Topic: My 1974 CB550K -Brie! (First Build)

[igotalotofrice]

I had this a couple of months now, but I think it's time to officially start a thread.  My goal is to get this bike running at tip top shape so I have something to ride while I build up my Triumph Bonneville.

Here is my bike the day I picked her up!







A little background on how I stumbled on this CB550.  I wrecked my Triumph this summer (I am fine) and now in the process of rebuilding it.  In the meantime I needed something to ride.

My barber knew I was into classic bikes and told me about his friend who inherited this CB from his uncle.  At the time I was somewhat interested, but I had my Bonneville.  Well after the wreck, I mentioned to him again that I was now looking for something else.  Lucky me, his friend is in the process of needing cash and wants to sell. 

We set a time and went to look at the bike.  After the guy inherited the bike from his uncle, he only rode it a bit, I guess he was still new at it.  He decided to try to "cafe" it, but after he put on a Mac 4-1, he couldn't get it started and just left it in his shed for 3 years.  Minimal rust, nothing seized, and the bike only had 10,000 miles on it. 

The bike as you can see, looks pretty good.  He wanted $1000 for it, I talked him down to $900 bucks. Also got 2 new tires he never put on with it!  I took it to my shop, empty out the old fuel from the tank and carburetors, found that the ignition wire was loose, put new fuel with Seafoam in it, hooked up a battery and got it to fire up!  After it was done shooting out nut shells from the muffler, me and a buddy got to work. 

[igotalotofrice]

Alright, here is the progress so far. 

Some goals right now:

-Get this thing running well
-Get thing thing to be able to stop well
-New lower seat ( I cannot reach the kickstand to kick it up!)
-General maintenance for a long life.


What came on the bike:

-Uni-filter for the airbox
-Mac 4-1 exhaust
-Everything else stock.

What I already did prior to the start of this thread:

-New clutch and throttle cables
-Carburetors rebuilt using rebuild kit (got it off 4-1, used everything in the kit)
-Bleed the front brakes
-New spark plugs
-New oil change and filter
-Fixed some of the wiring
-Valve adjustment
-Ignition timing (done at a Honda shop professionally)
-Frame check for integrity (Professionally, read some horror stories on here about bent frames)
-New tires on.
-Chain cleaned and lubed (dealer did that, it was nice of them.)

Things I still need to do:

-Got new brake pads and some SS brake lines for more stopping power.
-New steering head bearings, my are apparently shot.
-New seat or custom seat!!!!
-Check rear brakes and order stuff for that.
-Might be leaking air, got new airbox to carb boots.

Things that are wrong with it that I am currently working on:
-Bike idles, but I can't go any faster than mph.
-Clutch, I can shift to first and second without using my clutch lever, neutral a little hard to find.  Might need only a cable adjustment I hope.


Bike as I got it back from the dealer:

[igotalotofrice]

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to get this bike running tip top.

Symptoms include:

-It idles.
-Won't go past 40 mph without struggle, seems hard to get higher speeds.
-I hear a "sucky, suctiony sounds" at idle.
-Will die when revved up and drop down in rpm's.

Here are what the spark plugs look like:



I orginally soak them in Simple Green and soda blasted them.  Then dipped then in vinegar to get rid of the soda and rebuilt them using a kit. 

I amright now in the process of taking the carburetors apart again, on the advice of someone, to make sure the emulsifier tube(?) is clear.  I am using an ultrasonic cleaner this time with some water and dawn.

I noticed corrosion.





Everything still seals, but should I be worried in the near future?

[igotalotofrice]

Short Update:

Got the carbs all nice and clean.  Took apart everything and just put it in the ultrasonic cleaner, and made sure all the nooks and crannies are clean.  Put back together and looks awesome!

Got 1/4 fuel lines, no filters ( fuel looks clear! Tank is clean.) and made sure I get a good amount of fuel flowing right. 

Bench synced, put the carbs back on the bike, and use a vacuum sync to get the bike to idle at around 1,200 to 1,400 rpms!

No colored smoke out the tail pipe.

Running 89 octane fuel.

