CB 750s not selling?

[sprinta]

As with any bike that is made to be sold in different countries it is fundamentally the same bike apart from territorial differences, rear light assy, handlebars, indicators etc. So basically a US or UK bike apart from these differences is the same.

However, in the classic market a bike that was originally registered in the UK will generally always command a higher price for that very reason alone. Also because there are less of them on the market and the subtle differences that make it a UK bike will therefore, command a higher price when compared to an US or other imported bike.

In reality it us, the people who buy the bikes (or anything else) that force up the value because so many of us want an original registered UK bike and for the reasons given above (and many others the are important to the buyer) it simply comes down to supply and demand.

[Trigger]

I know that this topic is old and that may prevent me from being slaughtered, as no one may read it but what is so special about a 'UK bike'? I have been tinkering in this subject for about 25 to 30 years and have often heard people selling a bike, try to promote it as a 'Genuine UK Bike'. So what! To the best of my knowledge, no manufacturer, in any country employed anyone to walk down the line selecting the best examples for the UK. In the UK, it was more likely the export bikes would be better, especially for the lucrative US market. I know that a lot of stuff now coming from the US has a dubious history but a friend, who has a large stable of 60's Triumphs, assures me that we have no idea just how much was sold in the US, compared to Europe and especially our tiny market. On the initial subject of pricing, maybe the problem is e-bay? There are so many tales of 'victims' that people are becoming wary. I was wary but in a moment of madness got caught anyway and panicked into buying a 1970 model (my favourite). Now I don't even look at e-bay.

Interesting little write up. I will always go for the UK units because there is not so many of them about, I can get a container load of US units any day of the week. I have totally restored many UK units over the years and few USA units, and what I found is the UK ones had all the rubber and plastic parts in good condition compared to the USA ones that just fall apart or had gone as hard as nails, start adding up the price on all new rubber parts and you will be amazed at the replacement cost.
It is a little bit of swings and roundabout when comparing the two different units,most the UK ones after 40+ years have been attacked by the dreaded rust but, if you find a good one it is so nice to work on and the engine internals are always in much better condition. I put this down to the owners in the UK seems to look after his bike a lot better than the yanks, who had them as toys. I have always been amazed that I have never had a UK 750 in for a rebuild, with the hole damage to the crank case from the chain I see on so many USA units.
I also like the challenge of finding the correct parts that make a UK spec bike, the switch gear, correct handlebars, rear mudguard and taillight bracket.     

[AshimotoK0]

+1 on that Graham....I do know of at least 3 early UK K0's that suffered crankcase breakage though. A nice bloke who worked as a mechanic in a Lincolnshire dealers in 1970 told me recently that the first CB750 they had in for repair on the engine was one that had ingested a fastener from the air filter casing  mounting hardware (as detailed in an early Service Bulletin) (see dropbox links).

[Mr_Sheene]

May I go off at a tangent for a moment? According to something I read from 'Nurse Julie' the other day, this is permitted. Is it possible to restore rubber parts? In addition to the CB750, I also have a GT750 awaiting new crank seals. The rubber unions either side of the carbs would make a good alternative to Chobham Armour. In a copy of Practical Sportsbike several years ago, an article said they had soaked rubber parts in a chemical solution that had softened them. In fact they overdid it and made them too soft but the point is, it softened the rubbers. I doubt that this is a secret, so why do so many members replace rubbers, as mentioned above by 'Trigger'? Is it to do with the elasticity of the rubber or degradation?

[AshimotoK0]

I have softened quite a few inlet  stubs and other external parts for members on here but I wouldn't do it with engine internals 'just in case'. I use 'Refos 508' though, which is hard to get hold of by Joe Public. UK parts, even if rock hard seem to soften quicker than USA ones in my experience. Some people use essential oils like wintergreen but I opted for my own method as I knew somebody who could get me Refos, which is used in the rubber processing industry.

This video clip i did  shows an inlet rubber that was rock hard and then treated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1kVSlLnR8k&feature=youtu.be

[Trigger]

May I go off at a tangent for a moment? According to something I read from 'Nurse Julie' the other day, this is permitted. Is it possible to restore rubber parts? In addition to the CB750, I also have a GT750 awaiting new crank seals. The rubber unions either side of the carbs would make a good alternative to Chobham Armour. In a copy of Practical Sportsbike several years ago, an article said they had soaked rubber parts in a chemical solution that had softened them. In fact they overdid it and made them too soft but the point is, it softened the rubbers. I doubt that this is a secret, so why do so many members replace rubbers, as mentioned above by 'Trigger'? Is it to do with the elasticity of the rubber or degradation?

I think you have the wrong end of the stick, I was referring to plastic parts like headlight bowl, the kill switch ( had one that just fell in half as I turned it), side panels, chain guard, early air filter boxes, early clock cases and rubber parts such as clock mounting rubbers, headlight ear rubbers, tank rubbers, battery box rubbers, tail light mounting rubbers, seat pan rubbers and so on. You can't soften a rubber that has perished  Even with Wintergreen that doesn't work