(Copied and pasted from November BOTM)
Sorry it took so long to get back with the additional pictures I promised for my '74 550. We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel and having some problems with the contractor. Anyway, the story of my bike is this. On June 9, 1974 I bought it new in Los Angeles, replacing a 305 Superhawk I had owned for 8 years. I rode the bike cross country on a long meandering ride, ending up back in Ithaca, N.Y. where I was going to school. I rode the bike back east for the next 10 years, including through several winters when the road salt really chewed up the aluminum cases and forks. It was also badly rusted, but I maintained it mechanically with great diligence. In 1984 we were moving to California and struggling a bit financially, so I left the bike in my mom's basement (think dark and damp) and off we went. I bought another bike when we got out here, but I always planned to get the 550 to the West Coast someday and to get it looking and running like new again. Finally in '94 I got it running and flew back east to ride the bike back to Cal. It was now 20 years old and looked awful, but it ran 5000 miles flawlessly on it's second transcontinental trek. I then started to "restore" it with a goal of keeping it as original as possible. I started disassembly and cleaning/polishing, but I was distressed to find that my rusted out 4-4 exhaust could no longer be OEM replaced. Bummer. With parts all over my garage, the process slowed to a halt due to 3 kids and a crazy job that left me no time to work on the bike. Finally last year (17 years later) we got all 3 kids out of the house and I started back on the project. Fortunately I had always kept the top end oiled and kicked the bike over frequently, so the 17 year sleep took no toll on the engine. My front MC suffered, though and was a sticky gooey mess. I switched back and forth between cosmetic and mechanical issues. MC and front caliper were rebuilt, as were the forks and swing arm bushings. I installed new coils (Dyna), leads, caps and plugs. Wheel bearings were replaced when I mounted new rubber. New sprockets and chain. I labored over the carbs for days, cleaning them ultrasonically and then doing all the jets by hand with piano wire. I re-used the original jets but replaced every rubber component. All the aluminum was sanded by hand at first because the corrosion was so deep, and then I went through the entire polishing process. Took many hours, but it looks great and everything is still original as per plan. I had some electrical issues which Hondaman helped me sort out. As per his suggestion I cleaned the fuseholders and every bullet connector on the bike by hand, re-using the original harness and all original wiring. The whole process took about 4 months, and the bike was finished Labor Day last year. Shortly after posting pictures on the forum, members informed me that OEM pipes were again available, so to replace the rusted out original exhaust I bought a set and replaced the Mac 4-1 I had installed (now on Frosty's 550 in Australia) with the 4-4 OEM set. The bike is now virtually totally stock, and except for the pipes most everything else is truly original, including the paint and chrome. As might be expected the bike's "patina" includes some nicks and blems which can be seen on close inspection, but get just a few feet away and it looks TERRIFIC. More importantly it is running like it did when it was new- nice idle at 1000-1200 rpm, 46 mpg, great overall performance, suspension still good, etc. It's no trailer queen......I've put about 3000 miles on it in the last year.
Poll