Author Topic: My First Build: 1977 CB550.  (Read 1167 times)

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Offline arncruz

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My First Build: 1977 CB550.
« on: March 29, 2015, 09:21:14 PM »
I'm close to finishing my first motorcycle build.  It's been about 8 months.  I know it's a long time!  I just wanted to post some pictures of the before and after.  I did a frame up rebuild.  I took the engine apart to learn how it works and anything that looked worn out.  It was a nice journey but glad it's almost over.  I did most of the work late at night when my kids were asleep or on days I had off.  I did all the paint using spray cans and its far from perfect.   I don't know where I was going with the paint so I just followed the paint scheme of my Air Jordans.  I know stupid but I think it looks nice.  Thanks to everyone on this forum for the help.  So here goes:

When I got the bike it was running roughly and barely staying idle with lots of smoke and an oil leak.  Engine had rattling noises and probably a loose cam chain.  I decided to take the engine apart and found the cam chain tensioner was damaged, rocker arms and cam shaft were also worn out.  I replaced all those parts as well as the piston rings and primary chain and cam chain.  Honed the jugs, reseated the valves and replaced all the gaskets.

I cleaned and painted engine and put it back together. Painted the frame  and put the engine back into the frame.  I redid the forks and shaved the handle bar mounts. 
« Last Edit: March 29, 2015, 09:59:53 PM by arncruz »
My Stable
1969 CB750 #6xx
1969 CB750 #20xx
1969 CB750 #27xx
1969 CB750 #43xx survivor
1969 CB750 #12xxx
1970 CB750 K0 survivor
2014 MVP Agusta 675 F3

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: My First Build: 1977 CB550.
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2015, 12:27:34 AM »
I'm close to finishing my first motorcycle build.  It's been about 8 months.  I know it's a long time!  I just wanted to post some pictures of the before and after.  I did a frame up rebuild.  I took the engine apart to learn how it works and anything that looked worn out.  It was a nice journey but glad it's almost over.  I did most of the work late at night when my kids were asleep or on days I had off.  I did all the paint using spray cans and its far from perfect.   I don't know where I was going with the paint so I just followed the paint scheme of my Air Jordans.  I know stupid but I think it looks nice.  Thanks to everyone on this forum for the help.  So here goes:

When I got the bike it was running roughly and barely staying idle with lots of smoke and an oil leak.  Engine had rattling noises and probably a loose cam chain.  I decided to take the engine apart and found the cam chain tensioner was damaged, rocker arms and cam shaft were also worn out.  I replaced all those parts as well as the piston rings and primary chain and cam chain.  Honed the jugs, reseated the valves and replaced all the gaskets.

I cleaned and painted engine and put it back together. Painted the frame  and put the engine back into the frame.  I redid the forks and shaved the handle bar mounts.

Very nicely done!
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline arncruz

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Re: My First Build: 1977 CB550.
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2015, 01:07:52 AM »
Thanks!  I'm pretty glad on how it looks so far.  I have to finish this one soon as I have lined up several bikes to fix and restore. I have a 1978 CB750 that i'm itching to get into.
My Stable
1969 CB750 #6xx
1969 CB750 #20xx
1969 CB750 #27xx
1969 CB750 #43xx survivor
1969 CB750 #12xxx
1970 CB750 K0 survivor
2014 MVP Agusta 675 F3

Offline minimo

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  • 1977 CB550F 1975 CB400F 1959 Ducati 200 Americano
Re: My First Build: 1977 CB550.
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2015, 07:26:10 PM »
Bravo! I'm on my first build also and it's nowhere near where you've taken yours in just eight months! I'm kinda jealous ;-D


Offline Trad

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Re: My First Build: 1977 CB550.
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2015, 08:29:36 PM »
looks great man!
74 CB550 Build: NOS-GUTTED-OEMplus-HOLDTRUE
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,130575.0.html

Offline arncruz

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Re: My First Build: 1977 CB550.
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2015, 09:45:44 PM »
Thanks guys.  Just a few more things and this project will be done.  Jared i've been following your build from the start.  Really nice work!  can't wait to see the end result.  Here's my next project. 
My Stable
1969 CB750 #6xx
1969 CB750 #20xx
1969 CB750 #27xx
1969 CB750 #43xx survivor
1969 CB750 #12xxx
1970 CB750 K0 survivor
2014 MVP Agusta 675 F3