MMRanch wrote on 08/10/25 at 10:08:33:


Yep.....somehow it just happened.

I owned 2, and the 1972 R75/5 came along for free.  I have been helping a neighbor get some of his projects done, and he gave me the R75.  He stopped riding it 10 years ago and it just sat in his barn...it was last licensed in 2015.  He knew I ride all the time and that I would fix and ride this bike - he wanted to see someone enjoy the bike.  They are likely worth about $2,000 in this condition - it was a nice gift!

The bike has 60,000 miles on it and it ran pretty well after a carb and fuel tank cleaning, and buying new petcocks and tubing.  I was riding it on local errands and it was definitely a 50 year old bike - the drum brakes and vintage feel of the bike takes a bit of getting used to.

Although I have take some hour long rides on local roads - last Thursday was the first time I took it out on the highway and did some 65 mph speeds for an extended period.  On the way home the bike started making a horrible grinding sound if I let it drop down to idle - it seems like the cam timing chain/tensioner has failed.  If I kept the engine speed up the sound went away - I was able to get it home in one piece.  Looking at the YouTube videos the timing chain replacement is pretty easy, as it is accessible by taking the front cover of the engine off.  That is likely a winter project, as I need to be out cutting firewood to get a supply for next winter!

I believe 2-3 motorcycles is plenty - any more than that and I can't keep up on the maintenance and care like I should.

MMRanch wrote on Yesterday at 08:47:45:


The R75 is 60 HP when new and tuned properly.  It has plenty of power to go, but with 4 speeds it just feels like the engine is turning a bit fast at 65mph.  The 4,500 rpm is still well below the 6,800 redline however.  Time will tell if I like owning a vintage bike with 60,000 miles on it.  It could be that in order to be reliable - it will want more wrenching than I am willing to give it.

That ride behind the white truck was a bit frustrating for me, as we we could have ridden 10% faster and still been riding safely.  The fellow in the truck was working a bit too hard to stay ahead of us.  And......his fishing pole dumped out a bunch of line that got wound up around your front axle!

Yes , 1972 was a long time ago !  

I had a 1971 Honda CB350 and remember how much maintenance  was involved !
It seems the points always need cleaning and/or adjusting.  The chain always need adjusting every 300 miles and the valves never seem to be right !

I've had the idea to catch up with the group SBBA (Small Bike Big Adventure) .    But , their thing is 350cc or smaller and 1972 or Older.
Well , I'm not sure I'm a good enough mechanic to have a 1972 motorcycle ?  
Their 2024 week long ride was in the Black Hills , 2025 it was in the Ozarks near the Arkansas Grand Canyon.   Going by the pictures I've seen ... there are a lot of 305 Hondas , a good measure of Sear n Robucks , and some foreign bike.

So apparently electronic points replacement are available now for about everything but that don't solve all the 1972 issues !  

The 650cc bike I have now has a cam chain .   About 50-60,000 miles I know the  cam chain  will be toast and need replacing  , but it will be fun until then  

Maybe , I should put a belt drive on a 1971 BSA with the pushrod engine ?