My first CB750!! Maybe.

[rabbitpuncher]

Hey there, new to the site. Just really got into owning a motorcycle and fell in love with the Honda CB750, and decided to make it my first bike. Just trying to get some info on whether this would be a good bike to start off with and about bike I went to go see that is for sale. I've ridden bikes in the past but never my own, I don't even have the license. (sshhh) I went to a local Friday cruiser night and saw a 1980 cb750 and liked it immediately. I always had an affinity for older Japanese bikes and liked the way this bike was put together. Since then I've done more and more research about them and it seems like everyone who owns one, loves it. Hopefully soon I will be one. I was looking at a 1981 CB750f I saw online from a private seller, just wondering if its a good deal. The bike has 20k miles on it and the body is in decent shape, other than missing the right body panel. It has aftermarket shocks and a seat and it runs fine. Only real problem, is the fact that it doesn't charge. He swapped the rectifier and stator but its more than likely gonna be the $400 rotor. The tires have about the rest of the season on them till springtime. Either way, this colder Chicago weather won't let me really ride till it warms up a bit, so any work needed can be done with time. Overall, what my not so advanced mind thinks, not a bad bike, considering age. Wondering if anyone has any similar situations or advice to try and reach a good deal. Of course, without even seeing the bike you can't tell, but any help would be appreciated. Thank you and hopefully soon I will be chiming in with my own two cents about my own bike.

[LukeM]

Welcome, Bender clone!

Any info on the potential bike?  How much?  Does it run well? Has it been beaten on? Wiring hacked up? How new is the battery?

You'll find LOTS of information and help on this forum.  Do a search for "rotor" and you'll find several postings on troubleshooting and repair.  Even how to get one off that's been stuck on (PB Blaster is your friend).

Read up on postings, and then start searching around. Remember to do a resistance check on a prospective replacement rotor (assuming that's what the problem is). Should be 3-5 ohms if memory serves.

We're here to help.  Keep us informed.
Luke M

[rabbitpuncher]

The guy posted $1200 but he's open to hearing offers. The bike seems pretty much intact and other than the parts they swapped, it looks pretty untouched. I have read a few of the forums, here and on other sights, and liked this site the best, so I signed up. The battery was supposedly also changed for a good, used, unit. I told him if I could tinker with it, or bring a mechanic, and he said no, he doesn't have the time right now. Understandable, its not my bike, so I can't mess around with it. I really like the bike, and the price seems fairly reasonable, but when it comes to buying things you fall in love with, be careful. Thanks for the insight. I'm looking forward to reading and contributing to this site.

[Cabreco]

rabbitpuncher wrote

The guy posted $1200 but he's open to hearing offers. The bike seems pretty much intact and other than the parts they swapped, it looks pretty untouched. I have read a few of the forums, here and on other sights, and liked this site the best, so I signed up. The battery was supposedly also changed for a good, used, unit. I told him if I could tinker with it, or bring a mechanic, and he said no, he doesn't have the time right now. Understandable, its not my bike, so I can't mess around with it. I really like the bike, and the price seems fairly reasonable, but when it comes to buying things you fall in love with, be careful. Thanks for the insight. I'm looking forward to reading and contributing to this site.

Welcome.
I bought Fiona last May. Seller was also asking $1,200. (I paid $800) She also had 22k miles. Everything worked she was just grungy. In your case it's winter in Illinois, due for tires and the bike has a charging problem. So you should be able to get it for $800.
Now as far as the bike goes, the 750 dohc is a workhorse. This beast runs forever. It is not uncommon to see them running with over 100K miles. The engines won't die. They are easy to work on & dependable. And finding parts is fairly easy.

For the money you can't bet them.

Now as far as you bringing a mechanic, if you mean to check it out I would insist.
If he doesn't have the time then he's not a motivated seller or he's hiding something ( I'm an ex New Yorker, I don't trust well. "CAVEAT EMPTOR") If you don't feel comfortable, move on... these bike are not rare.

Good Luck!

[rabbitpuncher]

Nice nickname. I did hear that these Honda bikes are just about bulletproof and not that hard too work on. This weekend I'm gonna try to get a mechanic buddy of mine to go take a look at it and probably gonna decide by then. I was trying to get the back for around $900. I have seen a few comparable bikes for around that price. Its just this bike is just a town over and a bit more convenient to go look at. Thanks for the info.

[rich]

The charging problem is, as you mentioned, most likely the rotor. Rewound units can be had for about $135 (plus a $60 refundable core charge). The link to the site that's selling them for that price has escaped from my bookmarks but I can find it again. I think it was "Rick's" something or other.

There's an outfit on ebay selling the rotors for about $100 but I've heard nothing but bad about their warranty exchanges.

The charging rotors are known to fail on the 79-82s.  High RPMs combined with heat and age can cause them to short. It's not a big deal, after all the original did last 30 years!

I got my bike for $500 because it needed a rotor and a new gas tank.

Unlike the 69 to 78 CB-750s, there's not a lot of after market restoration or customization parts for the later models. Most engine components can still be obtained from Honda and a quick ebay search will reveal there are dozens of them being parted out at any one time, so you'll be able to find parts relatively easy (for a 30 year old bike).

