Topic: 1978 CB550K worth it??

[amacemon]

Hey everybody. I'm new to the forum, but am hoping to become a regular after I buy a bike. I have been lurking around without joining for about a month and wanted to introduce myself. 

I'm looking at a bike to turn into a café racer.  I am fairly mechanically inclined, but have never worked on motorcycles.  I rode dirt bikes as a kid and had a katana 600 for about 6 or 7 years probably 6 years ago.  So, I'm not new to riding, but am interesting in the SOHC bikes.


Anyway, I'm looking at this bike on craigslist and wanted to know all of the expert's opinions on here.  Seems like a decent deal to me, but I don't know if I should be troubled by a few things. 

Here is a link to the bike  http://bham.craigslist.org/mcy/4483212498.html

The seller says the bike cranks up, but when you let the throttle go the engine will eventually turn off. He also says not all cylinders are working.  Can these be fixed by cleaning the carbs?

Is there anything else I should be concerned with or look for specifically with this bike? Does $1200 seem like a good price?

Thanks so much for your help in advance. 

[Tews19]

I had the same bike. Mine was mint and I got it for 700 or 800 a few years ago. They are worth whatever someone is willing to pay. If it were me, I would offer 500. It's not a runner. Yes it starts but dies right away... should be an easy fix but you can use that for negotiations.  Keep us posted and welcome to the site.

[billingstitan]

The engine looks nice - body looks fairly straight - brakes, etc. are fairly simple.

My biggest concern would be the dead cylinder. It could be as simple as a bad plug wire, or it could be worse.

I think $1200 is a bit steep for a non(barley)runner - but I paid $1000 for the same bike in a little better shape - had a lot more grime - it ran fine, but had been sitting for almost two years. Still, I've probably got another $800 into at least cause these bikes just need work typically.

Stepping into one of these, just be aware you kinda need to be a bit OCD as there is almost always something to fix, or tweek ... or you fix or tweek something, and then something else pops up. BUT, if you enjoy tinkering with bikes, then the SOHC are great bikes, because they seem designed for the garage mechanic. I'm a f'n idiot, but have managed to do a lot on my own.

Price is hard to really say - in larger metropolitan areas, these bikes seem to go for a lot of money, and even here in Montana the price on them has gone up 25-40 percent in the last five years or so as they seem to be getting more popular.

I'd go take a look - run it - make sure there are no knocks are strange sounds - if not, then it might be worth a gamble - I might start at $700 or $800, and just see where it goes. It's tough to give a good estimate without hearing the bikes.

The running but not idling is nothing to worry about usually - these bikes need the carbs spot on to idle well - and I assume you'll be tearing it down and rebuilding carbs, synching them, etc.

So if you're in the mood and inclination for a project bike, SOHC's can't be beat - they are reliable little bikes once you get the kinks ironed out, and fun to work on. Best older bike around, because most parts are relatively easy to find. BUT, if you want a runner that you don't have to constantly fiddle with ...

[Bankerdanny]

$500 would be too low. I paid $700 for my non-running but completely intact and original '77 3 years ago. Overall my bike was in better shape than that one other than not running at all. In the end it only required carb cleaning and a battery to rectify that. When I sold in in August 2011 running perfectly and needing nothing, I got $1,300. But prices have come up on these bikes since then.

Since this bike does run I would say $900-$1,000 is reasonable. The bike likely dies because of poorly set floats or perhaps some gunk in the fuel lines restricting fuel flow. It could even be as simple as properly setting the idle.

At any rate even at the full asking price I would say the cost would not be out of line.

[Stev-o]

I agree with Danny, $900-1000 would be a fair price.  (Tews lives in la la WI land where bikes are very cheap!)

I would bet the issues would be resolved by a carb clean/rebuild and a full tune up.  This could cost upwards to $300 or more, depending on how much of the work you can do yourself. 

Use this info for bargaining power to the seller, go look at it today!

[amacemon]

Thanks for all of the advice, guys.  The guy selling it is saying that $1200 is the lowest he will take. He wont be in town until Monday, and he is 2 hours from where I live.   I've also heard that it is hard to get carb rebuild kits for the 77-78 550k's.  Is that true? Without the parts easily available to rebuild the carbs, I'm thinking I may pass on this one. 

I have found another one that I think Im in love with....  http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/mcy/4431565090.html  It is more than I wanted to spend, but it has been rebuilt and is almost the style that I want. what are your thoughts on that one?

 here is a picture of it.

[TwoTired]

The 78 looks far too good and complete to be hacked up and destroyed as a cafe.  I bit high in price as a restoration project.  Gonna need an additional $3-500 to make it road worthy, and $1500-2000 to make it into a respectable cafe.

If you are going for a cafe, get one dismantled, bashed, or already buggared up, in need of a rescue.  ...Like that 76 F!

