1976 G.C.R.

The Cafe Racer known as The G.C.R.

Well, off we go with another Cafe Racer design, this time we have a 1976 CB750K model thats pretty much as stock as they came from the factory, right down the the beep, beep beep, of the turn signal horn.

So, the customers wants a cool looking Cafe Racer, using my parts and of course my design.

This will be known as the G.C.R. and will be a Black framed bike with black rims and a hammered gas tank with my Rocket four seat base.

As this is stock, it will be easier to strip than some of the others I have had, the bike will be torn down and then rebuilt, the motor too will get rebuilt and dressed up and one of my 4 into 1 exhaust set ups done too.

So, if you have a k series bike like this, follow the build and you can see how you can turn your bike into a rip roaring and fun, Cafe Racer Machine.

I stripped the bike and generally, put everything into a big blue rubbermaid bin, kinda keeps it all together and easy to find later on when you are searching for the part you need.

The chassis is then cleaned up and I grind any tabs off the frame that i am not going to use, I bead blast the frame and then have it powder coated with a high gloss Black.

I then plonk the frame down on a work bench or a bike table and start the process of putting it all back together.

Here she is, sat on a step stool on my work bench, I remove some of the protective covering and then i actually go through all the threads with a Tap, just to make sure no grit or powder coat has blocked the threads.

Even with the holes all covered up, they still get crap in there, so just run a tap through the whole frame, as it will save you a headache later on.

You can buy a cheap tap and die kit from any harbor frieght and yes, they are metric too.

Once you have done that, it is time to get into rebuilding the bike.

But, even though the frame is good, the other stuff might be rusty, bent, or just in need of replacement, there are some parts still available from HONDA but some you just cant get, thats why i make or sell parts to help you lot out too, as I know what it is like to have some cool stuff, then stuck with some snotty bent up rear brake rod thats about as appealing as herpes.

The rear brake rod is always goosed, always, be it bent out of shape or 20 years of the local cat and dog pissing post being used, makes the thing rust like the Tin man’s boxers.

So what do you do?

Well, I use New ones I now have made and boy do they clean the rear end up and of course, look good too, no more rusty threads etc.

The ends of these stock rods are always a pain, so I use my new ones and

I am sure that you will understand when you see it yourself, that this is the best way to go if you are rebuilding your rear end of the bike?

OK, once I had cleaned all the threads on the frame, I then went about putting the rear end together, I thought this time I would use the stock swing arm and clean her up and chrome it, using new bushings etc.

This looks pretty darn cool too and am so glad I went this route as the Black and silver really flow well.

I am also going to rebuild the rear shocks and chrome them too.

This will set the rear off nicely and give it that Classic motorcycle look.

I am really liking the way she is turning out now and with all new bushing, NOS bolts and nuts etc, this will turn a lot of heads.

I do throw a lot of detail in my builds and this does eat up my profit margine but she sure looks cool when its done and this is what I like to do.

Right, I chromed the swing arm and fitted new bushings etc, this is such a cool looking set up, and with the chrome shocks, this will really look trick.

I have attached the new rear brake rod and all the spring and nut and roller will be new as well.

I then went about the rear wheel, this now has a 16″ Harley rim, laced to a polished CB750 Hub, as well as having Black painted inside the center of the hub, to make a nice contrast, of course, this also has polished Stainless steel spokes and a new tube and tire to show the rear end off.

I have still to do my signature drilling on the hub and went to town on it at the shop, and once I had got the pattern I liked, I then cleaned it up and buffed the plate to a chrome finish.

To also make sure this is tip top, I fitted New brake shoes and springs and cotter pins and also, I fitted my New Rear Brake Arm too, as the original one was rusty.

This always looks good when everything is replaced or refurbished.

I am also gonna use a New wire harness too, making sure everything is clean.

This bike will be a cool ride and the new owner is excited to see it on this website.

The Motor is in need of a tear down and will have new internals, and will be a good strong motor with miles of smiles.

I fitted NEW intake manifolds and for me, the best way to make sure they line up, so the carbs fit easier, is to use a flat bar, that way she is dead in line and you will find you dont have to struggle pushing the carbs, like you are trying to bump start a car with a flat battery.

This will also get the 4 into 1 exhaust set up too, as that Bark from the Yoshi style system is a real head turner.

But still a long way to go but I like the way this is turning out.

Next up is the Gauges and wanted to make them look more appealing.

So, took them apart and fitted my decals and now she looks a lot better.

And I am happy with this set up.

The top of the Bars now look great with the new embelishment.

Next up I thought I will now make some Braided steel Oil lines for the Oil tank and fit them, as well as drill and fit my rear engine mount and also add a Breather line for the valve cover.

All this takes a little bit of time but it really is worth the effort in the long run and I do like the way this set up works and of course looks.

Another thing that the owner wanted , was that i fit hs old Army Dog tag some where on the bike, as I had done that to the Navy Bike I created, so, I chose a part of the frame up by the oil tank and riveted it there.

