading down to the Ace Cafe sometime for a look when in blighty ?

I hope Spain is easier to buy a bike in than Italy , I spent 3 months trying to leaglly by a bike when I lived in Rome with no luck, Crazy bureaucracy. You had to be a resident to apply for a non resident drivers permit ha. Anyway enjoy the Spanish Sun and Senioritas !

Not much easier here - a lot of people keep their cars/bikes registered in the UK. Traffico are a nightmare to deal with + you can't get anything other than third party using Spanish insurance companies on second hand bikes here - crazy system! They don't like ANY mods either.