Topic: cb550 production numbers

[Hersbird]

So does anybody have the numbers for the K and the F year by year? I saw somebody post their 75 K was over 200,000 that seems like more then I would have guessed http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=60287.0
was the F a lot less then the K? We're they all made in one factory? Just love history of things that interest me.
I tried a search and saw some links that gave links to 750 production but those links were dead, couldn't find anything about 550s.

[Powderman]

Learn how to search. I googled "CB550 VIN numbers" and 3 seconds later this info popped up from a thread on this forum.



CB550K SERIAL NUMBERS

Model   Model Year   Starting Frame #   Starting Engine #
CB550 K0   1974   CB550-1000001-   CB550E-1000001-
CB550 K1   1975   CB550-1200005-   CB550E-1029182-
CB550 K2   1976   CB550-1230001-   CB550E-1067334-
CB550 K3   1977   CB550-2000007-   CB550E-2000001-
CB550 K4   1978   CB550-2100001-   CB550E-2100001-


CB550F SERIAL NUMBERS

CB550 F1   1975   CB550F-1000002-   CB550E-110004-
CB550 F2   1976   CB550F-2000003-   CB550E-1109887-
CB550 F3   1977   CB550F-210001-   CB550E-1135380-

[Hersbird]

So you just go by motor production? Did they not make more motors then frames hence bikes? The motor number also stop being a clue the last few years. I do appreciate the tip on Google. Never heard of that before thatt looks like a cool site.

[Powderman]

Go by motor production for what? Motor numbers are irrelevant to anything but production date. Motor numbers never matched the frame numbers because the 2 items were made in different factories and then mated in an assembly plant The frame is the pertinent VIN number.
There's no way I know of to know how many actual frames and engines were made each year. There is a frame number span of 200004 for 1974 but only 29997 for 75 and then 670000 for 76. Obviously not all the numbers were used.

Whomever posted the 75K with a serial number in the 200000 did not have a 75 motor in it, it would have been a 77 motor.

[Hersbird]

Right, so how does knowing what number they stated with tell you what number they got up to? I do see after a second look the bike in the thread I linked would be the 20,000th some not 200,000th some and the numbers wouldn't allow for more then 100,000 a year without using letters, but still doesn't answer my question except maybe for some years on the motors.

[Powderman]

The bike you linked has a VIN of 1228785 making it a 75 frame. I've never seen total production numbers by year model published. How would knowing production quantity help you any?

[FunJimmy]

The bike you linked has a VIN of 1228785 making it a 75 frame. I've never seen total production numbers by year model published. How would knowing production quantity help you any?

The tone of this conversation seems a tad condescending fellas. I'm sure the actual production numbers by year is more a point of interest than anything else. It would be for me.

[Hersbird]

It's history, it's interesting. More then say Abe Lincoln's hat size which is probably written down. I doubt the Japanese making Hondas in the 70s just didn't bother keeping track, just for some reason they either didn't want to give away some kind of secret like how many motors they were using for warranty purposes, or just didn't want the comparisons to their competition over at Kawasaki on who was selling better. Usually after time has passed they stop caring and open up those records to enthusiasts like on this site. I was hoping maybe somebody was in the loop.
I'm also looking for a project and was curious as to what stuff is the most common or if something I may come across is particularly uncommon that may influnce what i would be willing to pay or travel to get. Take 1975, I was wondering how many 400f, 550f and 750f were made because I would like 1 of each!

[Stev-o]

The bike you linked has a VIN of 1228785 making it a 75 frame. I've never seen total production numbers by year model published. How would knowing production quantity help you any?

The tone of this conversation seems a tad condescending fellas. I'm sure the actual production numbers by year is more a point of interest than anything else. It would be for me.

I think Powderman misunderstood his question.  I believe OP wants to know how many bikes were manufactured each year.  I have seen this for the 750 but not the 550.

There were def more K models made than F, two years more of production.

[FunJimmy]

I believe OP wants to know how many bikes were manufactured each year.

Agreed

[Powderman]

I didn't misunderstand at all and said more than once that I don't think I have ever seen specific production numbers for the 550 for each year. I'd still like to know why it was important to the OP to know. None of those years produced such low volumes to make any of them more rare.

[Powderman]

The bike you linked has a VIN of 1228785 making it a 75 frame. I've never seen total production numbers by year model published. How would knowing production quantity help you any?

The tone of this conversation seems a tad condescending fellas. I'm sure the actual production numbers by year is more a point of interest than anything else. It would be for me.

How is this condescending?

[Hersbird]

Learn how to search. I googled "CB550 VIN numbers" and 3 seconds later this info popped up from a thread on this forum.

To me that sounds a little condescending, especially when I said in the original post both that I did a search and why I was curious, along with a few questions about where they were produced. That is why I poked a little fun back at you. It's all good.

So going by engine numbers on the F model they made about 9883 motors in 75 and 25493 in 76. You can't tell based on 77. So they obviously didn't make more then 9883 75 550Fs, anyone have any idea how many extra motors they made in relation to bikes? Maybe 20% more? That would mean about 8000 75 550Fs worldwide which doesn't exactly make it common, actually  similar to sandcast 750's. I'm not trying to say worth anywhere near that, just that it's not exactly common. As far as 75 CB440f here is #12,816 for 75 so there are more of them as well http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=80729.0

[Deltarider]

CB550F3? F3?
Never heard of such a thing. In what did the F3 differ from the F2 then?