Author Topic: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita  (Read 53627 times)

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Offline Stev-o

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #200 on: January 01, 2011, 07:10:48 am »
Great update, looks fabulous! WOW!!

We love bikes in the house!

Happy New Year!
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline Roach Carver

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #201 on: January 01, 2011, 07:25:13 am »
may be too late, but on that bolt you can sometimes use an old wood broomstick handle to wedge the inside to keep it from turning (i think). I also understand that its easier to get it out while the spring is still compressed in there.

Offline tweakin

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #202 on: January 01, 2011, 08:11:22 am »
Thats the way to do it.  If you have already taken the top caps and springs out put them back in and try it, if not a broom handle wedged in often works.

By the way, great update!

may be too late, but on that bolt you can sometimes use an old wood broomstick handle to wedge the inside to keep it from turning (i think). I also understand that its easier to get it out while the spring is still compressed in there.

Offline TPColgett

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #203 on: January 05, 2011, 06:52:34 pm »
Man, definitely come a long way! If you need to get your hands on an impact for those forks, your always welcome to stop by here in Hayward >_< I just picked up a new project, and with my procrastination you may be ready to ride before me!

Offline FrankenFrankenstuff

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #204 on: January 05, 2011, 08:05:59 pm »
I just found this EPIC thread. Your work on that tank was inspirational.

Offline CBcafeJunkie

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #205 on: November 27, 2013, 09:43:42 am »
Found that getting them apart with the springs still in is the easiest but broom works to. I just put mine back together.

Offline Stev-o

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #206 on: December 04, 2013, 05:24:29 am »
Where is Lolita?
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline TyMatthews

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #207 on: April 01, 2014, 10:29:39 am »
Where is Lolita?

Hello folks, LONG time no see.  Lolita is coming back alive!  Well, my work on the project is coming back alive, Lolita never really went away :)

I started this project almost four years ago now, while I was in the middle of my Ph.D. studies.  Grad school became too much of a drain on my time, and the lack of discretionary funds necessary to proceed with the more major tasks left the project in a dormant state... up till now.  I finished my Ph.D. last year, and moved from Oakland to Minneapolis in August.  I drove a 1997 Subaru Outback across the country loaded with a bunch of my belongings, but the primary reason for driving all that distance was to protect Lolita from any damage.  I buckled the frame into the rear seat after wrapping it with blankets, and piled all of her bits and pieces into the rear cargo area.  She made it without any problems, and now sits in the garage.  Still in pieces.

I started a job at 3M back in October, and now that I've finally settled my grad school debts it's time to start working on Lolita again.  Spring is rapidly approaching, and with each passing day the weather gets nicer and nicer here in the Twin Cities.  I sold my primary transportation motorcycle (a 2003 Yamaha FJR 1300) before I left Oakland, so I am without a functioning motorcycle at the moment.  This makes me sad, but at the same time it is really pushing me to finally finish this project and get on the road.

Updates will be forthcoming.  This past weekend I fired up my buffing wheel and did some polishing on the front fork housings.  I've ordered a circlip plier tool to help get at the master cylinder plunger so that I can rebuild that.  I'm seeking motorcycle shops in the area that can assist with the various tasks I have left to complete.  The first will be to drill new mounting holes on the rear fender for the aftermarket taillight, and then fill the old mounting holes that are no longer needed.  Then I'll chop the front fender by about 6 inches, and send all of the body parts off to some paint shop and get that done.  Having some sexy-looking tins hanging around waiting for a bike to be finished will motivate me even further :)

Onward!

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #208 on: April 01, 2014, 10:40:49 am »
Resurrection!  I can relate.  I had a three year hiatus on my 750K7 build, while I was distracted with modern bikes.  Having no other bike and limited time for good riding weather should provide ample motivation to get your project moving.  The painted parts will help, too, but only to punish you for not having the rest done until you mount them.

