So I bought a ‘77 CB750.  Needs a lot more work ($) than I thought it would. 

Great turnaround from Partsnmore in Ontario.  Cheaper than other parts sites and on CDN dollars.  Ordered carb stuff Tuesday afternoon, got it this afternoon. 

Hopefully try to start it tomorrow.

Bent Bike in Langley has a coffin tank for one of those...

Ya, gonna have to talk to them about side covers.  Both were cracked and or sorta repaired.  I dropped one on the garage floor yesterday and it kinda shattered.  Probably not repairable.  The only place I have found aftermarket side covers is Z1E.  Was really hoping not to have to buy any. 

Not spending/ordering anything until I start and see how it runs.

Vintage 750 in Stratford, ON, is good for some parts, too.  https://www.vintagecb750.com

I found pattern side covers from 4into1 in California, mine were the same condition as yours.  A bit spendy (100 bucks), but fit well and looked good.

In general, parts prices have tripled or quadrupled in past couple of years, especially OEM, so be aware and beware.   I know, just what you wanted to hear.

  Hi Ross,
  You need to modify your profile of garage residents.

I wonder if Vintage 750 and Partsnmore aren’t connected in some way.  Pretty much exact same stuff at exact same prices, and Partsnmore also is in Stratford.

Huh, you're right.

Well, I got the CB 750 carbs back together and reinstalled.  They're quite stiff though, so perhaps I've done something wrong.

Numbers 1 and 4 carb needles weren't seating and gas poured out of the overflow tubes.  Managed to get them working without removing the carbs from the bike.

 Took the battery out of the Yamaha.  After a few tries it fired briefly.  Ran the battery flat trying to start it again.

Batteries are getting expensive.  $113 at Edmonds Battery.  Not in stock until Wednesday.

 I'll charge the Yamaha battery and try again later.

Woo Hoo!  So I charged the Yamaha battery up again.  Bike fired, and with some coaxing actually ran!  Stalls on throttle tip in.  Not sure what to do about that.  Idles ok.  Stumbles at higher rpm.  All four cylinders firing.  No smoke!!  Charging system is working as normal.

Front brake is really squishy but getting better, hoping not to need master cylinder rebuild.

  Claim BMOC membership, instant deal.

  Claim BMOC membership, instant deal.
[/quote]

That price is with a discount.

Try Fortnine for a battery. And other parts.
I get great service from this company.
https://fortnine.ca/en/parts-unlimited-agm-battery
Cliff.

Thanks Cliff.  I had a look at Fortnine (I’ve had good service from them as well), none of their batteries had a “fit”. 

I have the bike running now.  Have run it on and off for about 45 minutes hoping the gasoline would get rid of any remaining varnish. 

Bike starts and runs well once warm.  Boggs and stalls with quick throttle tip in off idle.  Accelerator pump?  Off idle it revs well for the most part. 

I did a careful bench sync, so it should be close.  Borrowing a carb balancer and digital tach tomorrow.  I e never been very good at idle mixture screw adjustment. 

Can’t get the brakes to pump up. 

pilot jets partially plugged?

  Carb balancing requires confirmation of which carb is the ‘static’ carb, the carb that the others are adjusted to,,,,which should be confirmed in any manual. 25 years of CBX ownership and restoration, I’ve got a lot of practice.

#2 carb is the static carb.  It’s fixed to the throttle shaft with no adjustment possible.  The other three are synced to it.

Got a battery at Edmonds battery for $78 all in.  Earlier quote was for the wrong battery.

  That’s a good price.

.

I ordered some parts from vintage CB750.com Thursday morning.  Got them this morning (Monday).  Pretty darn good

Since Xmas, shipping seems to be a lot quicker.   I received something for the GS750 from Thailand in 4 days last week.

Are all the cables adjusted so that the slides rise simultaneously  Needles in the same grooves? Jet sizes all the same?

Dunno what’s going on.  After initial disassembly, clean, reassemble, and install, the bike ran but ran badly.  Ran better after syncing but stalled on throttle tip in.  All four cylinders firing.

