New guy, new bike

[Bigz]

Hey all! Sorry if there is an introductions thread or something i missed. Iphones, ugh. But anyway, im a 24 year old nutcase in newport, ri. I have owned a few hondas over the years, but nothing great. But i have been hunting a gem like this for yrars, as my first bike ever was a shadow, and i have always wanted another bigger honda. I found this 81 cb750c in a fellas garage. Had been parked for about 30 years, and i scored it for 350 bucks, and the varnish in the tank was free. I am planning on a mild bob type of job on her, but no frame mods. Well, here she is as i got her, minus the inch of dust i washed off. Any advice or input is appreciated, as i have only really done custom work on cars and trucks, so its a new world for me. Wish me luck!

[shultz_1978]

Take off the sissy bar and ride her as is to work out all the bugs. You may like it the way it is.

Welcome to the forum. That looks like a very clean bike. Take you time and get her back on the road then start the bob job over the winter.

[Bigz]

Here is the bike after minor parts removal, and a temporary solo seat mount up.





And after the front brake and mirror delete. Rotors to come off soon. The carbs are soaking in carb dip at the moment, and might go back on.

[Bigz]

Thanks shultz. She is a real survivor. I dont plan to mod much more than i have. The only other thing i might do is fab a four into two manifold for some mikunis i have sitting around if the carbs on this one are junk, but at the moment im thinking, since i will be rebuilding the carbs anyway, i figured i would ditch the airbox and muffler, keep the 4 into 1 header and go with pods, and jet and tune from scratch. Otherwise, not much else getting done to her for quite a while. She had brand new oil, good wiring, and perfect compression from day one. Tank is clean and fresh, and got a new batt on the way.

[TOOLS1]

Looks good. I love Bobbers. However you might want to rethink the front brake removal. I used to think it was cool to run without them, but now I know that stopping is COOLER! You could always drill holes in rotors for a low cost mod.
TOOLS

[seestheday]

Sweet looking ride.

Do your research before ditching the airbox and putting pods on these CV carbs.

Not saying it can't be done, but A LOT of people have a trouble with them.

I'd recommend getting the bike running super smooth with the airbox first, then messing with pods.

[seestheday]

I also haven't heard good things about running a 4-2 manifold.  You end up lean on 2 cylinders and rich on the other 2.  If you can get 2 more mikuni's though, that could be a fucking sweet ride.  I've heard great things about 4 mikuni's really waking the engine up.

If you're doing that, also get a hold of cb900 cams and drop them in.  That will increase your mid-range power.  Those two mods plus perfect compression and a good set of A & B cam chains and you have a howler of a bike on your hands.  Your A & B chains should be in good shape if your mileage is low.

[lostson]

Great looking ride, like the bobber effect too.

[shinyribs]

Welcome in bud!  That new seat looks just right on there.


I gotta back Tools up on the front brake. It's a must have IMO. A big fat drum brake up front would look cool

[Bigz]

Hey! Thanks shinyribs! Its a temp seat, but it works great for now! Gotta love a garage full of spare parts! I have been looking into manifold setups, and im not sure, but im thinking that an out and up manifold, which would place the carbs vertically next to the tank, with equalized length runners, should solve the rich/lean issue. My question is, how long of a runner could i theoretically use without causing more problems. I have done a bunch of work with tunnel rams on cars, and i know it will affect low end power, but i feel like i could get it tuned in to run pretty well with that setup. Input?

And thanks to all who are advising on this project, giving me alot to think about as i clean her up.
That drum brake idea is a good one, i will keep it in mind. I have a cracked and leaking master, hence the temporary removal. I had thought about keeping her off, but im leaning away from that idea for now. Any good sources on a spoke front wheel with a single, smaller brake on her, or something i could mod to fit? I just really want to open that front end up a bit, its a personal quirk of mine. Two of my last bikes ran with no fronts, i know its sketchy, but i trust my mechanical abilities enough not to worry too much after a solid rebuild on that rear drum, but im always open to a better option!

[sgtslag]

The front brake supplies 70% of the braking power; the rear, supplies the remaining 30%.  That means that your braking distance, without a front brake, will increase by 70%, roughly...  Your skills are important, but you have no control over other drivers/riders/animals.  I would never ride with only a rear brake.

Many folks (H-D types, in particular) only use the front brake, never touching the rear...  This causes the front end to dive when braking, which destabilizes the whole bike's handling, and suspension.  If you lead with the rear brake, while also applying the front, you maintain stability, handling, etc., while achieving the maximum braking power/shortest braking distance.  Try it:  you will see/feel a distinct difference, particularly at higher speeds (20+ MPH).

As the saying goes, "Live to ride, ride to live."  Cheers!

[Hoosier Daddy]

Bigz wrote

... Any good sources on a spoke front wheel with a single, smaller brake on her, or something i could mod to fit? I just really want to open that front end up a bit, its a personal quirk of mine...."snip"... but im always open to a better option!

How about the front off a similar year (read DOHC) "K" model instead of your "C"?
Spoked wheel and a single rotor.

[Bigz]

Hoosier, thanks for the info! That is a perfect solution! I will start hunting one down now!