Author Topic: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time  (Read 118098 times)

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Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #25 on: March 14, 2014, 02:38:21 AM »
things are going well. i used the evenings after work to change the wheel bearings, rubber blocks in the rear hub, sprockets. the rest will be done on the weekend. i don't have a real workshop setup with a stand and not an awful lot of space so will enlist a friend to lend a second pair of hands for working on the swingarm and frontend.

the PO must have taken good care of the bike. i'm pleasantly surprised not having come across any funny stuff so far.

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #26 on: March 17, 2014, 05:17:58 AM »
so that's it, done with this round of upgrades. on a first ride the bike felt more stable and secure on the road. still need to test it on the local twisties for a comparison but i think this will be a good improvement to the handling, for relatively low cost.

then we went on to adjust timing and curburation, and put the thing on the dyno.

this is where the big surprise happened:
the little bugger has 44.6hp at the rear wheel, and 30.7nm of torque. with a stock engine (50hp at crankshaft according to honda catalogue) that's what i would have taken as an optimistic estimate when new. looks like a very healthy engine here  :)

run was done in 4th gear, going up to 9500rpm:



i rode home with an enormous smile on my face. needless to say, i scrapped any ideas for reboring and will just enjoy it as is, for as long as it lasts.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 08:47:57 AM by flatlander »

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #27 on: March 17, 2014, 05:50:24 AM »
Good idea! Where did you get the dyne test?
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #28 on: March 17, 2014, 06:17:54 AM »
the adress is on the printout above.
the place is in the south of the country, not exactly close to me but a lot of shops here got rid of their dynos for some reason. the guy has a good reputation. used to teach at uni, tunes bikes for racing and seemed very knowledgable and thorough.

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #29 on: March 18, 2014, 02:16:28 PM »
the rubber bits cushioning the instruments and idiot lights were a bit worn out after all those years. ordered a set of new OEM ones for way too much money. oh well, if they last another 40 years i won't be changing them again in my lifetime.

here's the old crap from the idiot light holder:


new padding for the clocks:


and all the little rubber bits replaced:


all good to go again. especially the holder for the idiot lights felt a bit shakey. now it's nice and tight and still softly cushioned.



excuse some of the rusty and dirty looking pieces. it's one thing at a time here!
« Last Edit: January 02, 2016, 01:58:59 PM by flatlander »

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #30 on: March 19, 2014, 07:20:46 AM »
I like the green gauge faces, they seem to retain their color than most of the others. 
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #31 on: March 19, 2014, 05:49:31 PM »
I like the green gauge faces, they seem to retain their color than most of the others.
That's interesting. I guess the pigments they used for the green are more resistant to sun fading.
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Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #32 on: March 20, 2014, 01:42:24 AM »
especially interesting to see how the red faded, in comparison. red seems to fade faster than other colours, also on other things.

i like the green faces, as well. may sound like a pervert now but i do like seeing them in the dark, when they're lit up from behind. don't know why but that green glow is somehow nice.

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #33 on: March 21, 2014, 09:51:24 AM »
next thing on my mental to-do list is to ensure the exhaust won't rust away. last year i had the bike sometimes outside over night and in the rain, and it already suffered a bit. nothing serious, but i also don't want it to get worse.

after seeing so many well documented builds and restorations here, i started to make a habit of keeping a camera handy. so here's some pictures.

a few brown specks on the muffler


and i think where the pipes go in the collector box can be a weak spot for gathering humidity


anyway, off with the thing!
here you see how it's gotten a bit dull, especially on the backside.


after washing off some road dust it's time to remove some of the surface rust. i'll use my trusted method of rubbing with cola and aluminium foil.

before cola:


after cola:


i hope you appreciate that i'm not wasting my cash on expensive brand cola for this exercise!

after this treatment i apply chrome polish. and now i coat it with tectyl. don't know if you have that stuff in the US: it leaves a clear coat of industrial wax that penetrates into crevices. hardly noticeable but a very good, long lasting protection. (also a #$%* to get off if you ever want to remove it)



at the moment i'm waiting for the first coat to harden, the spray on a second layer.
« Last Edit: January 02, 2016, 02:05:03 PM by flatlander »

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #34 on: March 22, 2014, 11:18:46 AM »
Have not heard of Tectyl, but appears to be made by Valvoline.

Is it heat resistant?!
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline strynboen

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #35 on: March 22, 2014, 12:36:37 PM »
like tectyl..use it on f vashmashines so the bottom not rust avay..it stinks in weeks after..also good at underside of gastank..and underside of fenders

the first heat cykles make it gets thin and like to drip..but after that it dry aut to a vaks like konsistens..there are many types tectyl in handel in europa..
i kan not speak english/but trying!!
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Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #36 on: March 23, 2014, 07:06:04 AM »
strynboen is right, there are so many different types of tectyl that it gets confusing. the one that's completely heat resistant is some brownish colour which is not too nice looking. i use the clear stuff. it will burn off the top part of the headers while it stays on those parts that don't get quite as hot. that's fine by me as the lower part of the header pipes and the muffler seem to be more prone to gathering rust.

first time running the engine will create some interesting smoke effects until it's all burned off the bits that get too hot.
i used it on another exhaust previously, seems to work.

and yes stev-o, it's by valvoline.

