Topic: CB550 Rebuild Project for Beginner

[Koonendez]

Hello,

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me. I lost sleep for the past three or four days in hopes that a PO in Chicago would still hold onto a '78 CB550 for me. I finally rented a Uhaul cargo van yesterday and drove down to inspect and bring home my first bike.





Now, for the past two weeks I've nearly lost my eyesight from reading and researching these forums and website regarding the bike and the rebuild process. I've already learned so much, but reading about doing something and actually getting the experience is another. Hopefully I'll receive the help I've read so many others get, but for now, since the weather is nice. I'm just going to get used to the ride and enjoy it.

Waiting for my Clymer manual to get dropped off.

[Chicago550]

Congrats! I saw a bike exactly like yours last week at the Continental. Looked like it had barely been ridden.

[COB550]

 Nice bike, I like the 4into1 pipe. What are your plans, I assume it is running and it will become a cafe bike? Have fun and good luck.

               Joe

[Koonendez]

As much as I'd like to restore, as a first project, I feel like I'd like to Cafe the bike and leave the restore project for later down the road when I'm very familiar with scoots.

It is running, but I have some idling issues with the bike. Not exactly sure what it is. I keep messing with the choke on the handle bars and a bolt under the gas tank on the right that the PO told me controls the air mixture. Either way, even when I play around with it I still get very high idle rpms and the engine seems unstable. Enough to ride. Just took it out on this nice sunny day.

Being a first time rider I won't lie. I had a lot of trouble getting used to engaging first gear. Still not smooth at all. Nothing like shifting in a car. But I got it to third and seemed really happy with the smooth ride and how nice the handling and turning is on this bike.

BTW. It seems like the shifter on the left is WAY too close to (what I think is a clutch cover)? It feels uneasy that my toes feel obstructed by this plate cover(on the bottom end of the engine).

[FunJimmy]

Welcome aboard!

Now the real fun begins.
As you’ve already found in the build forums, these bikes are really easy to work on.
Parts are readily available from many sources including the classified section of this site.
Help is just a question away and there are lots of opinions out here too.
Keep us informed with your progress and have fun.

Cheers
FJ

[seaweb11]

"I'm just going to get used to the ride and enjoy it."

Great idea   You will soon enough figure out how to do the little things, and beyond.

P.S. Sounds like the PO dropped the bike on the left side and bent in the shifter. Yank it off......   
1 bolt and straighten it back out in a vise.   Your 1st fix

[andy750]

P.S. Sounds like the PO dropped the bike on the left side and bent in the shifter. Yank it off......   
1 bolt and straighten it back out in a vise.   Your 1st fix

i dont think thats it Seaweb - look at the photo of the left hand side of the bike - the shifter looks very straight. I think maybe you have large feet and the toe of your boot/shoe is touching the alternator cover. Ive ridden a 550 and Ive had this problem before. Just takes some practice getting used to foot position. If this shifter is loose, check the 10 mm bolt securing it.

good luck and take it easy.

cheers
Andy

[Koonendez]

Thanks guys...will need the good luck

I'm assuming the Clymer manual should be in sometime mid next week, so I'll be patient with the tear down. I've already started removing minor pieces that are self-explanatory on the bike. Question is...is PB(i know it's not the only) the best solution that will help me tear down this bike without stripping threads and bolts?

What are some others that you all have had good experiences with?

How is WD-40 in comparison to PB?

[fonzy]

hey nice find, i'm also eyeing the same exact bike (model and year), but yours is more complete. hopefully the bike will still be there until more funds come within the week.

please post more pics as you progress in your project. goodluck!

 

[dustyc]

Welcome both of y'all.

You'll want another manual to consult.  There are errors in manuals and it's much easier to read both than to do what it says first and have to go back.  If you search here, there is a post by Einyodeler (sp?) that has manuals for download -free.

Getting into gear requires a confident click.  Not "you're going to break it off" force, but not meek either.  You'll get the feel.  If you wind up with false neutrals, you know you need to put a little more uumph into it. 

Penetrating oil, I like Liquid Wrench for tough bolts.  And if it's tough enough to need more than WD40, then I'll usually put some heat from a torch on it if it's not going to damage nearby rubber or plastic. 

