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New member/owner

rafalc

CB750 Enthusiast
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Hello everyone. New member here out of NJ.

Car guy turned bike guy. Have restored classic cars before, never restored/customized a bike, just rode a few.

I got a 1973 cb750 in pretty good shape. Frame was sand blasted and powder coated, engine had some work done.

Carbs need to be adjusted, the tank you see in the pic has a leak, I prefer the stock tank anyway so that will be going back on. I will try to seal the tank you see in the picture and sell it along with the matching seat and fairing/windshield.

Forks need to be looked at, has new harness but its a mess. Needs new hand controls as these are close to falling apart.

I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions through the process. Looking forward to it.


How it looked like when I bought it and how it looks like now:

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I guess its about time I post an update and some pictures.

My brother picked up a 1978 soon after I got mine. Both bikes got cleaned/degreased.

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More cleaning and polishing.

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Previous owner had all of the electrical stuff under the seat hump. Since I plan on going with a brat seat, I welded on all of the ecessary attachments which were not on

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Oil tank back on, harness connected. Fiberglass tank that came with the bike had a leak so I went back to the stock metal tank. Sandblasted inside and out.

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After getting the bondo off, one side had a dent. Attempt at pulling the dent out failed, resulted in a small hole. Had to weld fill the hole, even though the dent is smaller, it is still there, will need to fill it in. I was planning on leaving the tank as is and just clear coating it but now since I need body filler I am rethinking it.

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Took the inside of the tank through the POR15 treatment. Here it is after the marine clean, Total Works toilet bowl cleaner, and Metal Ready

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After drying with a heat gun for about an hour, surface rust started to show.

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Plugged all the holes, POR15 went in. Rotated the tank in different directions for about 45minutes and drained the ret. Then after, rotated maybe every 15min. Came out very nice.

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4 days later, got to work on the exterior. More sanding and cleaning. Next step - fill in the dent and see what it looks like. Maybe flat black, maybe leave as is and clear coat it, haven't decided yet. I read clear coat alone will still allow rust to form underneath.

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Synched the carbs. Tried to adjust the air screw but it is damn difficult to find the sweet spot. Then synched again.
 
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I have experimented with some bare metal tanks. They are actually pretty easy to maintain. Just rub the exterior of the tank down with used motor oil. The blacker, the better. It will prevent rust from forming and overtime will produce a very cool patina. Just make sure to go over it with an oily rag at least once a month and you should be all good. WD40 also works quite well, but the old oil will provide the patina.
 
Thanks. I decided to go semi-bare.

I like the old beat up look without the rust. The underside though is completely rust free and painted.

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Welded on the brat seat hoop and made a side cover which I think will go with the overall theme of the bike

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Next was the seat. In order to have a flat brat seat, I had to replace the stock battery box rubber washers with thinner ones and shorten the bolts. This brought the top of the box bolts below the level of where the seat is going to be resting. Got some diamond stitched fabric off ebay and a sheet of aluminum. I was hoping to bend the aluminum but there was no way to bend a .25" thick aluminum without cracking it so instead made it out of 2 pieces. Got some free foam from a mattress store. I also used the rubber bumpers that came with the old seat and mounted them in the middle, making them fit directly into the opening in the seat crossmember.


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Headlight housing was cracked so I went with a new and smaller light from DimeCity along with smaller gauges and a cell phone pouch to hide all of the wires. I cut out the middle light panel. While I was there i noticed the top triple tree was cracked at one of the fork openings. Got a used set off ebay and was ready to go.

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I also needed a rear fender....


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Taillight mounted under the seat/hoop


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And final touches on the seat. In the back I have a metal bracket which will slide into the opening, therefore keeping the rear of the seat down against the hoop. The front will have a clamp. Clamp can be opened and seat can be lifted up in about 5 seconds

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Decided to make a license plate bracket that will fit in with whatever is already on the bike instead. Ive never seen this before so gave it a shot.

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Semi-finished. Still need turn signals, will have to make some passenger pegs, and might do something with the front fender. May also need to make another side cover for the oil tank.....it gets kinda hot.

By the way, in case anyones bike leans too much due to a higher stand or a shorter kickstand - this is a 900 supersport kickstand. I also had to weld on a thin layer on the bottom of the foot. Now it stands at a much better angle.

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Decided to do a few additional mods. The shiny chrome bumper didn't really go with the rough look I was after. A worn out looking flat black stripe improved it a little. I had a hard time deciding between a headlight "bag" vs. a grill face. Ended up making a cover out of the same fabric as the seat. The stitching gives it a cool look when the light is ON. For the LED halo though, I punched out an outline along the outside edge.

Then after a few rides, the oil tank was getting a little too hot so went ahead and made a matching side cover.

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aaaaaand a few more things...

I really like how the oil pressure gauge looks down in the oil galley so I went for it. Now that I have it, it actually seems pretty useful, good to know what pressure you're running.

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Ive been looking for solutions for passenger pegs but most would either not fit onto my setup or just didnt go with the overall look. I got these 1 1/8 frame brackets from ebay and these cheap $8 buddy pegs. Very happy with how they look.


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Where are you in NJ? I am in Basking Ridge, Somerset, Co. What muffler do you have on your bike? I am new to bikes. I just bought a 79 cb750K about 3 weeks ago. It is going to need new mufflers, as the factory are rusted and patched.
 
I'm in Springfield. That exhaust came with the bike but it looks like one of those Carpy exhaust maybe????

Installed a fork brace and low tone horn. Upgraded rear shocks to the Progressive 12 series with standard springs and do feel the difference. Now the front needs an upgrade. But... I'm done (for now). Some final shots, enjoy:

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Your bike is gorgeous. Love the tank paint. When I get my bike running maybe we can connect and you get me some tips on improving its appearance.
 
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