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #37 on: March 26, 2014, 03:14:09 AM »
here are some 'after' pictures to show the result, before making it dusty again by riding.
some black marks remain but for me, it's nice and shiney enough. and wont' get worse now any time soon.





it was a sunday and pretty nice weather soooo.... after reassembling the exhaust it was absolutely necessary to do a test ride  ;)

at the harbour in hoorn, a little town north of amsterdam


a nice little road along the dike. complete with windmill to prove that it's in holland!


the verdict after the chassis work:

handling on these smaller roads with often uneven surface and some tight bends is greatly improved. the bike sticks to the road much better, is more controlled. i have no comparison now to how it would be with emulators but even with just the new springs and oil now, i already feel a big difference. makes it both more fun and safer.

in long fast bends (motorway at high speeds) the difference to before is less big but i think this is due to flex in the frame and mainly the fork.
« Last Edit: January 02, 2016, 02:07:36 PM by flatlander »

Offline raymond182

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #38 on: March 26, 2014, 04:48:34 AM »
Man, you have some idyllic landscapes there! Nice bike too, of course, love the classic simplicity of the original.
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Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #39 on: March 26, 2014, 05:55:30 AM »
Man, you have some idyllic landscapes there! Nice bike too, of course....

+1.  Nice pics.  I too am doing a front end upgrade (springs, bearings, seals, oil) and looking forward to feel improved handling.
Did you change your steering head bearings yet?
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #40 on: March 26, 2014, 09:58:52 AM »
thanks, raymond and stev-o! in a few week's time you'll see some little lambs along these roads making them even more idyllic. i like the smaller roads through the countryside. there are some nice ones here, as long as you stay away from the busy areas.

yes i did change the head bearings as well. the old ball bearings were still ok so it doesn't feel dramatically different. i mainly did the switch to tapered ones for a trouble-free future, now that i was busy with the fork, anyway.

also changed the swingarm bushings and bearings which definitely made the rear more solid. they were a bit dodgy: for relaxed riding they were fine but when pushing it around corners i could in extreme cases feel them shift a tad. that's all gone now.

Offline dagersh

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #41 on: March 26, 2014, 10:01:24 AM »
Nice work!

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Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #42 on: March 26, 2014, 10:21:22 AM »
thanks gersh  :)

Offline strynboen

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #43 on: March 26, 2014, 11:19:02 AM »
hey..i have spend some auers to klean up and polish the old type koni...this aluminium dæmpers are perfekt for polish..ald look oldsccol cool...

they are easy to pull apart..the spring are not so strong..can be taken off by hand..
the plan vas to thange the oil...but they vas so hard to turn the top,,,so i gave up,,and have just polished and kleaned and painted the springs,,after glasblast them...

have to make a speciel tool to unlock them later...did not use heat..think it is to dangerus..prob are the tops lockteited for sealing..so heat vas/is the only vay to soften the glue
i kan not speak english/but trying!!
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Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #44 on: March 27, 2014, 05:56:44 AM »
awesome work on those konis, strynboen.
at some point i'll probably pull mine apart as well, and add new springs and maybe some other goodies... then yours will be an inspiration for making them shine!

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #45 on: April 03, 2014, 03:51:51 AM »
i was out for a ride with a friend and as it happens, he started talking about the tool kits that came with the bikes and how he'd like to have one for his R80. i never understood the fascination, you can just grab some of your existing tools to take with and they're probably better quality anyway.

but hey, i popped up my seat to show him where the kit would be on this bike. then err.... wait a sec, there's something sticking out from under that flap? indeed, the complete kit is there!
can you believe this? after having the bike for almost a year, i only find it now??
i somehow always assumed that these things never got preserved over the years.



so it's all there. well almost: the shocks spanner is hagon, not honda motors.

does anyone know what the 2 things on the left are? can't figure it out.

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #46 on: April 03, 2014, 05:03:24 AM »
Getting the tool kit is always a bonus. I can't believe you didn't find it til now. 
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #47 on: April 03, 2014, 05:40:29 AM »
i know. i feel really stupid. i didn't bother looking behind that flap because i never even crossed my mind.
but it's a nice suprise, like late x-mas in early spring  ;D

Offline flatlander

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #48 on: April 03, 2014, 06:32:40 AM »
how are you doing with your frontend upgrade, stev-o?

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1976 CB550F - making it good, one step at a time
« Reply #49 on: April 09, 2014, 05:23:07 AM »
Completed the front end upgrade yesterday - new springs, seals, tapered head bearings, wheel bearings, polished fork lowers, hub and caliper. 


'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........