Author Topic: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)  (Read 14789 times)

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AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #50 on: September 10, 2017, 10:26:16 AM »
Harbor Freight frequently gives me one of those cheap DMMs for free.  I must have about eight or ten of them stashed here and there.
They can certainly be useful.  Their accuracy for some functions isn't so good, though.  But, if you are electrically knowledgeable, they can suffice.  There are times I must use my older more expensive meters that have more sensitive ranges and better accuracy.
The cheap DMMs can get you started with the basics.  Don't expect to accurately measure the stator winding resistance, though.  0.35 ohms on a 200 ohm scale, is pretty much lost in the noise level of the instrument.  They certainly suffice for general voltage measurements.

Those cheapies are far better than nothing, for sure.

Cheers,

What would be an example of a good one on either www.canadiantire.ca or www.amazon.ca?

Offline Stev-o

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #51 on: September 10, 2017, 11:50:44 AM »
Harbor Freight frequently gives me one of those cheap DMMs for free.  I must have about eight or ten of them stashed here and there.
They can certainly be useful.  Their accuracy for some functions isn't so good, though.  But, if you are electrically knowledgeable, they can suffice.  There are times I must use my older more expensive meters that have more sensitive ranges and better accuracy.
The cheap DMMs can get you started with the basics.  Don't expect to accurately measure the stator winding resistance, though.  0.35 ohms on a 200 ohm scale, is pretty much lost in the noise level of the instrument.  They certainly suffice for general voltage measurements.

Those cheapies are far better than nothing, for sure.

Cheers,

What would be an example of a good one on either www.canadiantire.ca or www.amazon.ca?

I have this one and it serves me well.  I also use it for home electric testing.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-DSA500A-Snap-Around-Function/dp/B000ET5W0A/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1505069371&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=multimeter+sperry+500
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AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #52 on: September 10, 2017, 01:43:37 PM »
Quote
How can I learn about the laws etc and basics of metering?  Do you have a good source for a beginner?
I'll see if I can find any, but maybe other members here can beat me to it. It is well explained with the analogy of an overhead waterreservoir (like an oldfashioned toilet) and it's pipe downwards. I know some pics, but they're in Dutch, so to speak ;). Volt is the pressure, the water in the reservoir that wants to go down as soon there's an opening. Volt is named after Donald J. Volta, a good friend of mine, did a tremendous job, many may not know this, but he did a truly great job. There's a difference in potential simply because the reservoir is up there (+) and where it wants to go to is down below (-). In a DC system like in cars and motorcycles the + wants to go to -. Actually the electrons travel the other way around but, hush, hush, we'll keep that a secret. Back to that oldstyle toilet with its overhead reservoir. When you pull the chain to flush it (think pressing a switch in a car) the water rushes down and it depends of the diameter of the flushpipe how much water per second will go down. The narrower the pipe, the more resistance, the longer it takes to empty the reservoir. The designer has estimated how much force is needed to flush away your delivery or (let's go outside where we have fresh air) make a waterwheel turn. So there is the difference in potential which we express in Volts, there is resistance which we express in Ohms (named after Donald J. Ohm who also happens to be a good friend of mine) and there's the current (the rate of electrons) which we express in ampères (amps). The power output of the waterwheel is Watts (named after Donald J. Watts). Did I already say Watts is a very good friend of mine? Watts, Ohm and Volt, three great guys that did an excellent job. Without them we wouldn't even have had the electric chair, can you imagine? Think of it!
Let's take a bike that has a headlamp that is rated 60 Watts and also has heated grips that are rated 120 Watts That's the way the lamp and the grips were designed. We could come back to that later eventually. If we apply Ohm's law in a 12V system like ours, it would mean that the 60 Watts lamp would draw 5 amps, because 60(Watts):12(Volts) results in 5(A). Ohms law. The 120 Watts grips will draw 120:12= 10 amps. Now take a truck that doesn't have 12V but a 24V system. A 60 Watts headlamp now will draw 60:24= 2,5 amps and the heated steering wheel, will draw 120:24= 5 amps. Why do we want to know amps? Well, when we know how many amps will flow, we can determine what size fuse we will need to guarantee that the flow of energy is interrupted immediately when an excess is demanded by an accidental shortcircuit. Why? Well first reason is ofcourse the battery would be depleted very quick, but also the wires, that are simply too thin to transport the all too sudden demand (flush of electrons), would burn. We will also be able to choose the right diameter wires (our flushpipes remember?). So a 24V equipped truck actually can do with thinner wires for the same consumers then our 12V bikes and in a vintage 6V T-Ford you would need thicker wires. Now we also mentioned Ohms. Ohms is how we measure resistance. Let's take this 60 Watts lamp that draws 5A. The purpose of the bulb is to give light and therefore the designer created a very thin wire inside (filament) that will glow when the circuit is switched. It's the resistance that makes it glow. Also resistance can be measured and it's done in Ohms. If I apply Ohm's law and if I tell you, the resistance of that lamp (its filament) will be 12V:5A= 2,4 Ω, you can now deduct yourself what Ohm's law is about. Simple, isn't it? Here you'll find a handy calculator: http://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/ohms-law-calculator.htm
Now scientists have agreed to rename Volt in 'U', amps in 'I' and Ohms in 'R'. Just to inform you if you google Ohm's law which I suggest you do. But we bikers can forget about U, I and R. To keep it simple, you, for the time being, just remember that oldstyle toilet, your headlamp bulb and you'll be fine. As you play with this - and you will - you'll develop your understanding more and more and, who knows, some day you may even make your own electric chair. But hey, don't let your kids sit on it, before you have tested it yourself, OK? A few things you should know using your multimeter. You measure Ohms only when the current is switched off. Measuring amps ofcourse when switched on. But I suggest for the time being you only measure Volts or Ohms. Most of us never measure amps. There's little or no need to.
First exercise for you would be to hold the red probe of your new meter against the + terminal of your battery and the black to the negative terminal. I bet you'll read between 11 and 13 Volts. Just don't try to read Ohms in this situation, because your meter is now part of a circuit that is not off.

