Topic: cb550 -- first project

[CJK]

You have made excellent process. I'm doing my first built and sure hasn't gone that quick.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Thanks, but I'm really not doing much to the bike. It's in good (enough) running condition that I'll wait for next winter to get into the engine. I'm amazed by the other first-timers who are really getting into it and rebuilding everything.

A lot depends on your budget. Suspension is one of those things you can spend $1500-$99.

Ikon, YSS, Hagon are the top 3 that come to mind for me. I personally own Ikons. They were about $450; however they are Koni shocks (Koni shut down, someone else bought product line and renamed it Ikon). They are rebuildable, adjustable pre-load and dampening rate, and will have a spring weight matched for you. FWIW, many people still ride rebuilt Koni shocks today.

YSS are very good as well from what I've read, their lower end models don't have as many features as Ikon but cost less. Their higher-end models have a few more features (adjustable length, piggyback reservoir, etc) than Ikons but cost considerably more. If you're a road racer, the higher-end models may be your choice.

Hagons are shocks similar to Ikons, but cheaper and lack some features in terms of adjustability.

For the money, I thought Ikon seemed to be the best value. They have a solid reputation, great customer service and the ability to rebuild them means you won't be buying a whole new unit in 15 years.

[streak09]

Your build is moving so fast it makes mine look like its standing still, possibly even moving backwards!     Looking good though!

[RobbyD]

I really like what you did with the upper fork tubes.  how easy did the jb weld sand? 

[JoeP]

I really like what you did with the upper fork tubes.  how easy did the jb weld sand?

The trick is to not put it on too thick so the legs will still fit through the clamps. A bit of heat might help in this regard. Make sure you clean all the rust out with a wire brush to get a good bond. It's hard to get it perfect, but most of that part of the leg is covered up by other stuff anyways.

[JoeP]

Since I don't have a welding machine, it was time for a buddy to step in and take over for a while. I dropped off the bike last week and have been getting regular updates by email. This is what's happening now...

Tail chop!


The DCC seat doesn't quite follow the frames rails:


So he removed the leather outer and trimmed the fiberglass shell. Now the seat sits flush on the rails.


The tubes were ovalized and had to be rounded out before installing the cafe hoop I got from harrisluv (thanks, harrisluv!)


Cafe hoop installed. Didn't have the right die for the bender so... let the cutting begin:


The hoop was segmented to follow the seat contour:


Here's a mock-up:




Hoop and rear triangle cleaned up:


Now to figure out where to mount the battery (Trugel 12AH):


That's all for now...

[JoeP]

Forgot to mention my stacks arrived from steeldragon:



I figured out how to polish stuff, so I did the top covers to match the stacks.

[JoeP]

Been a while. I have the bike back in my garage after a friend fashioned a rear hoop to fit the DCC seat that I got. I also found out that the PO had put on rear shocks that were 1" shorter than stock. I replaced those with Progressives that were 3/4" longer than stock to get enough clearance for the new seat and the full-sized battery that was going under the seat. Here she is after I got her back:



Electronics fitted under the seat with full-sized battery:



I just need to extend the cable from the solenoid to the starter and re-route the battery positive and ground wires, then it's ready to start and tune. Still looks a bit rough, but I'll get it running and worry about cosmetics (paint and stuff) later.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Your fab guy did a good job contouring the seat to the rails and segmenting the hoop.

Now about that front brake ...

[Tews19]

Agree with cb750.... nice job on the hoop. Now go ride that 550!

[neevo]

I'm in for this. Great work so far in such a short amount of time. Makes us other first timers look lazy!

[JoeP]

I'm done for now. I'm signing off of this build thread until winter. It's running now, but may need a re-jet because of a slight stumble once the main jets kick in. I can live with it. It's so much fun to ride. There were many mistakes made along the way since it was my first project. But there's no way I could have got this far without this site. So thanks to all. Here's a pick of it next to a buddy's MV:



Lots to be done still, but I want to ride the snot out of this thing until my old bones say it's too cold. Thanks again for all the help I got from this wonderful little corner of the internet.

[calj737]

Looks like the front and rear wheel are both 19s? If you dropped to an 18 or 17 rim, you'd open the hoop clearance some more without longer shocks... Food for thought for "next time".

Looks good, glad you wrapped it up before Mr Chill set in-

[JoeP]

Looks like the front and rear wheel are both 19s? If you dropped to an 18 or 17 rim, you'd open the hoop clearance some more without longer shocks... Food for thought for "next time".

Looks good, glad you wrapped it up before Mr Chill set in-

Thanks! I have stock tire sizes on the bike so I guess the rims are also stock. Maybe the pic makes the back wheel look bigger than it is. There's a lot of clearance with the hoop but one thing on the winter project list will be to shorten the rear shocks a bit. I do notice that the bike is a little too easy to turn.