Some have made their own penetrating oil with automatic transmission fluid and acetone.  I haven't done it, but what I've read says it works great.  You can search for that also and make your own decision.  The search feature is a great thing.

[Koonendez]

You'll want another manual to consult.  There are errors in manuals and it's much easier to read both than to do what it says first and have to go back.  If you search here, there is a post by Einyodeler (sp?) that has manuals for download -free.

Thanks for the advice I'll give Liquid wrench a try. About the manuals, I was pretty excited as soon as I read your post and went directly to the thread to download anything and everything about my bike, but the MUST DOWNLOAD manuals don't work along with my specific model manuals either.

[dustyc]

Did you get it from this post?  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=17788.0  ?

I tried and it downloaded just fine.

Here is the link to the FAQ's manual page.  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=426.0

[Koonendez]

Thanks, but after searching a little bit on some good links I found all the manuals I need on some website called hondatech or something of that sort.

Sprayed some PB this morning hope to take down a little bit tonight, but I don't get back home till 2AM so not sure if anything will happen, we'll see

[Koonendez]

Started tearing down the bike this morning...
Not sure if I screwed myself over by not bagging up and labeling many of the bolts or more importantly where they go, I'm hoping that the Clymer manual(when it arrives) will help me with that. I am feeling the impression that building it back together will be twice as hard, if not harder, than it was tearing it down.

Anyways, I have a few questions and concerns...

1) I'm stuck on removing one the electrical wires. No matter how much PB I spray it won't budge. And the X on the bolt seems like its starting to strip. Any ideas on how to remove stubborn bolts without screwing myself over?

2) I've been reading about phosphoric acid(1 part) to water(5 part) when cleaning my stock chrome pieces. But I'm more interested as of the moment on cleaning off the frame. I'm just worried about sanding off some of the factory paint. Any ideas? I've searched all over, but all these project threads and FAQs don't seem to cover the basics. Maybe I'm asking a really obvious question. Should I give the frame and parts a good wash with Simple Green before working on the rust?

BTW...Nearly all my nuts and bolts have rust or grime on them...any suggestions?

[Klark Kent]

a bolt set is what you want

[Frankenkit]

I'd suggest in lots of shop rags and non-chlorinated brake-clean.  good stuff- no residue, cuts grease and other crap. 

Another suggestion:
As another beginner- a little patience and being willing to put off the project and invest in quality parts will save you a lot of heartache and frustration if you try to either go to bikebandit or whip up a DIY solution.  Sometimes these work, but OEM is often the safest way to go.

I have already realized in retrospect that a lot of the work I've done on my bike is admittedly to repair 'work' I'd done when I didn't really know what I was doing.  There's not as much shame in admitting when something is 'too much' as you'd think. It's better than dropping the big bucks to fix it after.

Good luck to ya, and good to see you on the board!

[Koonendez]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm more than willing to put in the time and more importantly patience with my first project. Strongly agree with the "better doing it right the first time" method.

I don't feel to motivated in switching out all my nuts and bolts and especially the screws for all allen headed bolts(if that's what you were implying). I would LOVE a new set of original nuts and bolts, but I would imagine they're either hard or impossible to find.

Is there any possible way to restore and remove rust from all my nuts/bolts/screws?

[Koonendez]

It's been less than a week now since I've gotten the bike. Since I received the bike running(not perfectly...far from perfect but she ran) I wasn't too concerned much with tuning up the bike.

I began tearing her down with intentions to clean her up, replace parts(all bolts, nuts, washers, cotter pins, and forever the list goes) including new chain, possibly sprockets(I'll take close pictures since I can't really tell if they're REALLY worn out), and all other major necessities.

I said this before and although I read in other projects how others emphasized organization in the teardown process, I did my best to organize, label, and separate everything.

Here's some pictures of my work in progress...I have some quesitons that I'll try to represent in some of the close-up shots:



And here's a shot of one of my turn signals that I can't seem to figure out how to remove wiring. Question is...if I plan on not having front turn signals, would it be alright to just simply snip those off altogether?


Having trouble removing swingarm...I removed the long tube after loosening the outside bolts, but it seems like it won't free itself because of these stoppers inside of the frame:


Any suggestions? The Clymer manual only seems to be a bit of help in certain areas.