Now, during my test ride, i was able to get to 70 mph (by my speedo), but it responds well to 1/2 to 3/4 but getting a little hesitation at WOT.

My settings are the stock jetting using the aftermarket rebuild kit.  I am thinking of going to 105 mains, but want to buy them from jetsrus.  What do you guys think?

[gloken]

Good call on cleaning the carbs the second time, I cleaned mine, and what I thought was "clean" was still far from perfect. The more you know.

This seems to be a really good walk through of the process next time you strip the things apart.

If you have no power in gear I'd blame the clutch cable and adjustment first. I'm no expert, but I'm at about the same stage as you, and that was my experience.

[Tews19]

Great buy! I always love the orange tank and side covers! What the plan for a cafe seat? What's the condition of the seat on it now?

[igotalotofrice]

Good call on cleaning the carbs the second time, I cleaned mine, and what I thought was "clean" was still far from perfect. The more you know.

This seems to be a really good walk through of the process next time you strip the things apart.

If you have no power in gear I'd blame the clutch cable and adjustment first. I'm no expert, but I'm at about the same stage as you, and that was my experience.

Awesome, I have a spare set of carbs I want to rebuild. This will come in handy.

[igotalotofrice]

Update 10.27.2014:

- Cleaned out my petcock and re-did my fuel lines!  Seems like there was sediment in the petcock, impeding the fuel flow.  Got that sorted out!

-New Uni-Filter, old one was falling apart.

-New plugs in, but still carbon build up on them.

-Got a new seat, still need to upholster it and put it one.  Thanks Tews for it!  One less thing to worry about.




Things that I have to sort out:

-New plugs show carbon fouled.- Research shows too rich, plugs not hot enough?
-Cylinder 1 is cooler then the others, 2,3,4 are fine: Bad spark plug wire?  Coils going bad?
-Hesitation at WOT and higher speeds, flat spot at around 5k rpms- I don't know, too rich?
-I can shift w/o using my clutch lever

I am going to re-run the carb vacuum gauge to see if they are still balanced then move my fuel/air adjuster to 2 full turns from 1.5 turns. Does anyone have any advice?
 

[Tews19]

550s have a flat spot. Usually around 3800-4200 from my own experience.  Did you check the needle position on the carbs? Sometimes PO will adjust those; hence possible reason for running  rich. Is cylinder one getting intermittent spark?  Easy way to check is to use a spare plug and test with it touching the engine case itself.

[igotalotofrice]

550s have a flat spot. Usually around 3800-4200 from my own experience.  Did you check the needle position on the carbs? Sometimes PO will adjust those; hence possible reason for running  rich. Is cylinder one getting intermittent spark?  Easy way to check is to use a spare plug and test with it touching the engine case itself.

I am going to check the spark on cylinder 1 tomorrow evening.  I rebuild the carbs, I used an aftermarket needle from a rebuild kit and made sure it was on the stock position.

The real issue I think is at WOT.  It chokes and sputters, when I do it.

[Tews19]

How come you changed out the original brass in the carbs? The "new" brass is kits isn't up to the quality of the original. If you have them maybe swap back?

Side note on the seat. Move it back till the hump hits the frame. It will fit better.

[igotalotofrice]

How come you changed out the original brass in the carbs? The "new" brass is kits isn't up to the quality of the original. If you have them maybe swap back?

Side note on the seat. Move it back till the hump hits the frame. It will fit better.

I guess I have to put the original brass back in....I have them clean and what not, so no biggie.  Maybe I can do that without having to take my carbs off the bike.

As for the seat, Thanks for the tip!  I was just checking to see what it looks like.  I gotta remove the rear fender and the mud guard for a proper fit. 

[Tews19]

Yeah fender off and it will slide right on. The brass maybe able to go back on without removing but it literally takes 5 min to remove the carbs.

Not sure if you know the non knuckle busting method but here it is.
Remove the 2 bolts for the battery box. Remove the battery box.
Next remove the back side of the airbox.
Now take off the carb to airbox metal clamps. Got to take them off completely to prevent any damage. Then slide the half box that connects to the CARB down as far as it can go... carbs will come out fairly easy that way. No damage and no bloody knuckles!

