Click on the photo
above for a close-up view. (As of: May 2006)
February 2007: Lots of work
accomplished! Coming soon!
August 2006: Week long ride to
Crater Lake & the California redwoods. Coming soon!
December 2006: My brother,
Eric, while visiting Seattle to attend the big annual bike show,
decides to do some impromptu work on Stanky. I've got a brand new
rear brake reservoir sitting on the shelf to replace the ancient,
nasty looking one and he says it's no big deal to install. He
ascertains the correct brake fluid to use and in five minutes, it's
in place and tested. Then I mention the
dual Fiamm horns and relay that I'm going to install one of
these days. I've figured out how to mount the horns but I've not
tackled the wiring yet. And, after watching Eric with voltmeter in
hand for a couple of hours, it's just as well. I'm not sure I would
have ever figured it out. In the end, the relay and wiring are
neatly tucked into the headlight shell and the horns are mounted
right where the old horns went. I press the horn button as a test in
my bike shed and the ensuing blast damn near blows out our eardrums.
Wow! A few days later, I go for a test ride around the neighborhood
hoping that some cager will give me an excuse to unleash my new
weapon. Sure enough, here comes a young guy in his low rider, hot
rod Civic with the hip hop thumping and his cell phone glued to his
ear. He's showing absolutely no sign of stopping at the stop sign
just ahead and another car driver is thinking the same thing I am as
he slams on his brakes. What do I do? I smirk and press the horn
button. He literally is jolted straight up out of his seat and if he
were taller, his head would be hitting the roof of his car. He
descends back into his seat and hits the brakes so hard that the car
nearly does a stoppie. Then he scans back and forth, looking for
what caused the sonic blast. Nope, just a small sedan and a
motorcycle. He looks perplexed and wary. Good thing I'm wearing my
full face helmet with the mirrored face plate so he can't see me
chortling with glee. Thanks, Eric!
May 2006: Stanky and I spend a
wonderful day at Rich's
Custom Seats. My butt could no longer tolerate the almost 30
year old foam and highly non-ergonomic design of the stock seat plus
I never did locate all the funky bolts for required for renovating
it. So
off to Rich's we go and what a treat it is to watch a real craftsman
at work, not only for his skill but also for his passion for
motorcycling. Friday is one of his busy days and I get to hang with
4 Harley riders, a Honda Super Blackbird rider, a Honda CBR600F4
rider and a Suzuki Burgman rider. Rich has captain chairs he's
salvaged out of vans lining the one side of the workshop and it
turns into a day long, seat rebuilding biker reunion. Using Stanky's
stock seat pan, he gets some new foam, a complete reshaping, a gel
pad and a new leather cover with carbon fiber inserts. It looks
superb and feels even better. This is my 3rd seat from Rich and I
can't say enough good things about integrity, his workmanship, his
passion and his delightful, wry sense of humor.
Click here for more
photos.
March 2006: The months and
months of rain stop and we finally get a chance to swap out the
rotors on my bike with Jimmy's CB750F3 rotors. Presto! The brake
problem disappears. So the rotors are sent off to the machine shop
for truing and put back on Stanky. Jimmy warns me to go easy on the
front brakes until I get used to having them again. So off I go down
the street and I gingerly apply the front brake for the first time.
I'm puzzled. Nothing's happening. Feels like the brake pads are made
of wood. Hmmm...what was Jimmy talking about? After a sec, I
recalibrate my expectations. After all, these are brakes that were
designed 30 years ago and I am very accustomed to RC51, VFR and
ST1300 brakes. The good news is that by the next ride, the front
brakes are feeling much better and Jimmy confirms that they're going
through a seat-in process. Now that we're back on the road, the deep
bond I share with this bike has resurfaced. All thoughts of selling
him for a Thruxton are gone and it feels good.
February 2006: It's been
raining forever in Seattle and when we can't ride the bikes we have,
we start looking at new bikes. Add the fact that Stanky's front
brake issue is still unresolved and I can't find other parts as
well. You know, that new Triumph Thruxton is looking mighty fine;
superb retro styling, back to basics features, plenty of
accessories, modern engineering and no problems with parts. The
first dry day in months arrives and Joe, Vince and I head up to
Cycle Barn after a hearty breakfast out in the countryside. I test
drive the Thruxton and while it's all the things I thought it would
be, it doesn't put a smile on my face. Nevertheless, it would still
be easier to own than a soon-to-be 30 year old bike. I vow to get
Stanky's front brake fixed before selling him as I think I'll get a
higher price and I'll feel better about handing his keys to someone
else.
