My Cool Ass CB750 Cafe Racer
So, this post is a lil bit off topic here (way off) but felt like posting it anyways.
I picked up my first motorcycle recently and its really f***ing cool. It’s a 1980 Honda CB750 and its getting chopped and customized into a cafe racer.
I found the bike listed locally on craigslist.org and after doing some research online I came across this cb750 cafe racer website. After seeing those bikes and digging more into the cafe style of bikes I was sold on getting this Honda. Sent some emails to Carpy (Steve Carpenter) at cb750cafe.com and been buying some parts from him. Great guy who is really passionate about building cool cafe racers.
Funny him being a Brit and all while the original cafe style evolved in Britain primarily on British bikes like Nortans but he tends to stick with the older SOHC Honda’s. Fitting I guess because it was the cb750’s that brought the English bike industry to its knee’s in the late 60’s early 70’s. Norton went bankrupt. Ouch.
So without further adieu, here is the bike;
- Original high rise handlebars replaced with low flat drag style bars (gonna try a set of low drop clubman style bars soon)
- Stock airbox and filter replaced with 4 individual cone filters attached to each of the 4 carbs
- Front fender, gone
- Rear fender chopped to half its length (should get painted black, I think)
- Big dumbo ear signal lights replaced with sleek little chrome ones
- Tail light smaller and sleeker too
- All badging and decals removed (if you don’t ask if it’s a Harley I wont tell you it’s a Honda
) - Frame, engine, gas tank, side covers, forks all painted flat black
- Seat foam reshaped to remove the tail wings and then re-upholstered
So it’s a mean looking machine and sounds like a frikin Ferrari when all four of those inline cylinders are roaring.
This coming winter I will probably be doing a fair bit more work to it. But for now I just want it to approximate my final look so I can ride it this season. Engine needs a compression test and I think the timing is off. So I won’t be pushing it too hard till that’s addressed. I’ll have to wait a bit to Ton-Up (note: a ton = 100 miles per hour).
Updates : Here are some more recent pics.
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Recent Stuff
Was re-adjusting the jets on my carbs to richen the fuel/air mixture and borked the engine. opps!
With those new cone filters the engine sucks in more air. Also the exhaust pipes had the baffles cut out of the mufflers. Not only does that make it a tad louder but it also opens up the air flow. So we were running a tad lean and needed to richen things up to get the power to where it should be with enough fuel to match the increased air intake.
Seems I opened up the main jet way too much. It was screaming fast for about 10 minutes. Until the excess, unburnt fuel began too ooze down the cylinder walls and mixed with the oil.
After ten minutes of burning around she just konked out and died. Had to walk her back to the shop. When i checked the oil it was a lil runny and smelled more like gas than oil.
Full oil change, new spark plugs and back to tearing apart and re-jetting the carbs this week.
good job buddy want more ideas go to cyclexchange.net they have some of the the most innovative styles for cb 750’s ever im a cafe man myself 72 sohc good job, keep it cafe.
Uber sexy computer guy bike if I ever saw one.
that shit is the shit
What size of jets are ran in you bike i cant seem to find the size the dealer in my area is a moron
Stock size jets are 68 and 100, I believe. I’m still having issues with getting the jetting right. Wanted to buy jets from my local Honda dealer, asked to order a bunch of different sizes so i can tinker to get the right balance. But they cost about $10 each! ouch.
Instead, there is a local guy who has a small shop and just mainly works on older bikes. So will get him to do it right for me.
Nice bike! Where did you pick up the taillight? I’ve been looking for one of those.
Brian, I got the light from Steve Carpenter at cb750cafe.com
Nice work man! I’m working on a CB1000C Cafe Racer. Check it out at:
http://www.freewebs.com/ratbones/
BTW, I’ve noted that it is tough to get the Honda DOHC’s to run correctly with the pod intakes. Most of the DOHC riders stick with the stock air box set-ups to avoid problems. I’m keeping the stock intake on my CB1000C. The stock intake works fine with the aftermarket 4 into 1 exhaust I am running on my bike. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
I’m 85% finished with my cafe…
Rat Bones
Oh boy, spring is coming. Time to get tuning the bike and ready to ride again. Woo hoo!
hey i have the same year and model bike. what size air filter pods did you use and where did you get them? thanks.
@ Fadi, The cone filters were one of the mods already done by previous owner. He found them on ebay.
