Hey all! I have been scouring the Forum for over a month now, and I think it is time I introduce myself. Not that anyone cares about me, but thems the rules for newbies!
I was born/raised in North Dakota (terrible luck), but have decided to stay here and make a living. Grew up riding a few dirt bikes, bought my first sport bike in 2001 ('98 CBR 600 F3 - black, maroon, tan color scheme - pretty unique colors IMO). Rode it for about 5 years, but sparingly. Wasn't a stupid kid that couldn't keep his front wheel on the ground, but enjoyed opening it up in the wide open spaces of NoDak and MN. Always farmed out the annual maintenance and never really put that many miles on it. Sold it around 2007ish as I wasn't enjoying it anymore.
Fast forward to now.... older, married, looking to get out of the house and into the garage..... and am interested in learning everything I can about the mechanicals on bikes. Also interested in getting back on 2 wheels that aren't my road bike (pedal powered), although I will probably still put more miles on my road bike. Not interested in purchasing a no-maintenance sport bike anymore. I want something that can be a time-suck for me.... not just something I can jump on and go. I am not afraid to tear into anything and always welcome the challenge. Anyways, started to scour local craigslist, mainly for old 2 stroke street bikes (specifically Yamaha RD's) but came across a brown '76 550K2. BTW, Still looking for an old stroker. There is something about those bikes that I just love. Anyways, this is when I found this forum.... unbelievable wealth of knowledge contained here, BTW! Thank you all! After much research on this forum, finally contacted the guy (2nd owner) and we eventually finalized the deal for the 550. The PO did all/most of the work before me to get things running properly, so I will not be doing a build thread at this point. As far as I can tell, the 550 runs strong. However I haven't had a chance to get it out on the road yet. Winter in ND is BRUTAL and not for riding. But, there are minor things that I will be doing to the bike. Aside from the powder coated rims, the bike looks original. I love the look of these rims on the garnet brown bike. The original HM323's are like swiss cheese, so will be changing out the exhaust for a 4-1. This is a bit of a shame, as I REALLY like the look of the original 4-4's. So far, I have cleaned up a few things, replaced the original flasher with an electronic 3-prong flasher, replaced the final drive chain/sprockets, and repaired the battery side cover. Yes, it is repaired, and yes it looks repaired.... but I don't want a completely restored piece. I love the patina on the tank and side covers, so plan to keep the original paint and covers. Every mod that I will do has to be reversible so I can return everything to stock configuration if need be. Some things I have been looking for advice on and will continue to are the following:
1) Switching original handlebars out for black drag bars. Wondering what I should prepare myself for with this small endeavor? Should I be drilling the bars for wire routing? I see it may be a challenge to fit the controls on these bars with the stock clock configuration. Any tips on installing drag bars will be VERY welcomed!
2) Will need to do some jetting after the install of a 4-1 exhaust this spring. Don't want to do the switch until I can get out on the road and make sure the bike is running well first. I have read many threads and had many PM discussions with gregripko on the jetting for the MotoGPWerks system and feel like I have a good handle on this process when the time comes. Thanks again, Greg! TAKE PICTURES TAKE PICTURES TAKE PICTURES!
3) Will be replacing the original front and rear signals for smaller bullet signals, possibly LED's.
4) Would like to swap out the original tail light/license plate hardware with a lower profile setup. This may include chopping the rear fender. However, I will be looking for a replacement fender so I can keep my original intact. I would like to know how others have accomplished the fender chop and what they have used for a tail light/license plate assembly.
Anyways, I guess my introduction turned in to a how-to thread. I do apologize for that!
I want to thank everyone for what you are doing here. I think I made the right choice by purchasing a SOHC... best forum on the web! Is it spring yet?
FYI.... Yes, I did perform the 3K maintenance.
Kyle
