• Enter the April CB750 Supply gift certificate giveaway! It's easy... Click here, post something, and you're entered into the drawing!

'82 CB750 Side Fairings / Repair / Fabrication / Fitment

NoIdeaWhatImDoing

NoIdeaWhatImDoing

CB750 Member
Messages
20
Reaction score
2
Points
3
Location
New York
Afternoon Friends,

I've been stalking around the threads for similar info. I am mid restoration on an 82 CB750SC NH. Basically everything visible needs a facelift. I do not have the side covers/fairings.
My questions are;

-Will a side fairing of the same year, but from a CB650 fit on the CB750? And if not, can it be made to fit? Via the magic of fiberglass resin/epoxy? Or other magics yet unknown to me?
-Is it absurd to endeavor to create one out of thin air?
-Are there companies out there that manufacture these aftermarket?

If you cant tell, bodywork is one of my lesser known, least experienced areas.

Thank you for your time.
 
It's definitely not absurd to manufacture one yourself out of sheet metal -- it's super common on the "custom builds" like scramblers and cafe racers to make new side panels out of metal.
The factory shape is a bit complex to manufacture on your own unless you're a fan of hammer forming metal, but you can probably build something functional out of sheet aluminum.
 
Epoxy molds are also a decent idea if you're willing to go through the whole process of creating a mold. You'd have to make a negative casting of an original side cover and transfer that into another, harder medium for both another positive cast and a negative mold for the eventual epoxy or urethane pour. Though I think if you were only making one set of side covers, you could use your original negative cast (likely silicone or similar) and treat it as sacrificial. You'd have to have access to a set of original side covers in ideal condition, though.

I've thought about doing a Ron Covell-style hammered sheet metal process myself to create a pair of aluminum side covers. He's a master metalworker who posts his processes and projects on Youtube, and he did a 3-part series on making an aluminum dustpan to show how he makes custom hammer-formed metal parts. The vast majority of the time and work goes into making the complex wooden form for the sheet metal to be hammered against; once that's made, banging out multiple parts from sheet metal stock is fairly easy.

I've considered doing this myself because while you can easily find reproduction plastic side covers for the 79-82 CB750C and CB750F, my K (the most sold model!) still has no reproduction plastic covers available. A guy could probably sell quite a few reproduction metal covers at a reasonable price and make a decent sum.
 
While that sounds like something I'd love to learn how to do...If I had access to pristine side covers I wouldnt be in this mess lol. I've tried finding reproduction side covers for the SC model but I read somewhere that they tend to be cheaply made (plastic is plastic, no?). I'll look harder....this is just an aside from my much bigger problem, which is a crank/no start. Kind of pulling my hair out, while at the same time fairly certain that its something small and stupid, since ive gotten the bike running / riding in the past. I wish I knew a friggin bike mechanic
 
Cheaply made new plastic is better than any 40-year-old cheaply made plastic of the same type! As long as they're of recent manufacture, if you seal them up by priming and applying a good coat of paint to them (both inside and out), they'll keep from going brittle for a long time. Think decades down the road. The primer and paint will prevent, or significantly slow down, the embrittling process where the more volatile chemical bits of the plastic escape.

The fact that you can actually get reproduction ones means you're in a better boat than me! I'd just go out and buy them if you want them. Scuff them up with some sandpaper or a drywall cube, rattle-can prime and paint if that's what you have access to, and they'll probably be good enough for the whole time you own the bike. Even if they're cheaply made they're better than having no side covers, right?

It'd be a good idea to open a new thread on your no-start in the appropriate section.
 
Back
Top