Topic: Calling All 500/550 Gurus

[xtpx]

Alright guys let me start from the top...

Last October I bought and built a 73 CB500 and I got maybe 30~40 miles of riding on it before I had to sell it. I was arrested and charged with 43 accounts of more or less vandalism and I had to sell the bike and some other things to keep myself out of jail.

I'm only 19 and extremely ambitious to make a name for myself building these bikes one day. No one in my family has ever made any attempts to chase a dream and I'll be damned if I allow my life to head down a path that is not my own. There are no other people around here my age doing anything that could get a little dirt on their hands let alone working on an old beat up and forgotten motorcycle. This forum has provided me with a place to read and learn about things I would have never have had a chance to be exposed to living in this town. I've spent every waking minute working and learning everything possible about these bikes over the last year and what people have done to them over the years. Basically if it has something to do with Honda cafes and bobs and can be searched on Google I've read about it.

Back in April I bought a 77 CB550k and I've been messing around with it night and day since I brought it home. I got it running about a month ago and got a day or two of riding down but due to an electrical fire one night (my bad haha) I havent her running again until today. Shes not running perfect but shes running. Cylinder #1 is back firing, shes smoking a little bit, I need to replace the crush gaskets on my exhaust, I need to get a new choke cable, and I need to sync my carbs.

My welding classes at my local CC start back tomorrow and I'm going to actually hardtail my bike instead of running struts. Whats got me going crazy is that there is a new vendor on ebay producing all kinds of big bore kits for old Japanese motorcycles for relatively cheap because they are new. A 600cc kit for my bike is only $150 shipped and comes with a head gasket, rings, 61.5mm pistons.... Theres a guy I know who will bore out my jugs for $160. If I go ahead and pull the trigger on this project I'll smooth and polish my head and intake runners and toss in a sohc 650 cam while my motor is apart.

Also I can get my carbs bored out for $175....

I only have about 30 miles of riding experience but I love and live to build. What do you guys think I should do here? These opportunities will not be available for very long so should I jump on it or should I just hardtail and ride it with only basic maintenance?

This is the only picture I have left of my 500

Here she is a before shot and a few current shots





HAHAHA I almost got kicked out for this one! 103* with ~70% humidity, yeah no thanks!


Start and rev-
youtube.com/watch?v=B1eyKlLuE1M
Idle-
youtube.com/watch?v=Dco4zUufU3c&feature=plcp

[Stev-o]

Cool sorry and the bike is looking good!   Personally, I would get it running like a top before spending $500+ on big bore kit and carb bore. 

I have a 550 cafe and fond the power adequate in the twisties, sure it could have greater strait line speed, but that's not what it's all about (have my 836 for that!) good luck

[xtpx]

Theres a company producing all kinds of bore kits and factory kits for old jap bikes on ebay and the one that they have for the CB500/550 is only $120 bucks. A complete rebuild kit is only $50 and a new stainless allen bolt kit is $25. I can get my jugs bored out for $40 a cylinder and I already have a CB650 camshaft to drop in it.


I would Hate to have the motor out of the frame and pulled apart to rebuild it with new gaskets and new bolts and not bore it out. Especially when it will only cost me another $200 bucks...

[seanbarney41]

Learn how to make the stock package work to it's full potential first...you need way more riding experience before you will even have a use for more power.

[goldarrow]

Learn how to make the stock package work to it's full potential first...you need way more riding experience before you will even have a use for more power.

+100  - like superman's father said, great power comes with great responsibility.   

these 500/550 engine can be worked on the frame, no need to pull motor out. basically, when to bore or not to bore is at one's will.

[xtpx]

Haha I think that was spiderman's father.. But I'm going to just ride it and pick up parts as I go and before I move to Charleston SC in January I'll gut it out 

I've been hunting all over for some info on how much power the big bore will put to the ground and I can't find anything. Stock is about 50~55 and I've heard about 76 for the big bore so I'm going to buy the kit but I'll run her as is for now.

I also cannot decide on what to do with the back end of the bike! Been driving myself crazy with it. These bikes all have great lines but I cant decide...

Swinger:



Rigid:

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I'm young with a good back. I'm used to riding back and worth from one end of town to the next on my fixed gear bike, usually ~40 miles a day...

I dont think I would have too much trouble riding long distance on a rigid frame but then again I have no experience there....

Anyway what ever happens this is soon to come!

[LesterPiglet]

I don't think you will achieve anything like you expect with that big bore. Even the 750 isn't that powerful.
Make it run properly standard. Get to know it then decide about the boring further down the road.
It's good a guy of your age actually wants to learn something useful. Good luck.

[Stev-o]

I like that brat style...#4 in he pics above.

[xtpx]

All of the work is being done by other people but I'm not going to just drop it off hah someones gotta pick up the slack when all the old timers are gone!

I'm not expecting that much really. That was just a number I saw floating around on here on one of the 605 big bore threads. But it'll be done before I move. I'm hoping to make it out to Barber this year but if not I can always go out next year.

Which brat is it you're talkin about? The 4th one down is a rigid frame..

I'm really thinking about grabbing some 12 inch shocks from DCC and just re fabbing the back of the frame kinda like the first one.

[xtpx]

Yeah sorry guys but the other day after a little begging a buddy of mine let me take his rigid evo around the block a few times and thats it, rigid frame it is.

I'm going to set it up like the photo shown below since this is my first time doing this and I do not want my frame to be crooked. Measure the angle the the frame will sit at. Then measure the diagonal tubes of the frame and cut them down and bend the top tubes down to meet them. Weld those together and slug/ extend the top tubes to meet the swing arm.


And dont laugh at my ms paint skills but This is where its heading:


With some drag pipe exhaust like this:


Instead of using springs for my seat suspension I'm going to use part of a leaf spring for a golf cart like the bikes below:

[luap]

some cool insperation pics. Having build a hartail 550 an running a dna springer the ride sucks. Sold it after a couple hundred miles save your back for something meaningful what ever you do now you will feel it later

[xtpx]

Man please tell me you have some more pictures of your #$%*box 550 haha. That thing looks sick!

If I use a leaf spring for my seat suspension I'll have about 4 inches of seat travel. If it doesn't turn out like I want I'll build a custom backbone for the bike like the later nighthawks have and I'll buy a XS650 bratstyle frame kit and some 11" shocks.

I'm planning to build a custom coffin type gas tank too with a deep tunnel so it will sit on the frame like the stock tank but the rest of the plans are gonna be a secret for now

Thanks for the input guys! I appreciate it!