View From The Porch: It's just like a British bike!

Friday, April 25, 2014

It's just like a British bike!

Bobbi and I saw this tasty older SOHC CB750 retro cafe racer parked up outside of Fresh Market the other day. On closer inspection, that puddle was where it was burping gasoline out the vent line. We kept an eye out for leather jackets inside to let the owner know, but never spotted him.

22 comments:

og said...: ooooh, drum brakes. Fast as that looks like it could go, drum brakes. Gutsy rider.; 6:59 AM, April 25, 2014
og said...: Oh, my mistake, on zooming it has a disk up front.; 7:00 AM, April 25, 2014
TJIC said...: My 14 year old Nissan is turning more British by the day.; 7:15 AM, April 25, 2014
Anonymous said...: You probably should have been looking for a schmuck in shorts and jap flaps if he was fool enough to refuel that thing and then go park in direct sunlight.; 7:55 AM, April 25, 2014
DOuglas2 said...: "it's not leaking fluids, it is marking its territory"; 8:11 AM, April 25, 2014
Randy said...: Is the tail light on or is that a trick of the lighting?; 8:34 AM, April 25, 2014
Reno Sepulveda said...: Those old 750s wear their souls on their sleeves.; 9:25 AM, April 25, 2014
mikee said...: Now I know how Ghost Rider gets that cool flame effect as he rides down the street.; 9:36 AM, April 25, 2014
Anonymous said...: Didn't remember to shut off the tank valve, eh?

Merle; 11:35 AM, April 25, 2014
Anonymous said...: Heh! I saw that right away. When I was a kid, my older brothers owned a Triumph. You might could say the same thing about Harley's in the 70s though. You knew where someone parked their bike because of the oil puddle. -- Lyle; 1:13 PM, April 25, 2014
The Old Man said...: He may have a cost/benefit/lack-o-funds deal working.; 1:39 PM, April 25, 2014
Ken said...: I saw what you did there.; 2:08 PM, April 25, 2014
DoninSacto said...: Well if you can't mark youe spot with oil. I guess you have to use gas. My triumph 750 Triple used to let me know when to add oil by the spot on the ground.; 4:08 PM, April 25, 2014
Stranger said...: Hmm, 73?

Adieu, Adios, good bye, fare the well, so long, toodle-oo.

Interesting.

Stranger; 4:58 PM, April 25, 2014
Anonymous said...: Prob'ly stuck or leaky (sunk) float(s) in the float bowl(s) - not uncommon for something that age. Could also have been left sitting inside all winter/last 20 years without draining the gas, which has turned to shellac in inconvenient places resulting in said stuck floats. Be a good idea for a bike like that to be running a catch-bottle to keep slippery-type fluids off the rear tire.

Also sporting gimme-a-ticket license plate bracket, sand-sucker air cleaners, car-scraper rear-views, and ain't those just the cutest little turn signals you ever did see? Yup, it's a café bike.

And a pre-lawsuit gas cap! (post-lawsuit gas caps had a key lock).

Race # 73 . . . Kel Carruthers' old Yamaha 350 race number? Hmmmm ...

BSR; 7:17 PM, April 25, 2014
Gerry N. said...: You've of course heard why the Brits don't make computers.

They can't figure out how to make 'em leak oil.; 7:31 PM, April 25, 2014
Hammerbach said...: So, in a case like this, do you turn off the petcock, or let it go? Never know how someone might react...; 7:51 PM, April 25, 2014
George Groot said...: Well you know what they say about British machines, if there ain't no oil under 'em, there ain't no oil in 'em.

Of course being a Honda, something was lost in translation...; 9:46 PM, April 25, 2014
Anonymous said...: My CB550F will leak gas like that if the tank is filled to the top and then parked using the side kickstand.

It sure doesn't look as cool as that 750 though.; 11:50 PM, April 25, 2014
JimB said...: Had a '75 CB750-F.Only thing that really scared me on that bike was the brakes. Worked fine when dry. Went away when they got wet.; 11:13 AM, April 26, 2014
Will said...: Vented clutch cover. Dry clutch?
Also, no kickstarter pedal.

Hammerbach:
If it's pouring fuel, turn it off. Leave a note, or find the rider. (five gallons of gas on the ground creates a public safety issue) Otherwise, leave it alone. Nothing like having the engine die in the middle of a tight traffic situation.; 2:51 PM, April 26, 2014
Hammerbach said...: Will - Yep, familiar with both. This is, of course, why they industry went to vacuum operated petcocks. My CX500 sputtered out on the interstate in front of a Big Truck when the throttle was WFO due to a leaky diaphragm. Now changed out to manual - turned off whenever parked.; 7:19 AM, April 28, 2014