Author Topic: 1975 CB550K1 - Stock-ish Restomod - More Mods (Read 153200 times)

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **on:** March 06, 2014, 12:36:42 PM »

I picked this 1975 CB550K1. A great looking solid runner/survivor. Too nice to cut, so I'm making some limited mods.

04_zps450985a5 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

03_zpse286fda0 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

02_zps5b26aaa1 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

01_zpse454c69f by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

14_zps73e612d9 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

15_zpsacdfcc09 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

16_zps77c2d1af by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2014, 01:06:48 PM »

Off come the sissy bar and highway pegs.

I'm keeping the original parts, but decided to swap the stock bars for some Tommaselli Condor Adjustable Clubmans, replaced the stock MC with a Braking 16 radial master cylinder and some steel braided lines. I really like these bars, becuase you can adjust the rake to not be so hard on your wrists as normal clubmans are.

guzzino_2263_50729199_zps6460f433 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr]

Braking-radial-master-cylinder2016_zpsd9b124f6 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2014, 01:12:14 PM »

Hi cb750 crf, mind if I ask where you got those Tomaselli Condors...I have also been craving some adjustable clubmans lately.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2014, 02:00:22 PM »

Quote from: seanbarney41 on March 06, 2014, 01:12:14 PM

Hi cb750 crf, mind if I ask where you got those Tomaselli Condors...I have also been craving some adjustable clubmans lately.

I bought them a couple of years ago from either Guzzino or Motostrano.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2014, 02:05:20 PM »

The 39-year old had a tear in the seat so I purchased a new reproduction cover from gumtwo on ebay. Very nice repro and it beats the heck out of the duct tape on the original seat!

19_zps7c47e0ed by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

seatcover_zpsacdb7de1 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

Trad · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2014, 02:07:55 PM »

So many bikes

Great find!

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #6 on:** March 06, 2014, 02:09:14 PM »

I replaced the stock points with a Dyna 2000 and new coils. I also swapped the stock headlight out and replaced it with a tri-bar halogen. Finally, I ditched the rusted exhaust for a 4-1 Yoshimura replica from Lossa Engineering, and bobed the front fender.

20_zpsfb9f7467 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

21_zps6a03c77a by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

Yes, I will post some pictures of it. It sounds nice and mean!

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2014, 02:09:41 PM »

Quote from: Trad on March 06, 2014, 02:07:55 PM

So many bikes Great find!

Thanks, Jared!

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #8 on:** March 06, 2014, 03:05:24 PM »

Newest mod: replacing the stock taillight with a smaller Lucas-style LED model from DCC and replacing the stock HUGE turn signals.

led1_zps2c671f4d by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

led2_zps0c51b290 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

I am considering these as a replacement (K&S signals recently used by Tige aka Tweakin on his GT build):

KampS25-8632_zps6b3ac7bc by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #9 on:** March 06, 2014, 03:23:18 PM »

I also bought some replacement side covers from Frankenstuff, since both of the side covers have cracks and are quite brittle:

12_zps67885474 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

A further TO DO is to repair a dimple on the top of the tank.

photo1_zps8029cdb5 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

17_zps139aa1c2 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

After that, I'm going to repaint the tank and the covers Candy Jade Green, since they are multiple shades of oxidized green and my girl likes the stock color (this will be my only 2-up vintage bike). I just ordered the paint from VMR and have replacement decals for the tank and new reproduction badges for the tank and covers.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #10 on:** March 11, 2014, 02:37:06 PM »

Took the 550K1 for a blast last Saturday. The carburetors need some further adjustment, as she is idling inconsistently. I also discovered another minor leak on the seam of the sump -- looks like I will be re-installing another gasket.

It was a stark realization of how wooden the stock front brake is. I was pulling the MC lever and wondering when the caliper would get to stopping the bike. I don't want to modify this bike too far from stock, but I really want it to stop BETTER. Drilling will help cool the disc, but not increase stopping power. I have to think of a subtle mod, or continue to ride this bike much more cautiously than my others.

