Hi All, Been a long time lurker here at ADV and finally joined the ranks after 20 years of pining. Divorce is a catastrophe, but I am now free to fullfill a dream. That dream was a Triumph Scrambler, but since I only got half of everything, i thought I'd get something I could afford. Took my classes, got my endorsement and all my safety equipment and on my 41st birthday dropped $1200 on an '82 CB750K with 11k miles. The local UJM guru shop gave it a once over and pronounced it healthy, and intalled new fork seals and rear tire. I hope to do my own wrenching from here on out. I am riding cautiously and taking many short trips working my way up to longer and longer rides. Assuming everyone and everything is out to kill me, but finding easy winding backroads with little traffic. The whole experience is much more relaxing than I imagined, and so much more than I dreamed. One thing on your mind So. My questions; I know these are high revving engines, but I don't like running at 5-6k rpm on the freeway. Even if the thing can do it all day, I feel like it's laboring. What reccommendations do you have to ease that back. Rear sprocket or front? How many teeth to drop? How difficult is the changeover? I am not powerhouse, but I can hold my own. Why can't I get the damn thing on it's center stand? Any advice? I feel like i'm going to drop it and it just won't rock back onto the stand. It's not a Custom, but i still dislike the bars. My hands feel turned outward and too close to me. Any suggested replacement bars that don't leave me hunched over too far? What sort of easy to install mods would you make for the sake of improved performance and reliability. I don't have a lot of experience working on bikes, nor specialized tools, but I'm no dummy either. My plan is to get a few years out of this bike, and graduate to a mid-size ADV bike. Feels great to be on the inside looking out, rather than reading about others living out my dream. Only took 41 years to figure out. Better late than never. Jeremy (Chinook1) <!-- / message -->
Nice bike :) Couple things I could toss in... you may want to check out the honda inline websites and look around about jetting those carbs for modern fuels. Could get your power back in a hurry. those inline 4 carbs are a PITR to service, but doable in your garage. I found one big thing that sucked down power on my 650 was how the climer manual had me set the valves... the description it has for how to set the timing plate is out of wack. Just for future reference. As for the stand, get your foot on that part that sticks off, and put your weight into it. Dont try and get the bike on the center stand while you are sitting on it either, not gonna work. Grab the bar behind the seat, and roll it back. Might take a few tries, and might want to have a buddy help so it doesnt get dropped, untill you get the hang of the process.
As I said in the other thread, a set of flipped clubman bars did wonders for me; the seating position is pretty comfortable. I didn't think to mention it before but a set of motocross bars might be worth looking into as well. Regarding the engine RPM, don't sweat it. These engines are perfectly happy running 5K-6K all day long. The charging systems on these bikes actually need the engine spinning at at least 3K before they even work properly. Since yours is a DOHC, check out this site if you haven't already: CB750C.com I'm a member over there (my s/n there is ContractKiller) and there is a metric ton of information on these bikes, along with a great group of guys that can really help you out. Full factory service manuals, tech articles, DIY tips, if you can't find what you need over there you weren't looking. And welcome to the fold, man. These are awesome bikes and if you're good to it, it'll be good to you as long as you wanna ride it.
Here's a way to get the bike up on the centre stand, without busting a gut. Lay down a couple of short pieces of 2 X 6 or 2 x 8 lumber. They are about 1.5" thick. When pulling into the garage, just drive the bike onto the pieces of lumber until the back wheel is up on the lumber. The centre stand is now pushed down in front of the lumber until it touches the garage floor. Push down firmly with your foot on the centre stand tang, and lift with your arm as required. Let your leg do the work, and very little arm lifting needed.
Stock bars are a little "limp wristed" as you say, hands are pointing out and wrist are in. Get a set of K & N, I think this is what I use, http://www.holeshot.com/old/Bandit/bndt_bars.html Honda also made lattice rear sets that are not too extreme but put you in a good position for longer rides and good bike control. If you can find a pair with good rubber parts the rest powder coats and/or paints up nicely. This site has a lot of good information and parts. http://www.cb1100f.net/ Here's a couple bars that might be closer to the one I'm using. Euro I think http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chrome-Moto...Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cff0aee68&vxp=mtr http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chrome-Moto...rcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ce6db6e68 The Daytona is more upright position http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/4/68/15392/ITEM/BikeMaster-Daytona-Handlebar.aspx
Thanks for the input gents. rpage11; that is a sweet F. Well done! I ended up with a set of ATV bars from Allen's Cycle and Salvage here in Spokane. These guys are great, and really look out for thier customers. Very old school shop specializing in vintage motocross and flattrack racers and old japanese bikes. They have a boneyard of wrecked bikes off the shop that can suck up an hour of wandering around easily, pondering what the hell this part is for:huh, or if the rider of that twisted up bike got kilt in the wreck . Anyway, these bars have the perfect rise and pull-back for me; more forward and straight. Not too much of a change from stock. Now I need to get used to a bit more pressure on my wrists and some vibration. Something in the changeover resulting in my throttle feeling stiffer and less smooth on rotation. I don't really want to replace the throttle mechanism. Can I just lube it or something? J
Interesting the salvage place, that's not too far from me , Spokane. Ran out of time to check them out when I was down there last year. Maybe a little road trip this fall with my buddy, he has the same bike as you he just restored.Runs good, I already tried it,reminds me of my youth riding the SOHC750F. I don't think he needs any parts for the Honda but.....he also has about 20-30 other bikes in need of restorations. If you go back there, take some pics....we'd like that!
I got a CB750 after riding twins. I didn't like the revving either. Then I took a 2,000 plus mile ride and the revving seemed quite natural after that. I just had to get used to how the 4 responded to different conditions/throttle/rpm to appreciate how it wanted to run. I don't have specific recommendations for changes. Look at what sprockets are most available then do the math (or use http://www.gearingcommander.com/ to see what the changes will do. If you put on a larger front sprocket, first look to make sure there's room for it. Then HAVE FUN.
The throttle response is a common issue when replacing the bars. Also the manual choke line doesn't always work the same. Make sure everything is free to move under the tank and nothing is bunched up. Honda made a replacement cable for different bars, but I found that just playing with it a bit should get you back to normal. Good luck. Skip
My first bike was a CB650. Great bike for sure! I've always thought the early 80's UJMs were simply great looking machines. Regardging RPM...just rev it. Seriously, they're happy spinning at least 5000rpm all day long. The centre stand was a problem for me too until I figured it out. You need to grab the handle bar (left hand) and the handle by the back of the bike (right hand). Don't lift (much) but do stand on the tang sticking out of the centre stand. The bike will feel like it's going to fall over away from you but it's just standing straight up and down. Put all your weight on the centre stand and it will lift itself up and over. May want to have a friend on the other side the first time as it really does feel like it's going to fall over away from you the first time you do it!
If you run the back wheel up onto a 1 1/2" thick board, there is no lifting by hand at all. Just rock the bike once by pushing down on the centre stand tang, and when the bike rocks toward the back end, push down firmly on the tang with your foot. Your foot/leg does all the work.
