newbie in NW, Montana

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

Hello people, my name is Charlie. I am a bodyman by trade. I'm not much of a poster. Joined this awesome site for the technical info and some help seeing how I just took possession of a 1980 cb750 f. Ya the one with the
Barracuda behind it in kalispell, MT. By the way I have a 67 barracuda. I traded some old mopar parts for it. I had no money into the parts so I took a chance on the non running bike.
The gas tank is full and looked and smelled good. So I hooked up a battery and it did nothing but click when I hit the start button. Next I bypassed the relay and nothing but a louder click (starter engaging but not turning). Next I pulled the starter and checked it and it works fine. Next thing was to pull the plugs(very light almost white) put it in 5 th gear and tried to turn the engine over. No turny over. Sooo I grabbed a beer and cried a little. What should I do next if you don't mind me asking or maybe I should move this to the technical forum, charlie

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:04 pm

Welcome to the site Charlie ... Smile

How many miles on the bike ?

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:32 pm

seized?

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

25,000 miles on bike. the chrome pipes are bluish a couple of inches down. I was just wondering if it could be something other than the engine? I suppose anything is possible. charlie

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:30 pm

Welcome Charlie! Welcome

Pipes sometime blue. Sounds like the engine is seized. I would a little lightweight oil in the cylinders throught the spark plug holes and let it sit for a while. Leave the plugs out.

Then remove the right alternator cover and using the rotor bolt, work it back and forth to see if it will break loose.

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

thanks oldtimer I'm doing that right now. Putting a water pump in the wifes' truck also UGH. charlie

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:35 pm

Like smokes says , it could be seized . Very light colored plugs and bluish head pipes , indicates a lean mixture .

Drain the oil and drop the pan looking for anything that's not suppose to be there .

Next , I'd pull the valve cover and insure the timing chains are as they should be .

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:35 pm

UGH to you too Laughing

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

well I got the crank to turn by using the rotor bolt but only wants to turn about 30 degrees and then stops. O ya and only one piston is moving. Gonna drain the oil next and I will expect to see chunks of the crank? or rods? or both? charlie

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

well I did find one little chunk of ferrous metal about the size of small brad nail. Might as well stop as I don't have time or money to do anything more.
Or can I disassemble the motor besides the valve covers (as pd750 suggests )while in the frame of the bike. Thanks, charlie

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:58 pm

one piston moving?

1-4
2-3

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

correction #1 and #3 are moving. #2 and#4 are not moving.

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:04 pm

Crap!

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

Thanks for the help and the welcome. I sure do like these cb bikes. I suppose I'm hooked now. I can remember when i was a kid, my friends dad had a 750 four with a sissy bar. We could wheelie that thing for miles. Sure would like to do the cafe thing and bigger engine but I think my money would be better spent on something else. How far would $1000 get me on an engine. any idea? The rest of the bike is pretty nice. charlie

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:23 pm

Cut a straight piece of wire , about a foot long . drop it down the holes that you think aren't moving and turn the crank . They may just be at the bottom of the stroke and hard to tell movement .

The motor has to come out of the frame for dismantling .

The valve cover can be removed while in frame .

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

ok I did the wire trick and yes 1 3 4 are moving. # 2 does not move and I can feel an audible clunk telegraphing through the piece of wire on the #2 piston when the crank rotation stops. Now I'm thinking broken rod.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:39 am

rod bearings are on rolled on top of each other on #2

you need to pull the engine and split the cases

maybe a new crank with bearings

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:35 am

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:53 pm

hey charlie. i see there is a CB900 Custom on Craigslist in Kalispell for sale for $800. that doesn't do you much good for fixing up the F on a budget, since putting 900 parts in a 750 requires a bit of work. if you were seriously interested in putting together a CB900F, i have a titled frame, bodywork, and a mostly complete 900 engine that needs rebuilt that i may as well let go of. you could probably sell the 750 as parts to fund putting together the 900. it would be a great experience to put one of these old bikes together, and YOU HAVE A GARAGE...something i lack Crying or Very sad

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

thanks for the heads-up on the 900 custom rtabish. I can't believe I missed it I hit that craigslist at least twice a day. I have contacted the guy and I just may buy it. seems like a good deal. he said it was running good this summer and then started bogging down on acceleration. someone told him it is the carbs so he tore em off and did nothing to fix em. He said he would put em back on to show me it runs but I believe the guy. He is also selling an Intruder 1400. He is not working (imagine that) seems like an honest guy.
does that seem like a fair price. $800 for a 900 custom 1980 40,000 miles. He says it real clean and comes with extras. I hate to offer him less if its worth the asking price. charlie

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:51 pm

you can clean up the stock carbs pretty easy. i emailed him asking about the mileage and maintenance on it. at 40K, i would be interested in the valve adjustment and the charging system on the bike. i am betting he knows little about the bike, and would be glad to be rid of it. the bike is complete, and if you are comfortable with the price, maybe dicker a bit to get down some.

i know the flathead is an economic hole right now......[you should of been there in the early 80s when i lived there and there were NO jobs but plum creek and the aluminum plant and a handful of minimum wage service jobs]. there are only a couple places in the flathead that i have heard of to work on a bike this old, and none of them are the dealers there. but there are a couple bike wreckers here in missoula and a pretty good shop.

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

thanks for the input rtabish, I hate to beat a man when he is down. And by the way I was in the Flathead in 1980 and was working a minimum wage service job. Far West Gas and Oil for an old boy named Cecil Hudson. Now that I think about it that is a cool name. He also owned the Jet station in Kalispell ,on the strip. I think Shop-Ko is around the area the old jet station was. And by the way, what makes you think I have a garage? I'm actually working out of an abandoned car wash next to a motel that has wireless internet. P.S. I was a gas jocky telling loggers they could only have 100 gallons of fuel a day to go out and make a living. I grew up fast. charlie

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 4:28 am

i remember the Jet Oil station vaguely.....kinda down by K-Mart and Snappys, if that is the area you are talking about. funny how so much has changed and still looks the same there.

and i was just referencing your picture from craiglist....the one with the barracuda and the bike. looks like a garage to me.

On a roll Joined: Feb 22, 2009 Posts: 172 Location: NW, MT

ya that's the area I'm talking about. The picture on craigslist is from the guy I bought the bike from. Not my garage. I was just kidding about the car wash thing, thinking you were being overly assumptive. I do have a working garage though. I think I will start a thread called "show us your work area" Or maybe some one else would start it while I'm cleaning mine up. charlie

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:03 am

Quote:

while I'm cleaning mine up. charlie

You better not do that !!! Heck , you'll never find anything again ... LOL