Topic: 1974 cb550; Fixin' this baby up!

[dmonday]

I guess it's about time for me to introduce myself.  I've been a lurker for a couple years now and I've finally purchased a bike that is worthy of a rebuild....a 1974 cb550.  I've been looking for the right cb for a few years now and I'm excited to finally have one!


It has set for 3.5 years, ran when parked.  It has 21k miles and is honestly in pretty good shape and I got a HECK of a deal on it.


Known issues:
Front brake will need rebuild/replace (drags, stuck).
Tires are a little dry rotted.
Ignition switch is broke.  (Already purchased)
Fuse panel needs replaced (rigged and scary).
Needs factory airbox put back on it.  (Already purchased)
Missing keys (Already purchased)


Carbs will need cleaned/sync'd and gas will need drained.  The gas tank itself is in very good shape on the inside.  I will be replacing vacuum lines, fuel lines, control cables and probably go to stainless brake lines.  I'm planning on running the GS-11 tires (3.25 frt and 4.0 rear).  I'm planning on switching bulbs to LED's and I'm switching to an automotive style fuse block.  There are a lot of things on the bike I will be replacing that may or may not go without saying some of those would be: new sprockets front and rear and chain, rebuild the front forks, probably replace the rear shocks, replace points, plugs, wires and a handful of little odds and ends. 

My goal is to build it to look original.  I want a rider to enjoy trips with the wife on our adventures and I think this will be a great bike for that.


One of my brothers is a member on here too (MondayLSR, he's building a turbo 350f for Bonneville) as well as my dad (Mondaydad).

[becken]

Hondaman can make you a bolt in/plug in replacement fuse box of very high quality. He also makes relay kits to protect old or cheap new replacement electric parts on these old bikes. I have every one of his parts applicable to my 76 CB550F. Check him out at http://www.sohc4shop.com/catalog/index.php . He's a great guy to deal with.

[bamabiker]

Nice bike.  Don't forget to check compression and set valves.  Ditto the Hondaman comments.  With aftermarket points, I could never get the dwell to stay set correctly until I installed a Hondaman ignition.  Its almost a necessity if you intend to keep using points and condensers.  If you plan to do a lot of two up riding, replace the original shocks as soon as possible.  Hagons and Ikons are both very good.  If the front suspension seems a little soft, Progressive springs will fix it right up.  As you can tell, tinkering and replacing parts are part of the fun of vintage bike ownership. 

[Killer Canary]

That'll be a great complement to the F4; two of the best all-rounders ever built by anyone.

[Stev-o]

Looks like a nice find.  Here are some electrical parts...


http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=118137.0

[toytuff]

That was a SWEET find!

tt

[hondabbqman]

Welcome dmonday,

Seems like you and me are on similar paths.  I am restoring a 72 cb350f right now (just about done after respoking wheels the next week or two) and a 75 cb550 - less than 10,000 miles all original including pipes.  Owner just before me put on new tires, new spokes, chain and a few other things.  He recovered the seat and it looks lousy so I am putting on a gumtwo seat cover soon (I bought it already and it is a quality cover).  Got the Hondaman ignition on the cb350f  and it is great, have one for the 550 but have not installed it yet.  Good luck, I'll post pictures of mine within a few weeks.  Right now I've got my eye on a very nice 71 cb750 that I am trying to get the owner to let go of.  Plan on making a cash offer to him again next week! 

[dmonday]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions!

Got some work done on it (inbetween welding up some desk pieces...see sig...).  Removed the seat (it's missing the pin that it hinges on), removed the tank, dissassembled and cleaned the front brake caliper and wrestled the carbs off.



I suspect a leaking master cylinder is the cause of this nastiness:


Cleaning up the caliper:


Carbs, looks like the brass tube that would drain out the bottom may have a hair line crack (I read that you can put heat shrink around it?).  Also, what are your suggestions for removing nasty yellowed clear coat from parts/overall clean up method?

[iron_worker]

The shrink wrap trick would probably work. The fuel may be hard on the plastic though so you may have to replace it every couple seasons. I think they can also be brazed if you're skillful.

The corrosion on the brake mc is def due to leaking brake fluid. Its nasty stuff.

IW

[IndyFour]

Hey if you plan on rebuilding the MC, let me know.  I have my original MC with a brand new kit installed in it.  I rebuilt it last winter/spring, but it kept leaking, so I just went and got a modern MC to replace it.  I think there must have been some wear/scoring on the inside walls causing the leak.  You can have it and take the kit out of it for yours if you want it for the new parts.  Free 

Oh I also have a spare set of really grimy carbs I bought off of someone a year or two ago just to have for spare parts.  I could probably part with one of the bowls off of the set if you'd like one with a good brass drain tube.  Let me know.

