Topic: CB550 crusing speeds, gears, operation

[eigenvector]

Since I don't have an owners manual for this bike, and I've never really had it running well enough to gauge how it operates, I'm curious about some things I noticed today on my extended ride.

I'm shifting out of 1st at about 20 mph, that's about 5 gran on the tach (I think, I'm doing it more by sound) and it seems right.  Shifting into 2nd, I notice that I'm only able to really get to about 35 before going into 3rd - that seems a bit low to me.  I would expect to be moving about 50 before having to shift out of 2nd - say 6k on the tach by then. 

What could I expect so far as shift range on this bike?  I'm not racing it, so the idea of running it consistently at 6 to 7k on the tach is unreasonable to me.
Does this seem right:
1st - 0 to 20
2nd - ~20 to 35 at 5000 rpm
3rd - ~35 to 50? at 5000 rpm
4th ~50 to 60
5th ~60 up?

I'm trying to figure out if maybe my clutch was slipping a bit, which is why my speed was so slow, yet my RPMs high.  I don't think it was though, I felt no signs of slippage.  Possibly I'm still way down on power.

[DaveBarbier]

5k is low for these bikes. It's totally ok to bring it to red line. Honda says to not to leave it in the redline for an extended period of time so kissing it is alright. Don't be afraid to really wind it up. I'm not sure what speed on flat ground a certain RPM in a given gear will give you on a 550, so maybe someone else will chime in.

Does your clutch grab at the end of the lever?  If so, you might need to tighten the cable.

Edit: I mean loosen the cable.

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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

From my '78 550K OM.



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1978 Honda CB550K

[eigenvector]

Ah, okay.

Understand I've been brought up on a steady diet of thumpers, parallel twins, and boxer engines.  keeping the bike at high RPMs just doesn't feel right to me.  That's okay, I can get over my hang-ups.  Nice to have a target to shoot for when operating it.

The friction zone on the clutch is about right, so I'm more inclined to think that perhaps I'm just down on power.  That's totally okay, I'm still shaking out the new rebuild.

Alright, assuming it stays reasonably dry tomorrow I'll opt for a higher RPM range.

[flatlander]

5k for this bike is being lazy. 7k is where it begins to listen. it can run at these rpms all day long.

there's sometimes people complaining about the 500/550s being sluggish. i think that's mostly due to them not being run at the rpms they're intended for?

[MickB]

They love to rev, don't forget red line is 9,500 rpm, give it it's head and it'll go like the clappers. And they love to corner, they handle beautifully.

[Deltarider]

I used to cruise Autobahns @ 7000 rpm in 5th (140 km/h) for hours on end. This pactice was advised to me by a Honda mechanic who rode a CB500 himself. He had opened quite a few and more often than not they had carbon build up. It was the same mechanic that advised me to run the D8ES-L sparkplug instead of the D7ES. Right after such a ride the bike always felt younger and more responsive.