70's Honda barn finds

[metalheart28]

I've got a neighbor and his brother passed last year and he has offered to give me some bikes he had and I was wondering if any of you could give me info on them. a 78 Honda cb 750, 73 Honda cb360T and a Honda cb360. I don't know a lot about them the 360's are rough but have been stored inside. the 750 ran when parked but they have been sitting for a awhile. is there anything special about these models? I'm on my phone now when I get on the computer I'll upload pics so you guys can see them

[turbonate]

I've had CB 750 and 360 choppers. The little 360 ran way better than I thought it was, and the 750 was a rock solid bike that I only blew up once ( pretty good for me ). Parts availability is pretty good on the 750, although I'm not sure about the 360. My 360 was a 6 speed which designated it as some kind if model that I don't remember now.

[deathmetaldan]

lots of stuff out there for the 750. The 360s are popular with cafe guys for some reason.

For sure pick up the 750, they have always been a popular chop platform.

[Mocnyang]

Get em... 750's are good bikes and values have gone up in the last few years. Example I picked up a 750 7 years ago for 200 now you can't find them for under 1k. The 360's are big with cafes but theres guys out there that like to restore them

[KrowMagnum]

Too bad there's not a Z50 or CT 70 in there. But for free what are you waiting for ?

[CarloFreeze]

The 1978 CB750's are great engines. They had the best transmissions out of the bunch, but have a few things that are special to that year. These have more to do with performance than anything else. You can probably change the oil and clean the carbs and have a rideable bike.

Here's the major things to note.

1) The valves were changed so those parts only existed for that year and there are not new replacements available. This doesn't mean they are bad and your valves could be fine. What it does mean is that if a valve job has to be done, everything needs to be changed back to pre - 1976 parts because that is what is still available. This includes valves, valve guides, retainers and keepers. I ended up doing it with mine. It's not really anything more serious than a regular valve job, it's just something to note.

2) The camshaft timing was changed to open the valves 5 degrees before TDC. This was done to shift the powerband higher and lean out the air/fuel mixture to reduce emissions which Honda was under scrutiny for at the time. The simplest solution is to buy an adjustable camshaft sprocket and adjust the cam timing to open at 0 degrees before TDC to bring the power band back lower to where it was on the earlier model bikes.

3) The carbs were changed to a type with an accelerator pump. These aren't bad carbs, but since they have been sitting, it's a good bet they are going to need a total teardown and thorough cleaning. You have to be meticulous with this part and get every passage and jet super clean. Rebuild kits are still available. Another option is to buy a used set of the earlier model carburetors generally referred to as "roundtops" with the Keihin model number 657A or 657B. I prefer these as I've rebuilt and used both. The "roundtops" are a simpler carb to work with and sync. Carb synchronization is crucial for a good running bike.

4) The drive chain and sprockets were changed to 630 type. Honda did this at the time because they were having issues with the 530 chains breaking and whipping into the cases. Chains now are much better. This also isn't an issue if the chain is in good shape, but 630 chain is really overkill for this engine. If the chain is really worn, consider just changing everything over to modern 530 chain and sprockets. You can buy a 530 chain and sprocket kit for about $150 that has the same ratio as the earlier model bikes.

If you have any other questions. Hit me up. I've done pretty much anything you can think of with a CB750.

[Niner]

Free bikes? Do you really have to ask?

[MyriadRocker]

No brainer to me. If you have the coin and time to get them up and running, these are great bikes. Particularly the 750. I'd take that one all day.

[metalheart28]

yeah im gonna get them. my middle son is close to getting his license and is wanting a bike so on the of the 360's should be good for him. here are the bikes.

[CarloFreeze]

Oh yeah, they are free so definitely snag them!

[MyriadRocker]

I'm jealous. Those don't LOOK bad at all. Clean them up, replace some seats, and get to riding!

[metalheart28]

well I got the bikes yesterday. we power washed them today. the 360's both have compression and are free the 750's motor is seized and it doesn't have pipes or a headlight but other than that is complete. I guess it has been sitting for twelve years but ran when parked. the 360's both have around 14k miles. one was last plated in 1990 as looks the best so I may mess with this one first. the shitty part is no papers but hell they were free. shit a guy rode up beside me when they were on the trailer and tried to buy the 750 before I even got it home.

[deathmetaldan]

if the engine was locked up you could have just sold the 750 and funded some 360 builds haha.

[Higgy]

Grats on those barn finds. I picked up nine barn finds this year, all early-to-mid '70s. CB350s, XS400s, KZ400s, and a XS650. It looks like you scored big. Those 360s are badass, and getting more-rare by the day, so be sure to get the most for them that you can.

I'd fill the cylinders on that 750 with Kroil and set it sit a while.

[metalheart28]

yeah I probably would have just sold it because that was my plan at first because I have a sporty that I'm trying to get triked or put a side car on but when we picked up the 750 the guy who passed mom comes out and tells me how happy she is that I'm gonna fix his bike and when I pull away with the trailer she's standing there wiping tears away so I'm like DAMN IT!! I didn't really need to see that and she was such a nice little old lady. I'm kind of thinking though maybe the cb750 would make a cooler chopped trike than my sporty.
I have two teenage sons that are wanting to do something with the 360's and to say they are excited is a serious understatement. we are gonna go out and do some work on one of the 360's today.