Topic: New rider re: Honda 550 Four

[Dbl A]

Hi.  Just bought my first bike last week.  A friend's '74 Honda CB550.  I'm 34, but have limited ability/knowledge about bikes.  The bike runs great, has strong brakes, new (ish) tires, and is for the most part in really nice shape.  A couple things...the oil light is on, but there is plenty of oil in the bike (I think).  Other minor issues include turn signals that don't flash, and a broken tail light lens.  Can you guys point me in some sort of direction as far as where to buy parts, and how to go about fixing things on this bike?  I am a musician and don't really have any bike friends to guide me.  I live in Chicago if that helps.  Thanks!

[Badger 5]

You will find a couple folks here from Chicago that can help you.  I live in Chicago but am new to these bikes as well so I can be of some help but not much.   You can find your broken tail light lens on E-bay, I see quite a few on there.  I had to get my blinkers up and  running this week and a new flasher did the trick for me.  I picked up a Tridon Stant 12 volt 3 terminal electronic flasher EP35 from autozone and it worked fine.  Just be sure to hook it up right so you don't blow a fuse.  I can't remember what I paid but I think it was under 10.00.  The oil light is a little above my head but I'm sure you can get some answers in this forum.

What part of Chicago do you call home?

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Welcome to the forum, Dbl A!  There are a lot of great people on here, so I'm sure you can either search and find the answer you are looking for or someone can chime in with some.

Here is a link to a recent thread of another member new to the 550.  In it, I posted a list of things to keep in mind.  Hopefully it will give you a leg up as you get to know your bike!

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=21190.0

[dusterdude]

welcome,i think the 550 is a wet sump engine,there should be an oil dipstick on the lower right part of the engine,just unscrew it wipe it off and lay it back in the hole,do not screw it in,pull it back out and see what you have.if you have enough oil,find the oil pressure switch and make sure the wire to it is not grounding on the engine/frame somewhere.good luck.

[bryanj]

If the oil light is on but no nasty noises then the chance is the wire is grounded where it didnt ought to be or the pressure switch (behind sprocket cover on top of oil pump) needs replacement

[csendker]

The 550 is in fact a wet sump (oil inside the engine casing as opposed to the 750 which has an oil tank), and the dipstick is on the  right-hand side of the engine...and remember to put the bike up on the centerstand when you check the oil level.

The oil pressure sending unit is mounted on top of the oil pump, behind the left engine casing cover.  I  attached a pic and it's circled as #1.  You can pull this casing cover off without fear of anything pouring out (use an impact driver) - it's just a cover over the oil pump & front sprocket.  Check the wire for a short, or maybe the sending unit is shot.  They pop up on e-bay, just look for them.  And while the cover is off, look at the shifter oil seal (circled as #2) because they are notorious for leaking.  It's pretty easy to change these out if yours is dripping oil there.

Assuming the oil level is OK, it may be a short, it may be a bad sending unit, or the pressure may not be sufficient.  Try pulling off a couple of tappet covers to see if the oil is making it up to the top of the engine.  If so, you can probably sleep at night.  If it seems dry up there, you may want to look at the pump.

[Dbl A]

Thank you all so much!  Wicker Park is my hood in Chicago for the guy who asked...I just found the tail light lens & it was super cheap...Thanks again for your patience.