Need help diagnosing my 75 750f

[Trachimbrum]

I just recently purchased my first bike, it's a 1975 cb750f and in pretty good condition except for one thing.... There's a rattling sound coming from the clutch/transmission. In neutral it sounds kinda similar to a rattling spray can but goes away when in gear. It seems to shift decently through 1st and 2nd but gets a little trickier above that and is nearly impossible to get into 5th. The guy I bought it from said the clutch seems to be bent or maybe broken.  It does looked like it was dropped, there's a skuff on the engine case and the clutch lever is bent a little bit as well. Being new to this I ccould really use any advice anyone can throw at me?

Thanks,

Chris

[LukeM]

Hi Chris-

Step one: go to the home page of our happy little forum, and look for the Manuals section.  Find the one for your bike, download it (it's free!), and look at the Maintenance section.  
Step two: adjust your clutch per the document. Test ride your bike and see if it's any better. If it is, you're good to go.
Step three: clutch rattle can be caused by a few things: worn clutch disks, a bent or expanded clutch basket, carbs that need to be synchronized, or insufficient engine oil.  You'll find info about the first two items in the manual, and many discussions on our forum about the last two.

Document your process.  It'll save time and aggravation in the long run.

Good luck, and keep us in the loop.
Luke M

[Black 750K8]

When I get a new to me bike the first thing like Luke said get the manual. Then the best thing for these older single cam bikes is to do the 3000 mile tune up. You have no idea what has been done or if it was done correctly. Don't go buy any thing the PO says. A good 3K tuneup will usually take care of most if not all of the rattles from the clutch,valves or cam chain. With the road rash you mentioned you may have to take the clutch out but I would save that for last and see if the 3K will take care of it first. Good luck and post back with any questions.
Ken