Topic: Fatty's Clueless CB550 build!

[Fatmick]

Hey all,
 I've spent almost two years lurking here and trying to absorb as much info as I can.  I finally picked up a cb550 a few weeks ago and thought I'd introduce myself and ask a TON of questions.  For $500 and a loaf of bread I finally got my first bike.

It had sat for a few years, uncovered, in a backyard before I brought it home. After looking up the VIN on the frame and engine I believe it's a '74 with a '76 engine.  It's got a 4 into 1 exhaust without a baffle.  I'm not sure if I'm going to like that omission or not, I've got enough hearing problems as it is. 
The known issues were a lack of battery, dead master cylinder and some rust in the tank.  I've always been the guy to at least attempt to fix things myself first, so I know what end of a screwdriver to hold but I also know my limits.  A friend took a look and gave me a list of things to address. 
So far:

• New throttle cables installed as the old ones were sticking
• New Master cylinder and brake lines
• Changed the plugs
• Changed the oil
• Replaced the (possibly original) air filter
• Put in a new battery

I brought the wife out to behold the glory of a light!

And then scared the crap out of her with a working horn.
Problem #1
Feeling good about myself, and possibly having to sleep in the garage, I decided to fill the master cylinder and bleed the brakes.  Thanks to online videos it was fairly easy.  I raised the front end, gave the wheel a spin, and grabbed the brake.  IT WORKED!!! Unfortunately, after releasing the lever, it continued to hold the rotor tight.  I pulled off the caliper, compressed the piston and tried again thinking maybe I had "broken it free."  It still would grab and not let go.  I've now pulled the whole thing apart, pissed brake fluid all over the floor and cleaned the interior as much as I could.  The rubber piston seal is still in one piece but seems like it's a hair too small.  Could it have shrunk just enough to grab the piston and not let it retract?
Problem #2
Remember that awesome Neutral light and Horn?  That seems to be the only electrical components that are working.  None of the lights will come on and when I hit the starter button I hear nothing.  I have the tank pulled off so I know it's not going to start but I figured I'd at least hear something.  Clicking, lamentations of my enemies women, anything.

Other Stupid questions:

• The spark plug wires come apart? WTF  I've changed the wires on my old truck and they were one piece.  The ones on this bike came apart and the wires themselves look like they've seen better days.
• When I replaced the clutch cable there was a little nylon sleeve that surrounded the barrel shaped ferrule.  It was trashed and wouldn't go in with the new cable.  I assume it helps reduce wear or friction.  On a scale of Meh to Fiery Explosion, how necessary are they?

I told you they were stupid. 
Thanks for taking the time to read this and for any help you can offer.  In return I will let you in on a few things I learned this weekend.  DO NOT get cable lubricant in your eye.  DO NOT hit yourself in the hand with a hammer.  DO NOT forget to stock the garage fridge with beer. 
Thanks again.
Fatty

[MD]

Welcome from MN and a 550F owner.

-MD

[calj737]

Welcome, Fatty.

A quick question before a litany of information; what type of bread was the loaf? 

Some general stuff you must know. Every screw on that entire bike is not a Phillips, its a JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard). They are very different, and if you use a Phillips, you will very likely strip every single one out and then be confronted with drilling them out. So make you way over to the "Parts For Sale" section and order up a Kit with JIS bits and a Vessel Impact. You'll be glad you did.

On to your issues:
Brakes - The master cylinder has 2 small holes in the bottom of the reservoir, one is feed circuit and the other a return circuit. Typically, the issue of the piston not retracting is caused by the return circuit being clogged (which is very common after 30 years sitting and dehydrated fluid). So carefully drain the fluid, and use an extremely small gauge wire or such and purge that hole if you can. If not, replacement stock style master cylinders are $40 from www.davidsilverspares.com  A worthy investment for safe braking.

No electrical - Under the left side body panel is your electrics. Carefully remove the cover (there's 40 year old, dry rotted plastic grommets holding tender fiberglass prongs) so use some light touch. With the cover off, you will discover your fuse block. Stock, they are glass type and very likely you have some work to do under here. But, the specific issue of nothing happening with the electric start could easily be: a bad RUN/KILL switch, a bad START button, a poor battery connection to ground, etc.... Its going to require a bit of investigative work to isolate what needs your exact attention.

If you use a screwdriver across the poles of the starter solenoid (conveniently located under your body panel) it should short the starter motor. Does it?

Also needed on your MUST replace list:
Tires front and rear (regardless of the tread, they have production dates and yours are well past life expectancy).

Lastly, if you don't mind sharing, your city/state? There are heaps of members spread across the globe and often someone right nearby who likes beer 

[Stev-o]

Welcome from Texas. Cal gave you some good advice.  I would like to add that I typically change the seal on the caliper if I don't know if/when it as ever done.  And that groove in the caliper must be so clean that you could eat a piece of bread off of it!

The stock coil wires do not come apart (unless cut or damaged) but the spark plug caps do come off.  Buy new ones for $20 along with the other items needed for the Honda recommended 3000 mike tune up (plugs, points, condensers)

Don't understand your cable question but you have more important issues to address first.

[flatlander]

i also don't get your clutch cable thing. maybe post a picture?
the 3k mile tune up that stev-o mentions is described in the honda shop manual that you can download from this site. if you don't already have it, go get it and print it out.

congrats on the bike, sounds like a pretty good deal (depending on the type of bread, of course!).

[Stev-o]

i also don't get your clutch cable thing. maybe post a picture?
the 3k mile tune up that stev-o mentions is described in the honda shop manual that you can download from this site. if you don't already have it, go get it and print it out.

congrats on the bike, sounds like a pretty good deal (depending on the type of bread, of course!).

