Well, I picked up the motorcycle I bought on Ebay, a 1979 CB750F Super Sport, a few weeks ago and mentioned in another thread - drove to Decatur, IL with a rented pickup and brought it back to Indiana.
Wow! What an awesome bike. It’s in amazing shape. I got it for only 1500, and honestly it looks almost exactly as I imagine it would have in 1979. It starts up perfectly and runs very well. I took it for a ride around the block and it rides great. But man is it a powerhouse! The first gear alone is probably enough for most of the riding I’m going to be doing this fall - I’m definitely going to wait until I’ve taken the ABATE class in August and get some experience riding before I take it out on the road. And damn is it heavy. The manual lists the weight at 512 lbs but it feels like a thousand pounds to me.
Honestly, it may not be the best motorcycle for a beginner, but it’s what I’ve got now, so I guess I’ll take it slow and easy and get to know the bike better (and the class will help a lot too.) Definitely not going out into town on it until I’ve taken the class and had formal instruction in street riding. I’ll basically just keep it in the garage until August. I don’t know if I should take the ABATE class with my motorcycle or use the one that they provide you. I don’t know how I would get the bike over to the place where the class is held - I wouldn’t ride it out on the road, but the idea of renting a truck or borrowing one every time I have to go to the class, and going through the ordeal of loading and unloading the extremely heavy bike, doesn’t strike me as practical. I guess I can only hope that the bike they have me learn on at the class will be similar in size and weight to mine.
Ride what the school provides. You got a good deal and it is a lot of bike. Even after the school, spnd a l;ot of time in safe empty parking lots and quiet streets.
Find a friend with some dirt bikes and ride in the dirt some too if you can.
Stasy way ahead of the bike and also remember to have fun,
It only takes 1½ seconds of ‘stupid’ to totally screw the pooch.
Treat this bike with the same respect you would treat a loaded gun. It has at least as much potential to mess you up, badly. But, like the gun, it will not bite you if you learn to handle it properly. Be wise. By modern standards it has far too much power for the frame, suspension and tyres - not that the engine is gross but that Jap frames etc didn’t catch up until well into the Eighties, and the tyres it wears are skinny compared to what they’d put on a sports 750 these days. That didn’t stop it being a good sportsbike in its day and it won’t stop it now, but you must respect its limitations.
[Picard]I envy you, Wesley. You’re just at the beginning of the adventure.[/Picard]
The MSF class I took said that a large percentage of accidents happen within the first six months. So, just leave the bike in the garage for six months.
Seriously, I did notice that after 5-6 months, I started feeling much more relaxed. My reactions were becoming instinctive and quicker. Like you, I started with big, older bike ('99 Virago 1100). After 14 months of nearly daily riding, it’s still a blast.
He’d do well to seek better advice than mine. Fatter tyres can upset the handling on any bike - more is not always better. But there are probably stickier tyres around now than there were in '79. All big bikes go through rubber inordinately quickly, but it’s never a waste of money.
Indeed. I have 8,000 miles on the R1 and the rear tire needs replacing. I’m having both tires, plus the sprockets and chaing replaced next week.
Congratulations on the bike. I’ve always wanted a '70 or '71 CB750. If you ever see George Romero’s Knightriders, King Billy rides a CBX. It’s like a CB750, only it has a six-cylinder engine.
Argent, nice bike. I had a '72 CB750. My mom and dad had a '79 CB750SS. They aren’t too bad for beginners. Maybe a little tall in the saddle.
Those bikes were built to last. The only real problem I had was the wires got brittle (mid '90’s before I sold it :smack: )
As for the ABATE classes, I took mine on the bikes provided as you can’t bring your own for the Beginner’s course only on the Experienced courses.
And, here in northern IN, the classes fill up very quickly. Don’t delay in signing up.
I had a chance to buy a '79 CBX several years ago, it was really nice, $1000. I still kick myself for passing it up. It was silver, like the second one down Here.
And I have the engine from a '72 CB 750… I think it’s a '72, it still has SOHC… sitting in my garage. A buddy bought it wrecked as a parts bike, but his was a '75 IIRC and none of the parts would swap, got it for $15.
When you are in a line of traffic, the accident waiting to bring you down will start two cars in front of you, ie sudden application of brakes, or someone pulling out on a car in front of the car that is ahead of the one ahead of you.
Your best place to put yourself on the road is usually somewhere that a car driver would be, about two thirds of the way from the kerb. This gives you the chance to take avoiding action from anything coming from your inside, such as a car pulling out or a pedestrian stepping into the road, and you have room enough to swerve toward the kerb if trouble comes at you from the other lane toward you.
You are also in the place on the road where you are most likely to be seen.
