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Adventures with a CB750

So, I've been riding the CB750 this week, just to iron out any issues and get a bit more confidence that it isn't going to explode whilst I'l riding down the road.

It's been doing fine. It's an old bike, and it doesn't go fast, anything over 70 and your pushing it, but it's a great bike to pootle around on. well, its great as long as you can overlook the odd engine playing up for half a minute or so once every ride. it's quite reliable in that once every ride to and from work, the engine will decide that it wants to test my resolve and starts acting as if I'm throttling off/on like a metronome.

anyway's on the way home today, it decided to keep me on my toes again. the engine had played up for a short bit early on, and I was just coming off the M4, down the slip road to a roundabout. the lights were red, so I was slowing down and went to change gear. funny, I thought, i don't usually miss the gear lever, so I tried again, nope still missed it.

I look down, and (I'm still doing 50 miles an hour at this point) I don't quite understand what I'm seeing. it doesn't look right, I can't see the gear lever.

As I can only look down in very short bursts, I slow down and stop in the traffic waiting for the light to turn red. I have a good look down.

OMG, where's my gear lever gone !!

So, I'm stopped in traffic, waiting for the lights to go green. I'm in top gear ! Luckily It's a bit of a slope. now I'm not far from home, and all of the different routes start to spin through my mind. I'm in top and will have to see if this little bike will get me going in top gear from a standstill, so I'm calculating which route i have to stop less on.

The lights go green, I give it a lot of revs, and slowly let the clutch out. we have movement. slow, but we're moving. Wow, its got some grunt. I limp around the roundabout and find a place to stop. having a look I realise that the circlip, holding the gear lever onto it's pivot has gone walkies and the gear lever is just hanging down. phew. I thought there might have been some damage, or that I'd lost the gear lever on the M4 somewhere.

I put the lever back on it's pivot get back on the bike. I realise that I can hold the gear lever on with my foot while I limp home. it make changing gear a test of nerves. will the lever come off while I position my foot to change gear?

I got home and have now ordered some circlips. I'll probably check the rest of the bike, and change any more I find.

Oh the joys of riding a 35 year old bike.

until next time.
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