FRESHMEAT NEWB I DONT KNOW WHERE TO START please help

[supremebyheir]

Okay well first off I recently purchased a 1977 cb750a. Got it at a good price considering it was running and already had dropped handle bars and new grips as well as an aftermarket 4 into 1 exhaust(Vanes &Hines), the guy even put aftermarket air filters on it. PROBLEM: the engine was running super lean and the guy told me the carbs needed to be jetted. So I figured the bike was old so i purchased a carb rebuild kit for all four carbs as well as an Athena complete gasket kit. I also replaced the battery because it went out, but for some reason that battery went out as well. And my dumbass who doesnt know a damn thing about electrical stuff tried to jumpstart my bike battery from my car.....moment of silence for my stupidity and the poor bike. Well all was fine until shit started sparking and smoking. Of course my bike didnt start and I havent had the time or money to even think about my baby. So i've saved up and now I want to get this bad bitch running again. I want to replace the carbs and gaskets, but i know theres going to be some electrical issues i need to resolve and Im not sure how much all this is going to run me realistically.

FINALLY MY QUESTIONS: 1. Can anyone tell me what could possibly have gone awry in regards to my sparking/smoking battery and electronics, and is it possible for me to resolve this on my own considering my lack of know how?
2. I've been quoted from 2 different shops saying that to clean/jet carbs regardless of me already having the parts it's going to cost me $500-800 worth of labor since it takes 6-8 hours to rebuild carbs. should I try and do this on my own?
3.Was it a waste for me to purchase the Athena gasket kit? My logic behind it being that it's an old bike and I just want to replace all the parts that could potentially go wrong.

I kinda got the feeling that these shops could tell I dont know much and were kind of taking advantage because I read online of people who weren't the most experience cleaning there carbs in about 2-3 hours.....

sorry for the novel just looking for different people to answer different questions or send me to a link I LOVE TO READ....look forward to hearing back thanks.

 

[losttravlyr]

wow hell of an intro,,lol it's all good. on the jump start,,was the car running when you tried to jump it? it is ok to use a car for a jump when it is not running. a running car can send a voltage surge,,non running car, it is just a 12 volt battery being used to jump. with all the sparking n stuff though i would think you may have had the cables backwards or one of the clamps grounding. look at the your cables and wiring and if something is burnt ,replace it then i would try charging my battery or getting a hot one to put on the bike and try it again before anything else. the worst case scenario it may have fried the regulator/rectifier,possibly points or condensers but cross that bridge if it comes. see if it will start again first,if not check back in with questions and go from there.

moving on to the carbs,,watch a lot of u tube videos,get a manual,,and take it slowly if you do them. being a first timer,take photos with your phone before disassembly and as you go. it appears difficult but its not really. just kinda frustrating being four of them is all. if none were leaking,,i would just pop the bowls off,,clean things up and change main jets,measure the floats,bench sync if the slides do not look an even height and try that first. it will be a effort just getting them off a stock bike because of the air box so just take it easy,and ask questions as you go. you may wanna think about pod filters going back because of the pain in the ass airbox and accept the fact that you are liable to end up taking the carbs off several times before you have them right.

on your gasket kit,,parts is parts so not a waste. get it running and go from there once again to see if or what is needed.

 

[supremebyheir]

thanks for the response! Checked the cables and everything seems fine, I hooked the bike up to my roomates bike and everything turns on but the battery doesnt hold a charge. Couldnt get the bike to start so I just had a local mechanic come pick it up to assess the bike. Will definitely check out some videos on how to clean carbs.

 

[068ball]

my bike had a lot of electrical issues and replaced all electrics down to wiring harness for around $400. also had my carbs cleaned and rebuilt for $357 by a shop called retro speed out of Belgium Wisconsin.

 

[Steve L]

Step #1. Get the Chilton Service Manual. Step #2. Get the Haynes Service manual. Step #3. Read both before doing anything.

 

[dirtdigger]

Factory Honda manual is far better then any other manual, it is worth the extra money

 

[dan1951]

Good info. from everyone, The diodes in the rectifier were probally bad to begin with it will bleed Your battery down fast.