Honda CB 750 Custom Exclusive 1980
History
Renovation
Jobs done
Jobs to do
Various part numbers
Video
Photographs
More Photographs
My other motorcycles
History
I bought my 1980 Honda CB 750 Custom Exclusive on 13/03/2002. I had taken my
son to a motorcycle shop to buy a bike and saw this one. I sat on it and immediately
fell in love with it. I used it for a year or so doing nothing to it but replacing
a fork seal and two tyres. From 2004 to 2005 this page was an advert, advertising
it for sale. I didn't really want to part with it but I wanted to buy another,
new bike. My problem is that I cannot really store more than one bike at the
moment. In early 2005 someone came down to look at it and made me an offer.
He was not prepared to pay the full amount I was asking. At this point I realised
that I could not part with it anyway and resigned myself to owning it forever.
I decided to renovate it instead.
From what I can gather, there were only 1200 of these built. I gleaned this
info from a web page, so I can't be sure it's true. If you know the real facts,
please let me know. The Exclusive was built in 1980 only. Mine was imported
into the UK in 1995 I was told when I bought this machine that it was a US import.
However, I have since been told that the engine and frame were never in the
US. Looking at the bike and thinking about it, it seems to me that it was imported
from Japan as there are stickers on the bike here and there all in Japanese.
The speedo is also in KPH.
It is a great bike to ride. You can lay back in the seat, relax and cruise
comfortably for miles with a big smile on your face. Or, if the fancy takes
you, you can try to throw it around a little on the bends. I have to say, I
have ridden bikes that handle better when you are in a hurry, it is not the
lightest of machines. I find it most fun to take it by surprise and give it
a (what I consider) big rive at the right moment, countering with a big rive
back the other way once more at the right moment. I have to be very careful
on the right handers as the exhaust is on that side and have felt the footrest
fold up and the exhaust touch the ground a couple of times that side, one time
I am sure I saw sparks down there but the exhaust seems to be OK.
It is one of the few bikes I have had that folks come up to me in the street
and comment on how good it looks. Well, I think looks good too although I am
sure it shone a lot better 24 years ago
29/09/2005 I went out for a 50 mile ride. Got back home and hopped off, stood
back to admire my bike before putting it away and DISASTER! The left side panel
was missing. It had dropped off somewhere on my ride. With very little outward
sign of panic ( I hope), I hopped straight back on my bike and used the GPS
( Garmin Vista C Velcroed to the tank ) to retrace
my steps. I did not think for a minute that I would find the panel but thought
that if I did not try to find it, I would always regret not having a go. I decided
to retrace the route backwards. I rode for 40 miles with my eye on the right
hand kerb, looking for a small grey bit of plastic in the grass or smashed all
over the road. Eventually I spotted it on the Beverley bypass, laid neatly in
the gap between the kerb and white line, completely undamaged. I could not believe
my good luck. I think I will nail it on in future.... I reckon half a tank of
petrol was certainly cheaper than trying to buy a replacement
Here is some info I found on a Japanese website. It was translated by Google.
I have not corrected the English!
A concession to the American taste was done in 1979, with the 750 CB Custom
Exclusive. The limited edition brought handlebar raised, bank with two well
distinct levels in brown tone, new back mudguard chromed and Comstar wheels
with deep black color. In 1981 custom was launched a normal version of style
line : 750 CB C, baptized in U.S.A. of Nighthawk, or nocturnal eagle. This would
be only CB 750 in the world after the substitution of the esportiva 750 F, in
1983, for 750 CBX F.
HONDA custom. 1200 unit it was limited was marketed the series as biggest.
Next year considerably the big trunk, the side back and the front bumper with
standard equipment, Similarly 1200 unit it was limited was marketed. Paint and
the buff applying where time caught with feature, at plating frequent use of
the section going JAS engendered atmosphere. The heart raises concave fast torque
with the same DOHC 4 cylinder 68PS as the CB750F / the 9000rpm. If it deposits
the body to the steering wheel and the low seat which, curves largely sound
of direct 4 šX and others does and runs it is highest. It is V however type
2 cylinder zenith, also the American of 4 cylinders is pleasant, is. When somewhere,
you happen to see, please use voice. The person who would like to know details
the mail.
Renovation
It is my hope/intention to restore the bike to as near original as possible.
Here I will babble on about the repairs/restorations as I make them
Having said I am restoring it, I have started by fitting a non original but
neat little bit of kit (won off eBay), a gearbox that converts the speedo from
the original KPH to MPH. It would only take moments to remove, so I am happy
to have it on the bike. At the moment it is a very nice but inappropriate shiny
blue. I will probably either wrap it in black tape or paint it black eventually
All that I need now is to find an original exhaust system for it. When I say
find, I could buy a new one, so it is not a difficult thing to find except that
it would cost around £300 which is well over what I have or am prepared
to pay. Finding one at the price I want to pay may be difficult
Jobs Done:
Many hours of polishing, straightening, pulling things to pieces, cleaning
them and putting them back together again. Touching up of paintwork on the frame
02/2004 Two new tyres fitted. Around this time, right front fork seal replaced.