This is a fantastic and entertaining writeup, thank you.  This is bringing back memories of high school science class, V=IR, or Volts = Current x Resistance, right? 

Now can you explain to me when a ground is required and why?  And how to measure the overall draw on a bike with all the electrics running?  Would I do that with the bike ignition on, or the bike running, or what?  And where would I put the metering wires?

AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #53 on: September 10, 2017, 01:51:46 PM »
Harbor Freight frequently gives me one of those cheap DMMs for free.  I must have about eight or ten of them stashed here and there.
They can certainly be useful.  Their accuracy for some functions isn't so good, though.  But, if you are electrically knowledgeable, they can suffice.  There are times I must use my older more expensive meters that have more sensitive ranges and better accuracy.
The cheap DMMs can get you started with the basics.  Don't expect to accurately measure the stator winding resistance, though.  0.35 ohms on a 200 ohm scale, is pretty much lost in the noise level of the instrument.  They certainly suffice for general voltage measurements.

Those cheapies are far better than nothing, for sure.

Cheers,

Hey sorry, I'm a little confused from the many suggestions I am getting for what I need to have a multimeter that has everything I'll need for my bike, with a good level of accuracy and able to properly measure the total system draw etc.

Are you able to tell me which one you recommend from www.amazon.ca?  I do not mind spending a little more to have the proper tool.  I'd rather have the right tool than "Better than nothing"

cheers and thank you!  Sorry to everyone for repeating this question so often.  I'm just getting a bit lost in the woods here.

Offline calj737

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #54 on: September 10, 2017, 02:24:34 PM »
And how to measure the overall draw on a bike with all the electrics running?  Would I do that with the bike ignition on, or the bike running, or what?  And where would I put the metering wires?
With your bike running an M-Unit, you can measure the consumption of amps with the bike running, and with just the key ON.

Place your BLACK probe on the ground post of the M-Unit, and the RED probe in the screw of the output port of each circuit (right side). Activate each switch (Turn L, R, Horn, Brake and ultimately START). Add them cumulatively.

With motor OFF, but key ON, measure LO and AUX as these should be the only 2 circuits alive.