May 29, 2005: After 1,000
miles, the break-in period is over and the engine is smoother than
ever all the way up to redline at 8,500 RPM. Jimmy tightened up the
clutch cable and now the lightest touch on the clutch lever does the
trick. We also put the rear shocks on their stiffest setting as it
was too soft for my weight and riding style. It helps but the rear
shocks aren't very progressive so talk of replacing them this Winter
with some new Works
Performance units is underway.
March 3, 2005: Jimmy has rejetted the
carbs and OMG.....what a difference!! The engine is supremely smooth
and powerful plus now it starts with zero effort. I took the bike
out for a romp in the countryside today and the grin factor gauge
was pegged! New photos will be forthcoming as the cafe racer fairing
on now.
 January
15, 2005 - The new rotors are on the bike and they look great.
They came in the original, unopened packaging which is part of the
fun of finding these new parts that have been lying on the shelf
literally for years. It's sleeting outside so no test ride today.
December 2004 - As Jimmy, my mechanic
predicted, the carbs need to be rejetted as the bike runs very rough
from 6,000 RPM on up. As we don't have access to a dyno, we'll need
to wait for a decent day for testing. Another issue is that of the
aftermarket front brake rotors. The metal must be substandard
because after just 600 miles, they are very badly scored and the
front braking has become very choppy. I contacted David Silver
Spares, the source of the rotors, and they said they'd contact the
manufacturer while sending me a pair of NOS Honda rotors at half
price and no charge for shipping. Very cool!
November 2004 - I finally got the
rebuilt CB750 motor broken in, at least the first 600 mile stage. So
it's in the shop for an oil change and checkup. Then I can rev it up
to 7,000 RPM for the next 400 miles. Over the past two months, I've
ridden 600 miles on it and as I did not want to ride it on wet
roads, I've had to ride when it's dry. Often enough, that's after
work and in the dark. So I've been all over south King County in the
dark bundled up again the cold. (No electric vest on the vintage
ride.) But actually, it's been lots of fun. Late at night, the roads
are empty and the brisk air is invigorating. I've got this great 50
mile loop that runs on two lane, twisty roads from Burien to Sea-Tac
to Tukwila to Kent to Auburn to Federal Way to Des Moines and back.
Usually by the time I reach Auburn, I'm getting pretty chilled. One
night, every time I came to a stop sign, I had to keep putting my
hands on the engine block to warm them back up. (Benefits of an air
cooled engine.)
Sept. 12, 2004 -
What constitutes a good time for
a Virgo? A Dremel tool with a tiny wire brush bit and little
hidden rust spots on their beloved vintage motorcycle.
While this is good obsessive fun, it's very
counterproductive at this time. Why you ask? Well, it reminds me
of when my dad asked me to pull weeds around the house. I was 14
or 15 at the time. I gave it a shot and then came back to him and
said I needed some weed killer spray to do a really thorough job.
He looked panicked and said that in no uncertain terms was I to be
allowed to touch the weed killer. My mom, looking puzzled, asked
why and he said, "I know him. He'll decimate the entire yard!"
Anyway, I start taking street legal
parts off the bike to better get at hidden corrosion and as I get
into it, I start eyeing other parts that will need
to come off. In no time at all, the bike will be in pieces again.
As I'm trying to break in the rebuilt engine after being
dismantled for well over 2 years, I remind
myself that there will be plenty of rainy winter days to do such
work. So we're back on track and the Dremel tool is back in the
drawer. Whew! That was close! I think I'll go pull some weeds.
