It’s Not Finished, But It’s Done – Honda CB750 Cafe Racer
Going back thru old Facebook posts, I started this project in earnest in August of last year. Here we are 10 months later and finally I have what can be called a motorcycle (with a straight face) again. It isn’t finished, not by a long shot, but it is good enough to ride around town, and maybe on the freeway or to cruise nights and bike nights. I proudly present my 1972 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer “Goldbrick”.
Websters says “goldbrick” is slang for something that appears valuable but is in fact worthless, or “goldbricking” is when you appear to be working but in reality you are goofing off. Considering what I used to pay for CB750s when I was a messenger in LA riding this very bike about 100 miles daily, the current price people are paying for bikes like this seem absurd. Plus time spent in the garage working on this was time I could have put into something productive, so its like goofing off. On top of all that both the tank and the motor are big square bricks, and I chose to paint it gold metal flake.
The recycling center down the street’s truck scale confirms that with a 1/2 tank of gas this bike weighs about 450lbs, not bad considering they were 525lbs or so from the factory. What is left to do to it? Well it certainly needs badges and emblems, tires, fork seals, a matching aluminum side cover for the left side, and most importantly a matching spoked front rim.
Here’s the first start from last month, before the carbs were really clean
Here’s a photo dump to fill in from November of 2013, the last post about this and today. You can also check out the first post here.
So what do you think? Constructive criticism and questions are always welcome. Nonconstructive bullshit will get deleted pretty quick.