Hello everyone,
I'm new to the "club" Just picked up a 1965 CB77 that I found while rooting around an architectural salvage yard here in Indiana. I picked it up because I like the looks of older bikes and prefer them to the Harley type cruisers and crotch rockets that are more prevalent in my area. I also wanted a vehicle that got better gas mileage than my Jeep to commute the 20 miles to work every day. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions and need for assistance. This is my first bike and my main goal is to make it a reliable driver. A concours restoration is out of the question as far as my budget goes. I would like some opinions on whether or not to do a retro-racer look, keep it stock as possible, or part it out. If I go the racer route, I do plan on doing only reversible modifications that won't hack up parts that I'll regret later should I choose to want a stock resto.
The bike appears to be complete, but it's in pretty rough shape. The front wheel is wasted and the brake locked. The mufflers are both toast. I'm unsure if the tank is reusable at this time (couldn't get the cap off) but the bike is titled and the engine is not locked up.
I know I need to buy a manual, but other than that, where's the best place to start? I would like to strip it down to the frame and paint everything nicely. I am mechanically inclined so I'm not too worried about being able to complete most things myself.
One thing I am interested in is having alloy rims with wire spokes front and rear. Are there any direct replacements for this type of application? (Re-lacing a wheel isn't out of the question as I've built a few
bicycle wheels and I'm pretty sure it's similar in practice)
I'll try to update my progress as I go along. Here are some pictures of said (sad) bike.
I felt it looked very complete (missing mirrors), but I don't know the history behind it to know whether or not it's all original.
'nother FNG
'nother FNG
wheel lacingre lacing new wheels, check out:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c137/ ... torial.jpg There's lots more good stuff on spargett's postings here on forum, as well as many others, so some time spent browsing here should be informative, entertaining, and worth the effort. If you've really got some time to kill you can check out my resto thread too, some good tips in there on what not to do. Your bike looks about as rough as mine did when I started out, some good possibilites and a lot of potential fun there. People ask about my bike whenever I take it out in public. Most common comment is "I (or my brother/cousin/friend/whatever) had one like that back in the day, I (they) wish I'd never let it go." I voted for stock resurrection, though maybe with low bars, I personally think they look better and might help satisfy your craving for the "racer" look. Keeping mods reversable if you decide to go cafe is a good idea too . All your call, of course. Welcome, good luck, and keep us posted, ok? --Lee '62 CB77. "It's a rider."
Welcome to the " club" ! I vote for stock, maybe with flat bars, perhaps custom mufflers as stock are expensive. Buchannons has lots of choices for aluminum rims and stainless spoke kits. I have stock rims in good shape, not show quality if you want to go that route. If you've done bicycle wheels, you'll be able to do these. here's a link to website.
davomoto http://www.buchananspokes.net/
Hey thanks for the welcome everyone. Mike Mullins (Thanks Mike!) has helped me out with a nice wheelset. I'm going to disassemble them, clean, and then respoke them. I'll have more on the rebuild this winter. I've got two VW's in line ahead of the this bike. I've noticed many people are liking the stock resto route. I'm leaning toward this as it will require purchasing less extra stuff (like cafe seat, and fenders...I just don't like the thought of chopping original metal in good condition)
More to come!
re:Brian: you're more than welcome. Its a nice drive to your place, and I'm impressed with what you've done (even though I was too scaredy-cat to climb those stairs)
Nice to see you younger guys messing with the old bikes. Keep us posted. Mike "a free motorcycle is a bottomless hole intended solely for money"
66 CB 77 76 BMW R75/6 99 GL 1500 trike 75 & 79 XS 650's
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