Tips for someone thinking of buying a CB750?

[Tone]

Hi all,

I just discovered this forum and I'm already learning lots. I've ridden motorcycles (and Vespa scooters) on and off since I was 20 and I'm now 50. But I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know the first thing about working on them since I live in a big city and there have always been lots of mechanics around and my bikes have always been fairly new and/or trouble free. Here's the thing: I'm thinking of buying a 1978 CB750 with 25,000 kms (15,500 miles) on it and I'm wondering if you could give an old guy some tips as to what to look for when I take it out for a test ride tomorrow. I have no experience with old bikes like this and wonder if I'm getting in over my head. I'm told it runs well and was road certified and tuned up in 2008 but hasn't been used a lot since the spring of 2009.

Another thing is that the person selling this bike is including in the price (CDN$2500) a second CB750 as a parts bike. I don't really have anyplace to store the parts bike and, as I said, I don't know anything about working on bikes (though I really should learn the basics, if it's not too late). Would I be foolish to try to work out a deal for less money on the ridable bike and not take the parts bike? Am I going to kick myself later? I absolutely love the old-school look of old CBs and I'm told they were great bikes, but if I need to be tinkering on it all the time, maybe this isn't the best bike for me. Was the '78 model a good one and relatively trouble-free?

Thanks for any suggestions you might offer!!

Tony

[Dave G.]

I recently last october bought a 78 CB750A.  I love it, it's the smoothest old bike I have ever had, I'm 57 and the bike brings back memories of my old cb350  now that I am bigger and older the 750 is a much better fit.  Do understand it is heavy and very, very cold natured. choke on for quite a while.  I really have not had any trouble with it,  front brakes needed flushing and cleaning and it needed a new tire.  That's it.  So test it out and if you like it remember there are still a lot of 750's out there.

[Tone]

Thanks Dave! I'm going to see it this afternoon. It's not currently plated so I can only ride it on residential side streets which is a bit problematic since I want to get it up through all the gears to make sure everything is okay. Not sure how I'm going to do that though.

[Tone]

Well, I bought the bike. Both side panels are cracked and one of the mufflers has a little rust (very little except in one spot on the bottom where it doesn't look great), but it runs well, the tires are new, and I had a blast on the test ride. I had to put a plate on it from another bike (strictly illegal, but I figured it was the only way I could take it out for a longer run) and I'm taking it in for safety certification tomorrow or the next day. Hope they don't find too much wrong with it. I'll post a proper pic of it in the next few days -- my avatar is the pic from the Craigslist ad.