Back in late August, I picked up a VERY abused '79 CB750F SuperSport for the winter project. It was in sad, sad shape. Front forks replaced with Kawasaki leading-axle forks that gave it a trail around 3", which obviously caused head-shake that had been addressed with a poor excuse for a steering damper. These forks were 36mm that had been wedged into the original 35mm tripple clamps! The bike had been left outdoors in the East Tennessee weather since at least 1999 - when it was last registered. Head bearings looked like someone had taken a cold chisel to the bearing area. All calipers frozen and of course all brake lines and master cylinders shot also. Only the rear caliper was rebuildable. Chain rusted solid. Tank had ~20 year-old gas in it (luckily pre-alcohol) and Bondo peeling of some rather serious dents - one measured .6" thick. All wheel bearings shot. At least the airbox was intact and the engine had no water in it, but the valve clearances were way off and two cam caps busted. Cam chain adjuster bolt broken. Rotor commutator heavily corroded and stator had a partial ground. Very little paint left on the bike, almost looking like it had burnt but wiring harness was intact.
So, All of this has been addressed. New bearings, ebay and rebuilt front calipers, new lines, new Chinabay MCs. GL1000 front forks and tripples with CB lights and meters adapted to fit. Harness connectors cleaned or replaced. Rotor commutator cleaned and polished, stator cleaned and baked. New battery, tires, chain, handlebar (because I hate the stock ones) and grips. Cam caps replaced with correct ones, shims changed to correct valve clearances, cam chain adjuster bolt broken piece removed with new bolt installed. Tank cleaned inside and new petcock installed along with new fuel lines and inline filter. And of course, carbs removed, disassembled, sonicated, cracked overflow tubes slodered up, reassembled and reinstalled. Carbs balanced.
Notice there is nothing listed about appearance. It is intended to be a "rat bike" so it has had nothing done that didn't improve function. I did put a mesh seat cover on it, but primarily to keep from rubbing the tape that holds the seat together off of it when riding. The youngest daughter gave it the name Rocket, so I put a period rocket on the side panels.
Yesterday was very nice here, so I took it over Norris Dam (which is spilling due to historic rainfall) on one of my favorite loop rides. She runs great! I've not ridden a 750 before - mainly GoldWings. It accelerates hard and seems to handle very well without surprises. Riding position has feet a lot higher than on the GL, but overall was very comfortable for the 50-60 miles I did, and I'm really happy with the lower bars, even for my 66 year-old body. Took the opportunity of catching some photos at the Norris overlook.
This makes three street bikes on hand, so it will soon go on Craigslist to get my investment back out and prepare for hunting next winter's project - hopefully a '79 GL1000.
So, All of this has been addressed. New bearings, ebay and rebuilt front calipers, new lines, new Chinabay MCs. GL1000 front forks and tripples with CB lights and meters adapted to fit. Harness connectors cleaned or replaced. Rotor commutator cleaned and polished, stator cleaned and baked. New battery, tires, chain, handlebar (because I hate the stock ones) and grips. Cam caps replaced with correct ones, shims changed to correct valve clearances, cam chain adjuster bolt broken piece removed with new bolt installed. Tank cleaned inside and new petcock installed along with new fuel lines and inline filter. And of course, carbs removed, disassembled, sonicated, cracked overflow tubes slodered up, reassembled and reinstalled. Carbs balanced.
Notice there is nothing listed about appearance. It is intended to be a "rat bike" so it has had nothing done that didn't improve function. I did put a mesh seat cover on it, but primarily to keep from rubbing the tape that holds the seat together off of it when riding. The youngest daughter gave it the name Rocket, so I put a period rocket on the side panels.
Yesterday was very nice here, so I took it over Norris Dam (which is spilling due to historic rainfall) on one of my favorite loop rides. She runs great! I've not ridden a 750 before - mainly GoldWings. It accelerates hard and seems to handle very well without surprises. Riding position has feet a lot higher than on the GL, but overall was very comfortable for the 50-60 miles I did, and I'm really happy with the lower bars, even for my 66 year-old body. Took the opportunity of catching some photos at the Norris overlook.
This makes three street bikes on hand, so it will soon go on Craigslist to get my investment back out and prepare for hunting next winter's project - hopefully a '79 GL1000.