August 20, 2004 - Stanky comes home:
Using 2 out of the 3 bolts I received from Australia, Jimmy
attaches the ends of the seat trim to the cowl. I keep one in
reserve to see what we can do about getting some fabricated as we
still need 4 more. But for now, it will do and as all other tasks
have been completed, that's it. It's time to take Stanky home. Now
that the moment is here, it's a bit of shock. He's been bunking
with Jimmy for over two years and I sense some wistful vibes
emanating from Jimmy. I ask him if he's going to be okay with this
and he says he's not sure so I pledge to bring Stanky around
regularly for visits. Jimmy reminds me to be gentle for the first
600 miles and I promise to baby it. He thanks me for being so
patient and all I can say is that it felt right not to rush this
labor of love. Off we go down the street and what a treat it is. I
head right for home, eat dinner and then Inga and I do our
favorite ride down to Alki Beach. Let the break-in begin! Twenty
nine and a half miles down, 570.5 miles to go.
On the 10th day of August, my mechanic said
to me:
- 6 metric bolts
- 3 self tapping screws
- 2 front brake rotors
- and a speedo cable in a pear tree.
July 24, 2004: This is my first ride in well over 2 years on the
newly restored bike. I've been riding my huge 1800cc Goldwing for
so long that the CB feels tiny in comparison and the CB's controls, while
totally functional, feel very crude. I take off down the street
very hesitantly as I reacquaint myself. The rebuilt engine is
eerily smooth and the handling with the new superbike bars is
much better now. The bike feels very competent. The new Kerker
pipe is not loud at all, at least up to 5,000 RPM, (the break-in
limit for the first 600 miles), and it yields a
very pleasing exhaust note. This bike is so different from the
GL1800 that it's taking a lot of concentration to ride it. Being
used to the GL1800's powerful, linked brakes, I try using just the
front brake but it's not enough. I have to use the back brake as
well to get decent stopping power. I can't really play too much as
the engine revs up to 5,000 RPM real fast so I kick back and just
tool around the neighborhood being sure to vary my speed. I can
see it's going to be a slow, long first
600 miles! I ride
about 5 miles and then return to the shop. Once I park the
bike and relax, I start smiling and I can't stop. It truly has
been worth every penny and every month that it has taken to reach
this point.
The following tasks are pending as of August 20, 2004:
-
Painting the brake
calipers.
-
Getting the two
dents out of the otherwise mint gas tank where the aftermarket drop down
handlebars used to hit. We've since switched back to a very
similar to stock "superbike" bar style.
-
Engine break-in:
As we've rebuilt the top end, the engine will need to be properly
broken in. Per the K6 Owner's Manual, the engine must not exceed
5,000 RPM for the first 600 miles and 7,000 RPM for the next 400
miles. This is the exact same procedure that was specified for my
1997 Honda VFR.
-
The rear brake
reservoir is quite weathered and will need to be replaced.
-
Addition of strap
to aftermarket seat to make it look more stock. I thought about
having the seat heavily modified to achieve a custom cafe racer
look. (Click here for an example.)
But some of my project advisors have convinced me to stay true
to a stock look plus lowering me on the bike would wreak havoc
with my long legs and knees.
-
The seat pan
needs work. The hinge is rusty and the rivets holding the seat
cover on are pretty bad. We have avoided taking it apart for
fear that once we do so, we'll not be able to put it back
together again especially as the seat hardware will probably not
be attainable. A seat restorer in Florida,
Cool Retro Bikes,
will probably be the best bet this winter once the rains
start.
June 2004: The engine in this bike is not an F2 motor.
It's a K6 motor. But the tachometer is F2 standard issue so while
it indicates redline as 9,500 RPM, redline for this engine is
actually 8,500 RPM. At this point, we have decided to leave the instruments
as is and to just ride accordingly.
June 2004: Maiden voyage of the rebuilt
engine and recently reassembled bike. Jimmy takes Stanky out for a
spin and does some more rejetting.
