Author Topic: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)  (Read 3198 times)

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Offline Scott S

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CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« on: August 25, 2019, 12:52:29 pm »
 Back in April, CalJ must have decided I didn't have enough junk or stuff to do, so he brought me this 550F and a couple of totes full of parts.
 He wanted more space in his garage and I was tripping over stuff so, hey.... makes perfect sense!



 This bike was actually SOHC4 Forum member Springer's old bike.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,143800.0.html

 With Cal's permission, I sold off some stuff I didn't need and used those funds to buy the few parts I was missing. I'm a parts hoarder and this is about the seventh CB500/550 I've built, so I had plenty to work with.

 In just over four months, I know have a pretty sweet CB550F Street Tracker. I laced up a set of wheels and installed some Avon tires I already had, found a Delkevic exhaust, swapped the PD carbs for some 022A's, mated an old seat pan to a tracker seat that I bought at Barber 3 or 4 years ago, sourced a wiring harness, and used a bunch of parts I had laying around.
 A friend turned me on to a great painter and I got a killer matte finish paint job.

 This old Honda has made it's way from Ohio to Virginia to South Carolina and will soon be ripping up the streets again!

'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2019, 12:54:31 pm »
 And here she is today!







'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2019, 12:56:09 pm »
 More....







'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2019, 12:57:29 pm »
 Still going....





'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline springer

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2019, 01:26:55 pm »
Well really came out nice Scott where do you live again haha
1975 cb55f
1977 cb550k
2007 suzuki gsx1300r Just a Speed Toy
and as of 1/2014 sold

Offline Fezzler

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2019, 01:48:23 pm »
That's not "before and after" but rather "before and beyond."

Very cool styling, especially the paint job and SS on tank.

A++
1975 Honda CB550f in parts in progress
1978 Honda CB550 Four K4
1971 Honda CB500 Four K0
2008 105th Anniversary Edition HD Road King
(Sold) 1998 Honda Shadow ACE Deluxe VT750
1973 Schwinn Stingray (Blue Deluxe - RIP Jack and Rose)

Offline RAFster122s

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2019, 02:15:47 pm »
A Dr Jeckel and Mr Hyde paint job...

Looks great Scott.

How does it feel when astride, the body work is interesting?
David
David- back in the desert SW!

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2019, 02:18:47 pm »
 It feels good. A little taller than stock, but I'm tall so it doesn't bother me. Pretty comfortable.
'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline dave500

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2019, 03:15:48 pm »
what a rescue!bloody good job.

Offline ekpent

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2019, 03:23:09 pm »
  Looks really nice Scott,congrats on a job well done !
  Where is Cal by the way or have I just been missing his posts. Hope all is well with him and his family.-- Eric

Offline BomberMann650

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2019, 06:05:35 pm »
That's just beautiful!!!!  I could shed a year  :'(
75 CB550F Bloo
03 DS650/720 Bombardier
76/78 XS750 Oscar the Grouch
07 FJR1300; Lydia
05 YFZ450/470 Stroker (sold)
73 Norton Commando 850 Cafe
99 Roadstar Silverado (rebuild)
Certified Harley Davidson Tech

Offline Fezzler

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #11 on: August 26, 2019, 06:34:43 pm »
Those mirrors are cool.  Source?
1975 Honda CB550f in parts in progress
1978 Honda CB550 Four K4
1971 Honda CB500 Four K0
2008 105th Anniversary Edition HD Road King
(Sold) 1998 Honda Shadow ACE Deluxe VT750
1973 Schwinn Stingray (Blue Deluxe - RIP Jack and Rose)

Offline seanbarney41

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2019, 07:56:20 pm »
Love it!  ..even the matte paint, I would like it even more shiny though
If it works good, it looks good...

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2019, 02:48:07 am »
Those mirrors are cool.  Source?

 Those are late model Triumph mirrors. Bonneville, I think. I picked them up a while back for the last 500/550 project and didn't use them. They ended up being perfect for this bike.
'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2019, 08:00:38 am »
 So far, so good. There was a bit of an oil leak around the head gasket, but I did the "tampon" thing and rolled up a shop towel really tight and stuffed it in there. The speedo started getting really lazy on a ride today, being very slow to go back to 0 mph. The odometers both work great. I'll have to read up on that.
 Adjusted the chain, checked the oil and the engine temp...guess I just need to keep putting some miles on it!








'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline Deltarider

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2019, 11:28:56 am »
Nice design, in particular the tank. How does that exhaust sound?
CB500K2-ED Excel black
"There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for anybody's greed."

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2019, 11:50:22 am »
 I think it sounds good. Not too loud, not too raspy.
'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline evinrude7

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2019, 04:04:54 pm »
one of the more unique paint jobs i've seen.  great work. 
cb750 k6 - ugly

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #18 on: September 17, 2019, 08:50:28 am »
What a looker! Great job, Scott!!
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 MauiK3

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #19 on: October 06, 2019, 09:36:11 am »
I'm partial to "stockish" SOHC's but this one is really nice!
Great job
1973 CB 750 K3
10/72 build Z1 Kawasaki

Offline Scott S

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #20 on: October 06, 2019, 09:53:10 am »
 Thanks guys!!
'71 CB500 K0
'17 Triumph Street Scrambler
'81 Yamaha XS650

Offline vik351

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #21 on: October 19, 2019, 06:07:23 am »
First ride on my Hondamatic 750 today and my speedo did the lazy thing too...

Lazy to get off the mark and lazy to go back to zero, once ya got a straight run it sat on the right speed, but only gets there by appointment...

Did a quick look up om Dr Google and looks like ya have to take the bloody thing apart and give it a drop of oil on some gears in there  :-\

Ant tricks you old blokes from here...???  8)

Looks like a PITA to bend that flange up to split the thing...!!!

vik...

Offline NewBoots

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #22 on: October 19, 2019, 06:31:02 am »
 :)WOW.....Looks real good. Cotton clothesline works good on oil leak.
Bucky

Offline becken

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #23 on: October 19, 2019, 09:37:24 am »
Absolutely beautiful!!!!!
1976 CB550F bought new
1981 CM400A wife bought new
2004 GL1800

Offline kerryb

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Re: CB550F Street Tracker (aka, Springers Bike)
« Reply #24 on: October 22, 2019, 06:06:13 pm »
First ride on my Hondamatic 750 today and my speedo did the lazy thing too...

Lazy to get off the mark and lazy to go back to zero, once ya got a straight run it sat on the right speed, but only gets there by appointment...

Did a quick look up om Dr Google and looks like ya have to take the bloody thing apart and give it a drop of oil on some gears in there  :-\

Ant tricks you old blokes from here...???  8)

Looks like a PITA to bend that flange up to split the thing...!!!

vik...

First off... love the bike Scott, very nice results.
For both you and vik351...I remember reading on here that before you open up a speedo to fix the lazy needle, put some ( mystery solvent) on a cotton ball and put that cotton ball in the illumination bulb socket overnight in a plastic bag.  The vapors from the (mystery solvent) thin the oil on the needle bearing a little , thus solving the lazy needle issue.  Sure wish I could remember what the right solvent is.  It may have been kerosene, but I'm sure someone with better search skills than I can find it.
intrigued by the wail...seduced by the scream.