Why both were not done I am not entirely sure
15/02/2005 New battery fitted. Hooray, no more bumping it off.
03/2005 Right hand side panel decoration repaired. Some 'go faster' stripes
stuck on over the flagging existing stripes. They have done the job perfectly
although the silver still needs sorting out
03/2005 New rear brake pads fitted
03/2005 New valve cover gasket, bolt gaskets tach seal and tach drive gasket
fitted . Getting the old tach drive gasket out was not a simple job. I read
on various parts of the internet that all you needed to do was to insert a wood
screw and pull it out. Eventually, I had to remove the gear and mounting from
the engine and hold the thing over the gas stove for a few seconds, the old
seal then prized out with a bent screwdriver, this process took only seconds
after having spent 4 hours trying to pick it out with various implements. The
seal had perished into place and was not going to budge. Having fixed these
seals, the engine is now oil tight. Until I fiddle with something again :-)
04/2005 Speedometer gear changed from KPH to MPH by fitting the Motrax thingumy
bob gear wotzit
11/05/2005 New mirrors fitted
11/05/2005 Replacement rectifier fitted. There was a replacement rectifier
fitted to the bike. It was mounted on the toolbox lid as it would not fit in
the original place. The problem was that the rectifier is an integral part to
the mounting of various other important bits of the bike, so the old one could
not be removed. Not very handy at all and a bit unsightly. I won a decent original
off eBay for a reasonable price and fitted it with a great deal of rejoicing
19/05/2005 Rubber bleed nipple covers for the front brake calipers. Won from
eBay. Arrived and fitted 25/05/2005. Fitted one over the swinging arm grease
nipple too
20/05/2005 Fitted new drive chain. I decided to fit it myself and had to buy
a chain splitter/riveter to do it. An expensive tool but probably I will save
pennies in the long run, I know my two sons and a neighbour will find it of
use too. I preferred to do the job myself as sadly I have found over the years
(since Rob Barker Platt my local repair bloke stopped servicing bikes) that
the only way to get a job done properly is to do it yourself
22/05/2005 A bit or preparatory work for the front fork oil seal replacement.
A hex drive socket is required for the top plug, managed to find a hex bar from
a puller that will do the job
03/06/2005 Renovated the clutch. Using the clutch basket I won on eBay, I
have replaced a couple of plates, a spacer plate, the springs (this was part
of the problem I think, the old ones were about 2mm shorter than the replacements
I had), a splined washer, a clutch nut and a thrust plate bolt (the head broke
off one as I was putting it back together (no! I was not turning it too hard,
I was using a torque wrench set to 10lb. I was lucky that the rest of the bolt
came out of the clutch drum easily )). Before I did this, there was very little
play on it. It was either all or nothing and there was a bit of drag. It just
didn't feel right. I bought a clutch basket off eBay for not a lot at all (£6.50p),
on receiving it I was amazed to find that it was in beautiful condition, virtually
no wear on the plates, it looked new. 18/05/2005 I made a tool to remove the
clutch basket retaining nut. I used a suitably sized old socket and cut four
bits out of it leaving 4 prongs that fit into the slots of the nut. This did
the job perfectly. I bought a new clutch cover gasket (received the gasket on
02/06/2005). Didn't use the new gasket as the original was fine. The whole job
took me three hours, quite pleased with myself really. Job included an engine
oil change of course. Whoever had dismantled the clutch before had not used
a fancy tool to remove the clutch nut, it looks like it has been repeatedly
hit with a screwdriver and then chewed up. Fortunately the replacement I acquired
had a decent one. After the renovation, it feels and works really well, seems
to be oil tight, so all in all I think I will mark that one up as a success
04/06/2005 Fitted new flipstand rubber. Ordered from David Silver Spares 31/05/2005,
arrived 02/06/2005
09/06/2005 Microfiche reader won on eBay arrived in reasonable condition,
requiring a little renovation to get it in good working order. It is an old
reader but the lense is a really good one and well worth what I paid for it
I think. Much better than newer similarly priced ones. I acquired from eBay
the (almost) right parts microfiche. The one I got is the 1980 CB 750 Custom.
