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1974 CB750

Britman

CB750 Member
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Location
Fredericksburg, Va.
I have a one owner since new 1974 Honda CB750 that I am in the process of bringing back to life. The problem I have ran into has been trying to locate a replacement 18inch stock rear wheel. The current rear has a two broken spokes and apparently the previous owner loosen the remainder to attempt a repair. I must admit I in the many many years I have turned wrenches on bikes I have never attempted to lace a wheel. Of course I have watched all of the Youtube video's, read articles, and very well may give it a shot, but for peace of mind a back up to bolt on immediately would be ideal. From what I understand I can use a rear wheel up to 1976. Can any other years be adopted even though they may be a 17 inch rim, thanks in advance for any leads or suggestions...
 

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It's Alive

Gapped points, set the timing, set valve lash, carbs rebuilt and bench synced, new oil, ran fuel lines, crossed my fingers, and hit the button. Fired up immediately, tons of mice turds, baffle rust, and Lord knows what on the garage floor but the motor runs strong. No smoke, sounds tight, revs great, so I really believe it is an actual one owner 16k bike. I am not sure I have the tank installed correctly though. Happy New Year one and all......

George
 

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A little lipstick applied to the Pig

Motor has been detailed, doing in frame is a real pain but I am happy with the final result. Still waiting on a number of parts, shipping is a true nightmare these days....
 

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A lot of elbow grease and good paint....

Wow that looks amazing! What’s your technique??

The aluminum cases were quite marred with oxidation so I first hit them with a medium Scotch Brite pad embedded with a liquid aluminum polish. Next fine steel wool again with liquid polish, third step was Mothers Aluminum polish with fine steel wool, and a final polish out again with Mothers and micro fiber towels. None of these steps are written in stone, you just have to look at the finish and keep going until you achieve the depth of shine you want as far as the aluminum covers are concerned.

The fins and motor block need to be as clean as possible before applying the engine paint. I use Dupli-Color Ceramic engine primer and paint in the shade of aluminum. The coverage is great, it is very forgiving, and dries to a hard finish. Of course you need to mask off the the actual polished bits prior to laying the paint. It is a great product and I have used it on a number of vintage Honda twins in the past.

It is not a difficult process, but time consuming. I usually crank up the garage heater, throw in a few good CD's in the player, and have the coffee pot full and get lost in the process. Thanks so much for the kind compliment...
 
Cleaned the Kreem tank sealer out of the gas tank yesterday. Acetone and lots of drywall screws did the job quite well. IMHO Kreem is the worst product on the market today, I have never seen a tank it held up in....
 
Tank is re-sealed with Caswell tank sealer, excellent product and I find it far superior to POR15 or anything else out there. Still waiting on parts so cleaned up clocks, touched up the badges (they still need a little work), and shot the headlight bucket. I had to build up a couple of the bulb holders with heat shrink to get a tight fit in the gauges but there is light now....
 

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Dirty Paws Time

Always a pain pulling fork tubes, I have never had the pleasure of a pair coming out easily in a vintage Honda. I have found a flat spot in the steering stem, so I will have to go in and check the balls and races. Ran out of time today so I will have to wait to see if a set of tapered bearings will be in the future. I know the 37 little escapees make a run for it. My solution, hang a five gallon bucket over the stem before breaking them free....
 

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Balls are home

Balls and races look good, just dry. Cleaned and repacked, good movement with preliminary adjustment. My tip for re-install, seat the bottom 19 balls in the lower part of the steering stem with grease. Insert very carefully and have a zip tie ready to hold it in place while you do the top set. Looks like both fork ears are going to need patching, slight rust through near the reflectors. I also took the opportunity to lay some frame paint while everything was out of the way....
 

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About Half Way Maybe

Seals done, good rebound and no leaks. New front tire on a cleaned wheel, I went the K70's since they were on sale at Dennis Kirk, both front and rear will be stock sizes. Fork ears repaired and given a little shine. Just need to make the bike a roller again and get some garage room. When you get about mid way in a project, it always seems for every one thing you repair, at lease four more pop up. The good thing, hand mounting a new tire and tube in the cold months with no pinches, I consider that a victory....
 

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I can see clearly now

We have two good coats of 2K clear on the tins. Lets the patina, AKA rust, scratches, and dings show through. Also have a headlight and front turns back on, the wire ball of spaghetti went back in the bucket and damned if everything doesn't still work....
 

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Yes we do need those "Stinking Badges"

Front braking system done with completely new with repo parts. Also the new repo seat from 4 into 1 arrived and I am very satisfied with the product, one small imperfection on the front corner I can live with. I think I may end up keeping this bike, that means something else has to go and therein lies the problem....
 

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Rear Wheel Bearing Retainer Ring What an SOB

I used every approach I could find on You Tube, went through every posting on all my sites I use for advice, but what a fight to get that $#&*@ out of there. It was tapped for 6MM and bolts inserted with a pry bar, I made a tool, heat and WD40 and it finally gave up its home only after using a hammer and punch and then it was just a fraction of an inch every strike. A replacement is on order along with new bearings, so I will be cleaning up the frame, chain guard, and shocks while waiting. Of all that is involved in bringing one back, I hate wheel bearing replacement the most.....
 

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