From the CanadianTire website, grab either the Sperry or the MasterCraft. Either will serve you well.
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Offline Mooshie

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #55 on: September 10, 2017, 04:47:08 PM »
Ride it like you stole it!
I read though this entire thread because I KNEW Goldarrow would say that!
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AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #56 on: September 10, 2017, 05:29:19 PM »
And how to measure the overall draw on a bike with all the electrics running?  Would I do that with the bike ignition on, or the bike running, or what?  And where would I put the metering wires?
With your bike running an M-Unit, you can measure the consumption of amps with the bike running, and with just the key ON.

Place your BLACK probe on the ground post of the M-Unit, and the RED probe in the screw of the output port of each circuit (right side). Activate each switch (Turn L, R, Horn, Brake and ultimately START). Add them cumulatively.

With motor OFF, but key ON, measure LO and AUX as these should be the only 2 circuits alive.

From the CanadianTire website, grab either the Sperry or the MasterCraft. Either will serve you well.

Great, thanks!  I'll be able to do all that whenever I get it out of the shop.  As to the mastercraft - they mostly are mastercraft, which one specifically are you talking about?

Online Deltarider

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #57 on: September 11, 2017, 12:56:57 AM »
Quote
Now can you explain to me when a ground is required and why?
To have current flowing, you've got to have a circuit. Take a lamp or your horn. When you switch it on (the switch can either be in the + wire or in the - wire), current will flow from + to -, the latter also known as ground. This because the frame and engine are directly connected to the negative terminal of your battery by a fat cable. If there's no circuit, there's no current flowing, so the horn, lamp or whatever is off.
Quote
And how to measure the overall draw on a bike with all the electrics running?  Would I do that with the bike ignition on, or the bike running, or what?  And where would I put the metering wires?
Good question.
This is how I would do it. Put the red wire in the right socket first: the ampère socket that can handle 10A. At this red socket it simply says A, sometimes 10A. The socket it was in, can only handle milliampères and we will now measure heavy stuff. The black wire can stay in COM. It is important to know that, the wires being connected like this, you can NOT read voltages now! The fuse in your meter would blow immediately. So whenever you connect the wire to this 10A socket, remember that after you did your amps test, you return the wire to where it was before (V/Ω), to avoid forgetting it.
Now in theory you could connect your meter in between the + battery terminal and it's disconnected fat cable or you could connect it between the - battery terminal and it's disconnected fat ground cable. In theory it doesn't matter, as we will measure the current flowing. But the negative terminal is favourite and here's why. If the disconnected and now loose fat ground cable accidentely touches the frame (= ground) no harm is done. On the other hand, if the disconnected and loose fat + cable accidentely touches the frame, you'll see fireworks. If you allow me a sidestep: this is why, when we remove a battery, it's best to undo the negative cable first. When we install the battery, we mount the positive cable first, just to avoid accidents and I know of some nasty accidents that have happened to even trained mechanics! There's a lot of power in a battery! So in our test we now have one lead connected to the disconnected ground cable and the other to the negative terminal of the battery. Now, you switch the ignition key to 'ON' but DON'T EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING THE STARTER BUTTON!!! The starter motor draws so much current, your test wires would melt instantly! So it's kickstart only. But wait. Now that you have the ignition switched on, the idiot lights, the coils and maybe your headlamp (US) consume power draining the battery, so whatever amps your meter reads, there should be a minus sign before the reading. If not, switch the ignition key off, simply change the test wires position and then bring the ignition key to 'ON' again. You can now read what the idiot lights, the coils and the headlight (US) draw. Time to KICKSTART. Remember: NO ELECTRIC START. We know that at idle our bikes do not charge and even discharge, so after start you ought to see the minus sign. Increase the idle speed by turning the central idle adjuster. Watching both your tachometer and your meter, you'll notice that the discharge will eventually go over into charge (minus sign disappears). Now you can bring on indicators, brakelight and whatever and your meter will show what the total sum of your charging system is and at what rpm the system still charges and when it discharges. Just watch that you don't exceed 10A (unlikely), or the fuse in your meter will blow.
BTW, you don't need a fan to cool the engine. The test will be far too short for that.
After the test bring the red wire back to the V/Ω socket, or you will forget it! Connect the fat battery ground cable again.
