1981 CB750k - FIONA

[Cabreco]

I figured I would put my bike here in the build section to document my progress.
I call her Fiona (as in Princess Fiona) because she's big & bulky but most obviously - She's GREEN.

These are the pix of what I bought & how I found her.







I've done a few improvements so far (mostly cleaning & polishing) but I have been buying stuff on Ebay the last few weeks.

[Cabreco]

Like I said the first thing I did was clean & polish her. She did clean up well.
I used Flitz & was surprised at how well it brought back the chrome.
At this point I also took off the hard saddlebags, but not the trunk. I was still up in the air about it.

I also replaced the OEM rear turn signals




I also removed removed the bobber forward controls.

 


They are actually well made but they don't really go with the vision I have for this bike.

[Cabreco]

The trunk had to come off. It looked out of place all by itself back there. It was real convenient but not the right look.



I also added a 12volt aux power port with USB connection & my old Garmin GPS/MP3 player. I used the Garmin bicycle handlebar mount for it. I also used a lanyard as a safety tie (just in case it fell off it's mount)

[Cabreco]

At this point, I added only a few other small things: a net over the rear part of the seat.
& I buffed the hell out of the chrome.


I also removed the headlight bezel and dipped it in laquer thinner. I found an immaculate chrome bezel.
No pits or rust that I expected. I wasn't crazy for the "blackout " look.

[ksharp]

what are you gonna do with thoes forward controls !?
pm me

[Cabreco]

ksharp - PM Sent

[Cabreco]

I added a few of the new "accessories" to the bike.
First I attached a fork bag up front. It's a decent size and could hold tools, or a can or fix a flat, maybe a tubless repair kit.

I also attached a backrest/sissybar with a package shelf.
I bought a buffalo leather trunk bag. (something had to sit on the package shelf - LOL)
This will come in handy for carrying my wheel lock & a tube of bugees etc.



I also ordered leather saddlebags, but I will not be mounting them permanently.
I decided to use them as throw over bags for when the Mrs. & I take road trips. Basically they will be luggage on the fly that I can bring in with me!

I've got a bunch of stuff coming in the mail from EBay.
Should be a fun week!

[TOOLS1]

No way am I getting in that little bag I'm going to be riding on that nice comfy seat
TOOLS

[Cabreco]

Today I received a few packages.
One was my clear mirrored goggles for my German shorty helmet.
They are to use over prescription glasses.



But most importantly my new front fender arrived.

 

Fiona's original front fender had some dings



& dents



& rusts spots



which used to irritate me. I can't imaging how the PO got them.

I polished the new fender & slapped her on and she looks good as new.



More stuff on the way, hopefully tomorrow will be Christmas again!

[TOOLS1]

You know I could cut that new fender down for you. It would look really cool
TOOLS

[Cabreco]

TOOLS1 wrote

You know I could cut that new fender down for you. It would look really cool
TOOLS

Tools I'm keeping Fiona stock, besides I'm too old for cool. (besides if it looks too cool, my 16  year old would want to take it. Like he did my old Jag with 56K miles on it)



I'm just happy not to get sprayed in the face when I run over puddles <LOL>

[Cabreco]

Christmas again!

Today I got my new Chrome chain guard from a CB750 Custom.



It fit perfectly. A far cry from the big chunky plastic one the K has.

I did notice one thing, when I let up off the gas, I hear the chain "thunking" the new metal chain guard occasionally. It doesn't do it under load just when I let up on the gas.

I looked at the chain & it looks like it hits side to side, not the top (I pushed the chain up into the top of the chain guard & it won't hit)
So...I am assuming that my chain needs to be adjusted. I currently have about 1.5" play or so. The chain is practically new so I souldn't have any issues.

I'm sure it hit the old chain guard as well but I never heard it because it's made of plastic.
Oh well, time to go play.

[Cabreco]

Well after adjusting the chain & aligning the rear wheel (thanks to Re- Run's assist), it was time to move on to today's delivery.

I always run with a dash cam in my car. Partly because I have seen some real buthead moves & figure they may make for some cool You tube uploads, but mainly it's to keep a rolling document in case of accident or traffic stop. That being said, I wanted to set something up on the bike (in case I get scraped of the blacktop). Because of the exposure to the elements, the camera requirement are different.
I went with an older Oregon Scientific ATC2. It's water proof & relatively small.

Finding a spot for it was challenging. First call was the handle bars. Convenient to turn on & off but unfortunately my windshield was in it's field of view. Next I tried the crash bar. It was harder to turn on but it did give a nice low field of vision. I decided against it there because of the proximity to the engine & the heat generated there. I finally decided to mount it on the headlight off the side reflector mounts. Easy choice since I have no reflectors installed.

Here is the final installation.




  

[Cabreco]

I bought handlebar speakers for the bike to attache to my GPS/MP3



Unfortunately my MP3's internal speakers were much louder that these.
I am going to try to make a small 12v amplifier for them. If the actual speakers
turn out to be crap, at least I have a nice speaker housing to work with.

They did look good on the bike but the sound just wasn't powerful enough.

I'll post pix when I get this straightened out.

[TOOLS1]

All these gadgets, and gizmos. Whats next? A martini? Shaken not stirred?
TOOLS

[Cabreco]

All that's left is some urban survival gear to deal with unruly drivers.
Maybe a rocket launcher & a pair of 30 cal?
Or a midi gun better yet
a "Laser"



LOL!

[LukeM]

Tools does have a point: the electrical systems of these older bikes are not that robust. If I recall, they use a 16 ampere battery. That's not a lot with engine/ignition modules, head and running lights. Granted, modern electronics are fairly low power consumers, but I'd keep an eye on the overall current draw, especially at idle.
The techno-geek in me likes the camera thingie.

Luke M

[Cabreco]

Took that into consideration with the new electronics. After realizing that the charging system really only charges over 2000 rpm or so, I made sure all of the new electronics were all stand alone lithium battery capable. Basically they can all run w/o taxing the m/c charging system until the drain. At that point I have the option of throwing a switch to start the run off bike battery/recharging process or recharging the units off the bike when I get home.

LEDs will also be installed for the running lights. In the winter I will rig up strobing white LEDs to replace the headlight during daytime running. I will have to use an old late 60's early 70's Honda headlight switch that has an off switch, or possibly a photo sensor for the headlight itself to kick on at dusk.

[TOOLS1]

Might have to change the name to "Enterprise NCC 1701-E"
TOOLS

[cheesehead]

LOVE the bike! I am fixing up the exact same thing. My budget is obviously far less than yours though, lol. I can buy a part at a time once or twice a month but that's about it without my old lady killing me. My goal is to have it running very good by the end of this season and have it 95% of how I want the final project to be by next spring.

I'm excited to see what all you do to yours and maybe get some ideas off of you. If you have any extra goodies at a good price please let me know!