Very nearly it. Most parts are the same I think. I asked about having the microfiche
printed out or saved to CD. The cost was astronomical, a real rip off. Blow
that for a lark. Having the microfiche has made ordering parts a simple task,
removing the guesswork
21/06/2005 Mainstand won on eBay (02/05/2005) finally arrived. It took 6 weeks
and 3 days to come from the US. Cleaned it up, with a wire brush, paint stripper,
wire wool and then sprayed with Hammerite. Works a treat apart from the fact
it has nothing to rest up against as the exhaust is not there on the left hand
side! I assume this is why someone discarded the mainstand in the first place.
At the moment, It wants to rest on the chain. Not a good thing really. I will
need to fit something on the left side for it to rest against to protect the
chain. Should not be too much of a problem as I was aware this was probably
going to happen and had been giving it some thought. Nope, it wasn't a problem!
I scrounged a piece of metal bar, bent one end over at right angles then mounted
it on the rear footrest bolt. Angled slightly backwards and with some rubber
at the bottom end (A rubber foot off a BBC computer) to stop the mainstand clattering
and damaging the paint. Job done at long last!
26/06/2005 Left front fork seal replaced. Here's the lead up to it: Must keep
an eye open for some seals. 22/05/2005 Found a 17mm hex bar to take the top
plug out of the fork using a puller nicked from my son's toolkit. 23/05/2005
Got the fork seals. For once, the shop was cheaper than eBay. Got the fork oil
03/06/2005. Was waiting for the mainstand fitting. I think my plan is to replace
only one seal as the right hand one was done only recently (why just the one
I wonder to myself). I shall empty the oil out of them both though, to ensure
the same viscosity and quantity is in both. Now I have fitted the mainstand,
the leak does not seem to be worth bothering with at the moment but I am sure
I will want to do it anyhow before long. Yes, done on 26/06/2005. I replaced
the knackered one. All was simple apart from getting the old seal out, it was
really well stuck in. I finally budged it using a spanner and piece or rubber!
The open end of the spanner fitted onto the underside of the seal. The rubber
protected the end of the fork so that I could lever on it. It was dead because
the retaining clip had rotted badly and bits from it had got into the seal.
I cleaned the clip up and greased it well but I shall get hold of a replacement.
I emptied the other fork and refilled it just to ensure the oil quantity and
type were the same. All seems well after a quick test to Paull and back
27/06/2005 Back mudguard straightened. One of those little jobs I had been
meaning to do for years. You may have noticed on some of the older photos of
the bike that the number plate and tail light are a bit skewed. This is because
there was a bend in the rear mudguard. I fixed it by placing a wooden stick
on the back tyre, wrapping a rag around it to protect the paintwork and pulling
up on the back of the mudguard with it. This gently raised the sagging side
and straightened the bow that was in it.
01/07/2005 Fitted a new left fork oil seal retaining clip. No more bits getting
into the seal now hopefully. Right hand side fork examined too, this clip was
just starting to rot so I cleaned it up and greased it, must keep an eye on
them in future
01/07/2005 Now and again when the fuel tap was turned, a little petrol leaked
out from around the tap area. I did not actually see it do it although I tried
to remember to look every time I turned the tap. I discovered it when there
was either fuel on my glove or a drip on the carb and starter motor cover. After
watching for a month with no leaks, I finally decided that it had fixed itself.
Maybe it just needed using
01/12/2005 Checked the breakers and various other electrical/ignition things
as the bike was becoming more and more difficult to start but OK when warm.
It always was a bit cold nosed anyhow. Decided to fit new plugs, HT leads and
supressor caps. That did the trick
21/02/2006 Front brake pads renewed with FA-30. I had been told that it required
FA-31 but David Silver Spares only stocked FA-30. In the event they are all
the same (FA-29, 30 and 31) apart from the thickness of material. The FA-30
having 1mm more than the FA-31. They fitted, so they will last longer I assume
01/03/2006 The valve in the front tyre perished over winter. The tyre went
flat and I had not realised. When I finally did realise, I had the valve replaced
but the tyre was still going flat. Dirt had got in around the beading while
the tyre was flat. I cleaned it out with an old feeler gauge and all seems well
27/05/2006 The right hand side panel had a peg broken off. Someone had removed
and discarded the old fixing grommet from the frame and put a bolt there instead,
drilling a hole in the side panel so that the bolt would hold it on, aaaarrggh.
To fix it, I made a Plasticene mould by pressing a blob on to each side of the
peg from the other side panel, pulling off the plasticene and re-joining it.
I filled it with resin, 10 minutes later, one peg. Next, I carved a grommet
out of a lump of rubber I acquired from a scrap yard a few years ago. I fitted
the grommet to the frame, pushed the new peg into this and tried the side panel
up to it. It needed just a little trimming off the end for it to fit properly.
Next, I needed to glue the peg to the side panel in exactly the right place.