[SF]

nice bike

[dmonday]

Hey if you plan on rebuilding the MC, let me know.  I have my original MC with a brand new kit installed in it.  I rebuilt it last winter/spring, but it kept leaking, so I just went and got a modern MC to replace it.  I think there must have been some wear/scoring on the inside walls causing the leak.  You can have it and take the kit out of it for yours if you want it for the new parts.  Free 

Oh I also have a spare set of really grimy carbs I bought off of someone a year or two ago just to have for spare parts.  I could probably part with one of the bowls off of the set if you'd like one with a good brass drain tube.  Let me know.

I'm definetly planning on rebuilding the MC, that would be great, thank you!  With the look of the brake fluid I changed out, I can't imagine not rebuilding the MC b/c I suspect it to be a dirty mess.  I've only taken one bowl off to see how bad/good it was, but I'll defnitely consider your offer.
Thanks again!

[dmonday]

nice bike

Thanks!

[dmonday]

Just a quick update:

Carbs are rebuilt and "bench sync'd".  I sanded the metal around the pad of the front disk brake and it's sticking less, may do a little more.  Replaced the ignition switch, drained the gas and put everything back together to try to start it.  No go.    I think the culprit is the kill switch/start button.  Start button isn't even there (we were trying to kick start it instead), but the kill switch spins around like a clock and doesn't stop.  I think we need to start there and check for power.  I have a guy that's awesome at diagnosing electrical stuff on bikes that's going to take a look at it later this week. 

Bead blasted and painted the battery tray, ordered the rubber battery strap and the rubber dampner that the tank attaches too (right in front of the seat).  I also have a new side cover in the correct paint coming to replace the one that had a hole in it from someone rigging up a starter button instead of doing it the correct way.

[IndyFour]

Wow you are making some good progress!  You'll be riding around town in no time.

If you haven't been to Cycle Recycle PartII on East 10th street, you should hit it....I bet Rob has boxes upon boxes full of used right handlebar controls from Honda CB's and you could get a decent one with a starter button and working kill switch for next to nothing.  With stock bars like you have, it's not really hard at all to fish the cables through it.  Probably easier than taking the control itself apart for repair and having to fiddle with all the tiny parts that may fall out...if they're even still in there to fix.

If you are wanting to get it started just for testing purposes, you can find where the right hand control wires terminate in the headlight bucket and jump the two wires for the kill switch there.  Also, if the "innards" are still present for the start switch, you can stick a small screwdriver or similar in the hole and it should activate the starter.  The missing button basically just presses a little metal reed inside of there that grounds it to the handlebars, in turn powering the starter.

I have a .pdf of the original Honda shop manual at home with decent wiring diagrams in it.  Let me know if you need it....can e-mail.  There's also a nifty "color coded" wiring diagram somewhere here on the forum...don't remember where, though.

Keep it up!

[Stev-o]

Wiring diagram here....

http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/WiringDiagrams/MCwiring.php#class

[Bankerdanny]

I repaired a cracked overflow tube on my 550 with JB Weld, but I cannot attest to how that would hold up over the long haul. I sold my bike a few months after the repair, but for the several months and several thousand miles between the repair and the sale I had no issues.

Another option is to get very small brass tubing from a good hobby shop and sleeve the cracked tube.

[dmonday]

I repaired a cracked overflow tube on my 550 with JB Weld, but I cannot attest to how that would hold up over the long haul. I sold my bike a few months after the repair, but for the several months and several thousand miles between the repair and the sale I had no issues.

Another option is to get very small brass tubing from a good hobby shop and sleeve the cracked tube.

As of right now, I just left it to see if it would leak or not.  So far so good!

[dmonday]

It RUNS!

It was the run/off/run switch.  Took it apart and jumped across the wires then used a screw driver to connect the contact points on the starter solenoid.  The valves lash was off on almost every one, after adjusting that it quieted right down.  Kick starts easily on first kick!  I'm going to use a dirtbike kill switch to wire to the handle bars for the electric starter for now and solder the run/off/run wires together so I can put the throttle assembly back together.  We found the starter solenoid was bad but I had one from a 350f I bought (in pieces) and swapped it in.  Need to replace the clutch cable, headlight, figure out what turn signals I want and I could ride it in the neighborhood.  I need to replace tires before I take it out on the road.  Other than that the overflows are leaking, so I'll figure that out too.  Pretty excited, it sounds great!

