Topic: My first bike/epic barn find

[shorty24]

So a coworker of mine got this '77 CB550F from some elderly neighbors who had it in a barn for about 25 years.  It still ran when she tried to start it up!  However, it stopped running properly shortly afterwards and she didn't want to spend the money to bring it in for repair.  Also, her boyfriend bought her a much newer bike, and she left the old Honda in my neck of the woods when she got a promotion and moved away.  I asked her about it, and she sold it to me for $100.  When I went to pick it up, I couldn't believe it!  It had obviously been very well maintained during its lifetime, and it only had 10,800 miles on it.  Only some minor cosmetic issues that I could see, no fluid leaks, good oil, new tires, and a reupholstered seat were all things I could see right away.  The battery was completely dead, and after replacing it, I found the regulator and rectifier were bad as well (they had been jump starting it from a car).  After replacing those, it started right up on the first try!  I cleaned, synced, and tuned the carbs, and now it runs like a dream.  I couldn't be more excited!  Here's some pics, what do ya think?

[Dyrden]

Score!

[Jacob]

I hate you.......

In All  seriousness great find. You're quite lucky!

[LesterPiglet]

What a great deal. Questions...10,800 miles, What happened to the stock winkys, why are fenders painted why has the rear wheel been changed?

[shorty24]

What a great deal. Questions...10,800 miles, What happened to the stock winkys, why are fenders painted why has the rear wheel been changed?

Looks like it was mildly lowsided and/or dropped a couple times.  The original blinkers did come with it, and they are in one piece, but the mounts for them look like they've been bent.  Also, there is some minor scraping on the bar ends, and underside of the exhaust (a little too much and in the wrong places to just be cornering scrapes).  So yeah, it's got some war wounds...but like I said, absolutely everything checks out mechanically so far.

Not sure what you mean by the rear wheel being changed; I had no idea it wasn't stock.  Also not sure why the previous owner felt the need to repaint the fenders with the rest of the bike...but it is what it is.  I plan on repainting again anyways, because this paint job isn't the highest quality.

[dave500]

great find and it runs well,change that old oil and filter and look at the air filter soon.

[Magilla]

$100 huh?  Because I am a nice guy I am willing to let you double your money right now.        

[LesterPiglet]

Looks like a 16" rear, stock is 18".

[shorty24]

Looks like a 16" rear, stock is 18".

A.  That's amazing you saw that just from the pictures; I just went out and checked, and you're right.
B.  Now I'm super annoyed that I have mismatched wheels.
C.  Why would anyone get a smaller rear wheel installed? 

[thrutheframe]

  People replaced the rear wheel to make it easier to reach the ground.  So lets say you're a guy whom people call shorty you might like the seat to be a bit closer to the ground.  I have a buddy that we call .5 because he is 5'3", he had a CB750 K2 and had the rear wheel rebuilt as a 16".  Chopper builders frequently do the same thing for geometric reasons.

[LesterPiglet]

A. It looks like a doughnut.   ;
B. Front is 19" rear is 18"       
C. I've no idea, it's an American thing.   

Edit. I'm 5'4", 18" wheel.

[shorty24]

huh, maybe I'll just get a fatter tire then.  I'm actually not that short, I just have a lot of really tall friends; thus the nickname.  I have a feeling it's just going to be a giant pain in the #$$ to track down a matching 18" wheel...and if it doesn't make a difference performance-wise, why bother?

[onepieceatatime]

huh, maybe I'll just get a fatter tire then.  I'm actually not that short, I just have a lot of really tall friends; thus the nickname.  I have a feeling it's just going to be a giant pain in the #$$ to track down a matching 18" wheel...and if it doesn't make a difference performance-wise, why bother?

I just sold one to someone in Ohio. If you want to make it original, post on the parts wanted section here, someone may have one.

[Retro Rocket]

huh, maybe I'll just get a fatter tire then.  I'm actually not that short, I just have a lot of really tall friends; thus the nickname.  I have a feeling it's just going to be a giant pain in the #$$ to track down a matching 18" wheel...and if it doesn't make a difference performance-wise, why bother?

Yeah, put an add in the parts wanted section, shouldn't take long for one to pop up...

[shorty24]

Hey thanks for the advice!  I'm new to the forum; I hadn't discovered the parts wanted section yet  .

[MCRider]

Hey thanks for the advice!  I'm new to the forum; I hadn't discovered the parts wanted section yet  .

You wouldn't need a new wheel for the rear. Buy a proper rim, new or used, get spokes from anywhere, lace it up. the hub is still original. You'd then need an 18" tire. Thing is with those 16"s, the fat rubber is much taller than the 18" rubber. So the drop in height from 18 to 16 isn't nearly what one would expect, often no more than 1/2". And yes there is no reason to change it unless you want to.

Neither fender was painted as stock, they were both chrome. The rear looks like it could be stock and painted. The front doesn't appear stock, too much length on the front and it doesn't seem to follow the diameter of the tire. maybe its a 19" fender on an 18" wheel?

Btw Great Find!