First Bike 79 CB750K

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:22 am

Hello everyone

I am in the midst of getting my newly purchased 1979 CB750K road worthy. It is my first ever motorcycle. I bought it a few weeks ago and I am now attempting to do everything necessary to prepare it (and myself) for the road.

It is a bone stock 79 750K with about 9K miles on it. It was daily driven about two years ago then rarely driven where it has been until I picked it up. The battery has been charged, everything works, and the electric start turns the engine over just fine. I'm hoping it wont take much to get it on the road. So far I've cleaned the carbs, replaced the choke cable, bought (and waiting) on a new gas tank... and just cleaned the whole bike up a little.

Soon, I will be:
Replacing the fuel lines
Installing new plugs
Changing the oil
Getting new tires
Possibly sealing the new tank
Rebuilding the brake master cylinder
Getting new brakes...
Modifying the stock seat (I'm 6'8'')
Installing a headlamp modulator
Buying a Helmet
Taking a safety course!!!

Other than that, I love the bike. Maybe in the future I might consider some type of "light" cafe modifications just to better suit my height, but right now my main focus is just getting everything (safely) ready for the road.

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:35 am

Welcome. I like your bike, the '79 K's are cool.

I like the idea of you wanting to take the MSF course and buying a helmet. But, you should put those things on the top of your list, not the bottom.

Also, where in the SouthEast are you?

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:38 am

Welcome to DOHC Customs.
You forgot the most important piece of maintenance there is, a valve adjustment.
6'8"? Holy shit, even I would have to look up at you and I am 6'3" tall.
You are going to look funny on that bike but, you would look funny on any bike that was not custom built to your big body, I know, I dwarf my bikes.
That was why I got rid of my last custom built bike, it was too small and cramped my style big time. It cramped my hips, back and legs too.

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:12 pm

krisj wrote:

Welcome. I like your bike, the '79 K's are cool.

I like the idea of you wanting to take the MSF course and buying a helmet. But, you should put those things on the top of your list, not the bottom.

Also, where in the SouthEast are you?

Located in Columbia, SC. Have yet to really check out the local safety course but I do intend to take one before doing ANYTHING on the bike. Safety is a huge concern of mine with this whole venture.

fasterspider wrote:

Welcome to DOHC Customs.
You forgot the most important piece of maintenance there is, a valve adjustment.
6'8"? Holy shit, even I would have to look up at you and I am 6'3" tall.
You are going to look funny on that bike but, you would look funny on any bike that was not custom built to your big body, I know, I dwarf my bikes.
That was why I got rid of my last custom built bike, it was too small and cramped my style big time. It cramped my hips, back and legs too.

I'll have to look into the valve adjustment, I definitely want to do everything the right way with this project. And I will surely look ridiculous on the bike, but... it's to be expected. I look ridiculous doing anything. My girlfriend tells me I look like I'm on a moped. I will have to modify the seat, probably by shaving some of the foam back and recovering it I guess. I basically need to sit on the "passenger" portion to be comfortable..

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:18 pm

Safety is very cool, I took and passed the MSF course to get my motorcycle endorsement on my license.
The 79 K-Model is my favorite K-Model, I have built two of them into some pretty cool bikes.

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:51 pm

I rode my bike this morning!!

I guess I will have to start by "rebuilding" the carbs this time with a kit instead of cleaning them, and maybe getting some new spark plug wires. Any suggestions on the best place to find those two items?

Another thing, I basically have to sit on the passenger seat to be comfortable. I am just too tall for the standard seating position. Maybe, I'll shave the seat foam in the future. In any case, it was awesome to finally ride it.

so far:
New spark plugs, battery, fuel lines, fuel filters, gas tank, carbs cleaned, and abut 2.5 quarts of oil...

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:06 pm

noob wrote:

so far:
New spark plugs, battery, fuel lines, fuel filters, gas tank, carbs cleaned, and abut 2.5 quarts of oil...

There should be 3.5 new quarts of oil and a new oil filter before you ever started the bike.
The valves should be adjusted before you fire it off again too.
Check the charging system, I believe it is bad.
Your carbs are definately dirty, pay close attention to the idle jets.

Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:07 pm

fasterspider wrote:

There should be 3.5 new quarts of oil and a new oil filter before you ever started the bike.
The valves should be adjusted before you fire it off again too.
Check the charging system, I believe it is bad.
Your carbs are definately dirty, pay close attention to the idle jets.

The engine had a little bit of oil in it before I added to it, and the filter wont be here until friday so I'll have to hold off firing it until then. Maybe I can gather what I need for a valve job and carb rebuild and have it done by the end of the week.

Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:37 am

Mark , if you have a Napa auto parts store nearby , oil filter part number is PS4940 . -- Should be an in stock item , and if not it's available overnight . -- Otto -- Also a Mark , also 6'8" tall . How weird is that ?? -- These 750s sit bigger than a Harley , and I have no problems cruisin on mine .