Honda CB750 Sandcast

'Top Dog' BSA Rocket 3 vs Honda CB750


CBman

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Nice video. If I´m right, this John Wyatt is that John Wyatt with his book - CB750 restorer´s guide. I wanted to buy this book, but now I´m not sure I still want to buy. It is hard to believe this man how to restore the CB750 while his CB750 has not correct parts installed.
Is this man really that John Wyatt?


Steve Swan

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Hi Marcello,  (and CBman)

please don't take what i'm saying in any way offensive or personal.....  i beg you to look at what i write as a poor attempt at providing entertainment from this pathetically bored human life form.  gawd.  forgive me or pity me before you read further...   or, stop reading now... please !

(i really do think it's nice they could take the time to get these guys and their bikes together.)

somebody needs to strap me down and medicate me.  i tried to fight off the urge to write my "opinion."  

i didn't know whether to laugh and walk away, cry or spit in their direction.  such media hype kills me.  "top dog."  "panel of experts."  shitty entertainment at it's best or worst, depending on one's individual point of view.  BUGGER me, boys !

i skipped through in about 3 minutes the full 22 minutes this video could have taken off my life and decided to spend the remaining 19 minutes writing thus, in my effort to sound really clever or really stupid... or arrogant.  the reader can be the judge of me.

Two of the panel of experts were not even drops at the end of Daddy's ding-a-ling when these bikes were produced.  so, i would listen to them because... ?  oh, i get it... because they can give a fresh, new, unbiased and uninitiated opinion.  

and the Rocket 3 and CB750 owners.....  experts ?  really ?  these top dogs were getting paid to be small fish in a big pond to talk a little about something they portray as knowing even less than a little about.  Anyway,  call me a bitter, cynical, black and white hater....

so, i'm going to give such internet video drivel weight, substance or credence, when, after i have read through some of the posts on this Discussion Board journaling the hours and hours some of us have studied a part and the time we've spent talking to each other, or others, not to mention intensity of passion in our labors to make our bikes what they are.  Or, not to mention the people who, back in their time, designed, built and distributed these machines.

now i'm getting tired of myself....  ohh, good.  maybe the 'experts' presenting their curriculum vitae's prior to introduction on what qualifies each to be an "expert" followed by a disclaimer of possible ignorance would have helped make this video credible.  at least one of the guys looked like he had all he could do to keep from laughing before the introductions.


the real 'experts' are those modest people who banter back and forth on DB's like this one.  or who have occasionally taken the spotlight and presented what they know in a factual manner based on their experience and evidence.  not the hyperbolic emotionally exhausting testicle withering dramatizations blown up by this blathering panel of top dogs.

i guess the real experts are going to be the guys who think they learned something after spending 22 minutes of their life watching this video and then ride over to the local coffee shop to hoo-haw with their buddies how much they know about Rocket 3's and Cb750's.  

oh, dear me.  bad steve.  someone lock me in a box with no light or sound.  Then pipe in Dark Side of the Moon.  (Yes, Keith, i AM from Colorado and yes i will drop a urine at any moment's notice.)  heh, heh.  hee, hee. ho, ho.

ps:  all the above is just my rotten attempt at vainglory humor.  i beg forgiveness for offence or harm i have caused.

pss:  my Grandfather was born 1862, immigrated from the old country in 1877, became a self made success by the age of 30 and died in 1941.  i was told his definition of "expert"  was "An ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drop of water under pressure making a splash."


kp

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ashimotok0

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Yes it's the same John Wyatt who wrote the book. He is highly regarded here in the UK. I think ChrisR knows him and I understand he is very knowledgeable on classic Hondas. His book has always been the most sought after of all the 750 restoration books.

Cheers AshD
« Last Edit: January 12, 2014, 05:35:46 pm by ashimotok0 »


Steve Swan

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yes his book is a collectors item, for sure. they are no longer cheap, when found.  there were a number of people into collecting/restoring sandcasts long b4 me and i imagine John is one of them.  when i decided to get back into older bikes in 2001 and got a sandcast a while later, i used his book as a guide.  great pics and info.  the more questions i asked, seemed there were fewer people willing or able to answer my questions and i was getting discrepant answers to the same questions.  hence, this website so we can share what we learn.  Re: collecting info for a book, what a huge job and it would never have all the information.  My hat is off to Mr. Wyatt for sharing his research in such a fine book format.  His book was part of the incentive for me to start up this web site to share and learn as much as we can.


ashimotok0

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yes his book is a collectors item, for sure. they are no longer cheap, when found.  there were a number of people into collecting/restoring sandcasts long b4 me and i imagine John is one of them.  when i decided to get back into older bikes in 2001 and got a sandcast a while later, i used his book as a guide.  great pics and info.  the more questions i asked, seemed there were fewer people willing or able to answer my questions and i was getting discrepant answers to the same questions.  hence, this website so we can share what we learn.  Re: collecting info for a book, what a huge job and it would never have all the information.  My hat is off to Mr. Wyatt for sharing his research in such a fine book format.  His book was part of the incentive for me to start up this web site to share and learn as much as we can.