[igotalotofrice]

Yeah fender off and it will slide right on. The brass maybe able to go back on without removing but it literally takes 5 min to remove the carbs.

Not sure if you know the non knuckle busting method but here it is.
Remove the 2 bolts for the battery box. Remove the battery box.
Next remove the back side of the airbox.
Now take off the carb to airbox metal clamps. Got to take them off completely to prevent any damage. Then slide the half box that connects to the CARB down as far as it can go... carbs will come out fairly easy that way. No damage and no bloody knuckles!

It's exactly what I do!  I have tiny hands so that also works to my advantage, especially when I have to stick my hand in the airbox to make sure the boots are on correctly!

[gloken]

Yuck, I learned that one the hard way. So much swearing and bleeding.

[Slinky]

Hey man where did ya pick up that seat pan? Looks awesome. Also do you still have the factory seat!! For sale?

[Tews19]

Slinky- The seat is from Bedlam Werks but he got it off me..

[Slinky]

Got any more

[Tews19]

No I bought it new. Never used it so gave a forum member a smoking deal as I know he will put it to good use.

[igotalotofrice]

Hey man where did ya pick up that seat pan? Looks awesome. Also do you still have the factory seat!! For sale?

Yup, Bedlam werks, Tews provided everything for me.  As for the original seat, I still have it, but Tews gots dibs on it if I sell it.

I"ll let you know if things change.

 

[Tews19]

Quick note on the seat. The grommets go on the bottom of the seat itself. That will support on the frame. I put it on the pan I believe.

[igotalotofrice]

Quick note on the seat. The grommets go on the bottom of the seat itself. That will support on the frame. I put it on the pan I believe.

Yup! Grommets on the seat, the seat pan has nothing on it!  Thanks for the heads up!

[igotalotofrice]

Update 10.29.2014

My stock mains and jets are not in good condition, so I am going to buy the OEM from jetsrus.  Hopefully they are exact replacements.  The needle on the other hand, looks pretty good.  I am sticking with stock settings.

I also got a set of Dyna coils 5ohm for $50, my buddy sold them to me:



More to come....

[Tews19]

Can you take a pic of the jets? You will be surprised. Only really need new o rings.

[igotalotofrice]

Can you take a pic of the jets? You will be surprised. Only really need new o rings.

1 of them is destroyed, I figured I'd just get new ones.

Got these main jets ordered: http://www.jetsrus.com/a_jet_kit_street/honda_550_CB550K_1974-1976.htm

[igotalotofrice]

Update 11.02.2014

Took the carbs off and started replace the brass with the original.  Tews you were right, needed to the whole carbs off the bike. 

Everything but the mains were good.  Waiting for the OEM Kehin mains to come in the mail. 

All is good but this:

carburetor emulsifiers tube falls out pretty easily, but with the mains, they stay in. 

More to come!

[Edit: I re-linked the video]

[Tews19]

What pic did you post? Not showing up on my end.

[igotalotofrice]

What pic did you post? Not showing up on my end.

Sorry, fixed!

[Tews19]

That is fine that it falls out. The main jet goes on after and holds it in place.

[igotalotofrice]

Update 11.15.2014

Seat pan is at the upholsters!  I did the foam myself, shaped it to roughly what I wanted.  The upholsterer is taking care of the rest.

As for the Carbs....they now have the original stock brass in them and are back on the bike.  Now comes some new issues:
-Carb 3 fuel is coming out from the over flow, gotta re-adjust the floats.
-The bikes runs great......with the choke on.  Without the choke, the bike bogs and struggles.  I have to do some research.

I wanted to install my Dyna-Coils but the bolts holding the OEM coils are seized and will strip if I try to remove them.


BAHHHHH.

[Restoration Fan]

How come you changed out the original brass in the carbs? The "new" brass is kits isn't up to the quality of the original.

Is this true for just ones purchased in rebuild kits or true of all replacement jets?  I know I saw OEM ones listed on JetsRUs and was planning to buy some from there but wanted to solicit opinions before doing so.

[calj737]

Resto Fan - only buy OEM brass for your carbs. Too numerous members have bought aftermarket only to discover they don't fit, are the same shape, and orifices are very different sizes from originals.

