Topic: 1983 CB550 Nighthawk --> Scrambler project

[Steel36]

You guys are all way out of my league, so I certainly don't have anything to teach.  But, I've found a lot of useful info in forums like this so I'm going to post my experience to help contribute to others that may want to try something similar.

I had an '08 KLR that I'd enjoyed for a few years but had recently began to feel like it was just a little too tall for off-road fooling around, and a little too nice to boot.  I was doing less of the touring it was great at, and more running around town, short rides, with the occasional trip down a gravel or forestry road.  I like the look of 70's cafe bikes, but wanted something a little rougher and tougher.  I'd had a 74 CB200T that a guy had redone but it was just too weak to enjoy.  Still I wanted something that wasn't too heavy if it was going to be my version of a scrambler.

So I came across a 1983 Nighthawk 550 on craigslist, and owned it by the following morning.

[Farley121]

Ya forgot to post the pics! 

[Steel36]

Apparently I did it wrong.  Here's another try:

This is what it would have looked like with the original Factory setup:



And these are shots of its state when I picked it up.   Owner and buddy had done some work over the years, chopping the back off, switching out turn signals, making a simple custom seat, and switching to pods while clearing up the underseat area, and a new set of shocks on the back.







Like I said, lots of good clearing out but it still had that 80's cruiser feel of the original.  I wanted more of a modified scrambler. 

[Steel36]

Got it back home and into the basement to start the fun:





First up, removing the tank and stripping the paint:





I used aircraft remover.  It took a while and some scrubbing, but eventually it looked pretty good.  I test fit it on the bike, and though i'd wanted a raw look, decided the bike was just a little too raw and it might all clash.  Plus, it looked like I might catch a lot of glare off of that shiny tank, even with a satin clear coat.

[Steel36]

Meanwhile, in the evenings I was surfing for new parts to achieve the look and function I was after.  Biggest change would be those buckhorn handlebars.  besides their look, they also felt cramped and didn't give you the control you'd want if you left the pavement.  I'd need something wider.  The trick was finding bars with wide enough flat regions to hold all of those controls:



Oh, and those white grips needed to get switched out for brown, as that's the directions I was going with my new seat.  Still wasn't sure about the tank's final color.

[Steel36]

At the same time I was removing that factory square headlight and looking for a round one, with a cage if possible.  Plus, I was no wiring expert so I was hoping the lighting leads were pretty clear.

Here's kindof a shot of where the new wide (~35 inch) black handlebar had been installed with the brown grips.  I discovered the throttle tube was cracked, and tried to reuse it, but would later have issues.  At this point the front and back wheels had also been removed for re-tiring and painting.  figuring out how to support the bike was a booger, as the pipes go below the frame.  I ended up with straps to the floor joists and a jack arrangement.



missing a headlight:



Unfortunately, taking off the headlight removed the mounts for the turn signals.  I began looking for fork mounts that would hold the headlight and signals.

[calj737]

Your photos still aren’t linking properly.

[Steel36]

I didn't take a photo of the wheel painting process, but here's a before.  I wanted to minimize the black and alloy scheme to put the attention on the bike itself.



I used a self-etching primer after degreasing and lightly scuffing the wheels.  Satin black enamel followed.  Turned out really good.


I also decided to Plasti dip the tank since I was undecided, and having a hard time finding a gas-resistant paint in a non-gloss color.  this was my first time with plasti dip but i was pretty please that it gave me the matte grey look I was after.



While the wheel was off, I pulled the front forks and replaced the front seal which was brittle.  Then I changed the oil, and washed the bike, degreased it, then put some protectant where I could.

[Steel36]

Your photos still aren’t linking properly.

hmm... their showing up for me.  hard to solve since I see them and can't test what others see properly.

I've tried a few different approaches, but the "share" dropbox links produce nothing in the forum preview, and the ones I was using  show up for me.  I guess I'll pause on this post until I can figure it out later.  Huh, I thought the redesign of the bike was the hard part....

[calj737]

Embedding links to Dropbox photo sharing requires others to have the app running, sometimes even to download the images.

If you want broad participation in your thread, you might consider changing where/how you link your files.

[Steel36]

Thanks.  I think they're working now.  If not, please let me know and I'll just let it go. 

I haven't posted much on forums in a while and I can see the image issue has become considerably more complicated than just posting it inline.  Kinda surprises me that I see that many posts with images at all.  I guess others setup accounts with posting sites?  eek.

[Steel36]

Here's the current and final state.  I'm pretty pleased with where it ended up.  You can see the new tracker style seat, the black wheels, and the new knobbies.  Those things were a beast to find.  Not too many options out there for a 16" rear wheel needing a dual-sport tire.




Better shot of that wheel:




You can see the new round, black headlight with the cage.  It wired right up easily once the leads were identified.  And the mounts accommodated the signals with a little work.




I touched up the black engine and frame where needed, and finally got to take it out on the road a couple days ago.  I also switched in a new throttle tube to replace the cracked one and that addressed the sticky throttle issue.  The Honda engine is nice and smooth, and it has a little more oomph than I expected for a 550 of its age.  Other than a sticky left turn signal, I haven't run into any functional issues after several test rides.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and quite satisfying to ride a bike you had a hand in.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Nice job, especially with the seat.  The bike looks great.

I don't think there are any turn-key scrambler (high-mount) exhausts for a that DOHC 650.  You should be fine with gravel and dirt fire roads. 

[calj737]

If you really do intend to see non-asphalt riding, some fenders would be an absolute must have front and rear.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

If you really do intend to see non-asphalt riding, some fenders would be an absolute must have front and rear.

No doubt. Gravel in the face, engine or back would not be pleasant.

[Steel36]

If you really do intend to see non-asphalt riding, some fenders would be an absolute must have front and rear.

No doubt. Gravel in the face, engine or back would not be pleasant.

I hear you on that.  I sourced a used front fender on ebay and was considering adding it.