With the peg still in the grommet on the bike, I put some resin on to the end
of the peg and put some masking tape over the hole in the side panel, then filled
it from the inside with more resin. Put some glass fiber matting on to it and
then fitted the side panel into place, taping over the panel with masking tape
until it was set. Once set, I carefully removed the side panel and put more
resin and glass fiber around the base of the peg to strengthen it. A touch of
black paint over the repaired hole and all was fixed
17/08/2006 The right side fork seal started leaking in a big way, so I replaced
it, I also replaced the fork seal retaining clip. That's both done now although
the seal had been replaced for me only 3 or 4 years ago. Hopefully it will last
this time
31/08/2006 Replaced the fork dust seals. I know I should have done it when
I replaced the oil seals but I had to order them in. I think that is now 3 times
that I have had the front forks to pieces
10/09/2006 Vinyl weld to seat cover as one of my repairs had come adrift.
Used a little more glue this time
19/10/2006 A small amount of mess appeared around the front brake master cylinder.
The rubber sleeve over the piston had split and let muck in. I removed the broken
seal and cleaned it all up. There appears to be no leak from the master cylinder
at the moment. The only replacement I could find came as part of a kit to replace
the whole piston assembly costing around £37. As the piston assembly appears
to be OK I am loathe to fork out that sort of money for a simple piece of rubber.
Instead, I purchased a couple of tap washers, one for the outside end of the
piston (near the lever) and one for the inside end (over the circlip end, requiring
slight modification of the washer, increasing the center hole size so it just
gently touches the piston). This looks as though it will do the job as long
as I keep the area clean and greased. I will keep an eye on it and see if it
works
05/03/2007 Oil and oil filter change
Jobs to do:
Fit original 4 into 4 exhaust. Hopefully will pick one up off eBay (no rush,
the current Marshall one is fine)
Front and rear mudguards require attention. Probably need removal and very
careful renovation of the insides
Caps for the bolts for the handlebar top bridge required. I have priced them
up and it nearly gave me a coronary. They wanted £2 each for them! I am
sure I can find something that will do and look the same for nothing
Crash bar needs replacing as one side has a dent in it and the other is worn
down from where someone has slid it along the road
Watch the seat. The stitching is wearing out at the front. Several small splits
repaired with vinyl weld and strips of vinyl underneath the split.
Various Part Numbers
etc:
Valve Cover Tacho Drive Seal 91311-425-000
Valve Cover Gasket 12391-425-010
Tacho Seal new number:91256-096-651 old number:91211-286-003
Valve Cover Bolt Seals 90541-425-000
Front Brake Pads FA-31 (FA-30 Fitted OK)
Rear Brake Pads FA-29
Drive Chain 50 530-106
Spark Plug D8EA
Mainstand 50500-425-730
Mainstand pivot 50526-300-000
Mainstand spring plate 50523-425-000
Mainstand spring G 95014-71702
Mainstand spring cover 90125-410-000
Front fork seals 35x48x11
Dust Seal (front forks) 91254-434-003
Ring, oil seal stopper. Microfiche number: 51466-375-000. New number: 51447-KL4-951
Sidestand rubber 50548-356-700
Clutch cover gasket 11396-425-306
Fork oil 10w (source microfiche). Or ATF (source Haynes manual and a couple
of references on the internet). Capacity 172.5 - 177.5 cc dry. At oil change
155cc
Engine oil 10w40 20w50. Capacity after drain 3.5 litres. From dry 4.5 litres
Cap for bolt for handlebar top bridge 91456-371-770
Drive Sprockets Front 18 rear 43
MPG 54
Tyre pressure: Front 28psi. Rear 28psi single rider to 40psi if carrying
more than 200lb
Oil filter 15410-426-010
Exhaust Gasket 18291-254-000
Video:
Ticking over and where it sleeps (the shed
at the end of the shot) 12 meg 18/01/2005
On the road 29/05/2005. 2.5 meg
You may be better off 'Right Clicking' over these links and then 'Save Target
As' to your hard disc before then double clicking the downloaded file. By the
way, the rattling you can hear on the video taken in my drive is the clutch basket,
it is not coming from the front or top of the engine. It would seem that the clutch
basket on these engines can rattle a bit. Hopefully that will be fixed when I
eventually replace it. This added 06/12/2005 as an afterthought to that comment.
Nope! The clutch still rattles despite the renovation. I have since spoken to
a couple of folks that reckon this is a 'normal' thing and that my rattle is not
bad at all. It does not rattle when the clutch is pulled in or when driving, so
I will try to forget about it....
Photographs:
Click on the thumbnail pictures for larger photographs
The top photo shows my youngest, Peter. On my other photos pages he is the
tiny one sitting on the tank of another Honda
More Photographs:
   
   
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