A few things you should know. Measuring amps is the trickiest of the tests you can perform with your multimeter, so be concentrated and careful. Most important is: don't use the electric starter!! And use the right sockets and right after the test, return the red cable to the V/Ω socket.
BTW, if there are boatowners among you that are interested to know how you can use a cheap multimeter as a permanent ammeter by using the fat Batt+ cable (or Batt- for that matter) as a shunt, I can give you a scheme. It will take some experimenting however.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2017, 02:50:22 AM by Deltarider »
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AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #58 on: September 11, 2017, 08:44:10 AM »
Quote
Now can you explain to me when a ground is required and why?
To have current flowing, you've got to have a circuit. Take a lamp or your horn. When you switch it on (the switch can either be in the + wire or in the - wire), current will flow from + to -, the latter aka as ground. This because the frame and engine are directly connected to the negative terminal of your battery by a fat cable. If there's no circuit, there's no current flowing, so the horn, lamp or whatever is off.
Quote
And how to measure the overall draw on a bike with all the electrics running?  Would I do that with the bike ignition on, or the bike running, or what?  And where would I put the metering wires?
Good question.
This is how I would do it. Put the red wire in the right socket first, the ampère socket that can handle 10A. At this red socket it simply says A, sometimes 10A. The socket it was in, can only handle milliampères and we will now measure heavy stuff. The black wire can stay in COM. It is important to know that, the wires being connected like this, you can NOT read voltages now! The fuse in your meter would blow immediately. So whenever you connect the wire to this 10A socket, remember that after you did your amps test, you return the wire to where it was before (V/Ω), to avoid forgetting it.
Now in theory you could connect your meter in between the + battery terminal and it's disconnected fat cable or you could connect it between the - battery terminal and it's disconnected fat ground cable. In theory it doesn't matter, as we will measure the current flowing. But the negative terminal is favourite and here's why. If the disconnected and now loose fat ground cable accidentely touches the frame (= ground) no harm is done. On the other hand, if the disconnected and loose fat + cable accidentely touches the frame, you'll see fireworks. If you allow me a sidestep: this is why, when we remove a battery, it's best to undo the negative cable first. When we install the battery, we mount the positive cable first, just to avoid accidents and I know of some nasty accidents that have happened to even trained mechanics! There's a lot of power in a battery! So in our test we now have one lead connected to the disconnected ground cable and the other to the negative terminal of the battery. Now, you switch the ignition key to 'ON' but DON'T EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING THE STARTER BUTTON!!! The starter motor draws so much current, your test wires would melt instantly! So it's kickstart only. But wait. Now that you have the ignition switched on, the idiot lights, the coils and maybe your headlamp (US) consume power draining the battery, so whatever amps your meter reads, there should be a minus sign before the reading. If not, switch the ignition key off, simply change the test wires position and then bring the ignition key to 'ON' again. You can now read what the idiot lights, the coils and the headlight (US) draw. Time to KICKSTART. Remember: NO ELECTRIC START. We know that at idle our bikes do not charge and even discharge, so after start you ought to see the minus sign. Increase the idle speed by turning the central idle adjuster. Watching both your tachometer and your meter, you'll notice that the discharge will eventually go over into charge (minus sign disappears). Now you can bring on indicators, brakelight and whatever and your meter will show what the total sum of your charging system is and at what rpm the system still charges and when it discharges. Just watch that you don't exceed 10A (unlikely), or the fuse in your meter will blow.
BTW, you don't need a fan to cool the engine. The test will be far too short for that.
After the test bring the red wire back to the V/Ω socket, or you will forget it! Connect the fat battery ground cable again.
A few things you should know. Ampèremeters like the cheap we have, are not known to be very, very accurate but for our purpose they're good enough. Mine has a 2% tolerance.
Now measuring amps is the trickiest of the tests you can perform with your multimeter, so be concentrated and careful. Most important is: don't use the electric starter!! And use the right sockets and right after the test, return the red cable to the V/Ω socket.
BTW, if there are boatowners among you that are interested to know how you can use a cheap multimeter as a permanant ammeter by using the fat Batt+ cable (or Batt- for that matter) as a shunt, I can give you a scheme. It will take some experimenting however.