I only met him once when I got my painting done by the guy in the unit next door to him. He seemed a pretty quiet reserved kind of guy and it must be difficult actually earning a living restoring bikes. His bike on the program was probably one he rides rather than attending to every exact detail but I am sure he will know which parts are correct and which are not! Hate to think how I would come across if I was ever plonked in front of a TV camera... not very good I suspect!! Hats off the the programme makers too, at least they are showing the CB750. Features on TV are few and far between for such an iconic bike.

Cheers AshD


Steve Swan

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since i generally dislike electronic hype of media, my Mr.Hyde came poking out.  i find the the media's blam pow look at me now "topdog" musical approach annoying, so much of the time i don't watch the stuff.  Just not my cup of tea.  i'd rather watch a Batman movie.  all i noticed on the bikes, they had road wear; cool.  otherwise, i didn't look any closer.  And, i''ve no doubt both bike owners are great guys; probably a bit out of their element.  anyway, i'll quit my tripe.


kmb69

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What some blokes come up with to make a quid!

Half hour on TV!



hondasan

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John Wyatt was to my knowledge the first person in the UK to restore a sandcast, over 20 years ago, when they were actually harder to do - no Ebay, no Yamiya or other suppliers of reproduction parts, no SOOC website to plunder for information (ie 20 years or so less accumulated detail knowledge). His passion for the CB750 stemmed from his own early '70's riding experiences. He is indeed a nice friendly guy, as Ash says.
He makes a living  restoring mainly Japanese "classics" right the way across the different marques / models, and I would suggest has as wide a knowledge of the subject as possibly anyone else. He will build whatever the customer wants from show pony to road useable (and he does pride himself on the end result actually working as it should). The factor that affects detail perfection is usually the customers desire to pay what it really would cost to achieve that rather than John's knowledge of how something should be.
Given his experience and standing in the UK, little wonder he should be asked to be involved and provide a bike for that piece of "entertainment".
Having seen that Gold "KO" (which is one of John's customers bikes), all I can say is I would be proud to own something as nice as that. Maybe I should paint my third sandcast in Gold.......

Chris R 
Chris R.
302/338



CBman

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ashimotok0  and Hondasan: If this bike is only Wyatt´s customer´s bike, so it has sence for me. I have several books about CB750 and I´m thinking to buy Wyatt´s book, but I want to have good informations. This gold K0 has not correct front fender, exhaust shields and tank decals. Maybe the customer wanted to have similar bike like pre production UK version tested in 69. But I think that in this magazine show should be only bikes, that are as much perfect and stock as possible. Otherwise I really admire Wyatt that he wrote his book in 90´s without internet help. Nowadays we have it much more easier. I believe he is really professional, but also VIC makes a small mistake in restoration, so why not other professionals? I´m not sure who restored sandcast first in UK, but I know that Keith Newman had restored first UK Sandy in 80s. And the value of this bike was astronomical 5k Pounds, which could be nearly $10k !

Steve: yes, it is strange to see  the panel of experts consisting of the guy that looks like he just came of the school, but still this guy is the editor of classic magazine, and maybe he has ridden more cllassic bikes than we did, and what is more important, thanks this guys (no matter how old they are ), we can see our bikes back in the test like 40 years ago. For me it is nice nostalgic moment to open any retro magazine and see my bike inside. It is like I see it for the first time, even I came of the garage 20 min before.


Steve Swan

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"Steve: yes, it is strange to see the panel of experts consisting of the guy that looks like he just came of the school, but still this guy is the editor of classic magazine, and maybe he has ridden more cllassic bikes than we did."

yup, i thought of that too, young guy an editor of classic bike mag. 

i just need to remember, over the past 49 years, i've owned, maintained and ridden close to 150 "classic" bikes mafgr'd between the years of 1930 and 1979 and not everyone else has been that fortunate or blessed or lucky.... 


CBman

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Steve: uh 150 bikes, you are really lucky ! You had to have very nice moments with so many bikes. Hard to say how many bikes had ridden this young guy? Best way will be to send him a message with a question.......... :)  What do we know. Maybe we will be surprised.

Nice video with VIC sandy in box. It should be shock to see it alive for the first time. But much nicer will be to see the brand new sandy in the original crate with date 1969...........


steff750

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 ;) I watched that pile of crap for the simple reason that they was showing two of most iconic bikes ever made in my lifetime and when I was just a starting out on roadbikes myself, the bikes and the owners are the real deal the rest was pure dogs bollocks this is why I don't  buy bike mags anymore
  I have met john wyatt and has with other guys on this forum is very helpful and knew what he was talking about and has owned them himself and for guys like me who was just starting to get into restoreing bikes he was someone i looked up to hes a big bugger anyway lol
  when I first started restoreing my cb750's the term sandcast was meaningless to me I even went to look at one that had been pulled out of the Hudson bay lol  I even saw a fellow forum members bike a red sandcast outside the shop when I left I took a photo of it only because it had such an early engine number and he is like me ,he rides his bikes I didn't comment on the bleached petrol tank or that it had come from the states I was just glad to see it , and that's one of the things john wyatt said to me use them that's what they are made for.only us being bikers know the fun we get from our machines , I don't care that I have flat key switches non wrinkle tanks chromed heat shields rounded mudguards or a sidecar twenty years older than the bike ,at the end of the day we all make our own minds up about that video but it done nothing for us real bikers ::)
 
 
« Last Edit: January 17, 2014, 06:50:59 am by steff750 »