I have a 1981 CB 750 C Honda that I’ve just started work on…..when I removed the left side “ignition pickup” plate, that houses the Automatic timing unit, oil poured out….Is this correct, or do I have a blown seal that’s allowing oil from the main crank area to enter into this area…..Also the 2 igniton transitors that sit by the battery have had their black guey resin melted out…are these now ruined or are they still workable….Thanks for any input..Toni
@toni, I’m not much of a bike mechanic myself so I have no idea about the oil coming out of the timing unit??? And as for the transistors, I would imagine they should be replaced.
hey there did you ever get your bike running properly? i have an 80 750 that im cafeing that has the pods and is also running really rough.like to know how you got on
Nice bike, Where did you find your signals at? All I find are chrome with clear lens.
I got the lights from Steve Carpenter at http://cb750cafe.com/ He has lots of cool shit.
And those lights are really high quality, especially for the price. Real metal and real chrome, not plastic like the crap you find on ebay.
toni - I’ve got CB750 C that I’ve put 36 K on since Summer ‘06 (long southern riding season). In the first month after 10 years setting up the “gook” cooked out of my rtransformers - I q-tipped some wheel bearing grease in and around the connectors and have driven 7 tires of the rear (good times!!). So… not really a recommendation but…
It’s been awhile but I’m wondering how you made out with this bike?
For anyone thinking of using Pods on a DOHC Increase your main jets to 105 or 107.5 for WOT
@toni If your getting a black tar then No your Ignitor is shot (Over heating) replace it
Best thing I ever did to my 79 was re build the top end and install a 810cc kit
Peace
Erle
As far as jetting goes, I just ordered this DynoJet kit http://www.dynojet.com/pdf/1127.pdf
On researching around, and chatting by email with another DOHC owner, 120 to 125 seems to be the main jet size to go with for pod filters.
The Dyno jet kit has 126’s. If you’re running an aftermarket high flow exhaust they recommend using the 130’s (comes with the kit). Also the new needle jet in that kit is adjustable, stock one is not.
I bought the kit here http://www.starcycle-usa.com/servlet/Detail?no=15286
Will update after It arrives and I get it installed.
Stever, look forward to reading what you post. I recently picked up my second CB 750 and runs like crap. Pod filters and real short high flow exhaust. It looks like that kit might just be what i need.
Here is a link to pics of my CB 750 rebuild. Get full story at CostalDucatiClub.org.
http://www.coastalducaticlub.org/forum/index.php?topic=2023.0
Nice bike you got there.
Aww man, I’m going down the same road with my soon to be cb750 I found on craigslist. The parts at Carpy’s website look sick and I cant wait to get my bike looking like a cafe racer.
Hi all, I just got a 1980 Honda CB750C DOHC and I want to turn it into a cafe racer but I dont know where to start or where to find the parts. So far all I’ve done is replaced the air filter, spark plugs, fuses, and bulbs. Can anyone help me out?
Hahaha, that’s so funny, it’s my same history, I buyed a 2005 intruder, then this broke up, so I changed for a cb 750 1981, that I didnt like it, but when I find the carpy’s site, I start to love my bike, now Im modyfing to a cafe racer sowly cause I don’t have enough money, but soon I’ll finish it, and show you the pics, by the way the light tail how much it cost you?
Pd. sorry for my bad english-
Saludos desde Mexico.
Ricardo.
@Charlie, there are no set rules on what exactly consitutes a cafe racer. Google around, find pics of various cafe bikes and get a scence for the style and what you need to change. Ebay has some parts you might need. And Steve Carpenter’s site at cb750cafe.com is great. He’s got lots of pics of bikes converted to cafe’s and he has some awesome parts for sale.
@Ricardo. That tail light I got from Carpy’s website. It’s this one here. Current price is $69 USD.
I have a 1980 Cb400t. If I put on the air pods what would I need to jet my engine to?
@Chris, I have no idea what size jets you would need after adding the pod filters. Here on the Dynojet website they do have a kit for a cb400, but for a newer model http://www.dynojet.com/jetkits/motorcycle/honda.aspx
Some deeper research into your carbs vs. those of the 1989 version would tell you if they were maybe close enough to work for you.
There is a bit more to it than just changing the sizes of your jets. You may need to drill the holes in your slide a bit bigger, change the needle shape (comes with the kit) and adjust it’s height up or down.
