Topic: 500/550/650's that followed me home

[rb550four]

I don't know how it's going to handle yet , I haven't had it attached yet. I found suitable exhaust for it on my last parts bike score and it's just been waiting for me to get to it.
 As for what to do with it, I was going to put a potato gun on the nose of it..... but I heard if I drop the barrel down to an inch and a half from 2" I can shoot citrus, it's supposed to fly further and cause less damage.
 When life hits ya with 550's...hit em back with lemons! or however the saying goes....yeah , that must be it.

[rb550four]

The daughter's Twinstar ....battery,points, carb clean,new seat  and small backrest and rack. runs great getting tires on it this week so I can get it the hell out of here.
This should be fun, teaching 28 year old daughter how to ride, i kinda wish that she had a dirtbike when she was young so it isn't so strange to her, I'm a little worried about this whole thing.
  Meanwhile I 'm trying to fit some accel wires on the 650 coils ,  but it will probably run like sh1t  with them on. It's my first time changing plug wires to other than stock, I really like how they look. Has anyone else done this and did it right? Any pointers?

[Bankerdanny]

Ah, another Johnny Dangerously fan, excellent.
On the job outright cursing is a no no usually , but  it is acceptable to slaughter the English language like that , get the point across, and lighten up the mood a little....How bad can that be right?

I painted something for a friend once....ONCE!

[rb550four]

So, This Saturday's plan was to finish up this 550/650. I have some odds and ends to deal with , nothing big, and I am waiting for the UPS guy to show up with some parts that I might want to drop into the mix, but he hasn't shown up yet.
  On the way to work, pouring 10 seconds of sugar in a cup of coffee,  a man that works at the local car wrecker yard tells me that something showed up at the yard. Something that might interest me, and they are holding it for me til I get there. Well , that was almost all I could think about all day. Luckily , today is Friday and I usually leave a little early on Fridays because I've put in a week of 9 hr days and all of them sucked.
But today was different...no , it still sucked, but this something of interest has got my goat and there's just no way that I'm not getting to the junkyard before it's closed, so I got in the truck and down the road I went.
I get there and it's a 79 650, looking kinda sad, and lonely, and I don't have a 79. So I asked the man what he wanted for it just for fun. You know that I have been trying to curb my addiction and haven't been purchasing new projects... Anyways he says , here's the keys and the title....a hundred bucks. And before you could say Bob's your uncle, I already laid down the hundred and said put that motherf****r on the truck.
   Yeah, I fell off the wagon, I'm backslidin', left rehab...screw it.
Here's the next,next,next project

[Stev-o]

It does look kinda sad, like a lost puppy dog.  Don't blame ya for saving it. 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Steal of a deal - $100!!!   

[rb550four]

So here it is , Saturday, around 3:30. The piddly little things I planned to finish up on the 77 550/650 F didn't happen. I was in the garage ready to start and my eye kept drifting toward that 79 650. Sad looking  for sure, in fact, it was so sad looking I couldn't take it anymore....just because it came from a junkyard doesn't mean that my barn should look like a junkyard too. 
  There was some extra lacquer left over from the last spray, and this poor bike needed a facelift, even if it'll be sitting in the corner by itself all winter , it was so ugly and rusty that it was bad for morale. Something had to be done, so I stripped the tank down , sanded the side covers and removed the obvious rust.


 There, now it can sit quietly in the corner for a while.
Oh , and if someone has a spare decent 79 650 seat, I'd like to talk to you. Thanks.

[Stev-o]

Instant transformation, not sad anymore. 

[Tews19]

Rb I am curious about a few 550/650 parts and if they are interchangeable. 550 frame with possibly the 650 front end? Will it work and most importantly does it function better then the 550 front end? Also in the thread you mentioned you punched out the frame to take a 650 swing arm. What benefit does this have?  Sorry if you covered this but I reread the thread again tonight and didn't see anything mentioning the advantages. 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

The front should be a direct swap. Depending on the model, the 650 forks may be longer. They include air pressurized forks on some models. The brakes are better. 

[Mcwilliams570]

Nick the 650 swing arm is a bit longer than the 550 also most 650 forks are longer than the 550 as cb750 racer fan said.

Matt

[Bankerdanny]

The later model 650's also use leading axle forks in addition to the extra length of the tubes.