This is really interesting stuff, I'm looking forward to learning about this when the bike is out of the shop and I can put it into practice.  Just have to pick a multimeter first that does everything I want, has acceptable accuracy, and can go into the right scales... and is available in Canada haha!

Offline markreimer

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #59 on: September 11, 2017, 09:50:01 AM »
in response to the OP:

I live 5km away from my work and I often ride my '74 CB750. Like an earlier poster suggested though, I usually take my bicycle, it's actually quite a bit faster  ::)

I leave my bike plugged into a battery tender while parked, but I've actually never come out to find my bike dead. I had a BMW R80 once that would regularly have a dead battery due to insufficient road time to keep it charged up. My 750 has been way more reliable in that regard.

If you want to commute, consider a scenic route home, at least occasionally. And keep it plugged into a battery tender whenever you can.

Kick starting is dead simple. Petcock on, full choke, kick. My 750 usually starts first or second kick, all the way down to freezing temps. I usually shut the choke entirely off within 10 seconds, and use my right hand to keep the idle up as it warms up. The bike will stall very easily for the first couple minutes until it warms up. That's good, you want the idle smooth when the engine is hot, not cold.

Regarding critics of short commutes - there is some good advice here. Regular short rides will not burn off moisture that accumulates in your exhaust. That's a big reason why so few CB's still have the stock pipes. I installed a stainless steel Hindle system last year so thankfully that's not a problem for me anymore. But you DO still get moisture in the engine and the oil, referenced by the 'brown or cream sludge' you often find on the dipstick. I definitely get that, especially in cooler temps, and it only burns off after riding a good hour at speed. If you don't have a chance to do that, you'll need to change your oil much more frequently as it'll be contaminated with water.


Offline FuZZie

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #60 on: September 11, 2017, 10:55:38 AM »
Quote
Now can you explain to me when a ground is required and why?
To have current flowing, you've got to have a circuit. Take a lamp or your horn. When you switch it on (the switch can either be in the + wire or in the - wire), current will flow from + to -, the latter aka as ground. This because the frame and engine are directly connected to the negative terminal of your battery by a fat cable. If there's no circuit, there's no current flowing, so the horn, lamp or whatever is off.

 You can also look at it from a manufacturing point of view, using the frame as  (-) only one (+) wire to each device and contact to a ground point is needed.  At the same time You can still run a dedicated (-) to any mission critical device or any device that may be insulated from the frame.

 This drops a large chunk of wire from the loom but makes grounding points a little bit of a pain as our machines age. 

All Deltarider's info is good stuff, I'm just trying to make it easy for a layman to digest. ;)

I've been running those crapytire meters most of my life, yea I don't count on them to be accurate but they are good enough that I can find discrepancies in the readings.   

Online Deltarider

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #61 on: September 11, 2017, 10:56:31 AM »
Quote
I live 5km away from my work and I often ride my '74 CB750. Like an earlier poster suggested though, I usually take my bicycle, it's actually quite a bit faster  ::)
Same here. To do the 9 km to my boat, on the Honda, it takes me 20 min because most of the ride is in the city with traffic lights that cause me a lot of frustration. Those 20 minutes do not include the time spent on dressing up: leather jacket, then the balaclava, the earplugs, the helmet and the gloves, then starting, opening the garage, etc. In summertime another thing annoyes me. Waiting at traffic lights I get sometimes so hot under my clothing that sweat runs down my back. Then you accelerate and within seconds you're ice cold due to that same sweat. On the bicycle, I don't need extra clothing nor a helmet. Where I live, riding a bicycle you don't wait for just any traffic light. Most lights you judge the situation and more or less negotiate the crossing. When you detect a patrolcar in the corner of your eye, you just avoid eyecontact and you can continue riding unhindered. No frustration because you move all of the time. It takes me 30 minutes, the same time I spent all and all taking the Honda. By cycling I don't pollute, do my daily exercise and can eat as much as I want.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2017, 11:14:34 AM by Deltarider »
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Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #62 on: September 11, 2017, 11:32:44 AM »
AC, can you post the picture that you have for your profile? That is the side of the bike where the choke lever would be located on 550's with older style carbs. With a larger version of that we should be able to ID what carbs you have.

