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Question Regarding 1979 CB750L - 10th Anniversary Edition

SoBro Moto

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Hello there,

Long time listener, first time caller here. I recent convinced my uncle to release his original owner 1979 CB750L (10th Anny) to me, which has been sitting in his barn for over 15-20 years, with the hopes to bring it back to life. After hours of detailing, the tank and side covers look nearly flawless, however the rest of the bike needs some love.

My question is, how much overlap is there between the this bike and the 1979-1983 CB750K model? I am struggling to find information that specifically pertains to the 79' CB750L and a mountain of info on the similar 'K' models. From what I can tell, the frame, motor, electronics and major components are the same, where the paint/color scheme and reverse Comstar wheels are unique to this model, compared to the 'K' model. If there anything else of that I should be aware of when diving into research on this bike?

Finally, a very specific question regarding the wheels. Would anyone know if swapping the Comstar wheels for a similar year CB750K's spoke wheels, be a direct swap? It appears that the bushings, spacers, etc. are cross-compatible, but I could be wrong. To confirm, this bike has reverse Comstars and a rear drum brake and I'd like to explore options to convert it to a spoked wheel with drum brake (although a rear disc would be much welcomed, as well).

Thanks for all of your time, it's been a pleasure lurking in the shadows, soaking up tidbits of information from this forum.

Below are some pics highlighting the tank and side covers, as I said I'm very happy with how well they buffed out considering the decades of neglect!

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Everything is pretty much interchangeable on those bikes.. they were mass-produced... Most items are interchangeable as long as you stay in the 79 to 83 range. And of course there's exception badges,seats etc which define the look of the bike.
 
Looks great!! I am just finishing a complete rebuild/restoration on one. Everything on the motor was interchangable with the K. When I found mine, (Barn find), it actually had a set of K spoked wheels on it. Stumbling block was finding a set of OEM or replica 4 in 4 pipes. I spent 2 years looking literally world wide with no luck. I did find out that the OEM pipes were a weak spot in the original design. Apparently they ran too cool and left a lot of moisture in them after a ride. This resulted in the pipes lasting on average 3 years before rusting away from the inside out. Lots of pipes and replicas for SOHC 69 to 78 but nothing for 79. I found out when the originals inevitably failed most had 4 in 1 header installed. I followed suit and put a 4 in 1 Delkavic megaphone on. Looks great shows off the beautiful Comstars and the sound of the 4 in 1 is quite impressive. Congrats on your bike they are beautiful and an icon from the past.
 
I bought mine just about a year ago. It has a 2 into 1 exhaust but came with the stock setup. I was really disappointed that the stock pipes were indeed rotted out along the bottoms and basically useless. I had a different Ltd model back in '94 and I really liked the sound of the 4 into 4. I feel like the 4 into 2 is a bit too loud (yeah, at 72, maybe I'm finally "too old"), but everybody I ride with thinks it sounds great. I'd like to avoid the 4 into 1 because I've never really liked the sound of those, even when I was younger.

Funny story, I have 4 sons who also have motorcycles (a mix of more modern Yamaha's, Kawasaki's, and even a Beemer and a Honda Hornet). Every time I go riding with them and we stop for lunch or gas or something, someone always comes up to me to ask about my bike. Not one person has ever come up to them to ask about theirs. Just happened again yesterday when I was with my boy on a Super Tenere and an old friend on a really pretty Harley Fat Boy. Dude walked right by both of those bikes to ask me about my Ltd. :thumbsup:

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I know the thread is a little dated but that L was in freaking great shape!
For something that they only made 5000 of, there are a surprising number of them still about. The one I had in the '90's I just sort of fell into without any prior knowledge. I'd been riding a '72 SOHC and it was getting tired and long in the tooth. Turns out my wife's boss had the Ltd for sale. It needed carbs, a seat, and a paint job which took away most of it's uniqueness. Still, I really liked the bike and the increase in performance over the SOHC. Kept that one until I talked myself into buying a Harley.
The one I have now I specifically looked for. I now live in a motor home and travel, so I was looking for a bike that was lighter and easier to load on a trailer than the Harley baggers I've been riding the last 30 years. The Ltd's pop up on cycletrader.com quite often, and at the time this was the best looking one of like 3 listings. I bought it from a shop in Albuquerque after having a friend who lives there give it a once over for me. I've not been disappointed, all I've done is replace the tires and add a rack that was purchased from another member of this forum.
 
That picture from Old Crow is as pretty as the one on my Clymer manual. I have that same rack on my CB750C. I have leather bags attached to it with DIY stays and a vinyl (better than leather) trunk bag. I'll be looking for another one of those very same racks soon for my other 750C, not sure of the maker/brand yet. That backrest can be thinned down quite a bit for more seat room, like it a lot.
 
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That picture from Old Crow is as pretty as the one on my Clymer manual. I have that same rack on my CB750C. I have leather bags attached to it with DIY stays and a vinyl (better than leather) trunk bag. I'll be looking for another one of those very same racks soon for my other 750C, not sure of the maker/brand yet. That backrest can be thinned down quite a bit for more seat room, like it a lot.
Thanks. When my buddy looked at the bike, he told me it was a 9.5 out of 10. Now that I've got it, I'd say closer to an 8.5, but still nice enough to get complements, and it runs just as good as it looks, which is the important part. I bought it to ride.
That's an actual Hondaline rack. I kept watching ebay for almost a year to locate it and ended up seeing it in the background of a picture someone posted here trying to sell other parts. That pic was taken the day I installed the rack, I don't normally run the backrest because I don't carry passengers and anyway, my bike cover won't fit down over the backrest.
 
There's a small, pea-sized ding in the tank, some tiny paint chips, rust collecting between the fins of the exhaust clamps, some dulling of the polished engine side covers. Basically, normal wear and tear (i used to own a hot rod and classic car shop, I may be a tad pickier in my ratings than most).
Bike only had 20k miles on it and I've ridden around 2k miles since I got it. Before I bought it, it was a total garage queen with only around 2k miles from 2015 to 2022. I have all the service records of that time period from the previous owner, and while he took great care of it, he never rode it. It was consigned at the shop that had done all the service in that time period and was obviously extensively detailed before being put on display.
It now lives outside under a good cover for half the year because I live in a motor home and travel, but it is garaged at my kid's house during the winter. I plan on really detailing it out before I put it in my kid's garage, so that'll probably bring it back up to the 9.5.
Still, for a 44-year-old motorcycle, she's a nice piece and like I said, I bought it to ride.
 
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