Topic: Honda CB550 Air Filter

[Deltarider]

You will ride it and you will love it. Always warm up the engine gently. Usually after some 20 minutes the engine will be warm enough and you can subject your bike to any treatment imaginable. Have fun!

[kyle750]

You will ride it and you will love it.

Many Thanks for the optimism and encouragement.  Also a big thanks for the overview of the settings in the oldstyle CB500/550 carbs and CB550 parts databases.  Very useful information and very much appreciated.  Thank You!

I am a long way from cleaning the carbs but hopefully one day after my skills set has improved and I learn more about them I will be more prepared.  During an older parts search I stumbled upon NOS jets for sale.  Reasonable price.  I wonder if I should go ahead and buy a set of 4  so they are on hand (just in case they are needed).  Maybe the jets in the bike are OK but it would not hurt to have NOS ready to go? As time goes by original Honda NOS parts will only get harder to find.   As always other SOHC forum members thoughts and opinions are always greatly appreciated. 

[Deltarider]

I have the same in my CB500 and even after over 140.000km I have no indication of any wear. On the other hand, if the price is right and they are genuine Honda, buy them. Needle jet sets are very expensive, around US $ 40,- each set: https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cb550-four-1975-cb550k0-usa_model465/needle-set-jet_16012323004/

[kyle750]

I bought this CB550 air filter top/tool tray today.   I found a reasonably priced one but still an expensive piece of plastic. Mine was cracked and disintegrating and held together with black electrical tape.

Drip, drip, drip goes the money 
 

[kyle750]

Although both bikes share many of the same parts I am starting to believe that vintage original CB550 parts are more expensive than vintage original CB750 parts. I'm not sure if it is supply or demand or availability ?  ?  ?

[MauiK3]

Not as much aftermarket sourcing, making them more rare and expensive

[kyle750]

Replacement black plastic air filter top/tool tray arrived.  Very quick shipping from Canada. Excellent condition but missing the mesh screen in the oval cutout (I'm quessing I could cut a screen to fit and glue in place to the underside).  A huge improvement from my falling apart into pieces and held together with electrical tape tray.  I thought my old tray top was in the worst condition possible until I looked at the spark plug wires and caps   I wonder how many rolls of black electrical tape were used in this bike? 

Late Edit:  Look at how the seat cover was attached to the underside. Amazing!

[Kelly E]

You're also missing the spare fuse holder. I was told they are rare and am lucky to have one.

[bryanj]

Yes they are rare, a member on the uk forum had some made, Trigger, but they were not cheap to make

[kyle750]

A huge Thank You to @bryanj for all the help and assistance with the air filter and filter box. Tube mechanism has been removed and I disconnected  the rubber vent pipe from the airbox.    NOS CB500 air filter installed and topped off with replacement black plastic tray. Setup looks fantastic.   I have not had the chance to make a air filter clip but will be working on it today.    I am hoping the engine will be  happy with the new air flow.

[bryanj]

When the filter clips became scarce i used half a wooden clothes peg for holding wahing to outsidewashing lines

[kyle750]

When the filter clips became scarce i used half a wooden clothes peg for holding wahing to outsidewashing lines

Often the simple and easy is the best solution.  Perfect 

[kyle750]

Having an old Honda with caps and plugs and air filter that actually works is always nice but what I really "need" is one of these

[Deltarider]

Your model did not have that one anymore. Yours is supposed to be attached to the cover of the fuse box which is located behind the LH sidepanel. See pics.

[kyle750]

Cleaning out the air filter box (very dirty inside - not good).    Installed the NOS CB500 air filter, new filter clip, and new replacement black plastic tool tray top. Looks much better than before but will the carbs and engine like the new air flow?

[bryanj]

Its the same as 500, you may need 500 jets if they are different

[kyle750]

Thanks Mate!  The carb is a 022A - same as 500.  Also the exhaust was changed into a 4 into 2 by the previous owner. I'm just starting to learn about the early 022A but I have read from other forum posts that it is very forgiving of conditions and modifications.  At this point I am not concerned with getting it to run perfectly. I'm confident the new setup is a HUGE improvement from the cheap crappy packaging foam that I found stuffed into the box.

[Deltarider]

For the time being I would leave the carb internal parts as they are now. I don't think the CB500 air filter element will change caracteristics noticeably.

[bryanj]

The element wont but the tool tray is more free flowing than the snorkel, which wss fitted in some countries to reduce intake noise and if it does that it must reduce flow

[Deltarider]

The element wont but the tool tray is more free flowing than the snorkel, which wss fitted in some countries to reduce intake noise and if it does that it must reduce flow

Not necessarily.

[kyle750]

The element wont but the tool tray is more free flowing than the snorkel, which wss fitted in some countries to reduce intake noise and if it does that it must reduce flow

Snorkel is a great word for it    I agree with you that removing it will most likely increase air flow. The addition of a genuine  air filter  will very likely decrease air flow.  Anything is better than what was in there!

[Deltarider]

Actually, it was the question I had, long tiime ago when I entered this forum for the first time.
How is it possible that the CB500 for continental Europe (France excepted) performed with AIR DUCT and #78 main jets equally good as other markets that had no such AIR DUCT and #100 main jets. Ofcoure I myself was curious to see if I could detect any gains by fitting #100 main jets and removing the AIR DUCT. I had to conclude the same as the Germans had concluded: no extra gains, only increased intake noise. I don't have the instrumentation to see if the air duct maybe offers a better laminar flow than that gauze net which may create more turbulence (this was suggested by a member here). Quality of gasoline may also have played a role. Countries like Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Austria and Italy always have had the better gasoline as the engines were tuned to a higher degree. In the US it is one gasoline that fits all. Not many know this, but German gas differs slightly from ours in Holland and the gas at Danish pumps in its turn slightly differs from the German gas.
I remember back then Suzuki complained: if only they could make up their mind about one quality of gas in Europe, as Suzuki was forced to install on one or more model different jets for different markets...

[kyle750]

The breather/vent tube from the valve cover was disconnected from the air box (photo shows still connected) and is now vented to the atmosphere.  I am certainly not a Honda mechanic but IMO Honda's decision to vent oil vapors through the air filter box was not a good step. The air filter needs to clean air and stay clean for as long as possible to do its job correctly.  There is no gain in function or performance by clogging it up and degrading its effectiveness and reducing its lifespan by adding additional contaminants.
 

[kyle750]

I just cleaned the inside of the spigot at the bottom of the air filter box with paint thinner and used some silicone adhesive I had laying around to plug the hole.   Filled the spigot hole about 1cm deep with the silicone adhesive.  In the future the silicone plug could always be removed. 

I forgot to show the NOS CB500 air filter.  Arrived last week from Japan.  With shipping, import duties, and tax it was expensive for what is basically a piece of pleated paper 

[Deltarider]

You have the best. About its lifespan, please read what I've posted years ago on the matter: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,163071.msg1876691.html#msg1876691