This be why I haven't been able to afford any new gear...

[Whitey80]

Busy going from this:

to this:

ALMOST done. one more week and i should be good.....will post the final pics then...

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Sweet!

It's ok...I always recommend multiple outlets for disposable income...or not disposable.

 

[Whitey80]

Never disposable, always something I would have been better off putting it towards, but I'd lose my mind without all these distractions!

 

[jeffsg4mac]

That is sweet man. I have always wanted to try something like that. I have a few older bikes that I like and have seen for sale from time to time. I saw one of these below about two months ago and almost bought it. The guy wanted 750 for it and it needed some work. Not as much as you just tackled but to get it looking new again would have been a project. It was the first sport bike I ever owned and I was tempted.

 

[Whitey80]

That is sweet man. I have always wanted to try something like that. I have a few older bikes that I like and have seen for sale from time to time. I saw one of these below about two months ago and almost bought it. The guy wanted 750 for it and it needed some work. Not as much as you just tackled but to get it looking new again would have been a project. It was the first sport bike I ever owned and I was tempted.

there was also this version of that same bike....very nice, very rare.

 

[Alex2507]

That Honda is really nice looking. Where did you find the seat and gas tank for that? The paint on that looks great. Did you bother keeping track of what you spent?

I bought a used '88 FJ1200 in '98 and had way more problems than I was interested in. The clutch slave cylinder, voltage regulator, overflowing carbs, leaky forks ... it was a mess and it was expensive. I was also bothered by the corrosion on the aluminum but there was nothing that I was willing to do about all that.

I think a nice fofo would be more practical for you this coming winter.

 

[Whitey80]

That Honda is really nice looking. Where did you find the seat and gas tank for that? The paint on that looks great. Did you bother keeping track of what you spent?

Tank came from ebay, was good shape for only $50. Seat came from Glass from the Past as well as the AHRMA belly pan that I haven't installed yet.

Totals (rough estimate):
$100 for bike w/clean title
$500 for motor rebuild parts + machining inc. carbs
$300 for suspension & brake rebuild parts
$350 for body parts (tank, seat, belly pan)
about $400 for misc. (bolts, cables, controls, electronics, lights)
and $200 for the rearsets from moto-bits.

+ a ton of labor hours from me. Did everything myself except for machine work. This is why I'm preferring bikes to cars these days. Can pull off a very nice full resto/rebuild for under $2k, have plenty of room to work on it, and come out way ahead on money if you sell it. At least on these old 60's and early 70's Honda CB's anyways. If you've got a Triumph, Norton, BSA or Harley....you'll get jacked financially.

 

[Whitey80]

oh, and its a 1971, by the way

and here's another angle. Gives you a good idea of how the seat position is and the control layout. Not exactly the most comfortable, but the best for dragging knees around corners

 

[pzaur]

Very nice job! I wish had the skill set and equipment to do something like this.

-pat

 

[sawzalot]

I love it period. Awesome resto, I have always wanted to do the same exact thing to my bike ( 1981 CB 750 Custom ) my Dad bought it for me as a graduation present, it is still in my shed and not in horrible condition alum is corroded and some rust on chrome parts and a freaking dent in the gas tank along with a bent footpeg assembly from a hard spill thanks to what is known as a shoobie here at the shore some rubber necking tourist not watching where the hello he was going ran a light and forced me to do a side slide, picked small stones out of my leg and arm for over a year. I had to change the handle bar assembly and get a new mirror and brake lever after that.
I think you did a great job and that sure looks like a lot of fun to kick around on, I see projects like this and they give me such incentive to get mine started, see mantown, then I end up with five or six major ones going on at the same time .Thanks Whitey.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

I love it period. Awesome resto, I have always wanted to do the same exact thing to my bike ( 1981 CB 750 Custom ) my Dad bought it for me as a graduation present, it is still in my shed and not in horrible condition alum is corroded and some rust on chrome parts and a freaking dent in the gas tank along with a bent footpeg assembly from a hard spill thanks to what is known as a shoobie here at the shore some rubber necking tourist not watching where the hello he was going ran a light and forced me to do a side slide, picked small stones out of my leg and arm for over a year. I had to change the handle bar assembly and get a new mirror and brake lever after that.
I think you did a great job and that sure looks like a lot of fun to kick around on, I see projects like this and they give me such incentive to get mine started, see mantown, then I end up with five or six major ones going on at the same time .Thanks Whitey.

