My 1973 CB750

All,

I finally decided to slowly start work on my other bike: this 1973 CB750.


I wasn't planning on touching it until my XJ was finished for the winter, (Still got a ways to go) but after working all winter on the XJ (and having this thing stare at me, dirty and untouched), and spending the past 12 hours of bike work on a fiberglass seat I decided I needed to at least do SOMETHING to this bike.

The backstory is that I bought it off of craigslist for $400 without a title (Before driving to pick it up I had the state police run the VIN to make sure it wasn't stolen. Once I pull it out of the basement and take it to the state police to get an MV-49 form (VIN Verification) I will then have it titled in Vermont, and transfer the title to PA.

The PO had bought it with the intentions of fixing it up, but when I arrived I could tell he was in pretty deep with other projects: Beautiful, massive old house that was just purchased, two Audi's and a VW that were heavily modified, a new wife, and a baby on the way.

So, for $400 I walked away with a complete bike, plus: Brand new Mac 4-1 exhaust system, CB400 Hawk engine in good shape, CB400 Hawk front forks, fenders, side covers, Comstar wheels, assorted parts, and most importantly: The CB400 Tank and Headlight that I have used on my XJ Build.

The bad so far(I'm sure there's more): Bike hasn't been started in two years, and the PO before the PO chopped up the harness to put on the drag bars you currently see. It will need rewired completely in the spring. It's dirty, and there's some surface rust on the wheels/frame, but nothing is pitted yet.

I decided that I would build a little paint booth in my basement and try to get this thing at least semi-aesthetically pleasing so I can enjoy looking at it a little more while I'm finishing up the XJ. This thing will not be receiving the full treatment like my XJ (at least not this summer. I want two bikes to have fun on, so this will be my "rat").

Therefore, all of the frame parts/triples and the wheels will simply be cleaned, degreased, and scotch-brited before painting with Rustoleum gloss black appliance paint, which I hear is very tough. I'll strip it down and do it right next winter when I'm bored and need a project.

Here's the "Booth"



When I'm doing the painting in there I have a box fan that goes up against the filter you see there, which gives it negative pressure inside. I then place another box fan about 10 feet in front of that one, which pushed the air out of the basement door. I also wear a respirator with organic vapor protection.

Last night I lowered the front forks 1 inch by sliding them up the triples, took a wire brush to the rear shocks and then painted them with 3 coats of Appliance paint. Tonight I will finish prepping the wheels for paint.

I will basically be trying to copycat this CB750 (though the "Stance" will not be as extreme, and I will be using Avon's instead of those old firestones.)



I thought I was going to need to repaint, until I decided to see what a little clay bar and waxing might look like (below is a before/after of the side covers. Will need new emblems).




Needless to say, I'm thrilled with the way it cleaned up. There are some imperfections, but that'll just add to the character.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

 

Nice! You got a great price. The CB750 is hands down one of my favorite bikes but I have yet to be in the right place at the right time to score one at good price.

 

Mine too, and funny you say that, because the second I saw it on CL I knew I wanted it so I called the guy, and he told me that he already had two offers in the past hour (this was on a weekday morning). Found out he worked from home I told him I'd be there in 2 hours with a truck, and took a "sick day" to pick it up.

I was putting a little money away for a 70's bimmer, but I just couldn't pass this one up.

 

Gotta love the original finish hiding just below the surface. Nice job, as they say, it is only original once. Keep it that way.

 

Now that it's all shiny, I bet it's hard to call it a "rat"! The green looks great! Love those Honda CB4's.

 

I had a gold 750-4. To me it was just a bike. It was ok, but the cb's don't speak to me the way the xj's do.

I DO have a couple honda's, though, so I'm not totally against them...... Two projects:

1. '67 305 Dream--totally disassembled....frame, fenders, fork, headlightbucket have all been fluid-bed stripped. Waiting for fender repair then sandlblasting to remove rind, and finally to paint. Then start re-assembly.

2. '75 Goldwing GL1000, slowly finishing a stator replacement. Its in, engine back in.....stalled because too busy with other stuff. Gonna put new belts on before finishing it up.

Dave F

 

I love the look of the naked wings... Does having the carbs on opposite sides make them harder to sync?
My brother has a pair of early 70's twins, but he's just ripping them apart for their parts. Art projects, I think...

 

Three observations on home paint booths:

1. Be careful with fans that draw air through and over the motor. Paint fumes are flammable and electric motors can produce sparks that ignite the mixture. Also be aware that static electricity can be built up with all that plastic and airflow, so try to ground it to something. Many fans for paint booths are belt driven so the motor isn't in the airflow path.

2. You can't actually produce enough airflow to be effective cheaply. There are standards for paint booths based on area that the air moves through, and it's not easy to meet those standards without expensive equipment. What that mean is that you'll have a lot of paint fumes and particles that don't actually get cleared by the fans as you are painting. And the fume density will be great in a small little booth.

Your respirator will handle the organic fumes with a charcoal cartridge, but they will handle a lot of the particulates with a pre-filter. If that pre-filter gets clogged with overspray, you won't be able to draw air into the mask, and you'll break the seal with the mask on your face, breathing in unfiltered fumes.

I know this from experience as I painted with urethane paints that produce isocyanates, which made me pretty sick, relying on an organic cartridge respirator in a tiny paint booth that I built outside. Different paints will carry different risks, but be careful with 2 part urethane paints

3. Be wary of exposure to others in your household. Painting in the basement can expose you and others well after the job is done and make everyone sick.

It's always nice to be able to skip the paint job, but I just wanted to warn you in case you plan on using it again. An open garage, or even outside, can be a better and safer environment to paint in than a home-made paint booth.

 

Attempting to reply to all here: Bigshankhank, unfortunately (To the purists) this bike will not stay original (aside from paint). It was almost a scrap heap until I took it, so I don't feel awful about modifying it to my tastes.

Matti: The green is definitely great. To my knowledge they did this scheme in Blue, Orange, and Green. I've always wanted a brown leather seat and this is the perfect candidate.

Dave, love those old dreams. Hopefully you get it up and running soon!

ManBot: Thanks, that is really excellent advice. Luckily I live in my house alone so the only one being affected is me. I've completed all the painting I'll do until I get it outside this summer, and I will definitely heed your advice when I go to paint my XJ.