Cafe Racer CB750 Project

Anybody catch the season opener of Cafe Racer (on HD Theater)? That beautiful CB750 that Brian Fuller is chopping up was my brother-in-laws. Jack (BIL) is in the episodes watching the bike he owned for over 40 years, raced and lovingly (trust me) kept in good running condition get hacked up. I'm pretty open minded about my projects but I'm not sure I could have been in the room while they stripped it and chopped the frame.

Jack is an interesting guy. He still has 2 bikes, a modified SV650 and a R100GS he and my sister tour on. He is roughly 6'4" tall and his daily driver is a 1st gen Miata with a supercharger. It is in immaculate condition, pretty much like anything he has. He used to fence competitively until he got a bad case of tennis elbow so he upgraded to guns and now he shoots competitively.

I've seen picts of the finished bike and can't wait to see the build process. One thing I didn't like about the build was after cutting the gauges off the triple tree one of Fuller's crew just tossed the gauges. Not that they need the money but I would hope that in the spirit of all things mechanical and classic they would try to offer these to the market where I'm sure people need this sort of thing.

Without seeing the show in question, I'd guess that the "throwing out the gauges" was more for the camera than anything.

People go crazy when they're operating cameras. It's easy to convince yourself that something would make "cool video" when in actuality it makes you look like an ass.

Where can I find this "Cafe Racer"?

Right Here

Saw the bike in person. Very nice. I thought Fuller was just some hack on one of the retarded 30 minute commercials on Speed/Spike. Turns out the dude can build.

Sad to start with such a clean stocker but he paid his money but I would not have sold it to him if it were mine. I like customs and one off etc but theres plenty of good running rat bikes out there don't destroy a good one.

My wife and I were arguing about this, she couldn't believe that they didn't start with a rat bike. It is SO much easier to start with a clean bike. You are talking a Honda - they made so many of them that people let them rust away rather then throw a tarp over them. The labor to clean up a rat bike will eat up the cost savings of a nicer bike. It isn't like it was a museum worthy bike that he started with. It had 78k miles on it, including racing. Even if the outside was mint, the motor has got to be tired.

And old Honda gauges are cheap & easily faded by the sun. Plus who wants them showing almost 80k miles??

BTW: I love the disk/drum front brake. I wonder how that works?

Rusnak_322 wrote: Even if the outside was mint, the motor has got to be tired.

Not at all. Motor is built and strong. In the 1st episode Fuller does a decent burnout with the original setup. It also looks as if he doesn't touch the motor (so far) other than to put on some better carbs.

Not bad looking, but I can't warm up to painted rims.

stuart in mn wrote: Not bad looking, but I can't warm up to painted rims.

Im normally in the same category! But done right (like above), I hart them.

I really like the Japanese flag theme paint. It makes more sense when you see the sketch, but the red in the middle of the bike actually is a full circle imposed on the bike.

I also love the monoshock conversions. I want to see more on that fab as the CB750 is a bike that's on my radar as soon as I get a job.

that is a bad ass bike.

Oh and about finding the ratty bike that's already been chopped...yea but at what price?

Usually the bikes that are already chopped up the owners/sellers think they are worth thousands of dollars...and its the stock clean bike that is cheap.

This particular example has been with the same owner for 40 years give or take. Modding that particular one seems appropriate. It's not like they found some virgin to defile. Just one more iteration of the bike that has followed a dude through his whole life.

This is like asking your wife "if you could look better than you did when you were in your prime, would you?

The old ride would probably say "hell ya!"

Hi Hobiercr,

First, let me begin by saying how much I admire your mechanical skills. I have known Jack's K0 since the 1970s when I was at the University of Florida. I also had a K0, that was not nearly as nice as Jack's. I liked his so much I took several pictures of it as it sat in the Library parking lot.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the bike 25 years later at an open house event at the Honda training facility in Alpharetta, GA. At this point, I still had no idea who owned it. About 5 years ago I saw the bike again sitting outside R-Speed a Miata only service shop that does all the work on my Miata. I finally met Jack.

Fast forward a few more years, and I learn about Jack selling the bike to Brian Fuller and about Brian's plans. After grieving for a while, I called Brian and asked if I could purchase all the unused parts. A deal was struck, and when I came to pick up the parts, I learned he actually had parts from several CB750s and I was getting them all.

What a haul!! But the point of all this is among the thing I got was the gauges - the one's both you and I grimaced at when we saw tossed so casually to the ground. The lens of the speedometer was badly cracked. Fortunately, I was able to repair it! I removed the case and carefully broke out as much of the lens as I could. Then I chucked the case in my lathe and cut out the remaining pieces.

I got a piece of 1/4" Lexan cut out a circle, and machined it to the proper diameter. Next I reduced the thickness of the center to the proper thickness for the lens while leaving the lip that positions the lens correctly in the case. I polished out the plastic and the lens looks good as new, and is probably more durable than the original.

Oh, and how do I know of your exceptional mechanical skills? I know CB750s. I've owned them for over 40 years and am currently rebuilding two of them. I've been buying parts off of ebay for these bikes for years. I couldn't believe it when I saw the carbs from Jack's bike. Every nut, bolt and washer on the carbs was original. every hose and clip was in place. In fact, every used sub-assembly I got from that bike was exactly as it should be. Many were showing the wear of 40 years, but there was absolutely no jury-rigging or missing pieces. That doesn't happen by accident.

Well, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that much of Jack's bike will live on, and that I appreciate your contribution toward keeping all these wonderful and hard-to-find parts in such exceptional condition.

By the way, I grew up in Holly Hill Florida, two blocks from what is now the Grassroots Motorsports showroom on US1. Back then, it was a Planter's Peanut store.

Sincerely,

Dick Grover AKA Redrider969

Now that is a cool "small world" story.

Welcome to The neighborhood, Red! (I mean the website, not Holly Hill. You were here before us...)

You like Miatas and CB750s. Dick I don't think that you will fit in here.

Needs crossover header, when you source one please let me know? Hooker don't make them anymore. Good lookin scoot! Welcome Red rider. Waitaminnit, Holy Hell nuthouse on US1? That explains a lot