Topic: CB550 riding rest/cafe/commuter?

[tfrasca]

I just started looking at receipts (bad idea) for my new 550, and I realized it's starting to become a "project". I picked it up a few months ago, and it had been sitting outside for 2.5 years, but the PO said he used to ride it every day. We got it running, I rode it around the block on 2 cylinders, and I told him I'd take it. This is what it looked like when I got it home:



It had completely blown forks seals, and I later found out the both fork tubes AND the steerer tube were very bent. In the process of buying some new forks (thanks Tews), I got a new tank, wiring harness, exhaust, and lots of other stuff I wasn't really planning on addressing. Long story short, I spent a bunch of time in my backyard (no garage) cleaning, painting, replacing seals and gaskets, etc. As of today, this is where she stands:



I still need to get a front fender on, break the oil housing bolt free, replace the clutch, and sync the carbs, but after that, it's mostly cosmetic stuff and I'm looking forward to that.

Anyway, thanks to everyone on this forum who has answered my dumb questions and helped me out along the way. Appreciate it.

TF

[Tews19]

I am still amazed how well the bike came out. Exhaust looks sweet. I prolly should have kept that exhaust but glad you are getting use out of it. Keep it as is but get a fender on it. If you do not like the fender look trim it a little. Safety first!

[Tews19]

Drop a 650 cam in it and if you have the ability to port the heads I would do that. MRieck did an awesome job on mine and there is a noticeable difference. I did go with the 605 120 dollar piston kit but honestly money well spent.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Great looking bike. Tews is right about porting. Maybe one of those down the road projects if you start experiencing a head or base gasket leak of significance.

Until then, your last issues of the clutch and oil bolt and fender should finish it off to enjoy the heck out of it.

[flatlander]

looking good there. once you're done with the essential stuff just keep riding it. that way you can enjoy it while figuring out what to do next.

[Blackfin5]

If you don't have a fender brace please get a fork brace.

[tfrasca]

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Fender is for sure on the list. Cruising around town, I couldn't detect any fork flex, but I did some experimenting with hard straight-line braking and it'll jog to the left a bit. A fender is necessary for sure. I think I'll go with a stock one, but trim it just in front of the fork legs. I really like the clean lines without the fender, but the front of my engine and the handling will thank me.

I need to add one more maintenance item to my short list- eliminate the 1/8-1/4 throttle stuttering when hot. It's running rich with all stock jetting and synced carbs, so I'm going to check needle height next. I just remembered that the PO had some foam UNI pods on it before he retired it, so maybe he moved the needles to smooth out throttle response. Haven't checked those yet.

I definitely want to get it running at 100% before doing any engine mods, but the 650 cam and port job on the head sounds pretty reasonable. My friend has a really nice 550F, and it would sure be nice to be faster, haha.

Thanks again for the feedback!

TF

[tfrasca]

Well, that was a productive few hours working on the bike. Last night, I took it to my buddies shop to sync the carbs. They were WAY out:



We got them all within spec of each other, but it was still rich when starting from first or cruising with the throttle just cracked. I rode it without the air filter and it was smooth in that range, confirming my diagnosis.

So this morning, I decided to see what the needles were doing. They looked like stock needles (number 272304 stamped on the side) and the clips were at the 4th slot from the top, which is also stock. Wierd, why was it running rich? Well, I got to cylinder 4 and that needle had been dropped or something, because it was all #$%*ed up at the point. It was also black. That's also the cylinder that's been fouling plugs and running the richest.



The only replacement needles I had on hand were the ones that came with my rebuild kit. Not sure of the brand, but the needles are stamped D26 and are very slightly longer than what I pulled out. The additional length is about equal to 1/2 a clip slot, if that makes sense.

Longer story short, I put in all 4 D26 needles at the 4th clip from the top, and it seems to run great. Possibly a little lean give the added needle length, so I may drop them one slot. But for now, it runs smooth all through the throttle range. Pretty pleased. I'm also happy to report that changing needles with the carbs in the bike is totally doable.

TF

[tfrasca]

After some more riding, I'm fairly certain it's too lean now. Quickly pulled plugs 1 and 4 (because it was dark and I was in a hurry) and they were a little on the white side. They seemed to have some deposits on the electrodes, which I haven't seen before, but they are only a day old, so maybe they're just not fully coated with ash yet. I don't think it's lean to the point of detonation or overheating, as it ran pretty well and there were no specks of metal on the plugs I checked.

I'll drop the clips in those weird Keyster needles, and if that doesn't sort it out, I'll track down some OEM Honda needles. Anyone know where to find those, by the way?

[Tews19]

If I have some I will give them to you. Let me look in my stash... Also for lean you should hear some popping on decel. Which cylinder did you not adjust while syncing? I would have left 2 or 3 since they were the highest and adjusted 1 then 4.

[tfrasca]

Thanks, Tews. We adjusted 1 and 4 to meet 2 and 3, but my friend and I had basically no idea what we were doing, so once I fix this needle clip problem I'm having and get the carbs back in, I'll re-sync them. I've got another thread going in the Bikes forum about my carb issues.

[tfrasca]

Figured I'd post some stuff about the bike here. Mostly so that if (when) I forget what I did, I can reference it on the internet.

The biggest new development with the bike has been the addition of a front fender. I rode in the rain without one, shorted a plug wire, and ruined a spark plug cap so I was motivated enough to find a fender. The main reason I wasn't running one was because I didn't like the look, but I found this one (from a CB500, perhaps?) with only the rear brace. I love the way it looks:



It changes the entire appearance of the bike, in my opinion. Much more appropriate for its era. Not too mention how much better it handles. I'm very happy with that purchase.

I also have a photo of my Dyna S ignition, which has been running flawlessly, except for a brief moment when the supplied splice connector opened up and compromised the connection. Eventually, I'll replace that with something more bulletproof.



I've never posted a photo of the rear of the bike, which I'm also pleased with. I chopped the rear fender, installed a cheap (but very bright) Lucas-style tail light, and painted my plate black/yellow. You can now buy these vintage plates for any model year bike or car in California, for $70. Or you can paint it yourself with pretty good results:



I also added some shocks I found on eBay. NOS Redwing Suspension from the 70's/80's. I don't know much about them, but my first impressions are that they were probably akin to the cheap #$%* that circulates around the aftermarket nowadays. They have no adjustable damping, but do have two different rate springs on each shock. They feel alright, if a touch bouncy. My swing arm bearings may not be 100%, so I'll replace those before I make a judgement on the shocks. They work for now:



Anyway, the bike has been a blast and I couldn't have asked for a better first bike to tinker with. Next on the list are:

-Remove frozen/stripped oil filter housing bolt, replace with 17mm head
-Adjust valves and cam chain for the 4th and final time to try to quiet the motor down
-Sync carbs again to eliminate the slight hesitation off-idle
-Find a smallish electronic tach that I like
-Embark on a 60-mile round-trip commute at least three days a week and hope the bike holds up!

If you've made it this far, thanks for following along. Now go ride your bike.

TF