Removed carbs, re-cleaned accelerator pump circuitry, re-installed.  Still ran badly.  Removed carbs, re-ultrasonic cleaned the entire rack and installed new accelerator pump diaphragm, re-cleaned and reinstalled all jets.  Re-installed carbs.  Good spark on all cylinders but now #3 cylinder is cold but has good spark. 

ARRRGH!!

How is compression?

I’ve not been able to check it.  My tester is for B size plugs.  The CB has B size plugs. 

I’ll need to borrow a tester.  Anyone have one I can borrow?   

Having said that, I’ve no reason to think compression is bad.  The bike does not seem abused.  It was running at the first fire-up with all four cylinders firing and hot, no smoke. But ya, compression is next on the list.

So, I removed the carbs… again.  Sprayed carb cleaner into all orifices and blew them out with compressed air.  Removed the pilot jet and re- cleaned it.  Re-installed carbs.  It runs…not well, but all four cylinders firing and hot.  I reckon there was crap in the pilot circuitry.  Re-balanced carbs.  But clearly the idle mixture is bad.  I’m no good at setting mixtures so I will likely get professional help with that. 

No air leaks, those have tripped me up with old carbs.

Ya, entirely possible.  Hoping not to have to buy carb holders.  I may make arrangements for Rick at Bby Kawasaki to come by and help me out.

You can check for air leaks by spraying a bit of carb cleaner on them while the engine is running and listening for a change in revs.

Or water for a bog.

I had tried, using propane from an unlit torch and bottle.

So, I’ve borrowed a compression tester from Rick at Bby Kawasaki.  Wish me luck.  I’ll let you know the results.

Ok. So I did a compression test.  150-148-130-148.  Not great, but not disastrous.  The KZ900 I had was worse and I rode that bike a lot, and it worked just fine.

I wouldn't worry until you've put some miles and heat cycles on the engine.
It's probably just gummed up rings from sitting.

  Italian tune-up is what she needs!

Now you know that running issues are either fuel or ignition.  Or perhaps both.

Ok.  So, a bit of progress.

I put on an aftermarket seat cover.  Looks ok.  Got the front brake sorta sorted ( more about that in a moment).  Got it running well enough to run it up the lane and see if it shifts. 

Ran it up the lane.  It shifts ok.  Front brake locks up the wheel quite easily (maybe old hard tire?). 

Side covers are really brittle.  They break every time I try to put them on or take them off.  Oh well. 

Now that I know it will go and stop (sorta) I think I’ll start dismantling, cleaning and de-rusting.  Maybe put a permit on it the end of April, take it out to the swap meet and try to get some of my money back.  If not I’ll keep it, sink in a bunch of money and ride for a while.

I dunno, any plan only survives until the first punch in the face (Mike Tyson).

  I'm sensing unenthusiastic victory????

So, I’ve done as much to this bike as I’m willing to do until I actually see how it runs and rides.  I’ll wait until there’s a good weather window to pull a three day permit for some sea trials.  Couple small items still though.  Have to install the grips and check the petcock and that’s it for now.

You're a good man Charlie Brown! ;D

Ross, that's good progress......it's a relief to be able to look at getting beyond confirming that you have a runner.   Victory!!!!!

I replaced one of the dashboard bulbs, and….MEEP MEEP!!  Now I have a horn that works!  Thanks very much Bucko.  So now everything on the bike is functioning.  Hopefully we’ll get a decent weather window soon.  I’ll get a permit and put the bike through a few heat cycles. 

I think (hope) I have the accelerator pump mostly sorted.  At least it’s better than it was.  Hopefully I won’t have to pull the carbs again.  Just waiting now for a weather window so I can run a couple of tanks of fuel through it.  Ripped it up and down the lane a few times, only managed to get into 2nd gear.  We have speed humps in the lane so you can’t get much speed.  Plus, with the header that’s on it, it’s frickin’ loud.  I don’t want to piss off the neighbours too much.  Runs really good though.  I like it.  I may just keep it.  Just waiting now for a weather window so I can run a couple of tanks of fuel through it.