Rice - sounds like your carbs aren't clean. Adding choke increases full, if you can't idle without it, you're too lean or fuel starved. The fact that #3 is overflowing could also be an indication that the float needle is clogged on one or more carbs, and preventing the appropriate fuel from entering the carbs. Worth a check on all four.

[igotalotofrice]

How come you changed out the original brass in the carbs? The "new" brass is kits isn't up to the quality of the original.

Is this true for just ones purchased in rebuild kits or true of all replacement jets?  I know I saw OEM ones listed on JetsRUs and was planning to buy some from there but wanted to solicit opinions before doing so.

Yeah, I have hear rumors too, but only to find out first hand that the ones in the rebuild kits sucks.  So far I have had the best results with the original brass in.

As for JetsRUs, they are not OEM, but they are the closest to them.  They claim to use one really good supplier and do not go with the cheapest ones to sell.  Comparing the OEM, rebuild kits, and JetsRUs brass, there is a pretty noticeable difference with the OEM and Rebuild kits.  As with the OEM and JetsRUs mains, I really can't tell the difference side to side. 


Additionally, Does anyone know where I can get OEM Jets, Mains and what not?

[igotalotofrice]

Resto Fan - only buy OEM brass for your carbs. Too numerous members have bought aftermarket only to discover they don't fit, are the same shape, and orifices are very different sizes from originals.

Rice - sounds like your carbs aren't clean. Adding choke increases full, if you can't idle without it, you're too lean or fuel starved. The fact that #3 is overflowing could also be an indication that the float needle is clogged on one or more carbs, and preventing the appropriate fuel from entering the carbs. Worth a check on all four.

Cal, I can ensure you my carbs are very clean.  The bike idles without the choke.  I think it's the floats that needs to be re-adjusted.  The last round of my carb rebuild (when I put the original brass in)  I re-adjusted my floats myself (last 3 times my mechanic buddy did them), and I think I messed it up. 

Thanks for farther confirming it's my floats and not that I have to move up in mains. 

[igotalotofrice]

Update 11.21.2014

I have decided it's too cold to test ride the bike so I am doing maintenance now.

Carburetors:
-Float height adjusted and fixed.
-Put in the original air/fuel mixture screw and spring.
-Benched synced for start up!
-What are your guys thoughts on inline fuel filters, Yay or Nay?  Got some just in case.

Petcock:
-No more leaky petcock!

Coils:
-Replaced the old coils with new Dyna 5ohm coils.
-Need to make spark plug wires, using OEM boots.

Seat:

Went from this:



to this:



Now I have to figure out the whole rear fender and turn/brake light situation along with securing the seat to the frame! 

[Bankerdanny]

Beautiful seat. I want to contradict calj on one point, the choke in not a fuel enrichment device, that is to seay it has no impact on the amount of fuel delivered. The choke does just what it sound like, it chokes off (reduces) air flow, causing the richer mixture you need to start cold.

Fuel leaking from your carb is typically (1) an incorrectly set float (2) a bad float needle and/or seat or (3) a cracked overflow tube.

Did you use the float seat and needle from the carb kit? Similar to the problem with the jets, these parts are often slightly smaller than they should be and so the needles don't seat properly and shut off the fuel flow.

Check for the crack in the overflow first. They can be very hard to spot. You can test them by removing the bowl and filling it will gas or alcohol and checking for a leak.

You can test the float needle by removing the bowl of the carb (it can be done with the carb in place with a 2" long #2 phillips bit and a 1/4 in wrench) and GENTLY pressing the float up with the fuel tap on. If fuel leaks out you know the issue is the needle (and probably the seat if you replaced both). If it doesn't then the problem is the float height.

[igotalotofrice]

@BankerDanny

I rechecked my carbs, it was a float.  Did not check to see if there are any cracks, but I am sure there are none.  If I am wrong, I have spares. 

As for the needles, I put the original back in.  Unfortunately I haven't run the carbs yet. 

I am going back to check my valves, just in case, I think I did them wrong the first time.  Good thing I didn't ride the bike more than 30 miles.