Any used bike is going to have its problems and likely need maintenance items (chain, sprockets, tires, air filter, and so on) so leave some money in the budget for that stuff along with the charging issue and maybe a battery too.

Having a mechanic look at it is a great idea. Listen for unusual noise from the cam chains, they can be adjusted but if they've been ignored for a prolonged time, damage may have occurred. Also, a lot of people take off the stock air box and use "pod" type individual air filters. These can be really, really, tough to get working right with constant velocity carburetors used on these bikes.

[rich]

Here's the site with the rotors: http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/index.php

I guess the price went up! It's $195 now. I'm pretty sure that's the price without exchange though. It should be around $60 less with the used one to trade in.

I think you have to send the used one in so he can see if it can be rebuilt. People often ruin them trying to pull them off without the correct tools.

The one you want to avoid is "1tail.com", their is only $117 but have very poor reviews on other forums.

For what's it worth, I'm using a used one I got of ebay for $80.

[shinyribs]

Welcome to the forum.As a noob to cb's my knowledge is limited,especially to a DOHC,such as the one your looking at.But I can say that i absolutely love my bike.I have heard them called good starter bikes,but i imagine i will never own another bike than the one I have now.If I do it will be another CB.I hope it all works out that you can get it.Good luck!

[rabbitpuncher]

Thanks for the link Rich. I've been saving any leftover cash I could, tough nowadays, for quite a while, and set apart $2000. I told my girlfriend $1500. I decided to try and find a bike for around $1000 and anything it needed, use the rest of the money. If it needs more than the leftover money, keep on looking. I'm thinking that with a good $1500-1700 I can get this bike working to a way I feel comfortable riding come springtime. Again, thanks for the link and the info. Good stuff.

[shinyribs]

If you are close to  south west part of Virgina there is a good deal one a bike for around $900.Probably get it for about $700

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/mcy/2764648647.html

[zombiekillinEMT]

Just figured I'd put my two pennies into this discussion...if it's worth that much. I'm somewhat of a n00b as well...

I bought a 81 cb750f last April for $1200 off a guy from craigslist. I didn't get to test drive it or anything since the guy was in Green Bay and I live in Milwaukee (approximately 2 hour drive). I later realized I probably overpaid. The front brake stuck, the carbs needed cleaning and timing, the float bowl gaskets leaked horribly. I replaced the piston in the front brake since it was pitted and replaced the brake fluid. Had the carbs cleaned and done professionally along with replacing the float bowl gaskets a few weeks later when I realized that it was still leaking gas.

Then, after putting about $750 into the bike for all of that, the bike started dying on me at random times. I put in a new $100 battery. After a few rides, it would still die on me. I took it to my local bike shop and they blamed it on me not connecting the battery correctly. (I have a stupid girl complex when it comes to bikes so I figured that they were right.) Within the next week, it died on me again. I checked the wiring, replaced a few connections, charged the battery again...it died on me the next week. I finally found this forum and these guys gave me pointers on how to test the electrical system, along with looking up some really great videos on youtube. I finally figured out it was my rotor that was shot. The more I look into it, the more I realize how common of a problem it is. But you definitely don't need to spend $400 on a new one. The salvage shop in Milwaukee quoted me $160 with a trade in of my old one, and even that's too much. I've looked around and you can find one for approximately $100. I just haven't had the money to spend on it since it's winter and not a priority to me. (I'm waiting until my tax return.)

Either way, I now feel like $1200 was overpaying for a cb750 in the 78-82 range. Especially with how much maintenance it has needed. At the same time, I friggin love that bike and couldn't imagine selling or trading it, even with its issues. I figure once I replace the rotor and get the electrical system in check, it's pretty much smooth sailing from there. It's a great bike. I can't wait for spring so I can fix it up and ride it again. :)

Good luck with your bike hunting. :)

[rabbitpuncher]

UPDATE: Ended up buying the blue cb750f for $800. I thought it was a decent price for both parties. Front brakes need to be worked on a bit and a couple of things here and there, but I am as happy as can be. Thanks for all the input and I've been looking at previous posts and it seems like I can rebuild the entire bike just from the posts alone. Great forum guys!

Pics will soon be posted.

[Cabreco]

Start with pulling up service manuals & maybe an owners manual from here

Repair Manuals Thread

Can't fix nada without the "Book"!

Welcome aboard!

[LukeM]

Congratulations! You'll be back on two wheels in no time.  
The brakes are pretty straightforward to work on, and parts are readily available. You mentioned a couple other things to work on. A bit of advice: these older motorcycles will need attention now and then.  I call it "tinker time". They're not as troublesome as the older British bikes, but you can count on some little things that need to be done. It's not like the Ronco oven where you "set it and forget it". Each bike has a personality to it. My old CB750L was quite different from my 84 Shadow. I hope you get yours running well, and enjoy it as much as the rest of us enjoy ours.  Can't wait for spring!

Luke M

[shinyribs]

WooHoo!Im glad it worked out for you.You'll be riding before you know it