Good luck going forward!
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline SF

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #209 on: April 01, 2014, 12:29:19 pm »
holy crap! cant believe I've missed all this. great build thread and I'm glad I made it for the rest.
92 wr250 sold
98 zx6r sold
04 zx10r
73 cb350 twin
75 cb550f
75 cb550f
72 r5c
rgid springer bobber project

Offline Stev-o

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #210 on: April 01, 2014, 08:40:15 pm »
Welcome back
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline 2strokeTrush

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #211 on: April 03, 2014, 09:14:16 pm »
Hell of a project for never doing project bike before, not that I have much room to talk, great thread man, hoping to see some more progress.
If You Aint First Your Last!!

 350F project-http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=133079.0

500F Project-http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135660.0

Offline TyMatthews

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #212 on: April 14, 2014, 09:43:37 pm »
Update for today!  Lots has been going on with the bike, but I've been so busy doing work that I haven't had a whole lot of time to come share with you all.  That's good and bad; good because the project is really rolling along.  Bad because I'm going to have to be more terse with my updates just to provide something.  Trying to find the time to take pics, upload them, etc.

I spent the weekend working on various engine parts in preparation for painting and/or polishing.  I've also found a guy here in the Twin Cities with his own shop in his garage, and he's been helping me with a number of things that I don't have the tools or equipment to do on my own.  The first of which was removal of the wheel bearings followed by complete disassembly of the hubs/spokes.  I'm going to send the hubs and rims off to Brown's plating down in KY, where I had a bunch of hardware re-chromed and polished previously.  The aluminum hubs will just be polished and clear-coated, while the steel rims will be stripped and re-chromed.

So some pics!  Here are the wheels broken apart:





Yes, those are the original Bridgestone tires that came with the bike the day the original owner rode it home.  The inner tube is still good, surprisingly, so I may re-use it.  Obviously the tires are crap, and I've ordered new Avon Roadrider tires.

The master cylinder has been disassembled, the piston and related parts have been removed.  The surfaces have been bead-blasted in prep for powder coating.  Same story with the front brake caliper and support bracket.  The caliper housing and master cylinder will be powder coated black, while the support arm will be done in the same color as the frame (metallic silver).

The brake and clutch levers have been stripped of that nasty plastic, and I'll be polishing those to a nice shine.

The front fender has been chopped by 6 inches!  My mechanic buddy cut out the 6" from the middle of the rear section, then re-attached the curved portion at the end in order to retain the same curve.  Pictures will be more descriptive, I'll have those once I get the part back.

I ordered a Lucas-style taillight/license plate bracket, and new holes for mounting it on the rear fender are currently in the works, while filling in the leftover holes from the old taillight mount.

The side covers have been bead blasted and are now ready for paint.  Once the fenders are done, they along with the covers and gas tank will be heading off to the painter's for some lovely atomic orange.  Just a reminder, this is the color I'll be using:



Onward!

Offline TyMatthews

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #213 on: April 19, 2014, 10:00:12 am »
Update!  Been working every other day on the bike, typically at night after I get home from work.  The weather is getting nicer here in the Twin Cities, which has enabled me to work in the garage without dying from exposure (we had one of the worst winters here in terms of temperature in a long time).  I had the master cylinder, front caliper, gas tank flap, gas cap, muffler bracket, and side covers bead-blasted this past week.  The rear Lucas-style taillight arrived, and new mounting holes have been drilled for it.  Both front and rear fenders are now at the metal shop to have the old holes filled in.  The front fender is also being welded back together after the 6-inch chop.  Once they come back, I can ship all of the color parts off to the painter's for some atomic orange.

Bought a 5-gallon polyethylene pail and 2.5 gallons of kerosene, and then added a can of chlorinated brake/carb cleaner solvent from Gunk to make a parts soaking/cleaning bucket.  The carb cleaner will help make the kerosene (a mixture of longer-chain hydrocarbons) more soluble in water so the parts can be cleaned up afterwards.  I dropped most of the rear hub components into the solvent for a few days and then took a toothbrush to everything to really get the grime out.  Man, that kerosene/brake cleaner solvent works miracles.  It's nasty as hell, and I strongly recommend running a high-velocity fan next to your work area, but it's completely worth it.  Very little effort required to fully remove (or least loosen) just about any carbonaceous build-up.  Check out the rear hub flange below.

