1976 CB 750 Super Sport (F) Reconditioning

[CB750 SS]

Good morning.  I need some advice. I have a Super Sport that I bought 5 years ago for $425.  As you can imagine it didn't run or roll.  Now it can easily do 95 mph, but it isn't too pretty.  Through this process I came understand the beast and now I want to make it pretty.

To date I have freshed (new seals) the motor, worked on the electrical and tons of other little stuff.  My skills set is pretty good “now” but is "hand tool" based.  So I'm not able to weld the frame or tank.

My goal is to take the bike apart and powder coat everything!  Frame / forks / engine covers / rims.

So I have a few questions

- recommendations on a cheap home powder coating system?
- should I try to find new rims/wheels as opposed to rebuilding and powder coating the originals (heard about Harley wheels)
- Old school fairings (full / half or bikini)?
- solo seat?
- change from pts to upgraded ignition system? type / cost ?
- When the engine is out (port and polish the heads? – if so --  HOW?)  It is Currently stock.  When I freshened it I didn’t do any valve work.  It does not burn oil and when it was apart it looked good.  However, it is 35 yrs old and has 47K on the clock.
- No interest in an 836 upgrade or anything too radical.  

This is not my only bike so I want to take my time and do it right.  The end goal is a GA to FL Key’s ride in Oct 2011.

Any help is more than appreciated!!!!!!  :)

[Re-run]

Hey SS, I will answer as best as I can.

Getting the supplies for powder coating is not cheap. You CAN use your oven but it will smell horrible and the smell lasts. You can get an oven for it but that is a pretty good cost. A harbor freight oven is 400. Not only that but the frame is large and wont fit in a normal oven. I would not powdercoat the engine parts or forks though. The forks might warp and the engine wont cool well.

You can find new rims though. www.buchananspokes.com has rims and of course spokes. Not cheap but not expensive, about 100 a rim. Not bad though as many rims cost well over that.

A fairing is questionable. A small viper wont do much but is light. A heavier vetter is just that, heavy but the later ones were a bit better being made of ABS instead of fiberglass, but they block wind like nothing else.
I currently have one, a vetter ss with a tall windshield. I had to fix is as the P.O. dumped the bike and cracked it but it looks pretty good and is sturdy.

A solo seat will be a custom thing. I don't know if you are staying stock or not but a solo might look goofy on a stock bike. You could kong the frame (google frame kong) and then it would look good. Make a custom fender and a pillon for a passenger maybe.

Ignition. Many choices for this. A dyna S is very common and works pretty good. There is also another ignition sold by a member here by the name pamcopete. Very good as well. These would be good on stock engines or engines with only head minor head work. If you do more engine work, I suggest a dyna 2000 or one of the new cyclex optical ignitions. But those 2 items are expensive but worth it for a hot engine.

Head porting is essential for the cb750 from the 70s. I am guessing your is sohc since you have points. Cyclex can do the porting for you. Then replace all the valve components and cam chain and tensioner.

You may want to look at a slight bore though, even just 25 thousands to freshen the engine otherwise you might be pulling again in a few short years. .025 is the first overbore.