1978 CB750 K for cafe rebuild. Thoughts?

[jbmccarthy]

Hey guys, I've been pouring over this thread for some time now and have been inspired to start my own build. I've narrowed down my search for bikes to this particular 1978 Honda CB750K and wanted to ask you all what you thought:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/4564067696.html

What are some of the things I should look for when I go out to see the bike next week? Is ~44K miles too high? What work would you guys start with and what do you think it needs?

I appreciate the help and look forward to becoming more involved on the forums.

-Jack

 

[losttravlyr]

my two cents is that it is hard to say what is needed not having it here to look it over but for sure there is gonna be carb work though.

look over all the standard stuff,oil,,check for leaks,tires,loose spokes,see if the chain will pull away from the sprocket.
put it on the center stand,,wiggle the swingarm checking for bearing slack,same with tires. spin the tires,and check the front end flop for roughness. if you wish,pull each plug individually and have a buddy slowly kick it through several times, see if you can feel compression by holding your thumb over the hole. the plugs should be kinda sooty and fuel smelling from running with choke on. check all the lights, elec switches and cables for operation. put a voltmeter across the battery and rev it to two or three k to check charging. finally start her up,listen for funky noises and and look for smoke. if there is black smoke,,it is carb related but if there is white smoke just walk away unless you are willing to remove the engine for overhaul. anything you find wrong should be negotiable down on price if you enjoy haggling.

blah blah it is all pretty standard. overall the price give or take a few dollars is fair if it has a matching nbr title.

instead of asking any of us what it needs, why not just repair and ride it and let it tell you what it needs?