Planning to do the same thing….but here is a thought. If you’re planning to do any low speed in town riding, you may want to consider rejecting any handlebars that interfere with the gas tank. Helps at gas stations etc. Just a thought.
Many of the street fighter guys have gone as far as using Motocross bars.
@Doug, do you mean so they don’t smack the tank and reduce turning radius? As mind do? With dents in tank to prove it. lol. Adds to the charm of the flat black rat bike kinda look
Yes, motorcross bars with their little bit of rise would do the trick there.
That’s exactly what I mean. I’m 60 so I need every edge I can get so that I don’t fall down (and not be able to get up). But you’ve got a nice bike there. I’ve cafe’d a 73 Norton Commando and a 84 BMW 1000. Neither loks as good as the Honda 4 in my opinion.
Interested in selling it?
Doug, this summer has been my first full riding season with the bike, so selling ain’t much of an option just yet, but if price was right…maybe.
But, I’m in Kamloops, BC. You’re in London, Ontario (if your IP location is correct). That’s a long ways to ship a bike.
Yo from Chicago,
nice seat where did you get it! and how much, please.
Tanks, johnny
love the bike man! i just got an 80 cb750k yesterday and re-gasketed the carbs and put em on tonight…I was wondering what did you do with the two hoses that went into the stock airbox when you put on ur pod filters? i really wanna get pods cause that connection from the airbox to the carbs is a friggin pain.
I have a cb 200T and want to put the open air filters like you have on it. There are two carbs and I will need an air filter cone for each one. Any ideas where I can get one.
Thanks,
Ray
@grayhost, that is the original seat, except I re-shaped the foam then had it re-upholstered.
@Aaron, the big tube coming up from oil resevoir is just left where it is and open. It exhausts excess gasses that got past the piston rings and with air box just puts them back through the combustion chamber. I should put a small air filter on it. The little hose that connects to the fuel line on the carbs must have been an overflow for fuel that gets into the box. I removed this tube and plugged the hole in the carbs.
@Ray Mullen, I tried Googling around but cannot find anything specific about cb200t pods. If you can determine the outer diameter of your air intakes then you can probably source a set of K&N’s that will fit.
Hey great looking bike, I am personally starting a cafe conversion on my 81 CB750F. Love the look of your bike, specially the custom seat, I just cant believe thats the orginal, very nice work.
hey look at my cafe racer on http://www.caferacermexico.blogspot.com please coment, and understand that I live on third world jeje don’t ask too much.
Saludos!!!
WOWOWOW by the way I need help, I have a big problem well, two one is my bad english so please if you can help me with my second problem try to be easy with words ok?
Well the real problem is when I modified the tank it’s start to oxidate a lot from inside this end in to my carbs and those get covered and the gas runs out of the carbs, so does anybody have a solution to STOP de oxid? thanx bros!
Ricardo/versus
anybody have problems with there carb boots being cracked and hampering the performance letting to much air in.its a problem i had my bike a CB750F SuperSport and it being a 1982 some thing don’t age well especially rubber the boots formed some cracks which were hard to see.
@Versus, I have rust in my tank too. Be sure you have a good filter attached to your fuel line. The paper ones are the best. You might even put 2 on there to catch more of it. The bigger pieces can get stuck in the float valves keeping them open so the float bowls end up overflowing through your drain tubes.
@grayghost, my boots have tiny cracks in them too but so far no problems. A good way to test is to spray carburetor cleaning fluid around your boots while engine is running. If you have an air leak the engine will rev higher as the carb fluid gets sucked in and burns in the cylinders. Be careful not to spray into the air intake else you get a false positive.
Ok thanx but… I tryed that before but the problem is, when I modifyed the tank it’s gets lower so the gas line is at the same high of the carbs take or intake (don’t know the word) I mean were the line go in to the carbs so as you know the gas go down by gravity so the gas can’t full the filter… am I f***k up?
Versus.
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Help…..need stator rotor and cover for a 1982 Honda CB 750F SuperSport, back tire washed out, was a rainy day needless to say fell on my right side WHEW!!!
I made it okay no major wounds but my 750 oh well stator rotor and cover gone!. can use some input where i can get used parts, factory parts mucho $$$ i can use all the input and or advice as to where i could find these parts Thanks and remember wherever you go there you are!.