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1980 Honda CB750K |
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As the first modern four cylinder
machine from a mainstream manufacturer, the term "superbike" was coined
to describe the CB750. When it was introduced in 1969 the big bikes of
the day were 500cc twins, had kick starts, drum brakes, and were either
British, German or American. The introduction of the CB750
revolutionized the biking scene with it's larger engine, four
cylinders, electric start, disk brake up front and 200km/h top speed. The Discovery Channel ranked the Honda CB750 among the top ten greatest motorcycles of all time, giving it third place. |
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A friend mentioned over a drink
that his wife had this old bike parked and forgotten under a cover at
home. It sounded like a worthwhile challenge, so some money quickly
changed hands and this piece of biking history was mine. From what I
can tell it has not run for about nine years, so requires a fair amount
of refurbishment. She was trailered to her new home and parked ready
for the restoration to begin. |
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I gave her a good wash and was
pleased to find that under years of dirt there is a very presentable,
honest and original motorcycle. |
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The first thing I decided to do
was to remove the sump which will usually reveal the tell-tale signs of
lack of maintenance and general abuse. I was pleased to find it very
clean with no signs of metal shavings or old oil buildup. In fact, I
believe that this was the first time that sump came off since the bike
was manufactured almost 30 years ago. The bolts were like new, and the
original gasket had really hardened onto the metal. The inside of the
sump cleaned up very well. |
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The sump bowl and oil filter
canister were cleaned and the old gasket was removed. |
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Using some black paint on the
sealing surfaces an "imprint" was made and a new gasket was cut. |
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The new gasket was a perfect fit
and the sump was refitted to the engine looking like new. |
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Finally the oil filter was
replaced which completed the refurbishment of the sump area. |
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To
be continued... |
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