June 2004:
Click here to hear the message Jimmy left on my cell phone. The engine has
now been heat cycled several
times. Once we make the bike street legal again, the break-in
period will commence. Per the K6 owner's manual, the first 600
miles are not to exceed 5,000 RPM and the 400 miles after that are
not to exceed 7,000 RPM. |
The
Honda CB750 was introduced in 1969 and it forever changed the
motorcycle industry. Its vastly superior engineering resulted in
reliability, features and performance that earned it the distinction
of being the world's first "superbike". This bike so completely
caught the British manufacturers off guard and became such a huge
success, that it eventually drove the Brits out of business by the
end of the 1970s. On the other hand, the Japanese manufacturers were
able to respond quickly and in 1973, Kawasaki jumped ahead of Honda,
performance-wise, with their Z1. Nevertheless, many of the CB750's innovations are still in use
today. Not surprisingly, many have called the CB750 the bike of the
past century. When I decided to look for a
vintage CB750, I discovered the Single Overhead Cam Owners Club
website (SOHC/4). Among the bikes posted for sale was a 1977
F2 Super Sport. The F series was a variation of the original K
series intended to fight off increasing Japanese competition. The
styling was decidedly cafe racer and the engine was in a higher
state of tune. Falling for the look of the bike, I purchased it from an SOHC/4 member in Woodstock, New York,
who told me he had bought
it from a motorcycle mechanic in Brooklyn, NY who worked for Team
Obsolete Racing. I dispatched Lenny, a good friend and riding buddy
who lives in Albany, to inspect the machine and give me his
evaluation. With Lenny's blessing, I had the bike shipped from
Albany to Seattle using
Federal Transport. Look under
Restoration Photos below for a picture of what it looked like
when it arrived in August 2000.
From my first ride, I quickly fell in love
with this bike. Something about it just made me smile each time I
rode it. I felt like Fonzie riding to the drive-in burger stand. The
engine, even with 15,500 miles on the odometer, was silky smooth and
powerful. It was later during restoration that we learned that this
bike's engine was not the F2 model but from a K6. We were fooled by
the fact that it was
black like an F2 motor should be. At first, I was disappointed but
then I reread the magazine reviews of the F2 engine when
it debuted in 1977. While speaking of greater power, they described an engine
that was edgier and buzzy compared to the K engines. In hindsight, I
am glad that I have the Super Sport F model styling with the smoother
K engine, the best of both models. We have repainted the engine black in
keeping with the F2 paint scheme.
Scott Bruce Duncan: Owner,
financier, project manager, test rider, and parts gopher.
Jim Croning: Vintage bike mechanic
extraordinaire; Southend Motorcycle Service, Seattle, WA
Darin Howard: Owner & Manager of
Southend Motorcycle
Service, Seattle, WA. Darin is a superb restoration & repair
consultant & runs an excellent, high integrity shop.
Mike Boersema: Parts Manager guru, formerly
of University Honda in Seattle. If the Honda part needed was sitting on
a dusty shelf somewhere in the US, Mike found it every time.
Thanks, Mike!
Custom Classic:
A word of mouth reference brought me to these talented people.
Russ and Mike talked me out of going the more expensive powder
coating route in favor of primer, paint and clear coat. The result
was a frame that looks like molten metal and the engine and other
assorted parts look brand new.
Eric Espensen, MD: My younger brother, riding buddy and
amateur bike mechanic. Eric comes to Seattle each Winter for the big
motorcycle show and in December 2006, he replaced my nasty looking
rear brake fluid reservoir and installed a set of dual Fiamm horns
and a relay. Press the horn button and startled cage drivers look
around wildly for the 70s Chevy Impala bearing down on them.
Perfect! Thanks, Doc!
-
Stock F2 Frame:
-
Sandblasted and painted
-
Serial #: CB750F-2100979
-
K6 motor:
-
Exhaust: new Kerker pipe (4 into 1);
click here to hear it (coming soon!)
-
New carburetor
jets
-
Stainless steel brake lines
-
Oil cooler
-
Engine guards from
Italy
-
Koni rear
shocks
-
Progressive
fork springs
-
Electronic ignition
& coils (Dyna)
-
New, matched
ignition & seat locks
-
Dunlop K591 tires
-
Bar end mirrors
-
Fiamm
horns (high & low tone) w/ relay
-
1978
CB750F3 Comstar rims (tubeless)
-
New handlebar
grips
-
New choke cable
-
Sprocket and chain
-
Restored rear seat cowl and turn signals to
stock configuration
-
New chrome
tachometer ring.
-
The dimples on both sides
of the tank were caused by the ill advised aftermarket drop down
bars. These bars made the bike very cumbersome to steer at
parking lot speeds. We've replaced them with superbike style bars.
-
Installation of a
new headlamp shell (obtained from David Silver Spares in the UK)
-
New kickstart
lever rubber
-
New left footpeg
bracket (obtained from David Silver Spares in the UK)
-
New speedo cable
-
NOS front
brake rotors obtained from
David Silver Spares.
