Some of you may have seen my posts elsewhere so there will be some redundance here, but I will follow through with project updates as I get stuff done on the bike.
The story thus far: I bought a 1966 CB77 for $500 on Craigslist. The bike was missing some parts so I posted a wanted ad on Craigslist for a parts bike. I got a response to the effect that a guy had a 1961 CB72, he was the original owner, the bike had been off the road since the early 70's. He and his brother raced it in small town events around California from 62-65 or so, some noteworthy tracks he raced on were Laguna Seca, Vacaville and Cotati. I honestly thought this response was a joke at my expense, since a 1961 CB72 is a rare bike. A telephone conversation the following evening proved me wrong though. A week and more money than I really wanted to spend later I had a British Racing Green 1961 CB72 in the back of my truck with a box of parts that included a factory valve spring compressor tool, all 3 CYB shift linkages, 5 or 6 different rear sprocket sizes and some other neat misc. Many of the small differences between the early and late bikes can be seen in these 'As Found' pictures.
As I'm leaving the Previous owner says: "You never asked me how many miles it has." I reply that the odometer reads what it does, he says: "Add 100,000 to that! I was a mechanic for Honda for 10 years and kept it on the road by having an endless supply of basically free parts."
1961 CB72 First breath after coma
1961 CB72 First breath after coma
Last edited by prima5star on Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Matt
Also into Alfa Romeo Giuliettas and Giulias! Looking for a Giulia Super.
First things first. I got the bike home and checked the numbers. The Engine is the 1585th CB72 made, the frame is about 15 numbers off, so it is a matching number bike. I find the tool kit complete including scissors and a pile of old registration slips which means I can reuse the original plate.
I begin the clean up process a few days after picking up the bike. Below are some pictures to compare to those above. I don't like to have constantly dirty hands so I try and do a good initial cleaning. This also helps me inspect the details of what I have. My 'to do' list is quite long, as is my 'to buy'. When I am putting the bike away after this cleaning session my curiosity gets the best of me and I hook a battery up to it. All the electrical stuff works, the lights are bright and the horn is loud. Excellent. Time to start shopping for tires and a battery.
Thanks gltrench! Comments like that make me want to keep at the project.
I took the gas tank off and poured out about a quart of vintage gas that smelled something fierce. There is a lot of rust and goo so I may coat the inside of the tank once I get it cleaned out. I put a set of old ford lug nuts and half a bottle of simple green in the gas tank and gently shook it four about 10 minutes then rinsed it out. Lots of crud came out and I think the tank can be used now but it's not pretty in there. I rinsed it out with diesel a few times to get the water out and set it aside. I have a POR 15 tank coating kit I may try out. Have to think about it. The Fuel tap is varnished almost solid so I picked at it with a small screw driver for a while. I think I need to get a can of that carb cleaner you soak the parts in. Silver lining: There is no varnish at all in the carbs and the throttle cable snaps back like it should, so all they need is a cosmatic clean up.
Now you know how I felt the 4 days between first seeing the bike and making a deal! Anyone else on the Forum have a CB of this age they care to post pictures of here so I can compare bits? Thanks for the response. Matt
Also into Alfa Romeo Giuliettas and Giulias! Looking for a Giulia Super.
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