  Geez Ross. It would be a perfect machine for a run to Tuktoyuktuk! That engine will run until the next ice age! A set of knobbies, high fender, I can see a new sub category being birthed. Screw the cafe racer dudes!!!

Hey, that’s the trip you’ve been planning.  I’ll sell you my CB and live vicariously.

Ross, thanks to people like you we still have old bikes on the road.  Thanks for caring!

Bill, there are so many more people than I who’ve kept the old bikes alive.  I’ll try to keep doing my small part in that endeavour until gasoline isn’t available or prohibitively expensive. 

With this bike, I’m beginning to think I may just bite the bullet and install new tires, chain, and sprockets.  Then put insurance on it, ride it until it needs new tires again, then think about passing it on.  That’s beginning to look like the most cost effective way to go, while still enjoying a classic bike.  Trying to get it to collector status could be a $ black hole.

We’ll see.  I flip flop back and forth in my mind.  But I have to hold off until I ride a bit and really evaluate it’s rideable condition. 

So, I’ve crossed the threshold.  I put new tires, sprockets, and chain on it.  Did a 530 chain conversion in the process.  So, unless someone pays me what $ I have into it, I’ll keep it for a while and at least get some $ out of the tires.  

I put six months insurance on it and took it for a spin uptown to the library.  Didn’t want to get out on the freeway just yet, in case something went wrong.  It was only a five mile trip, but not a hiccup.  I only got up to third gear.  Ran perfectly.  Only a short trip in town, but it seems to ride and turn really well.  Front brake is really squishy, could really use new brake lines.  

   Here’s what I’ve done:
New battery
New spark plugs
Carbs rebuilt
New throttle cables
New petcock & fuel line
Valve adjustment
Points & timing check
New oil & filter
New air filter
Master cylinder rebuild
New brake pads & shoes
New grips
New (used) horn
New seat cover
New tires
New 530 sprockets and chain

   I think that’s it for now, but the squishy front brake needs attention.  I reckon she may not be pretty, but she’s a real good rider.

  Don’t forget the 3.75 cents an hour you paid yourself Ross!!

New brake lines ordered.  Should have them by Monday.

I just did a fuel reserve quantity check on Black Betty.  When the main fuel supply stops and the tap is turned to “reserve”, it runs dry after 2.4lt.  This, of course would vary bike to bike depending on the height of the petcock inlet tube.  I took off the tank, and tipped it over to check how much fuel was trapped by the frame hump.  This turned out to be 1lt. 

If I assume fuel consumption at 5.5lt/100km, I conservatively have 40km (say 25 miles) of travel on reserve and another 18km if I access the fuel trapped by the frame hump.

Thata's pretty good.  On my KZ1000 I'm good for about 20 km on reserve, not counting the fuel in the corner of the tank.

So I took Betty out for her first real spin, 40km.  She’s quite loud, buzzy at higher revs and speeds.  Had her up to 120kph.  I reckon that’s about as fast as I’d take her.  She didn’t miss a beat though.  Clutch is really heavy, maybe could use a new cable.  Front brake needs work.  Tach and speedometer are wildly inaccurate.  It’s an American bike so the speedo is in miles.  Using my GPS, at 60 mph it reads 70. At 60mph the tach should read about 4,000rpm, it reads about 4,600 and varies.  I’m sure it would be a much more pleasant rider if it had a nicer exhaust.  Everything works as it should, except the front brake, but maybe it’s just me.  New brake lines are slated to arrive Monday.

I'm really enjoying your progress on this bike.

I'm thinking that it's almost time for photographs.

Yes, a pic or two.

I didn’t take any before pictures.  I only took two after pictures.  They don’t at all show how bad the paint is.  

Not sure if I’ll be able to post from my iPhone but I’ll try.  The pics were taken before the new sprockets, chain, and tires.

Ross, that's pretty good looking.  I see what you mean about the exhaust...it looks loud just sitting there.

Ya, it’s sorta fun for a short while.  It sounds like you’re really sorta hard on the throttle when you’re just putzing around.  Flat out it sounds like its REALLY flat out.

I got the clutch cable freed up.  Most useless tool?  Motionpro cable lubricator. 

