maybe buying 1977 cb750K, looking for someones 2 cents

[mtbbear]

Hi all-
Just curious if I could get some opinions/advice. Been looking for a CB for a while, and been blown away with the prices these are going for. Yikes! But I am really partial to Hondas, so I still want one. Anyhoo, I've found one I'm really interested in, but I haven't seen it yet as its out in the sticks 1.5 hours from my home. I think I'm going to look next weekend. Its a 1977 Cb750k, with approx 28,000 miles. Aftermarket pipes, but all original otherwise. Very clean physically, not rusted or dented, no leaks. Just a small tear in the seat as far as flaws go. He says its runs great and is mechanically sound, but is cold blooded when starting. Should run like a million bucks after a carb rebuild. He has replaced points/condenser, fork seals, battery, chain/sprockets and rear tire recently. He says only thing it should need besides carb work is some new cables. Obviously its hard to put a price on a bike without seeing it, but he is asking $1000 obo. Seems like it could be a relative bargin. Should I go for it? Anything in particular I should be looking for when I go see it? Is a carb rebuild something I can tackle myself, or should I have it done professionally? Roughly how much would I expect to spend on a carb rebuild? Any info/opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[TOOLS1]

If it is as you say. It should be worth the price. the great thing about the SOHC's are they are easy to work on. If you have any mechanical ability you should be able to rebuild the carbs yourself. 4 kits, and 1 accelerator pump kit should run about $90.00. You can get seat covers off e-bay for $50.00. As for the cold starting, all the old Honda's have this problem, but Iridium spark plugs, and, or 2* advance in the timing will help this. One thing you will want to check is the fuse box. They are junk on these bikes. I have seen several with screws, or bolts replacing the fuses, but it is easy to replace the fuse block with inline blade type fuse holders. Takes about 20 minutes, and $15.00 in parts.
TOOLS

[SickCBeez]

tools ALWAYS hits the nail on the head...I am a diesel mechanic/electrician by trade and rebuilding little things never was my forte but it was fairly simple replacing carb components-rewiring the bike was a blast but tedious to work on such small wire gauges - now on to more, GO GET THE BIKE you will thank us that is if its worth the GRAND when u go look at it. I would and have in fact found a gem of bike CB750LTD DOHC -but the SOHC are just as good and as long as u do the upkeep these bikes are fair on the wallet and where else you gonna get support like this-not on most other owners group threads. GOOD LUCK

[mtbbear]

Hey thanks for the advice and/or encouragement. I'll see what the deal is on Saturday. I'll let ya know what happens. thanks again.

[LukeM]

Make sure it's stone cold when he starts up the bike for you.  If it's cold blooded, you'll want to know the severity.  It's possible it's a carb issue, or could be something deeper like gaskets or valvetrain.  I guess it all depends. Might be weak spark (like bad plugs, coils, wires, etc).

Other than that, see how it rides when you run it around the block. Check EVERYthing: turn signals, brakes, clutch action, trans/shifting, wobble or wiggle in the wheels, looseness in the steering head, horns, everything.

You'll get good support on the web, but most of the work will be yours.  They are fairly easy to work on, but keep in mind this is a 35 year old machine.  Honda did it right with these older bikes, but anything that old may give you availability problems. I ran into this with my 1979 bike.  There's a balance between affordability and performance.

I wish you well, and welcome to the forum.  Ask, and someone should be able to help.
Luke M

[TOOLS1]

Luke makes some very good points about checking out the bike. However parts for the 69-78 SOHC 750s are every where. These were/are the most popular motorcycles ever built. By the time time Honda came out with the 79 DOHC, Kawasaki, and Suzuki all ready had them beat by several years with the technology, and Honda was playing catch up. This really hindered the DOHC 750s in sales, and popularity. Hence the lack of parts available for the DOHC models.
TOOLS

[LukeM]

Point taken.  I haven't dealt much with the SOHC models. I know getting dealer support for the 69-78 would be an adventure at best.  :-)

Luke M

[vern401]

Very true getting a dealers support is not easy since most motorcycle mechanic shops I have found locally do not work on older bikes or stock parts for them.

