Topic: 75 CB550 is not Cooperating

[dave500]

thats because #$%*tards get the cables reversed owen,thats all.

[TwoTired]

Car battery?
Yikes do not do that.. Just like you should never jump it with a car either...

Can you explain why not for me please? I'd love to know 

Electricity doesn't know or care about the source of power, as it only behaves in reaction to physics principles rather than human "interpretation" of physical matters.
Car battery is still 12 V.  If the engine is running, the system may have 14.5v while the alternator supplies power up to it's rated output (~60A in some vehicles).
While the SOHC4 starter can consume 120A under some conditions, it normally draws about 25-40A during operation.

However, there is nothing on the bike that can't handle 15V potentials.   And the bike won't draw any more power from the donor vehicle than what the bike requires/demands.

Jumping from a car battery (running or not) is of no threat to the bike or donor vehicle, unless a human connects it up backwards or there is something wrong with either vehicle besides a weak or missing battery.

[Tews19]

Yikes sorry for the bad info... I thought I've read numerous times on the site to never jump a bike with a car..... I am wrong and sorry for the bad info.

[TwoTired]

Yikes sorry for the bad info... I thought I've read numerous times on the site to never jump a bike with a car..... I am wrong and sorry for the bad info.

Yes, it has been posted several times in the forum.  There is a lot of good info in the forum.  Just not all of it.

 People often misunderstand the cause of their misfortunes, and develop superstitions, which sometimes develop into gossip, folk lore, and even propaganda.

[Frostyboy]

Have to totally agree with TT. Myths about jump starts abound.
As fate would have it, my first job today was to go & start a VF400 Shadow with a crook battery. I've been jump starting all sorts of bikes/cars for 25 years in my current job & have yet to be accountable for any damage due to procedure.
Just in case you're interested, I connected an amps clamp to the jumper leads today & read the current draw on the + lead as I activated the leads connected to the Shadow. It read 0.3A. Hardly a threat to anything electronic.
I once heard it said that if you connect a 600CCA battery to a bike it'll blow up, I think I've disproved that theory about a hundred times.
As is my practice, after connecting the leads, I started the bike & let it run for a few minutes. Turned the bike off, isolated the donor & then started the bike on its own battery. If you do it that way it totally eliminates the risk of spike damage as opposed to disconnecting the donor battery while the subject vehicle is running.
I left the rider with a quote for a Motobatt for when he gets paid on Thursday.

[jo_ma_ma]

Hi guys!  Any ideas on where I might find a reasonably-priced petcock rebuild kit?  First of all, they don't even seem to be available for 75 Honda CB550K...  I see that they're abundant for 75 CB550F or super sport, or 1974 CB550K, but not 75 CB550K.  I need both seals between the tank, petcock and the nut, and the petcock kit... with the screen, the rubber piece and the lot...  Please recommend!  I've been spending all this time, when perhaps one of you just purchased one that worked well.
Have a nice weekend!
A.

[zipper]

If the bike has been sitting so long cleaning the air filter won't restore its flow. I suggest you should replace it, it's not that expensive and it makes a huge difference!

[TwoTired]

There are three different fuel valves/filter units for the Cb550 series in the US.
A. The 74 model used the same as the Cb500 of prior years.  It had a sediment bowl, and two outlets.

B. The 75 - 76 F and K models both used the same style. In tank "sock" filter type and two out outlets.

C. The 77 F and K as well as the 78K used yet a different style, smaller bung, single outlet, and an in tank plastic screen.

People have been switching tanks around on bikes for years.  So, I don't know if you still have a 75 tank.  The sock/stand pipe for this model valve sits atop a D shaped gasket.  Is this the type you are looking for?  If the supplier knows what he has, a 75 or 76 F tank valve should be the same as a 75 or 76 K model tank's valve/filter.

[Joemac]

Glad to hear you got her moving again duder.
I definitely recommend getting a sealed battery if your current one gives you problems in the future.

I picked up one of these...free shipping
http://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/sYT12C.html

no more worrying about electrolyte levels...gravity...corrosive acid etc.  Well worth the extra 20-30 bones if you ask me.  I've left my battery sit for months at a time with still got her to start, i think your old man would appreciate that lol, that is unless he insists on keeping your battery charged.  It is a pretty good excuse to able to take your bike out for spin i suppose haha.

[jo_ma_ma]

Thanks for the advise, Joe!  I'll definitely get the newer type sealed battery next time around... I just didn't think about it when I got this one... it was just cheap I thought... and it was on amazon, and it was free shipping.  When it got to my house, it came without the fluid... so I had to drive around to find that stuff... and it took forever, as the battery acid is not available at Walmart, etc.  Then I learned that there are newer and better batteries out there... so no more liquids going forward - I agree.
Cheers!

[Deltarider]

I, like most, used to buy the cheapest i could find as i don't ride much anymore but 18 months ago, on advice froma good dealer friend of mine, i spent the extra 25% and bought a Yuasa had it filled and charged for a day.

Last week after standing for 10 months I just turned on the gas and choke let it sit and the starter turned it over for a good few minutes till it fired---that would never have happened with a "Cheapie" battery

Yuasa is good quality and first choice. The first one lasted 7 years, be it that the 7th season kickstart only. The second Yuasa idem dito.
The cheapies - I ride less and less - 3-4 years maximum and they receive more attention than the Yuasa's ever had.