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #11 on:** March 12, 2014, 09:13:19 AM »

Love it man, thats what I will be looking for next if I don't find a 175 or 200 to Cafe out. Did you get a good deal on it or pay a Premium ?

dagersh · « **Reply #12 on:** March 12, 2014, 12:13:08 PM »

CRF,

Nice bike!

That dimple looks like a prime candidate for the compressed air trick. Use a Hair Dryer to heat up the dimple nice and warm and then spray compressed air (think keyboard dusting spray). The temp difference should make that dimple pop out - as long as its not creased.

Looking forward to more pics of this bike's progress!

Gersh

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #13 on:** March 12, 2014, 03:26:07 PM »

Quote from: 2strokeTRush on March 12, 2014, 09:13:19 AM

Love it man, thats what I will be looking for next if I don't find a 175 or 200 to Cafe out. Did you get a good deal on it or pay a Premium ?

I think I got a good deal on a running bike with no significant issues and no rust (other than the pipes). Just over a grand is not a steal but it is a good price (especially in CA).

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #14 on:** March 14, 2014, 04:43:29 PM »

VMR Paint (Candy Jade Green) arriving today. I have replica sidecovers, sidecover badges, tank badges and tank decals.

I want to ride the bike this weekend before I have to pull the tank and go to paint.

tweakin · « **Reply #15 on:** March 14, 2014, 09:29:25 PM »

Making good progress, this is going to be a good one!

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #16 on:** March 15, 2014, 02:17:43 PM »

Got the sump gasket replaced, LED tail light installed and carbs tuned. She's a cold-hearted one (cold starting that is).

I took her for a ride today (more tomorrow) and she runs decently. Nowhere near as much power and torque as my 750, but she's much lighter.

image_zps2d1f276f by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

image_zps4e33684e by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

image_zps8c42a33c by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

A quick clip of the exhaust (no baffle, yet, so its a little raspy), when she was warming up on choke.

rtbmrgl · « **Reply #17 on:** March 15, 2014, 05:01:50 PM »

Quote from: CB750 Cafe Racer Fan on March 14, 2014, 04:43:29 PM

VMR Paint (Candy Jade Green) arriving today. I have replica sidecovers, sidecover badges, tank badges and tank decals.

I want to ride the bike this weekend before I have to pull the tank and go to paint.

I like the green on your bike, I recently paint my '73 500 the orig color, Candy Bacchus Olive, I also bought the paint from VMR. It came out great.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #18 on:** March 15, 2014, 05:08:48 PM »

Quote from: rtbmrgl on March 15, 2014, 05:01:50 PM

Quote from: CB750 Cafe Racer Fan on March 14, 2014, 04:43:29 PM
VMR Paint (Candy Jade Green) arriving today. I have replica sidecovers, sidecover badges, tank badges and tank decals.

I want to ride the bike this weekend before I have to pull the tank and go to paint.

I like the green on your bike, I recently paint my '73 500 the orig color, Candy Bacchus Olive, I also bought the paint from VMR. It came out great.

Glad to hear the good feedback on VMR.

rtbmrgl · « **Reply #19 on:** March 15, 2014, 05:53:33 PM »

Quote from: CB750 Cafe Racer Fan on March 15, 2014, 05:08:48 PM

Quote from: rtbmrgl on March 15, 2014, 05:01:50 PM
Quote from: CB750 Cafe Racer Fan on March 14, 2014, 04:43:29 PM
VMR Paint (Candy Jade Green) arriving today. I have replica sidecovers, sidecover badges, tank badges and tank decals.

I want to ride the bike this weekend before I have to pull the tank and go to paint.

I like the green on your bike, I recently paint my '73 500 the orig color, Candy Bacchus Olive, I also bought the paint from VMR. It came out great.

Glad to hear the good feedback on VMR.