[sgtslag]

Many parts can still be ordered from Honda, or after-market vendors like www.BikeBandit.com.  I talked with my local mechanic about replacing my exhaust mufflers, as one is rusting with a hole in it.  He checked, and I could order a complete OEM exhaust, 4-into-4, from Honda...  For $1,800!  Yikes!  I have since found a pair of mufflers, baffles included, for $89 (two sets needed, so around $200 delivered).  Another DOHC owner (1980 K model) used four of these mufflers by hacking off the lower mufflers.  Man, they look nice!  They work -- albeit they are quite loud.  I also found instructions on how to add baffles, and how to use fiberglass stove pipe rope to quiet them down.  So I have found a possible work-around for my muffler issue.

Anyway, parts can be had if you look around.  There are also motorcycle junk yards to visit.  I found one a couple of hours from my home.  Had I visited them years ago, I would have saved a lot of money, time, and hassle, by avoiding e-Bay!  They had loads of stuff I would have bought if I'd known about them first.  Anyway, good luck!  Cheers!

[mtbbear]

Picked up the bike yesterday. Ended up giving 8 bills for it. Was Pretty much as he said. Shows its age, but doesn't appear to have been abused too badly. Quite nice cosmetically, with the exception of the terrible seat and some of the pin striping on the tank chipping away a bit. Not sure what to do about that yet. The good thing is there wasn't a speck of rust in the tank. As he said, it started hard. In fact required a little coaxing with a space heater, but no starter fluid. I should point out it was about 12 degrees here yesterday. Will idle with the choke on, dies without. Will run with no choke but you have to give it gas. Motor sounds really strong, which was nice to hear. With a little TLC it should be a solid runner. So for starters looks like I need a carb rebuild, new cables and a little tuning. Should be fun. Any advice on where to get parts?

[lcochran]

Yeah with it being 12 degree's i would think a carb rebuild would be a great first step.  Tuning would be next too.  I'd run an inline fuel filter as well, they 'say' that the ethanol in gas can cause some problems at lower storage temperatures but who knows what really is the truth.
Check out Z1enterprises.com for parts, they're good parts, fast shipping, and good customer service.

have fun

[TOOLS1]

Try this site for your carb kits. I buy mine from them. They have some of the best prices, and I have shopped around.
 http://www.vintagecb750.com/
Now lets see some pictures.
TOOLS

[LukeM]

+1 on pictures. I'm glad it was running, even if not perfect.  That vettes out pretty much the engine internals, ignition, and (hopefully) charging system.  No smooth idle means a carb teardown/cleaning/rebuild.

Now the fun part begins.
Luke M

[Dave]

I'm helping my son work on his 1977 CB750K7 and whoever had it before him really jury rigged the wiring where the fuse box use to be. Does anyone have a good picture of the wiring in & out of the box that they could share.

[TOOLS1]

Hey Dave. Just cut the fuse box off, and replace it with 3 wire in blade type fuse holders. Also I would suggest use a 20 amp blade type circuit breaker, for the main. Just match the wire colors, and it will be good to go.
TOOLS  

[Piute]

                                 This is what I put in cause had all the stuff already
                                but would think as the TOOL man said blades

[shinyribs]

I agree with all of the other replies,but i will add that these bikes are cold natured anyways.Yours may be worse than normal due to the state of tune,but it will never go away completely.Especially in 12 degree weather.

[Thorby]

I found the manual's procedure very helpful in cold cranking:

1) flip on just the gas.  Leave both the ignition key and choke lever OFF.
2) crank the engine with your foot about 3 times (remember, ignition OFF).  This will prime your engine.
3) Flip the choke lever up for ON and turn the ignition key to ON.
4) Fire up your engine.

If your model isn't the foot crank type, use the starter button.