[Stev-o]

Thanks for all of the advice, guys.  The guy selling it is saying that $1200 is the lowest he will take. He wont be in town until Monday, and he is 2 hours from where I live.   I've also heard that it is hard to get carb rebuild kits for the 77-78 550k's.  Is that true? Without the parts easily available to rebuild the carbs, I'm thinking I may pass on this one. 

I have found another one that I think Im in love with....  http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/mcy/4431565090.html  It is more than I wanted to spend, but it has been rebuilt and is almost the style that I want. what are your thoughts on that one?

 here is a picture of it.

Personally, I wouldn't pay $2K for that, but I don't like the exhaust or painted rims. 

It's been posted a month, maybe he'll consider an offer? I could not find it on YouTube. 

[amacemon]

Here is the link to it on youtube. CB idling without the muffler It turns out he had a typo in his username.  It should have been calhounboi, not calhouboi. 

[sammermpc]

Maybe I'm nuts, but I haven't seen anything close to as nice for $1200 in the Boston area. Makes no sense to cafe, though. Grab it, fix it -- you'd get twice that on Ebay (or up here, for that matter).

[Tews19]

2K for the orange 550? Not here.

[Tews19]

+1 for what CalJ said; don't be in a rush and buy.. Take your time and you will find one.

[billingstitan]

Amen - I'd be closer to $500-700 for the cafe than I would be the other bike. But I know how it goes ... you wants what you wants, and there's no shame in that ... but for $2000 is enough to get a bike in mechanically sound condition and at least good cosmetically.

For instance, here's one close to me that I checked out - hate to let it go, but I just dropped $800 on a new engine - but if you look past the hideous seat and fairing, this is a cherry CB550 that will prob go for less than $1500 - you could get it shipped to you for prob around $500.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301196216653?_trksid=p3984.m570.l4448&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI301196216653.N1.S2.M898.R2.TR4

[Wollongongwolf]

550k looks great, but ya right about the seat and fairing God Ugly!
You could say got a strippers body, but the strippers head let's it down. Give it a good face lift and she would be sweet.

[Wollongongwolf]

I have to say, got to laugh at the difference in opinions from different country's on bikes and what looks rough as guts and the prices. I do understand things are different, but when I see people saying a 40 year old bike for$1200 with 10,000 miles and looks original, not a rusty bitza like you would get here for 3 times the money,is too much too pay is a crack up, I would jump on it!
No searching for all the important bits, it's a Honda, does much go wrong after 10,000 miles. Mine looked as rough as that, ( not that, that one looks rough to me) bit of elbow grease, carb kit, oil change , fix the brakes and mine runs like a dream and it's got 20,000 kilometres on it. Would hardly run, hard to start had to rev the #$%* out of it and did not idle. Now she is sweet.
Mate I say look at it, have the cash in your pocket, if it is a diamond in the rough, take it.
I been looking at bikes online in the States for years and four or five years ago classic bikes were so cheap, but they are going up at a rate of knots. They are shipping them to Oz by the container load and making huge profits. The way it's going, if you want a SOHC/4, you will have to import it back from Oz.
I don't reckon you can loose, put a few dollars in, few years you will get your money back and more and have fun at the same time. Better than keeping a lousy $1200 in the bank with no interest.
Just my thought, but I know many would disagree.

[nixon]

if you want to cafe it.. check out dotheton.com

[iron_worker]

I have to say, got to laugh at the difference in opinions from different country's on bikes and what looks rough as guts and the prices. I do understand things are different, but when I see people saying a 40 year old bike for$1200 with 10,000 miles and looks original, not a rusty bitza like you would get here for 3 times the money,is too much too pay is a crack up, I would jump on it!
No searching for all the important bits, it's a Honda, does much go wrong after 10,000 miles. Mine looked as rough as that, ( not that, that one looks rough to me) bit of elbow grease, carb kit, oil change , fix the brakes and mine runs like a dream and it's got 20,000 kilometres on it. Would hardly run, hard to start had to rev the #$%* out of it and did not idle. Now she is sweet.
Mate I say look at it, have the cash in your pocket, if it is a diamond in the rough, take it.
I been looking at bikes online in the States for years and four or five years ago classic bikes were so cheap, but they are going up at a rate of knots. They are shipping them to Oz by the container load and making huge profits. The way it's going, if you want a SOHC/4, you will have to import it back from Oz.
I don't reckon you can loose, put a few dollars in, few years you will get your money back and more and have fun at the same time. Better than keeping a lousy $1200 in the bank with no interest.
Just my thought, but I know many would disagree.

I'd have to agree. Even in Canada, a bike like that first one posted would probably be $2k+ and that orange cafe would be more like 3-4k. Everything in the US is cheaper than here. I always find it funny to see the "What's it worth?" threads and just wonder how many projects I'd have if I could get bikes that plentiful and cheap. ha

IW