Bob Ranew’s CB750 Redeemed

Bob Ranew cane to our attention last year when he built a rather lovely Kz650, so we were really happy to hear from him again and to get the chance to share his latest shed build, this 1980 Honda CB750C – which Bob calls the “ugly stepsister” of the more popular F model. And he’s right, the donor is no beauty queen. For those of a more nervous disposition, shield your eyes now!

This is only Bob’s second built, put together with limited tools, limited cash and limited skill, but it’s just as well done as his previous bike and more than worthy of a place on The Bike Shed, and when you look again at the donor the kudos from doing it all himself goes up another notch.

Bob’s day job is as an art director at an advertising agency in Raleigh NC, which, as all the media-hacks out there will know, takes up a lot of time. But like many desk-bound creatives he needed an outlet that was more hands-on, emotive and visceral, so having enjoyed his first build Bob decided it was time to do another.

Like any agency guy, the first thing Bob did was to sit  down to mock up a design, and then quickly move on to thinking-up a brand name under which he could label the build, and he settled on the name Redeemed Cycles. …Nice.

With Bob not being a mechanic the donor had to be a runner, but finding a 750C at a reasonable price wasn’t too hard. He started by stripping the tank back to the bare metal but he wanted to add a touch of colour, and he wanted to try to do his own powdercoating. After trying to get a nice clean candy red & clear detail finish using a kitchen oven he admitted defeat and painted the tank with a black inset panel instead. Still looks good though, Bob.

After modifying the rear end of the bike and making a seat Bob decided he wanted to try and get the Honda vacuum carbs to work with pod filters, but again this proved too much to ask, so he ditched the OEM units and replaced them with CR carbs, which turned out to be a great decision in all respects.

Instead of getting into the hassle of relocating everything electrical in the subframe area, Bob took a leaf from the book of his good friend John Ryland at Classified Moto and covered the gap in the frame triangles with mesh.

He also swapped out the rear wheel for a larger one, used a longer shock and lowered the front to give a more aggressive stance and improved turn-in. The engine was repainted engine in satin black and Bob reused the headers that came on the donor bike, adding a new muffler.

It’s a great looking bike, well balanced, well executed and exactly the kind of build and story we love to share on The Bike Shed. So, what next Bob? Will we see more from Redeemed Cycles?

from the bike shed