So he now has his personal I.D. on the bike, ie, blood group and name, as well as Religious persuassion etc.

I then went and fitted the oil tank with the New oil lines and after that was all Buttoned up, I swung round to the Left side of the machine and got the New X-Ring Chain from the box and removed the extra links and used a chain breaker to shorten and also to fit the Master link to the set up.

This was run around New sprockets too, and now the Gold Chain sets off the machine very well indeed.

To enhance this look, I drilled and polished the Sprocket cover and fitted that with new stainless Allen Bolts.

I am sure he will dig the way this is now looking and soon be riding it around the Palmdale area with a Big grin.

Ok, lets see, as there are quite a few things I have to do to get this bike completed.

So, this weekend I have been working on the bike and thought it was time to fit a few more of my own parts, so I made sure I got ready one of my TON UP PERFORMANCE 4 into 1 Exhaust systems.

This is gonna be a high temp black and will suit this mean machine.

Should run real nice and have fun riding this Cafe Racer around the tarmac.

I also fitted New oil filter, with new O-Rings and of course Check valve and then once I did that, I made sure that I taped up the down tubes of the cradle frame.

This is now ready for the frame to be taped so I dont scratch it up.

Also , I was fitting this on my own , as at 7am on a saturday, I am the only person working around here.

I taped the frame up and then to help me more than anything, I ran a M8 Tap through all the holes in the cylinder head.

That way I know all the threads are clean and the bolts will run smoothly into the head.

Nothing worse than struggling with a new exhaust, only to find the bolt has cross threaded itself.

So by re chasing the threads, I have a good head start and not really any issues when I come to fit the header.

I also fitted new Copper HONDA crush gaskets and the trick with them is to just slightly oval them in your hand, that way they wont keep falling out when you try to fit your exhaust.

I then got the exhaust ready and put the exhaust in its rough position and then to help me, I put a cardboard box under the muffler, to keep the height and helps me guide the exhaust into the head.

Once that is on, I simply used the M8 bolts that I supply and hand tightened each one.

Once I was happy with that ,I  tightened them down in sequence and kept checking for fit whilst I did each one.

I also fitted rubber bands around the header pipes, as this stops the flanges from slipping down when you are struggling on your own, so I will just snip them off the pipes after I have fitted the exhaust system.

It fit stight and looks great, I added my decal and will fit the baffle and thats done, then tighten all the bolts up snug, I shall re-tighten after the bike has run too.

So, that job is now out of the way and onto the next one.

I thought at this point I would fit a breather on the right side of the motor, this will have a pipe run from that, to the top of the Valve cover, as there is a breather there.

I see many bikes with no piep at all and when the haze of oil that does come out of the head, hits the carb linkage, it makes a real mess over time, so thought this would solve that issue.

I have now worked on the gas tank, and did my knee inserts and this is going to come out really well, the tank is in pretty good condition inside and I am happy with the result.

I hammered the tank on my jig that I made from an old 750 frame and once I had the shape I needed, it was time for bodywork, paint and pin lines etc.

This will be the G.C.R. as it is the Customers initials, as he liked my Supercharged bike and thought it would be cool on his ride.

I took all the rust off and then cleaned the whole area up before any body work was started.

This has to be done right else it will come out badly and all that work for nothig, so try and make the steel as clean as you can after you have done all your modifications.

The whole tank and seat set up and side covers are painted at the same time, then scufed, then add the checkers and pin lines, then once all that is done and cured, it is clear coated and buffed.

This is going to look great on the Customers machine and now things are getting closer to completion.

The rest of the bike is coming along well and soon will be fitting this all to the bike and getting things ready for assembly.

I still am working on the seat and light set up now and what I shallbe doing is fitting one of my Oval tail lights to the rear of the Rocket four seat base, this will set the rear end off nicely.

I have Just upholstered the seat base with this black leather look material and it does look smooth on the bike.

Next up is one of my custome License plate holders, I shall fit this to the left side of the bike.

I usually fit this to the lower shock with a longer bolt, but it looks a great set up and like the way it sits.

I have fitted a chrome surround to the front to add a touch of definition and offset the white of the plate itself.

The side looks great now and am happy I went this route.

All now taking shape, just a few more things I have to do as I need to fit the seat base and then I need to make some aluminum brackets for the rear turn signals.

As you can see , it turned out pretty cool eh?

The bike has taken on a cool stealthy guise and I am hoping the customer digs what he see’s?

Check the Gauges and the instrument panel out I made, this ROCKS !!!

I am sure he will get dizzy just looking at her?

I know I do and this has been a fun build .

I hope that you lot have enjoyed the little journey you took, watching this change from a stock as a rock K6, to a cool Cafe Racer.

If you want help creating your Cafe Racer, just drop me some ink, I am here to help and hopefully, you will soon be having fun, creating your own special Cafe racer Motorcycle.