Hello folks,
I am located in Saskatchewan, Canada and just picked up what is really my first road bike. It's a 1974 CB550. I say first because I did own a cheap Honda Win knockoff when I travelled through Vietnam years ago, and put a lot of miles on it there, but I've never owned a bike in Canada before. I'm taking a motorcycle safety course this coming weekend.
Always wanted a vintage Honda. My dad has a 77 XL250, which is in nice shape.
Since picking up the CB550, which I got for a very reasonable price (wonder why?), I've come to realize that it was actually someone's project bike that was unfinished and sat in a shop on a farm for about the last half decade. It's kind of a cafe-style build with rear sets on it. When I got it home, it took me a few days to get it running (internals of the petcock were bunged up, but I got that cleared out and flowing), but it does run and idle. Everything else, including electronics, appears to work at least somewhat correctly.
Since I got it I've changed oil and filter, installed a new battery, got it running (as mentioned), and done a lot of messing around with the suspension. I wanted to set the bike back to factory geometry, as the previous owner had jacked the rear end way up. Unfortunately, as the shock mounts had been changed, I needed to sort out a different option than a factory reproduction shock. I've succeeded in finding a solution, which brings the rear end closer to stock height and offers clearance for the chain on the swing arm and the shocks themselves.
I also repainted the tank, which was somewhat of a nightmare as a previous repair had cracked and I found there was a fair bit of filler on the tank.
I'm going to go about swapping tires on it soon, and checking the rest of the fluids and bolt torque, in addition to setting cam chain tension and valve clearances. I'm sure the carbs will need synced (came with pods, sorry guys) so I'll need to address that too.
Anyways, since starting on the bike about a month ago, I've learned an awful lot from you folks on here. And although some forum members seem to be a little hostile at times, it seems like a great place to tap into a wealth of knowledge.
I'm really excited to enter the world of motorcycling, and I've already really enjoyed the escape the bike has provided in giving me something to work on in the evenings.
Cheers, and thanks for reading.