Your '78 would have come with a choke knob by the left gauge that had a cable running to an attachment point near the center of the carb rack mechanism that controls the raising and lowering of the throttle slides in the carbs. The 74-76 550K and 75-77 550F style carbs used a small level on the #1 (far left) carb. I know from experience that it can slightly foul against pods on the early carbs, but there would be no problem on the later "PD" carbs.

The chokes themselves are just brass plates that rotate when you move the knob or lever and block the carb throat (choking the engine by reducing air flow). It is possible that the builder of your bike removed the plates (a stupid and pointless mod), but it is very unlikely that the actual shafts the plate pivots on are gone. It is however really easy to check. Just remove the #1 or #4 (far right side) pod and look inside the carb. If there is a brass shaft with a flat side and 2 holes in it, then you need to source new plates and reinstall them to get your choke back.
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Offline Gene

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #63 on: September 11, 2017, 11:59:04 AM »
Quote
and can eat as much as I want.

I hate you . . .
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AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #64 on: September 11, 2017, 12:27:26 PM »
AC, can you post the picture that you have for your profile? That is the side of the bike where the choke lever would be located on 550's with older style carbs. With a larger version of that we should be able to ID what carbs you have.

Your '78 would have come with a choke knob by the left gauge that had a cable running to an attachment point near the center of the carb rack mechanism that controls the raising and lowering of the throttle slides in the carbs. The 74-76 550K and 75-77 550F style carbs used a small level on the #1 (far left) carb. I know from experience that it can slightly foul against pods on the early carbs, but there would be no problem on the later "PD" carbs.

The chokes themselves are just brass plates that rotate when you move the knob or lever and block the carb throat (choking the engine by reducing air flow). It is possible that the builder of your bike removed the plates (a stupid and pointless mod), but it is very unlikely that the actual shafts the plate pivots on are gone. It is however really easy to check. Just remove the #1 or #4 (far right side) pod and look inside the carb. If there is a brass shaft with a flat side and 2 holes in it, then you need to source new plates and reinstall them to get your choke back.

I THINK all he removed was the control and cable....  I hope!!

Here are some pics... do your best to point out what you think this puppy has!








Offline BomberMann650

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #65 on: September 11, 2017, 12:47:51 PM »
Stock Pd carbs for the year.

But why oh why would the PO ditch the choke cable for the sake of "looking cool"?

See if your shop guy can install one of these for ya.

Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #66 on: September 11, 2017, 12:48:36 PM »
OK, as comparing your carbs with a photo of my old '77 550K, I am sure those are the PD series carbs that would have come stock on your 550. So they didn't have a lever on the side the way that the earlier style carbs had.

Again, you need to pop off the #1 or #4 pod and look inside, but I suspect that the worst case scenario for your choke is that the butterfly plates are missing, which is simple enough to fix. What seems more likely to me is that the builder just removed the choke knob and cable because he didn't like the look of the knob up by your gauge and that the choke parts are still on the carbs and all you need to do is source a new cable and knob bracket to get it back.

On a side note, that appears to be a stock 550F exhaust header.
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Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200

AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #67 on: September 11, 2017, 06:17:02 PM »
OK, as comparing your carbs with a photo of my old '77 550K, I am sure those are the PD series carbs that would have come stock on your 550. So they didn't have a lever on the side the way that the earlier style carbs had.

Again, you need to pop off the #1 or #4 pod and look inside, but I suspect that the worst case scenario for your choke is that the butterfly plates are missing, which is simple enough to fix. What seems more likely to me is that the builder just removed the choke knob and cable because he didn't like the look of the knob up by your gauge and that the choke parts are still on the carbs and all you need to do is source a new cable and knob bracket to get it back.

On a side note, that appears to be a stock 550F exhaust header.

The F is the supersport right?  I believe it is a 550 supersport exhaust.  I don't have the bike but the mechanic is looking into the choke.  Think I should have a choke switch put somewhere on the side like older ones rather than clutter the look of the handlebars?  I kind of prefer that.  Is that a possibility?

Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #68 on: September 11, 2017, 06:30:32 PM »
Yes, that's right, the model was CB550F, but the sticker on the tank says Super Sport. This confuses a lot of new owners and less knowledgeable parts sellers because they often describe a part as being from a CB550F or CB750F, where the F=4 in their minds, not understanding that for the 550 and 750 the F was a specific model and that there are some important differences and not all parts interchange.

You might find a way to move the knob to a less conspicuous location, but the carb bodies are different and you can't retro-fit an older style choke lever to your later style carbs. That's probably why the builder removed it. Form over function.

One benefit of the PD style carbs (really the only benefit) is that they included a fast idle cam so that when you pull the knob and the cable rotates the choke mechanism a small cam slightly lifts the slides. On all the other 550 models with non-PD carbs you have to use the throttle to keep RPM's up until the bike is warm enough to idle clean on its own.
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Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200

AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #69 on: September 11, 2017, 07:12:10 PM »
Yes, that's right, the model was CB550F, but the sticker on the tank says Super Sport. This confuses a lot of new owners and less knowledgeable parts sellers because they often describe a part as being from a CB550F or CB750F, where the F=4 in their minds, not understanding that for the 550 and 750 the F was a specific model and that there are some important differences and not all parts interchange.

You might find a way to move the knob to a less conspicuous location, but the carb bodies are different and you can't retro-fit an older style choke lever to your later style carbs. That's probably why the builder removed it. Form over function.

One benefit of the PD style carbs (really the only benefit) is that they included a fast idle cam so that when you pull the knob and the cable rotates the choke mechanism a small cam slightly lifts the slides. On all the other 550 models with non-PD carbs you have to use the throttle to keep RPM's up until the bike is warm enough to idle clean on its own.

oh cool, so just to make sure I understand (carb knowledge is about a month old) you mean that when you put the choke on, there is a little cam that moves the throttle slides which is as if you had slightly twisted the grip?  That's pretty cool!

Right now the folks who had it have just been playing with the idle mixture screw rather than having a choke...

Offline 754

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #70 on: September 11, 2017, 07:26:37 PM »
Ride it like you stole it!
I read though this entire thread because I KNEW Goldarrow would say that!

 I came o  here expecting Mooshie to say ....Ride it so much  you make all the other guys look bad !,
Maker of the WELDLESS 750 Frame Kit
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73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #71 on: September 11, 2017, 07:35:22 PM »
Stock Pd carbs for the year.

But why oh why would the PO ditch the choke cable for the sake of "looking cool"?

See if your shop guy can install one of these for ya.

Apparently the guy before the guy I bought it from did it to make room for the pods? Or something? As I have it in the shop for a charging issue I'm having the guy check that situation out as well.

What on earth is that a photo of?

Offline Mooshie

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #72 on: September 11, 2017, 07:52:19 PM »
Ride it like you stole it!
I read though this entire thread because I KNEW Goldarrow would say that!

 I came o  here expecting Mooshie to say ....Ride it so much  you make all the other guys look bad !,

Frank you have NO ROOM to talk.  Your ride to the reunion was legendary--and maybe a bit reckless considering you fell asleep while riding!
1976 CB550F
Standard disclaimer: Remember I am just a girl--so be nice fellows!

Offline 754

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #73 on: September 11, 2017, 08:42:20 PM »
  :-[. I now wish I had rode more miles,like you.. :o
Maker of the WELDLESS 750 Frame Kit
dodogas99@gmail.com
Kelowna B.C.       Canada

My next bike will be a ..ANFOB.....

It's All part of the ADVENTURE...

73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
Lost quite a few CB 750's along the way

AirCanuck

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Re: How to drive your SOHC4 (CB550)
« Reply #74 on: September 12, 2017, 06:09:01 AM »
Ride it like you stole it!
I read though this entire thread because I KNEW Goldarrow would say that!

 I came o  here expecting Mooshie to say ....Ride it so much  you make all the other guys look bad !,

Frank you have NO ROOM to talk.  Your ride to the reunion was legendary--and maybe a bit reckless considering you fell asleep while riding!

Tell me more...