Flat Out Four CB750

January 1 2010

While in Sydney, Nova Scotia, this past summer at BikeFest–Thunder in the Highlands, I admired this cafe-style Honda cruising the streets. I finally tracked the owner down in Sydney Mines at a car and motorcycle show and had the opportunity to chat to him about this CB750.

When Garret Mullins picked up this 1975 Honda, he didn’t really have any preconceived plans for it other than the desire to do more extensive work on it as a project bike than he was able to accomplish on his previous one. With a small number of aftermarket parts available for his first street bike, a 1998 V45 Magna, Garret was limited in what he could change. After modifying the handlebar and forward controls and sticking a mini-fairing on the front of it, his mods came to an end. “It wasn’t enough for a guy like me,” he said.

Riding plenty of dirt bikes in his earlier days and “having a wrench in my hand for as long as I can remember,” Garret soon dropped the Magna for the vintage CB750. Except for a header, the CB was bone stock when he picked it. Because of the versatility that this bike has to offer the garage builder, and the large number of aftermarket parts available, Garret knew that there were many modifications he could do to this bike to keep himself entertained.

While the bike was stripped down, in true garage-build fashion, Garret gave the frame a rattle-can coat of silver to contrast with the basic black paint. Rims were disassembled and the wheels sent out for powder coating. Incidentally, this was the first time Garret attempted to lace wheels, and while it seems to be a bit of a lost art form these days, he had no trouble lacing and truing the wheels; in fact, he now does wheel service work for an area shop. The original bike only had a single rotor and caliper up front, so with the help of a Gold Wing donor bike, Garret converted the front to dual disc.

Picking up a number of parts from various Internet sites, he began to rebuild his 750 into a cafe racer style. Garret first installed a traditional-style Dunstall tank and tail section, but this proved too cumbersome to ride. EBay took care of the uncomfortable tank and tailpiece, while the original gas tank and rear cowl were reinstalled. Next was the seat. Garret knew what he wanted and sent an old King and Queen seat, along with his seat pan, to Jerry Brady from Got It Covered in Ottawa. Jerry cut and reupholstered the new saddle based on instruction given to him by Garret.

Louis MacSween, a sign-painter friend of Garret’s, tried his hand at pinstriping for the first time on Garret’s helmet before laying stripes onto the bike itself. Garret entered the cafe into his first bike show and took home first place in the Vintage class. This bike also turns a lot of fellow riders’ heads wherever it is parked.

This is Garret’s regular daily rider, and he’s planning to do a bit more to it in the winter while it’s laid up. Like most garage-built bikes, the CB is a work in progress. It’s taken Garret three years to get it to this point, but he admits that there is more he wants to do to it, like hot-rodding the engine. That is, when he finds time. He also has a CB500 flat-tracker in the works, as well as a shortened wide-slick VW buggy that he’s building for the street. MMM

Owner: Garret Mullins
Make: Honda
Model: CB750F
Builder: Garret Mullins
Time to Build: On going
Name of Bike: Flat Out Four

Engine
Year: 1975
Displacement: 736 cc (for now)
Cases: Stock
Heads: Stock
Lower End: Stock
Carburetor: Stock for now
Air Cleaner: Velocity Stacks
Ignition: Dyna S electronic
Exhaust: 4 into 1 Header

Frame
Year: 1975
Builder: Honda
Shocks: Eleven inch Shorties
Modifications: Modified steering stop so the bars won’t hit the tank

Front End
Year: 1975
Builder: Honda
Triple Trees: 78′ CB750F
Modifications: Dual Disc Conversion, Progressive Springs

Wheels
Stock rims, powder coated with new OEM spokes
Front
Builder/Manufacturer: OE laced by owner
Tire Make and size: Bridgestone Spitfire 110/90-19
Rear
Builder/Manufacturer: OE laced by owner
Tire Make and size: Bridgestone Spitfire 120/90-18

Essentials
Fenders: Shortened stock front fender
Seat: Jerry Brady from Got it Covered
Handlebars: Vortex Clip ons
Headlight: Stock
Taillight: Stock

Additional mentions
Pinstriping: Louis MacSween
Rearsets: Raask
Oil Cooler: Vintage Lockhart

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