I sent off the brake lines and pipe to Spiegel's to have them fabricate new custom lines for me.  They needed the caliper pipe piece in order to determine a replacement fitting for that section.  I'm going with chrome banjo fittings and smoke-colored tubing.  I really like the style of their fittings, with the swivel joint to prohibit twisting.

The master cylinder components, brake caliper housing, and rear axle sprocket plate will be sent off for black powder coating in the near future.  I've chosen to go with vapor blasting to clean and prep all of the engine parts that will eventually get powder-coated, as well as the front and rear hubs.  I'm just really impressed with the way things turn out from that site and others here on SOHC4 after vapor blasting, so I'm giving it a go.  I just need to pull the cylinder studs from the upper crankcase, as well as pick out some pass-through seals to get it ready for shipping.  I've spent a lot of time cleaning and preparing the various aluminum cover parts via wet sanding with a Scothbrite pad, hot water, and a little dish soap.

The front and rear wheel rims, fork lowers, valve breather cover, valve cover end caps, stator cover, and the front fender support bracket have all been sent off to Brown's plating in KY for poilshing or re-chroming.  The rims and fender bracket are steel and so will be re-chromed while the others will merely be polished. 

I've decided to powder-coat the front and rear hubs, as well as the rear brake cover, instead of polishing them to a mirror-like shine.  I figured these parts are going to get the most abuse most rapidly once the bike is on the road, and I'd rather have something that's a little easier to clean and perhaps more durable.  I am undecided about what color to go with, however... I'm debating between the stock engine/aluminum color, matte black, maybe dark gray/smoke... ugh.  I can't decide.  The wheel rims are being chromed, which I think will give a nice look against the shiny black tires.  Spokes could be stainless steel.  Since my frame is metallic silver (see below) I'm leaning more towards something closer to black, which will fit the theme of splashes of black here and there against a sea of silver, chrome, and aluminum.  I'm trying to envision it and I just can't determine if I like it or not.  What to do, what to do...













Poll: what color hubs to use to match this frame?  Black, smoke, polishing aluminum, engine-color aluminum?

Offline Stev-o

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #214 on: April 19, 2014, 02:35:55 pm »
My vote is polished hub, just installed one on my K4.
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #215 on: April 19, 2014, 06:06:41 pm »
Powdercoating the hubs is a good call. Much easier to keep clean.
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline TyMatthews

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #216 on: April 19, 2014, 06:51:36 pm »
I think I'm going to go with a slightly darker grey, with perhaps a semigloss finish, for the engine itself as well as the hubs.  Something like this:



This will help offset the engine from the frame a bit, give the chrome parts more contrast, and then set up the hubs to be at least different from the frame to help break up some of the silver.  Plenty to think about...

Offline TyMatthews

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #217 on: April 28, 2014, 08:28:27 pm »
Update for today.  The last two weeks my bike has literally been in about 7 or 8 different places in this country... most of the engine covers were sent off to Oregon for vaporblasting, the wheel rims and fork tubes sent off to Kentucky for chroming/polishing, the front brake rotor also sent off to Oregon (but a different place), and then many other parts are spread around in about 4 different places here in the Twin Cities.  Within the next few weeks they should all be back under one roof.  Hopefully.  I got the parts back from Kentucky (Brown's Plating) today.  They re-chromed the rims for me, as well as polished some of the aluminum.  I also had them re-chrome the front fender bracket (but not the fender itself, which will be painted).  As usual, the parts look great.  They do some amazing work there.

The master cylinder, brake caliper, and rear hub sprocket cover were sent to a powder coating shop in St. Paul, run out of the guy's garage at his home.  Those parts will all be done up in a low-gloss black.  All of the engine components will eventually get a coat of silver, slightly darker than the stock paint to help offset from the chrome/polished bits.  I think I'm just going to go with the same silver I used for the frame to paint the wheel hubs and brake housing cover.

Enough blabbing, here are some pics:






Offline RAFster122s

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Re: '75 CB550F restoration: Project Lolita
« Reply #218 on: May 16, 2014, 04:08:04 pm »
Pretty stuff Ty...
David- back in the desert SW!