I had one just exactly like this one even in blue. It was the first big bike I ever owned. I traded in a Suzuki 550L for it. Somehow though I think my engine was black and not just bare alum so I think that I had the 82 below and not the 81. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it.

This was my first street bike though. If I could find one in decent shape it would fun to restore it. Damn now you got me spending more money. My wife is gonna track you down.

 

[Whitey80]

Sawzalot....if you really wanna get that thing goin, check out Carpy's stuff here
He is the most down to earth cat with THE best stuff on earth for the CB750.
The amount that dude knows about making those particular bikes the most beautiful things ever is ridiculous.

 

[Whitey80]

Damn now you got me spending more money. My wife is gonna track you down.

Ha! That's what I do....I got ParadigmDawg to buy a $4000 mountain bike from me, then his wife made him buy her one + the car racks and all that go along.

Phase two is to trick you all into spending late nights in the garage and draining your wallets restoring the bikes of your youth....then convince you to turn them mono-posto cafe and your wives can't even ride with you!

I'm sowing the seeds of discontent!!!!

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Ha! That's what I do....I got ParadigmDawg to buy a $4000 mountain bike from me, then his wife made him buy her one + the car racks and all that go along.

Phase two is to trick you all into spending late nights in the garage and draining your wallets restoring the bikes of your youth....then convince you to turn them mono-posto cafe and your wives can't even ride with you!

I'm sowing the seeds of discontent!!!!

We might be moving to CO or WY in the next year or two so she will FIND you

 

[GO-NAD!]

Whitey, that is a beautiful job! Enjoy!

I've had 3 different sport bikes over the years and sold my last one a couple of years ago. I just don't have the time to ride now.

 

[Whitey80]

Went out to Steel's motorcycle salvage yesterday to pick up a kickstand so I can put the AHRMA belly pan on the bike this weekend.
For those that enjoy motorcycle's and more specifically those that enjoy building or keeping OLD motorcycles, you're gonna love this place.
These pics show less than half of this place, it's insane!

 

[Whitey80]

So, I still haven't had the time to finish and install the bellypan or replace the center stand with a kickstand yet, but I was able to put on a new set of longer gears and a CDI ignition. Little slower off the line, but the top speed is up there now. Inching closer!

I've also got this '72 Yamaha tracker I built last year that I've been working on again as well. And yes....it is a 2-stroke, and it tagged and fully street-legal!

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Very cool. Now you have me thinking about a project bike this coming year. I am thinking about maybe a Yamaha XS 650, or maybe a Honda VT500 Ascot. I am now also the owner of a 07 SV 650 so I have some tweaks to do that as well as some tweaks I want to make to my FZ-1. Oh it never ends!

 

[Whitey80]

Very cool. Now you have me thinking about a project bike this coming year. I am thinking about maybe a Yamaha XS 650, or maybe a Honda VT500 Ascot. I am now also the owner of a 07 SV 650 so I have some tweaks to do that as well as some tweaks I want to make to my FZ-1. Oh it never ends!

Guess it all depends on what you're gonna build in the end. The XS650 was tremendously modifiable as a chopper, or the much cooler bobber because of its sloping hoop frame. Not so much as a cafe type bike, too much rake in the neck to handle that well and that frame is funky for that (cafe frames need to be nearly flat across the backbone with slight rise to neck)
The VT is in the same boat, not a good cafe....but would make one hell of an amazing tracker style bike. Probably one of the best candidate's for that type of build I've seen.

 

[Whitey80]

Alright, I'm a couple of days away from completing the Yamaha flat track thumper! Just need to make a seat and mount up the oil tank......

......time to hunt down another project bike!