Here is the result, I supplied the paint to a local body shop. I would love to take credit.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #20 on:** March 15, 2014, 08:38:06 PM »

Quote from: calj737 on March 15, 2014, 05:42:41 PM

How's the condition of the tank paint, Don? Any chance of saving it instead of repainting it? I know there's a dimple, but a good PDR guy should be able to lift that out super easy...

These original paint schemes and finishes look fantastic if you "restore" it with some very careful wet sanding, and buffing. I did a few for another member, and it made re-think about painting my bike (I liked his tank so much). Even if there's some minor imperfections, the originality can be awfully beautiful.

Unfortunately, Cal, the paint is not worth saving. The color was likely faded by a gasoline spill. It has severe sun fade, too. As a result, it has three sheds of green aside from the original green or close to it.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #21 on:** March 16, 2014, 07:48:14 AM »

Quote from: calj737 on March 16, 2014, 04:44:43 AM

Unfortunate. Yet, by the looks of the the remained tins, no worries. Those look god-awful-effin-beautiful!

I'm getting the urge to find another small bike for the wife to do a much more stock-ish build and use a very stock color.... All this hot street bike stuff is cool, but these stock restored beauties is giving me a major dilemma. :-(

The shots I posted above are of her "good" side. The tank has substantial sun fade on the top combined with discoloration from what looks like a fuel spill, and some deep scratches. No rust on the tank though! The right side cover has a hairline split about four inches long, and the left side cover looks like someone got hungry and chomped a 4x4 sized piece out of it. The paint on the side covers is the closest to the original paint.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #22 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:14:44 PM »

Well, I took the 550 out for a longer ride, which revealed another trouble area -- electrical. She appears to have a short that is taxing the electrical system. Worse yet, it appears that the battery is draining with the key off. This happened a week or so ago, but I thought I might have left the key in the ignition on "on." I just managed to drain the charge overnight on a lithium battery with the key definitely out. I quick charged it, started the bike, let it sit a most of the day and it had drained the battery again.

I have a replica wiring harness for it, a blade fuseblock and a regulator/rectifier already sourced, so I plan to swap out the old for the new in the coming weeks -- maybe while the tank gets repaired and painted.

Here you can see the gas stains and fade in the tank and the dimple. Nothing a little paint won't fix.

photo2_zpse3882eb0 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

photo1_zps8029cdb5 by Donald Leonhardt, on Flickr

rtbmrgl · « **Reply #23 on:** March 17, 2014, 02:08:47 PM »

Quote from: CB750 Cafe Racer Fan on March 16, 2014, 08:14:44 PM

Well, I took the 550 out for a longer ride, which revealed another trouble area -- electrical. She appears to have a short that is taxing the electrical system. Worse yet, it appears that the battery is draining with the key off. This happened a week or so ago, but I thought I might have left the key in the ignition on "on." I just managed to drain the charge overnight on a lithium battery with the key definitely out. I quick charged it, started the bike, let it sit a most of the day and it had drained the battery again.

I have a replica wiring harness for it, a blade fuseblock and a regulator/rectifier already sourced, so I plan to swap out the old for the new in the coming weeks -- maybe while the tank gets repaired and painted.

Here you can see the gas stains and fade in the tank and the dimple. Nothing a little paint won't fix.

Bummer about the short, was wondering when the key is out and no are on, may the ignition is powered. just a thought.

I wish the tank I'm working on now was as good as shape as yours. mine looks like it went through a hail storm.

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #24 on:** March 21, 2014, 07:45:17 AM »

The bike managed to kill the lithium ion battery. Or perhaps the battery was defective. I placed it on a balanced charger and it was still charging after 7 hours. I sent it back to the manufacturer for an exchange.

That said, the bike also killed a standard battery with a parasitic drain (power off) so something appears to be wonky with the wiring.

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Author Topic: 1975 CB550K1 - Stock-ish Restomod - More Mods (Read 153200 times)