[dmonday]

I made a fuse block to replace the crappy stock one.  I used a GM style weather proof connector, but I'm debating about taking that off and using the stock connector (not sure if I want to cut the factory connector off of the wire harness and switch it...).  I got some 1/4" fuel line and inline fuel filters to replace the stock stuff (later down the road I'd like to switch to some russel or earls type line and an fittings).  Overflows have seemed to stop leaking magically.  I also added a push button starter using a dirt bike kill switch, right now it's on the handle bars, but I'm going to modify the stock throttle tube unit so it looks like it came as part of that.

I've ordered H4 conversion and HID headlight, new clutch cable and I picked up a master cylinder rebuild kit and a UNI foam airfilter.

Getting ready to start cleaning and polishing the chrome and hopefully the side covers soon.  I also took it on it's first ride around the neighborhood, I think something is up with the steering though.  Not sure if it's bent handle bars or if the triple clamp could be very slightly turned??  Definitely a different feel from my F4.

[Bankerdanny]

Vintage Wiring sells everything you need to build a brand new factory style connector if you want or just the correct internal spade connectors if your plastic housing are in good shape. They also sell the tool to easily remove the connectors from the housings easily.

I keep a supply of various bullet connectors and the connector tool from them on hand for misc electrical repairs as they come up. It was $30 well spent.

[IndyFour]

I made a fuse block to replace the crappy stock one.  I used a GM style weather proof connector, but I'm debating about taking that off and using the stock connector (not sure if I want to cut the factory connector off of the wire harness and switch it...).  I got some 1/4" fuel line and inline fuel filters to replace the stock stuff (later down the road I'd like to switch to some russel or earls type line and an fittings).  Overflows have seemed to stop leaking magically.  I also added a push button starter using a dirt bike kill switch, right now it's on the handle bars, but I'm going to modify the stock throttle tube unit so it looks like it came as part of that.

I've ordered H4 conversion and HID headlight, new clutch cable and I picked up a master cylinder rebuild kit and a UNI foam airfilter.

Getting ready to start cleaning and polishing the chrome and hopefully the side covers soon.  I also took it on it's first ride around the neighborhood, I think something is up with the steering though.  Not sure if it's bent handle bars or if the triple clamp could be very slightly turned??  Definitely a different feel from my F4.

Are the bars off center when you ride?

[dmonday]

Vintage Wiring sells everything you need to build a brand new factory style connector if you want or just the correct internal spade connectors if your plastic housing are in good shape. They also sell the tool to easily remove the connectors from the housings easily.

I keep a supply of various bullet connectors and the connector tool from them on hand for misc electrical repairs as they come up. It was $30 well spent.

I've bookmarked their page, nice stuff!  My connectors are in good condition, I just wasn't sure if soldering to the wires to the new wires I have made up for the new fuse box would be okay or not.  Certainly easier!

[dmonday]

I made a fuse block to replace the crappy stock one.  I used a GM style weather proof connector, but I'm debating about taking that off and using the stock connector (not sure if I want to cut the factory connector off of the wire harness and switch it...).  I got some 1/4" fuel line and inline fuel filters to replace the stock stuff (later down the road I'd like to switch to some russel or earls type line and an fittings).  Overflows have seemed to stop leaking magically.  I also added a push button starter using a dirt bike kill switch, right now it's on the handle bars, but I'm going to modify the stock throttle tube unit so it looks like it came as part of that.

I've ordered H4 conversion and HID headlight, new clutch cable and I picked up a master cylinder rebuild kit and a UNI foam airfilter.

Getting ready to start cleaning and polishing the chrome and hopefully the side covers soon.  I also took it on it's first ride around the neighborhood, I think something is up with the steering though.  Not sure if it's bent handle bars or if the triple clamp could be very slightly turned??  Definitely a different feel from my F4.

Are the bars off center when you ride?

It seems to me they are.  Like the clutch side bar end is closer to me.  I don't think the bars are straight when heading down the road and it almost feels like it doesn't want to turn (if I had to explain it feels like the centrifugal force of the front tire doesn't want it to do anything but go straight).  Of course my F4 wants to turn and it could just be the difference in bikes, but my dads cb350f doesn't feel that way.  I'd say the bars are definitely not straight when heading down the road, just very slightly off.  Weird.

[IndyFour]

If they feel "notchy" in the center or you feel a detent as you turn past center, then the steering head bearings are probably shot.  Most people replace with tapered bearings and it really improves the feel of the bike.  I did mine just as a precaution a couple of years ago and I was shocked at how much better the front felt afterwards.  Much more stable.