1974 Honda CB750 Cafe

I found this 1974 Honda CB 750 on Craigslist out of Kansas City, Missouri. What I liked about this bike was that it was advertised as original paint. I called my buddy, Bo, and we headed out to give the CB an inspection. At this point, I had looked at about a dozen CB bikes and had not found anything that would fit my cafe build. Once we arrived, it didn't take long to realize the guy selling the bike either didn't know much about the bike or just didn't want to give out too much information. He had installed a drag style handle bar, a new seat, new tires, and disconnected the starter, which I thought was strange. I've kick started lots of bikes, but usually people with larger displacement bikes prefer to have an electric starter. As soon as the owner started the bike, I could tell there was a misfire. The bike would start misfiring as RPM increased. It was at this point that the guy, supposedly a motorcycle mechanic and somewhat of a Honda CB expert, suddenly didn't know anything about the issue. I asked to take the bike for a ride and the owner reluctantly agreed. The ride confirmed there was a problem with the engine. It just wasn't making the power it should. The only answer the owner gave was it may be a carb problem. While this was true, it seemed to me that the engine just wouldn't rev like I thought it should. It would start to climb in RPM's, then just fizzle out. The rest of the bike was actually pretty nice, although the "expert" had forgotten to uncap and install a vent tube in the new battery he had installed. Consequently, the battery itself expanded, ruptured, and blew battery acid onto a few parts of the frame. I negotiated a price based on the engine issue and the battery acid damage, which he also didn't know anything about. The original paint on the tank and side panels along with the original condition over all of this bike convinced me this was the start of my cafe build. After getting this bike home, I discovered the cam lobes were severely worn (see photos). The bike had either run out of oil or the "expert" had adjusted the valves such that the rocker arms had no clearance and destroyed the cam lobe. I only rode it for the one test ride back in Missouri. The bike came apart the next day.