Topic: ClawSS' 76' CB550F Project

[Stev-o]

Put the battery on the charger and was inspecting the bike when I noticed a burnt connector!

Wondering why those wires were cut and spliced?!!!

[ClawSS]

Wondering why those wires were cut and spliced?!!!

You and me both! I'm guessing that the contact between wires when someone else trying to start it likely fried the neutral switch wire to the starter magneto. I plan to wrap them with tape while I work on getting some bullet connectors to keep them separated.

[MauiK3]

I got the vintage kit, it's good to have.

[HondaMan]

Get this kit to replace the barrel connectors that you cut out.

https://www.vintageconnections.com/products/ck-1

What is the difference between the vintage barrel connectors and modern day?

Most of the OEM version were zinc-plated steel. They were meant for a 10-year life. The Vintage Connections version are made from modern brass, likely will outlive us all. The crimper is excellent!

Those broken wires: the Black-White runs from the RUN-OFF switch on the right handlebars, down to power the coils when the switch is at RUN.
The Back is +12 volts, sourced at the ignition key.
The Black/Red goes to the fuseblock (then to the headlight).

[ClawSS]

Replaced the connector! And the bike turns! Still no neutral light but is for sure in neutral.

[newday777]

Get this kit to replace the barrel connectors that you cut out.

https://www.vintageconnections.com/products/ck-1

What is the difference between the vintage barrel connectors and modern day?

What are you referring to modern day? Link??

[ClawSS]

Get this kit to replace the barrel connectors that you cut out.

https://www.vintageconnections.com/products/ck-1

What is the difference between the vintage barrel connectors and modern day?

What are you referring to modern day? Link??

I suppose modern day was the incorrect term. Bullet connectors from a parts store vs these. I was ignorant to the quality of metal difference between the vintage connections kit.


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[newday777]

Get this kit to replace the barrel connectors that you cut out.

https://www.vintageconnections.com/products/ck-1

What is the difference between the vintage barrel connectors and modern day?

What are you referring to modern day? Link??

I suppose modern day was the incorrect term. Bullet connectors from a parts store vs these. I was ignorant to the quality of metal difference between the vintage connections kit.


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The link I gave are the correct metric size as compared to incorrect SAE size that don't match and fit.

[ClawSS]

I have found that the neutral light isn’t coming on because there was no bulb! I swapped it for one i know works and put the bike in gear and the bulb goes off as intended and back on when in neutral. Easy fix!

I have noticed that when I turn the key and the dash is powered that the turn signals do not flash when activated, they just get brighter on that side I’m turning. Mind you the bike has not been started, but the battery is charged. I have tried activating the turn signal while having my finger on the 12V flasher but I didn’t feel anything clicking inside the box, so I assume that’s the culprit.

Any thoughts?

[MauiK3]

Might be the flasher, make sure your grounds are good too.

[ClawSS]

Might be the flasher, make sure your grounds are good too.

Will do!


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[Little_Phil]

I have noticed that when I turn the key and the dash is powered that the turn signals do not flash when activated, they just get brighter on that side I’m turning. Mind you the bike has not been started, but the battery is charged. I have tried activating the turn signal while having my finger on the 12V flasher but I didn’t feel anything clicking inside the box, so I assume that’s the culprit.

Any thoughts?

Presume the bike has dual filament front flashers. The low wattage filament is permanently on as daytime running lights. The higher wattage filament comes on when the flasher is selected. Poor connections, poor ground, poor battery or duff flasher.

[ClawSS]

I have noticed that when I turn the key and the dash is powered that the turn signals do not flash when activated, they just get brighter on that side I’m turning. Mind you the bike has not been started, but the battery is charged. I have tried activating the turn signal while having my finger on the 12V flasher but I didn’t feel anything clicking inside the box, so I assume that’s the culprit.

Any thoughts?

Presume the bike has dual filament front flashers. The low wattage filament is permanently on as daytime running lights. The higher wattage filament comes on when the flasher is selected. Poor connections, poor ground, poor battery or duff flasher.

I’m thinking its ground right now, I found that the Green wire that runs all over the bike is missing the male connections to the dual female donnector under the tank that connects all of the handlebar and headlight components


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[carnivorous chicken]

Was going to say ground too. Can't remember with these specifically, but sometimes the turn signals ground through the fork ears and its a weak or buggered connection. I've run an extra ground wire to make a better connection.

[HondaMan]

Aha!

I have found that the neutral light isn’t coming on because there was no bulb! I swapped it for one i know works and put the bike in gear and the bulb goes off as intended and back on when in neutral. Easy fix!

Aha!
Back in the day, we used the Neutral Light's bulb for setting the points timing (the old manual way) around the campfire. It was easy to get out, and handy in the campground on a tour. It must have gotten lost?

[ClawSS]

Aha!

I have found that the neutral light isn’t coming on because there was no bulb! I swapped it for one i know works and put the bike in gear and the bulb goes off as intended and back on when in neutral. Easy fix!

