Build Log: Turning a Tired CB750 Into a Cafe Racer

The bike is a 1979 Honda CB750K that spent a decade in a barn and two years with a previous owner who meant well. It ran, barely. The plan is a clean cafe racer: flat seat, clip ons, rearsets, a proper rebuild of everything that moves, and nothing that hides a problem instead of fixing it.

Teardown

Everything came off. Tank, side covers, seat, wiring, exhaust, carbs. The frame went to the lift with just the engine and wheels so I could see what I was actually working with. What I found: a cracked rear subframe weld hidden under paint, two seized caliper pistons, a rear shock with no damping at all, and a wiring loom spliced with lamp cord.

Fixing what was hidden

The subframe got cut and rewelded by someone who knows how, not me. New caliper seals and pistons, stainless lines, and a rebuilt master cylinder. The forks got new seals, bushings and progressive springs. The rear shocks are being replaced with a pair of modern units with real damping. Boring, expensive and not visible in a single photo, but a cafe racer that will not stop is just a lawn ornament with clip ons.

Stance

With the suspension sorted I mocked up the seat line. The goal is a flat line from the tank to the tail hoop, level with the ground, with the clip ons sitting just below the top yoke. Rearsets are laid out on the bench and will go on once the brake linkage is sorted. Seventeen inch wheels front and rear to open up tire choice.

Next

Part two covers the engine: valves, cam chain, carb rebuild and a full gasket set. Then wiring from scratch with a modern regulator and a lithium battery under the seat hump.

#build #caferacer #cb750 #custom