Topic: new guy with a love for his cb

[cb550choppa]

i started building it 10 years ago and havent come close to finishing it started as a barn find 74 550 with 3000 origanal miles i got it from origanal owner had been sitting since 87 ive slightly modified it homemade hard tail made the rear fender out of a random fender i found has sporty gas tank homemade straight pipes suicide shifter 18 inch hangers home made front fender from a 50s hood orniment i found hand made seat pan with hand tooled leather air horns  ive ridden it 22000 miles in 10 years not a lot but its not going anywhere now installing nitrous and electronic ignition let me know what ya think

[lone*X]

Never seen nitrous on a 550 before.  Do you plan on putting a blast shield between the engine and your manhood? 
Really, not my style but then you are the only person that matters.  If the style fits you then it's right.  Welcome to the board.  I imagine you will get lots of comments and questions.  May want to start a thread in the hi performance section for the nitrous build.  Be interesting to watch.

[Toxic]

Suicide shift and Nitrous you got some serious issues.  I mean that in a good way.

[72500john]

please!!! submit a video when you hit the nitros switch! gonna be good..and by the way..hold on like hell!!

[Retro Rocket]

I see bent rods in  your future.....

[cb550choppa]

i got a spare motor, if my old 74 iron head sporty bobber took nitrous this thing will lol, ive had it so long ridding it is second nature built to me i cant road surf iron cross it corners with the best of them when i get n2o working ill try to get a good video i think i have one at laconia of me burning 3 gears and poping back tire ill have to find it, i know its a love or hate bike

[Retro Rocket]

These old bikes don't have the strongest rods, whilst they are fine for normal operating conditions, the nitrous will Put far more than normal stress on them and they will fail. On the 750's, at around 75+HP you need stronger rods, nitrous on the 550 should get that HP number easily, the stock rods were never designed for that type of abuse at all.   Just saying...

[cb550choppa]

im not new to nitrous ive ran it on alotta stuff its only getting a 30 shot and pre carb so it wont hit hard im puttin electronic ignition to keep strong spark and i have timing adjustment i wana get a poll up to see if more people love it or hate it any ideas for whats next? or i could change

[Retro Rocket]

Its not a matter of hating anything, the stock rods won't handle the instant HP gains for long and that usually ends up with a hole in the block and a rod hanging out.......   The engines are quite strong, but once you go for higher HP your weak point will be the rods and possibly clutch...Personally i would never do it to a stock engine...

[cb550choppa]

i understand that i ment it on a side note if its a love or hate, i know spraying it isnt the smartest thing it has minor head work but all in all stock im not going to use it all the time im gonna be sparing with it ill probly purge way more than i use, i do not want to blow it up i want it more just to add to it as a conversation piece bike gets a ton of looks it always draws crowds at shows and the n2o will just help in that aspect and will be there when needed lol

[ekpent]

3,000 miles,original owner,10 years ago ?? . Got any BEFORE pictures.  Wish I would have found it first 

[754]

 That rear fender looks a lot like it was made in Springfield Mass between 1928 and the mid 30's...

[ozcaferacer]

i started building it 10 years ago and havent come close to finishing it started as a barn find 74 550 with 3000 origanal miles i got it from origanal owner had been sitting since 87 ive slightly modified it homemade hard tail made the rear fender out of a random fender i found has sporty gas tank homemade straight pipes suicide shifter 18 inch hangers home made front fender from a 50s hood orniment i found hand made seat pan with hand tooled leather air horns  ive ridden it 22000 miles in 10 years not a lot but its not going anywhere now installing nitrous and electronic ignition let me know what ya think

Woohooo! A 550 on giggle 
I have no idea what you have in your motor and if you're a man that knows when to stop but it'll be fun until .....
I've run it on a bunch of bikes and cars, since I worked for one the first N2O companies in Anaheim in the early '80's, and it only ever failed me when I did something stupid, which was often.
I should also point out that I only ever ran it motors that had plenty of spare hi-po aftermarket parts, e.g. small block Chevs and Windsors as well as GSX1100's and Z900's because I always fell for the old "If a little is good, mo' must be better!" mentality ... which inevitably led to me

Good luck with it on that sweet looking bike.

[phil71]

you're putting us on, right? Suicide shift AND a nitrous button... you could end up an early frontrunner for the 2012 Darwin awards. It does look meaner than the bus in slapshot tho.

[fayettebr]

I love 'em all, the SOHC Hondas that looked as if they came off the showroom floor and the ones on the other end of the spectrum like yours. The Brat-Rat Bobbers are cool in their own way, just not my cup of tea. Your bike is unique. It reflects all the work you've you put into it. It would be easy to pick out in a lot 100 of bikes. What really matters is being proud of your bike and enjoy riding it and  that describes  you.  I love to see a better photo of the ft. fender .

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Nice. Frigging thing looks like a blast. What is up with the front fender? Where in MA?

[cb550choppa]

im gonna try to dig up a before pic some of you would be upset it was super clean all origanil cept a 4 into 1, i got  it for 75 bucks, the front  fender is a hood orniment i found at junk yard for a dollar, the suicide shifter is nothing for me im gona put the nitrous button on the top of the shifter and the purge button will be the what used to be the starter button since its been kick only for the last 8 years, lastly the rear fender was a find i was digging around at my old work and found it its been narrowed and had brackets removed but im not sure what its from ill post some pics of it in action ill find them asap

[cb550choppa]

this is last year at laconia i accidentally was too close to that benz and had to move lol 3 gears till pop

[bjatwood]

Question, I know that you use a suicide shifter to shift the bike. But, how do you clutch it? Is the clutch handle on the throtle side or do you use a foot lever for the clutch actuator. Thanks.
And I bet that bike will run just great once, just like a old 2 stoke snowmobile I had once. I was giving it hell and the headgasket started to leak, pretty darn good accerleration until that baby leaned out! That piston was smoked with a nice big hole in the top of it the size of a quarter! LOL

[cb550choppa]

clutch is on the shifter seen in pics

[WhyNot2]

Luv this bike, exactly what i want.

Just too scare to cut up my CBs I have now.

[cb550choppa]

just sawzall a chunk off ad then you gotta do it thats what i did

[bjatwood]

clutch is on the shifter seen in pics

Guess I didn't see the black clutch lever there. Musta been all the tire smoke....LOL

[754]

 I think if you got it in a custom frame with a bit of stretch, you would like it a lot more...

The proportions would be much cleaner, a bike that short with a rider your size.. always comes up... lets just say.. a little short..

 Hey, you did ask..
 See if you can find a pic of one of these carlini honda chopper...

[wedoo2]

clutch is on the shifter seen in pics

Guess I didn't see the black clutch lever there. Musta been all the tire smoke....LOL

Looks complicated.  In fact, the whole thing looks complicated.  Kind of a mad scientist, MacGyver thing.