-
Custom seat
by Rich's in Seattle
(worth every penny!)
-
Individual K & N air
filter for each carb
-
The paint, decals and
badges are original F2.
-
The Comstar wheels, first
introduced by Honda in 1977, are stock. Update (March 2007): My
bike is now sporting 1978 Comstar wheels which allow me to run
tubeless tires and install easily attained, 3rd party brake
rotors.
-
This was the first year for stock twin 275mm front disc brakes.
The braking is pretty decent for a bike of this age providing you
use both the front and the back judiciously.
- The SOHC/4
Owners Club: Established in April 1994 and dedicated to owners
of Honda's single overhead cam four cylinder motorcycles. A great
resource for information, parts, etc.
- The
story of the CB750 on Honda's website.
- Read about the CB750 on the
AMA's Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum website
-
Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts
(VME): Dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and enjoyment of
vintage, classic, and antique motorcycles.
-
David Silver Spares:
Independent supplier of Honda parts and accessories in the UK since 1986.
When
I couldn't obtain the parts we needed in the US, these wonderful
people have come through for me time after time.
-
PartsFish by PowerSportsPro.com: Online parts diagrams
and good service have yielded many NOS parts for my CB750.
-
Cool Retro Bikes:
Another source for parts and seat restoration.
-
Classic Motorcycle Supplies:
When you can't find NOS parts anywhere else, this company
in the Netherlands usually comes through and with great service.
Just pay no mind to the exchange rate, Euros vs. George
Washingtons, and you'll be fine.
-
Old Bike Barn: A
group of people passionate about old Japanese bikes who carry
all kinds of parts and provide good service.
-
RetroBikes: Nice
people in Port Angeles, Washington with parts for a wide variety
of vintage Honda bikes.
-
Dynoman.net:
Performance parts for vintage superbikes
-
MG Innovative Products:
A source of a variety of aftermarket cafe racer enhancements.
-
Ebay Motors:
Always a good place to check when hunting for parts. Perform a
search on your specific model.
-
Z1 Enterprises:
All kinds of parts for vintage Hondas.
Coming soon, once I tally up all the
receipts.
Doing the Ton: I've read a lot of
British vintage bike mags and they all speak reverently of "doing
the ton" on old Brit bikes. Once I deciphered the slang and
realized that they talking about doing 100 mph, I was puzzled.
After all, what's the big deal? I had done well over 100 mph on a
variety of bikes and I was always amazed at how easy it was. Well,
that was until I did 100 mph on my 25 yr. old CB750. Sweet Jesus!
I quickly realized the major distinction between modern sport
bikes and vintage iron. Ok, it's a real BIG deal, especially on
even older Brit bikes prior to the CB750.
Windy
Ridge in the Mt. St. Helens National Park:
- Learning to trust the bias tires
and interpret the retro handling enough to scrape the footpeg feelers
in the turns.
- Drop down bars force you to get up around
the long tank and really body steer.
- New Dunlop K591 tires
- Billowing clouds of white smoke
due to the brittle valve seat guides.
- Frame flexes like an old fiberglass
skateboard. Goes into a turn well enough but then you start
wondering, where's the back end?
Alki Beach:
A local beach on Puget
Sound is a popular hangout for motorcyclists and Inga and I enjoy
riding down there to look at all the bikes while we eat fish and
chips. When I've ridden the CB750 down there, the older riders (40
+) gather around with a sentimental look in their eyes and they
say stuff like, "Oh my God! I used to ride a CB750!". On the
other hand, the young guys, on their state-of-the-art sportbikes,
act like my CB is not even there. They won't make eye contact with
me nor gaze at it. They either don't want to encourage me or it
truly holds no interest for them. I understand. It's tough being a
young Turk trying to stand out in a very fast crowd. Meanwhile, I
enjoy their rides as brilliant examples of engineering and design
excellence, thanks to
Soichiro Honda and his vision.
Earning the nickname "Stinky":
During my early rides, the rear brake fluid reservoir began
leaking. Rear braking suffered accordingly but my fellow riders
suffered even more. If they were riding astern of me, they were
treated to puffs of acrid smoke as brake fluid dripped on to the
hot exhaust pipe each time I pressed on the rear brake pedal. This
was cleared up by replacing the rear brake cylinder, after
rebuilding efforts failed, but then an even greater problem
surfaced for my buddies. As the rubber valve seat guides in the
engine were old and brittle, oil began escaping past them and
emerging unburned from the tailpipe, thus engulfing my friends in huge clouds of white smoke. Stinky was
thus christened and this was the catalyst for restoration.