Aha!
Back in the day, we used the Neutral Light's bulb for setting the points timing (the old manual way) around the campfire. It was easy to get out, and handy in the campground on a tour. It must have gotten lost?

Man that’s awesome!

I’m not sure what the story is on that bulb, but I’m learning more and more about this bike as I dive into it. It seems to all point back to when it was laid over and the owner replaced parts. I had found an empty dual female bullet connector for the green wire that is suppose to be under the tank. I thought that was super odd because I know that wire goes the length of the bike connecting all of the lighting. I took the headlight off I found that the previous owner had moved that green wire’s junction to behind the headlight to get more wire length for the taller aftermarket handle bars likely replaced after the layover.

Long story short, I love this kind of stuff because it tells a story and feels like uncovering a murder mystery! I don’t care for the taller handles and will likely move to replace them, so I fear I’ve not gotten away from deciphering wiring diagrams just yet.

I had my cb550 book shipped home as my apartment situation is about to change, so I’ll get my hands on it this weekend!

[HondaMan]

With these points ignitions, it was common practice to use one of the indicator bulbs to reset the points when on long trips (over 5000 miles), or if we just felt like it. To do it, we'd put a piece of paper between the 'other' points (the one we weren't setting at the moment, to save battery power) and then crank the engine around to where the 1-4 points were almost due to open. Then we'd touch the side of the bulb (metal case) to the points' ground bracket and the center contact of the bulb to the spring of the points and watch where it turned ON as we further turned the crank's big nut. The gaps would slowly close up: this way we could see how much, and adjust them with just a screwdriver (in the Honda toolkit) for a fresh power-tune. Then we'd swap the paper insulator to the 1-4 points and repeat on the 2-3 side.

We first did this with the 350 twins: they were a little easier to turn their crank. On my 750 I usually loosened the 1-4 sparkplugs to make the crank turn a little easier for these roadside tricks.

[MauiK3]

Cool trick!
I once had a 1970 F250 Ford truck, 351 CuIn V-8, a huge lump. On a road trip (circa 1994) through rural Idaho the points broke right at the place where the phenolic block rides the cam. We were miles from anywhere on a Sunday. I got out my little tool bag, fiddled around for a bit and found an old plastic bag tie thing, a small paper tie with wire inside, we called them "Baggies tie thing".  I wrapped it tightly around the broken phenolic block at the crack. It held well enough to limp into the nearest town (Cascade) and the only open gas station had a set of points for it! He could have charged me anything for them but he just charged whatever the list price was. We got on our way north towards the town of Orofino.
Points are great.

[BenelliSEI]

Cool trick!
I once had a 1970 F250 Ford truck, 351 CuIn V-8, a huge lump. On a road trip (circa 1994) through rural Idaho the points broke right at the place where the phenolic block rides the cam. We were miles from anywhere on a Sunday. I got out my little tool bag, fiddled around for a bit and found an old plastic bag tie thing, a small paper tie with wire inside, we called them "Baggies tie thing".  I wrapped it tightly around the broken phenolic block at the crack. It held well enough to limp into the nearest town (Cascade) and the only open gas station had a set of points for it! He could have charged me anything for them but he just charged whatever the list price was. We got on our way north towards the town of Orofino.
Points are great.

Great fix! I was on a ski trip with another guy in his Mom’s Austin Mini 1000 Automatic (what a slug). One morning it cranked, but no spark. The little plastic insulator on the points spring pivot had cracked and disappeared! I recall driving 3-4 tooth picks in the gap and snapping them off. Fired right up and we managed to get home.

[HondaMan]

One of my early cars was a [very cool] 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL convertible (in burgundy, with white leather interior!) and it had the Police interceptor 390"X" engine, what a rocket! Once, though, after a hot Saturday night testing other local big-blocks, it suddenly dropped in power and wouldn't idle. When I looked into the distributor the rubbing foot had shaved off a sliver of itself (which was laying in the distributor) and the points gap was almost nothing, hence the trouble. I had some pliers in the car: I slightly bent the ground arm contact away from the moving one when the engine was cranked far enough to open them (to open that gap a little more), drove it home and then until Monday when auto parts stores were open so I could get another set of points.

They are so much easier to fix than when those solid-state electrons decide to rebel, run away, or just go on strike...

[ClawSS]

I’ve made a lot of progress since my last post! I’ve since gotten it fired up and idling and currently working on a carb rebuild.

I’ve run into a weird turn signal conundrum though. The turn signals dont flash when activated they just get brighter. So, I bought a turn signal flasher online thinking that it might just be that. I hook up the new one and now the activated signal doesn’t light up and the bike beeps when activated!

Did I buy the incorrect flasher? I’ve read that these bikes have a beeper on them to tell the rider the signal is still on, I assume that’s what that is but why are the signals dark now?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

See flasher image below.
Rectangle came with the bike