First bike, # of rides=0

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:14 am

Hello from northern California,

I recently purchased a '79 CB750 F. So far the most progress I've made on this project is getting it registered in my name. I threw a party over that one.

It was a hard starter before I started taking it apart. It couldn't idle, as far as I could tell, and it was puking gasoline from the carburetor. Not the drainage lines. Pretty much all my float bowl gaskets are shot, so I'm hoping replacing those fixes the leak

Anyway, this is my first bike, and I'm working my way through Clymer to get it fixed. Lots of work to do before I'll trust it, but I look forward to the process.

Regards,
lene

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:22 am

hi welcome.

go and get the the factory service manual from the tech doc section on this forum. really worth it.

before you replace float bowls make use of the search function on the forum and check. there are tons of post with guys that have had carb leaks and it could be a multitude of different things and probably not the float bowls - may just an o-ring...

and then while you are working on this awsome beast, maybe get some rider training. even just one or 2 lessons make a big difference!

this site is an awsome tool use it well and you'll have that bike running in no time.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:33 am

Welcome to here wave

Check out the info in the thread linked in big green text in my sig.↓↓↓

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:19 am

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:57 am

W'sup

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:58 am

Welcome

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:04 am

Howdy from the Lone Star State!

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:35 am

Welcome to the site Lene ... Smile

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:12 am

Howdy

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:56 am

Hello!!

Post up some pic's.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:34 pm

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:36 pm

looks good!!! I like the colors.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:36 pm

That looks workable . Smile

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:47 pm

Looks like it needs a little TLC, but it will come back with some work.

Missing an exhaust joint nut? Side covers? Non-standard rear directional signal fixtures... Needs seat recovered... Oil leak found and fixed... Clearly will need ALL the maintenance caught up... Probably other stuff...

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:50 pm

and $800 later you have a $1200 bike

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:57 pm

I have one side panel. The other is long gone. I'm in the middle of recovering the seat now.

Frankly, at this point I just want it to start and idle. Maintenance will come after that. I read that I'm supposed to check the compression and valve clearance among my first chores. I assume these are things that can be done myself. Can someone more familiar with this forum post a link detailing valve work? How much money am I going to be spending on equipment for just these two jobs?

OKAY, so I have a confession. Before I did any reading (here or elsewhere) I went ahead and ordered a set of K&N air filters. PODS. There, I said it. Sorry. I'm not asking if it will work, or how to make it work, because I know what kind of reaction I will get. My main concern is that I cracked the plastic nipple off the back of my airbox (that feeds to the storage box under the battery). Additionally, the previous owner drilled holes in the airbox, presumably for some extra flow. Duct tape! Is the broken nipple going to cause me trouble? Any easy fixes?

Thanks,
lene

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:00 pm

Mutilating your motorcycle will not make it run better, only worse.

Epoxy the nipple back on, use JBWeld.

Check out the links in my sig, one of them is a little tutorial on using the search engine.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:57 pm

The more I read, the more discouraged I get. I have no previous mechanical experience, and these repair manuals tend to simply leap the gaps where my common sense and reading comprehension simply aren't enough.

For example "Measure intake and exhaust valve clearance by inserting a feeler gauge between the camshaft and the valve lifter shim."

I know generally where the camshaft is, but I honestly don't know what a lifter does, where it is, or why it's shimmed, so finding the valve lifter shim is tough.

And when genesound says the bike will need the "oil leak found and fixed," I now know that there is an oil leak. That's all. Not how he knew. Not how to begin. Download the manual. Print it. Put it in a 3 ring binder.

"and $800 later you have a $1200 bike"

What does that mean? That what I have now is worth $400? Am I going to be spending $800 in parts? Labor? It sure doesn't sound like a good investment when you put it that way.

lene

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:26 pm

these old bikes are antiques

dont buy an old bike to make money

or even recoup your money

buy it, fix it, because of the experience

you can easily spend $800..on repairs and such

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:07 pm

Don't get discouraged, your aren't gonna fix the whole bike at one time, you only have to do one thing at a time.

Start with seang's check list it is in the bottom of his signature.

Here's your valve info

http://www.cb750c.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=12173&highlight=valve+adjustment

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:24 pm

I'm not looking to make money, but overall value is still important. Valuing it at $1200 just seems so ungenerous when it (already) is worth more to me than that paltry sum.

Frank, thanks for the link. Searching for "valve" didn't narrow the field much. Obviously, neither would "adjustment".

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:26 pm

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:28 pm

i didnt offer you $1200

thats market value, unless it's pristine

then it's around $1800

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:35 pm

Yeah, I'd say a near perfect one with good tires and everything else might be worth close to 2 grand, too.

That's what I paid for my CB1100F, that only needed a clutch, which I just happened to already have, but 1100s are worth way more money than 750s.

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:52 pm

I hung around ray too long..brutally honest rubs off Laughing

fix it . learn. the lessons are worth more than cash will buy..plus you get to hang with us