Restoring a 1980 cb750F

[Connella08]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum but have been an avid Honda motorcycle fan for many years now. I recently picked up a 1980 CB750F that I feel I saved, and I'm in the process of attempting a restoration. the bike has a little less than 30k miles on it, and was a complete basket case. it looked like all the parts were there and even came with a Bassani super bike exhaust. I will upload images of my progress as I get things checked off the task list. I am currently stripping the frame down and getting it ready for powder coat, but I'm unsure of what finish to choose. It looks like gloss black, but I was always under the impression it was supposed to be semi-gloss. my only concern is that I think the fork tubes are the same color and finish as the frame and I don't want the fork tubes to stick out like a sore thumb. I still have to break down the swing arm and the forks before I bring anything to power coat, so I still have a little time to decide.

 

[brettp]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum but have been an avid Honda motorcycle fan for many years now. I recently picked up a 1980 CB750F that I feel I saved, and I'm in the process of attempting a restoration. the bike has a little less than 30k miles on it, and was a complete basket case. it looked like all the parts were there and even came with a Bassani super bike exhaust. I will upload images of my progress as I get things checked off the task list. I am currently stripping the frame down and getting it ready for powder coat, but I'm unsure of what finish to choose. It looks like gloss black, but I was always under the impression it was supposed to be semi-gloss. my only concern is that I think the fork tubes are the same color and finish as the frame and I don't want the fork tubes to stick out like a sore thumb. I still have to break down the swing arm and the forks before I bring anything to power coat, so I still have a little time to decide.

Congrats on the purchase. I agree, the forks cannot be a different black than the frame. They either need to be identical or a different color altogether

 

[Connella08]

Getting the frame all stripped down and ready for powder coat. I found this interesting sticker on the fork that im not sure if it is factory. The carb linkage is all covered in white lithium, which I think has helped protect it. I have them torn down and im rebuilding them. I found some damaged chrome on the forks, so I'm weighing my options on either rechroming or trying to find another set.

 

[mrtwowheel]

I like gioss black on frames vs semi-gloss. To me, semi-gloss looks old or poorly washed with bleach containing products.

My chance to rant about paint here. I've really come to appreciate the Duplicolor products lately because of the shortages in the stores and online. I've been forced to buy the Rustoleum paints lately. I didn't like the two sandable primers that I tried. One primer had a terrible spray pattern, the other sanded like plastic. Semi-gloss enamel was VERY glossy but sprayed well. Acrylic lacquer was nice paint but pattern was AWFUL. I used this stuff, no runs, no errors, but not comparable to Duplicolor at all. Most Krylon is only good for graffiti, 2" spray pattern deserves the title "SPRAY BOMB".

Duplicolor rules for the moment, shortages abound and prices have tripled.

 

[Travis]

I've read that it's very expensive to re-chrome forks (if you can even find anyone to do it). There are too many regulations now that make the process expensive. Industrial coating places don't want to take on such a small project. Maybe try contacting https://www.franksforks.com/

 

[Travis]

There are a lot of different levels of gloss for powder coating, and every manufacturer has their own reflectivity spec. I would request sample cards for the colors you're considering from the place doing the powder coating. Some semi-gloss blacks are still quite glossy.

 

[Connella08]

Thanks for the recommendations Travis! I reached out to franks forks and im just waiting for a response. I am still working on going through all the pieces I have to see whats getting powdercoated before I drop anything off. Once I have all of the parts, I will be sure to request some sample cards. From what I can tell, the forks are a flat finish and the frame is anywhere from a semi-gloss to a gloss finish.