How does a from-the-frame-up restoration
get started in the first place?:
It starts when you take something apart to fix it and you notice
something else next to it that looks a bit manky. And so you find yourself
saying, "Well, as long as we're at it, we may as well fix it." And
the more we fixed, the more stuff we found to be fixed and at some
point, we lost track of it all. So we've recently reassembled the
bike just to see where we're really at. It also helps to have great affection for the bike being restored to get you though the
periods of doubt and anguish that come from undertaking such a
crazy project.
"Stinky" becomes "Stanky":
 Being
that "Stinky" no longer stinks or smokes, it can then be said that
he stank, past tense, hence "Stanky". Thanks to Vince, one of my
riding buddies, for making this important distinction.
Adventures in sandblasting:
Taking advantage of a wet, rainy winter in Seattle to tear the
bike completely down to the bare frame, I was referred to a
machine shop up in Everett, WA for my frame and engine
sandblasting needs. I arrived at a very dark, deserted, ratty
place with only the owner's son on hand. He was nice enough and
took all the parts and pieces from me, promising to have them done
in about a week's time. It felt very odd not doing an inventory of
what I was entrusting him with and getting a receipt for it but he
offered none. I came back in a week and again, the shop seemed to
be deserted until the son emerged from some dark hole. I asked
what I owed him and after mumbling something about the local pub
awaiting him, he asked for a check made out to cash for $80. When
I got home, I saw that someone had penciled $95 on the box
containing my smaller parts. I suspect my money never made it into
the cash register. I thought about sending a check for the
difference but I didn't want to get Junior into trouble.
Restoring the rear turn signals:
One of the previous owners decided to remove the stock rear turn
lights and replace them with some
 cheesy
little winkers that are made for modern sport bikes. Beside the fact
that no one behind me could tell if I was turning or not, they
looked completely wrong. I tried a local salvage shop and they
explained that every time the word got out that a junked CB750 had
shown up, local collectors would swoop in immediately and strip it
clean of all parts. Fortunately, Honda had some stock turn signals
sitting on a dusty shelf in a warehouse but after that, it got
tricky. From the diagram, you'll see that there are 7 funky little
parts required for mounting. So I inquired at my Honda dealership,
University Honda, and Mike,
the Parts Manager, found some of the parts on various Honda
dealership shelves across the US, often the last available NOS parts
in the country. I then learned that I could check with David Silver
Spares in the UK and I got their last remaining stock parts as well.
Whew! All this just for turn signals! Heaven help me if they are
ever damaged. It did feel really good, though, to be able to
assemble the turn signals and restore them to the bike. The Quest For Funky Bolts:
Locating
hardware to attach the seat trim to the rear seat cowl turned
into one of the biggest challenges of all. These
are funky little flat headed bolts (#23 on
 the diagram) that slide into the chrome
seat trim and are secured with a washer and nut. The ones on the
bike were rusted, stripped and glued back on. Honda no longer has any so we tried the local hardware store
to no avail. I next tried hunting for them via the Internet. I've
tried places in the US, UK and Belgium. I finally put the
actually Honda part number into a
Google search and get 1 lonely hit. It's a bike wrecking yard in
Australia and he says he's got 3 of them on hand. With shipping,
these bolts cost me $10 Australian each and I'm thrilled
nonetheless. They arrive wrapped in the sports section of an
Australian newspaper and I handle them like they are precious
gems. We use two of them to attach the ends of the seat trim to
the cowl and keep one in reserve to see if we can fabricate some more.
What is that damn beeping sound?:
I remember sitting at a stoplight on one of my earliest rides
while waiting to make a left turn. My wife, Inga, is beside me on her bike and both of us
are looking around wondering where that damn beeping
noise is coming from only to finally realize that it was coming
from my CB750. WTF??? Some knucklehead designer at Honda, back in
the 1970s, probably thought this audible turn signal indicator
would be a nifty, desirable feature. Nevertheless, this lovely little
annoyance has since been
hunted down during the restoration and exterminated, thank God. |