[rb550four]

The 650  swingarm is about an inch and 3/8 longer than the 550. The inside curve happens  a little later toward the  mounting bolt, I like it because I can get a little wider tire in there with no clearance issue and I also think the ride is improved , especially if the 650 shocks  are used. I also like to use the 650 spoked wheel , not the 650 custom , those are comstocks, not a big fan.
 The entire front end is a direct fit from 550 to 650 on the lower tree and neck, uses the same bearings....I use the entire front including the  original 650 wheel, brake, and axles.
 I think I used an 81 custom once and although it had comstocks , it had longer air assist forks and dual front disc brake. The 650 ,with spoke wheels did not come with dual disc front brake and the forks (that I have ) aren't as long as the custom model.
 Note: mixing and matching 550 wheels onto 650 forks big PITA , could work but you'll be making a custom axle. There is no easy dual front brake . The non custom 650  spoke wheel will not allow you to put on a second disc on it as you could do with the 550 wheel.  So if you are looking for a dual front disc, you will be going with the 81 custom (I think off hand) front end or the 550 with a custom machine axle, but I think it'll get even more involved when it comes to calipers and mounting....can't say how much more involved as I haven't done that route yet. I've seen other members try but don't remember the outcome.
  I find the 500/550 to be a nimble but semi harsh ride . The 650 parts , I find, make the ride less harsh, which I feel besides being more comfortable ,  it feels like a safer more control-able ride, which makes it even more nimble.
All of this will not change the fact that with a stock 550 engine /trans /sprockets , you still won't be able to do the ton.... but I think it makes it a better ride with no aftermarket parts, and I wouldn't do it if there wasn't a "parts" 650  in the garage.

[Tews19]

Thanks for the great write up RB! This is what I've been eye ballin for over a week.

I'm not sure if the paint is factory. I like the pipes. Solid and no rust. Curious what will the 650 get to in speed? This is an 81. I read 113 tops. I never plan to ride that fast just curious as I'm dying to do a 550/650 build.

[2strokeTrush]

I'm not sure if the paint is factory. I like the pipes. Solid and no rust. Curious what will the 650 get to in speed? This is an 81. I read 113 tops. I never plan to ride that fast just curious as I'm dying to do a 550/650 build.

Im Dying to watch you do a 550/650 build!

[Stev-o]

I'm not sure if the paint is factory. I like the pipes. Solid and no rust. Curious what will the 650 get to in speed? This is an 81. I read 113 tops. I never plan to ride that fast just curious as I'm dying to do a 550/650 build.

Im Dying to watch you do a 550/650 build!

I'm dying to see Tews finish his 550 build. 

[Tews19]

Lol.

[rb550four]

Tews , That looks like a pretty nice 650 to strip down, looks nicer than my favorite stock 650 ride( due for a freshening), what's up with it? No papers issue?
  I should like to offer an idea, take that 650 for a few rides before you break it down just to be sure that you like the ride better. It would be a shame to break down a perfectly serviceable 650 and drill out a swingarm mount in a 550 frame if you aren't sure that you'll like it.
 Good thing it's not a custom, they have some funky handlebars (  like Pee Wee Herman's Bicycle handle bars) and you wouldn't get a true satisfaction reading if you didn't change out them before riding.
 I like the feel of the 650 but  not the modern look, compared with the classic styling of the 500/550. That's basically why I do the switch...oh , and a couple more ponies don't hurt either.                                                                              rb

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Count me in for the 650 12-step group. 

[Tews19]

RB it has papers and runs! Pretty exciting but I'm going to wait till this deal I have goes through.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

My 550K4 frame has papers but in CA you need to show a semi-roadworthy bike to get a title and registration (doesn't need to run) -- and the engine goes on the registration, too.  So, I will need to get it into that point before I take it to AAA/DMV.

[rb550four]

Tews, I forgot to ask which 550 frame you will be using if you did the switch?
 I ask because the 76 and 77 F model seems to work out nicer than any of the K's do as a finished product. You'll need the F brake pedal anyways and on a K  after the carbs and chrome trim is on the sidecovers need a clearance cut.... not so on an F frame, it's seamless and flows like it was built that way, no side cover clearance issues,no brake pedal issues.
P
Picture of orange bike... 500 frame...see the black side covers had to be trimmed


On the F  the fit is seamless at the side cover. Sorry bout the crappy pics.

[Mcwilliams570]

I'm not sure if the paint is factory. I like the pipes. Solid and no rust. Curious what will the 650 get to in speed? This is an 81. I read 113 tops. I never plan to ride that fast just curious as I'm dying to do a 550/650 build.

Im Dying to watch you do a 550/650 build!

I'm dying to see Tews finish his 550 build. 

LOL

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Tews, I forgot to ask which 550 frame you will be using if you did the switch?
 I ask because the 76 and 77 F model seems to work out nicer than any of the K's do as a finished product. You'll need the F brake pedal anyways and on a K  after the carbs and chrome trim is on the sidecovers need a clearance cut.... not so on an F frame, it's seamless and flows like it was built that way, no side cover clearance issues,no brake pedal issues.

RB,

So if I stuff the 650 engine into my 78K frame, will I have to mod the frame?  I'm not planning to use sidecovers on my build.

Don

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Do you know if the valve train parts interchange between the 550 and 650?  Specifically, will valves, valve seals, springs, retainers for the 550 fit the 650 head?