1974 Honda CB

CB7502326885

In the mid 80s I, along with my business partners, founded LightSpeed Racing. We manufactured a line of racing and performance parts for Honda-Acura sport compacts. After selling that business I remained in the automotive aftermarket and now work for the premier Jaguar restoration and parts supplier on the west coast. My interest in motorcycles goes back 45 years. The bike you see here for auction is one from my own home workshop. This is the only motorcycle custom project done for me by me, although I’ve owned 8-10 bikes, each with little tweaks, and worked on countless others. This CB750K4 (1974) has been customized to honor the factory road race “CR750” from 1969-70. My intent was to build something that looked like it came from the late 70s — not some super-pristine, over-restored queen you see a lot these days. I left some of the “patina” in place. I’m often asked, at shows by the neophytes, if this is one of the original factory bikes.   I began with a good running 750 and put a thousand miles or so on it before I was ready to begin in earnest on the customization. Since the factory race bikes used the stock frame as a basis, there were no major modifications to make. I replaced the original tank-seat-bobbed rear fender with the pieces you see. The English-made alloy tank holds five gallons and I put in two feeder valves, with one serving as primary and one as reserve (about 1 gallon). The fairing assembly is from Air-Tech in southern Cal, with a cut-down Gustafssen clear bubble and a scrounged headlight. The riding position is very comfortable, although not a lot of seat padding, the ride is amazingly smooth. The rear-sets are made to fit a more comfortable position by being lower than full-race. While I had the front end apart to install new fork tubes and seals, I installed a set of Cycle X chrome clip-ons. Adding the second front brake wasn’t too difficult. A second rotor bolts to the wheel and a second OE caliper to the other fork leg. With a small spacer to align the two you’re in business. I rebuilt the master cylinder and calipers, then installed Galfer braided stainless-steel flex-lines to complete that. The OE front fork brace was retained and fiberglass front fender (which came in a box with the bike) was mounted to it. It has a breakerless Dyna ignition system (faultless). I fabricated the exhaust pipes from stock down-tubes and made the reverse-cone style pipes to emulate the factory 4-4 exhaust. In the video there are baffles installed. I recently removed the baffles and now runs without any silencers. It sounds GREAT but I suggest you “tippy-toe” around town. I also installed a whole-system electrical switch to kill the electrics if needed. The paintwork I designed and did myself. The tank decals are custom-made and very detailed. The rims are steel and powder coated black. I finished this a couple of years ago and ride it pretty often.   Here’s a You Tube link to “CR750_On_The_Street” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oz307ev0Ic Picasa link for more photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/106025217822577555987/CR750PhotoGallery#   The bike holds current California registration, I ride it one day a week to work, weather permitting. Yeah, there are a few scuffs and scrapes visible, but I like it that way, not so fussy. Currently it has 26K miles on it and still runs very strong… after all, it's a HONDA!   Good luck, thanks for looking, and God Bless.