I prefer French bread, even though I'm Italian. How 'bout you FL'r?

[flatlander]

you're italian, so that's why your name ends on "o"! i work with a bunch of italians, most of them are called marco. i think that's to escape blame: "but marco said... marco did..."

we have some turkish bakeries in the 'hood and i always keep some of their pide around.

[calj737]

I'm a hound for good Pumpernickel myself...

[flatlander]

oh yes, the dutch have what they call roggebrood (rye bread) which is pumpernickel. great stuff!
i sometimes take it on trips because it's very compact.

[calj737]

oh yes, the dutch have what they call roggebrood (rye bread) which is pumpernickel. great stuff!
i sometimes take it on trips because it's very compact.

I wonder if you're confusing Pumpernickel with Prosciutto? What do you think, Stev-o?

[flatlander]

now that we moved to the meat department, how about pata negra?

[Stev-o]

oh yes, the dutch have what they call roggebrood (rye bread) which is pumpernickel. great stuff!
i sometimes take it on trips because it's very compact.

I wonder if you're confusing Pumpernickel with Prosciutto? What do you think, Stev-o?

Doubt it, that would be tough unless you are a complete dumb ass.

But was is this pata negra?  Maybe I'm the dumb ass?!!

[Gene]

Pata Negra - Jambon - Jamon a'la Espana! (I like to mix my langauges). 

Welcome Mick.

[Fatmick]

Thanks for all the responses!
First things first, it was a homemade sourdough sandwich loaf. 

I already grabbed a set of JIS screwdrivers and found a few screws that must have been attacked with a Phillips before.  I'll probably have to pick up a few bits for my impact driver.

A new Master Cylinder for the brake has already been installed, so I'm guessing the issue is with the gasket at the caliper. I changed the old rubber lines to a set of stainless steel while still using the "oil joint" located under the headlight.  I don't think the different lines would cause an issue, would they?

I pulled off the side cover and the first fuse I pulled was blown.  Hopefully, this weekend I'll have some time to poke and prod the electrics and see if there are any other problems.  I'll try the starter solenoid trick and see what happens. 

New tires are definitely on the wish list.  The chain is rusty as hell and I think it might be best to swap it (and possibly the sprocket at the same time?) before I put too many miles on the bike.  Maybe after giving it a thorough cleaning it may be passable. 

I'm just outside of DC on the Maryland side.
Thanks again for the help.

[Fatmick]

Thanks Steve-O.
I got the caliper cleaned up and will probably grab a new seal.

Here's a pic of the spark plug wires.  Pretty grody. 


I've swapped the plugs and have the condensers and points but haven't had the courage to tackle them yet.

[calj737]

I'm just down the road if you need some help.

 From the picture you need new plug boots

[Fatmick]

Here's a picture from the Shop Manual that addresses the clutch cable thingy.

It's that little nylon cover shown in the inset.  I doubt it's a big deal but just checking.

Also, guys, lets not overlook a nice marbled rye.  Make a Reuben out of that and you're in business. 

[flybox1]

Welcome.
Trim those plug wires back 1/4" to get into good copper, and before you install those old plug caps, put your Ohm meter on them and check resistance.
If they are 5K ohm caps(check their markings), anything over say 7.5k ohms and the cap is on its way out.. They're only about $4 ea at the auto store.

[Stev-o]

I could do a Reuben on marbled rye. 

I don't recall a "clutch cable thingy" on the parts list?!

[flatlander]

what manual are you using? i don't remember seeing this in the one from honda.
anyway, as long as the cable end is seated properly in that slot in the handlebar lever, you're fine. if it fits without that nylon thingie without having excessive wiggle room, and without popping out, it should be ok. main thing is that it fits well.

[Gene]

The "Nylon cover" keeps the rubber cable cover from squeezing into the clutch adjuster at the lever.  If you don't have something there it will just erode and start to be wedged into that adjuster.  It would take a LONG TIME for that to happen, but essentially it could.  I've also seen metal used as a "cap". Unless, of course, this nylon cover simply goes over the metal, in which case I'm a blooming idiot and somebody please tell me to shut the hell up.

[Fatmick]

Good news everyone!
She's making noise, lights are being lit!
Fuses were the issue.  It took 6 stores to find the right size fuses, but I found them.  I hit the starter and the bike sounds as excited as I am. Glad the kill switch/starter button wasn't the issue.   

A few lights are still out but I'm sure they're probably bad bulbs.  The turn signals don't flash, they just stay solid.  I found a thread here on the forum that gave me a few ideas for how to fix it. 

calj737-thanks for the tips, you might have to slum it over here in Maryland before this project is finished.
Flybox- checked the caps, they're toast.
Flatlander- I picked up a hard copy Shop Manual for cb500-550 (I need paper to flip through)
The only reference on the "mysterious nylon cover" in the entire book is in the Setup-up Instructions addendum for assembling the bike for the dealer.

Next up, fixing the plug wires. 
Finally, I'm developing hare-brained scheme for prettying up the side panels and tank. 

[calj737]

There's a member on here who makes and sells repro side panels. They're very nice quality and done in fiberglass a super modern, high strength polymer goo.. Check in the Parts for Sale section (frankenfrankenbike is his avatar)

I stand corrected, Stev-o. 

[Stev-o]

There's a member on here who makes and sells repro side panels. They're very nice quality and done in fiberglass.

Very high quality, yes.  Fiberglass, no.  Some type of ABS[?]...