Brake lines bled in anticipation of new one arriving tomorrow.

You know what I've used as cable lube for years?   Motor oil....take top of cable off at handlebar, drop or two at top of cable, let it slowly drip down overnight, or all winter.

I used PB Blaster penetrating oil and lots of cable pushing and pulling.  Feels not too bad now.

I've had good results with them but they take some encouragement if the cable fit isn't tight.   I wrap the end of the cable with electrical tape to get a better seal.  I've brought particularly nasty cables, i.e. rusty, back to life by taping off the end of the cable and filling it, using a sandwich bag 'funnel' taped to the open end, with a rust remover (I like Krud Clutter) and let it sit in the cable overnight (or longer).  Then, flush with WD-40 followed by a good cable lube.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/krud-kutter-water-based-liquid-rust-remover-inhibitor-biodegradable-946-ml-0489178p.html

RD, I don't suppose you still have the black exhaust. It was quite a bit quieter than the chromie.

What you see in the pic is the way it is now.  I reckon, unless I find an acceptable pre-owned exhaust, I’d look at getting a Delkevic 4into1, $471CDN plus shipping.  But that’s a way down the road.

That's a fine looking bike!  Are those front signals in the OEM position?  They seem low.

Unfortunately, no.....it went with the CB750, I am bent on decluttering.

This bike is completely stock OEM excepting the exhaust, seat cover, and 530 chain.  Even the headlamp looks to be original.

Ross, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.....

https://classifieds.castanet.net/details/1971_honda_cb_350/4837988/

Betty wouldn’t like it.  But more importantly, Sandy would veto it.

Both statements are true, without mounting any defense.

Nice price on that 350.  But no papers.

No papers is not the end of the world......a bit of correspondance, and Bob's Yer Uncle.  I've done half a dozen of them.

Can you describe how you've done it Howie?

  IMO, that's a bit of a money pit. You're much better off with the 750 Ross.

Check out this ICBC page on unregistered vehicles.

https://www.icbc.com/brochures/Pages/vehicles-no-registration-record.aspx

I can answer questions after you read this information from ICBC.

Wow!  How long does it take from beginning to end? 

If the address no longer exists, the letter may pop back within a day.  The last go-around took almost 3 months, varies according to work load, naturally.

I have done 2 or 3 successfully. Usually your registered letter to the original owner get returned and your good to go. Or at least that's how I remember it.

Or, the registered owner phones you a tells you the bike was stolen 20 years ago.......really happened.

Or the registered owner sends back the signed transfer form. A guy from Castlegar sent old Regy and signed form for my tracker XS650.

Had this happen.

  I think your exhaust is a Yoshimura kit Ross!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6NxpDFeYjk

Whatever.  It’s pretty loud.  I liked the Yoshimura I had on my KZ1000.

Ok.  I’ve been told inquiring minds need to know.  Yesterday I sold Black Betty.  Big thanks to John for selling her to me.  I enjoyed getting her back on the road.  She was running ready well but I just wasn’t feeling it.  I sold it to a fellow who wants to sink some money into it.  New paint, exhaust, etc., and then ride it to Brazil of all places.  I wish him the best of luck. 

I reckon I spent $200 more than I got back in the sale.  Money well wasted.

That's not too bad, spend 200 bucks for a few months entertainment.   Good to pass a runner on to someone who wants to take it to the next level.

Whats next, Ross?

Not sure I plan on a “next”.  For a short time recently I thought I had a line on a 1975 CB750, but that seems to have fizzled.  It was a ‘75 CB750 I was looking for when I stumbled onto my Brown KZ900 which was in one of our calendars.  After that I became rather enamoured of the ‘70s Kawasakis.  I’ve sort of been keeping my eye out for one.  I had one in 1977 when I met and fell in love with my wonderful wife.  I think it was the bad boy image that initially attracted her to me.  Ha!  Sure fooled her. 

Anyway, I think Black Betty cured me of wanting a project bike for a while.  That being said, if the right bike, say a ‘75 CB750, at the right price fell into my lap, I’d probably bite.