Topic: sluggish 75' cb550

[PATRICKW]

got a restored cb550, never a problem starting, but runs very sluggish and backfires alot.  the throttle seems to bog it down.
i do not work on bikes, any suggestions.  i dont want to just take it  in and say fix this.

[dusterdude]

hang in there patrick,someone who knows about these things will be along soon.

[TwoTired]

Start with a complete and thorough tuneup (routine, every 3000 miles)

Tell us about any modifications made to it from stock. ie. exhaust, filter, etc.

Pull the spark plugs, tell us the numbers on them, look at the combustion deposits, and compare them to:
http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html

Are the head pipes even in temperature at idle and at 4KRPM?

Compression check numbers would be nice to have.

Tell us what manual you are working from or down load the Factory manual (recommended).

Ask more questions along with data findings.

Cheers,

[littlebronco]

quick thing to try...if it's running lean, you can just put the choke on some and it should respond better.

[78_SaltLick]

got a restored cb550, never a problem starting, but runs very sluggish and backfires alot.  the throttle seems to bog it down.
i do not work on bikes, any suggestions.  i dont want to just take it  in and say fix this.

unfortunatly alot of times there is no quick fix, or so im slowly finding out. Like twotired said your best bet is to do a full tune up then go from there, replace the plugs/points and condensors. Replace the air filter, get the oil changed. If your still having issues possibly your next stop would be checkin into the carbs, make sure the air/fuel screws are set right (theres one on each carb, i have a 550 and the stock setting is 1 1/4 turn out from gently seated) not sure about yours though. If this bike came with a different setup as far as the exaust goes (different than stock) you might want to check into what setting the clip is on the needle on each carb. Others know way more than i do about all this.