Also, I've removed the Carb rack, but I'm having a problem with releasing the choke valve. I've got a rusted screw and it seems like the PO before almost stripped the top trying to un-screw it. Any ideas on that? Too dangerous to grind?


Thanks in advance for any help or advice. This being my first build, everything seems really fragile and makes me extra nervous about doing some simple procedures

[mattcb350f]

Once you've removed the long bolt that holds on the swingarm, it should come off; there isn't anything else holding it on but stuborness.

The swingarm fits rather tight in the frame so you may need to wack the end off it with a rubber mallet side to side to get it loose. If you're real careful, you can put a pry bar between the engine and the swingarm and pry a little at the same time. Just make sure that you don't pry too hard, those aluminum cases are pretty soft.

 Matt.

[Koonendez]

Once you've removed the long bolt that holds on the swingarm, it should come off; there isn't anything else holding it on but stuborness.

The swingarm fits rather tight in the frame so you may need to wack the end off it with a rubber mallet side to side to get it loose. If you're real careful, you can put a pry bar between the engine and the swingarm and pry a little at the same time. Just make sure that you don't pry too hard, those aluminum cases are pretty soft.

 Matt.

Thanks Matt,

I guess I was just a little nervous since I've been putting off buying a bike-lift to the very last minute(have so many other tools to purchase) and the bike is currently resting on its front-wheel and center-stand. I'll give it a couple taps downward so as to not have the bike come tumbling down on its side.

Still have a problem with these rusted bolts including the one on my carb. Any ideas?
And is it ok to snip the wires for the turn signals? Any cheap home-made bike stands/lifts I can rest the engine in the frame on that's sturdy enough?

[mattcb350f]

Rusted bolts  ........ they come standard on all classic bikes 

If you're talking about that screw in the pic, then I would buy a set of vise grips to get it loose. All you do is clamp on the grips on the head of the screw and it should be able to get it loose.

I'm not familiar with the 550, but those turn signal wires should come out whole. They are attached to the harness inside the headlight bucket somewhere. Just follow them in and unplug them. But that signal setup is one that I'm not familiar with so I may be wrong.

As for bike lifts, you might be able to use a motocross style bike stand, but the oil pan might get in the way. Once you've striped the bike down to just the engine and frame, it should fit on an average sized sturdy work bench.

 Matt.

[jevfro]

Still have a problem with these rusted bolts including the one on my carb. Any ideas?

Visegrips might grab the sides of the screw.  Also, an impact driver removes many a stubborn screw, or a grinder if that fails.  I bought some metric #3 Phillips headed screws (zinc plated) from a local ace hardware when I stripped several on my cases.  The heads are slightly larger than stock but worked great.  I'd get the bolt set If I were to do it again. Allen heads are much easier to remove/replace.

is it ok to snip the wires for the turn signals?

  They should connect via "bullet" connectors in the headlight shell.  shouldn't need to cut them, they just unplug unless the wiring has been hacked by PO.  As far as getting the wires out of the signals themselves, they should have a screw holding the socket in the blinker housing.  These can be removed but I don't know why you'd want to unless you're replacing the socket.

Any cheap home-made bike stands/lifts I can rest the engine in the frame on that's sturdy enough

I've seen several folks here use ratchet straps looped over a rafter or other anchor above the bike.  I just used a lil' scissor type jack out of an old Subaru wagon w/ a chunk of 2X4 between the engine and the jack.  This was with the center stand holding the rear and I just lifted it enough to remove the front wheel and replace my forks.

[BlindJoe]

you could try cutting a slot in the screw w/ a dremel tool so you could use a flat head, or just drill it out and re-tap it.

[Koonendez]

Thanks, I'll probably try using vice-grips before I do anything serious. Any type of cutting would be a last resort considering the amount of space I have there.

By taking a look at the chain, would you say 1) Def. needs to be replaced 2) Save money and clean it?

[kevio]

Started tearing down the bike this morning...
Not sure if I screwed myself over by not bagging up and labeling many of the bolts or more importantly where they go, I'm hoping that the Clymer manual(when it arrives) will help me with that. I am feeling the impression that building it back together will be twice as hard, if not harder, than it was tearing it down.

Anyways, I have a few questions and concerns...

1) I'm stuck on removing one the electrical wires. No matter how much PB I spray it won't budge. And the X on the bolt seems like its starting to strip. Any ideas on how to remove stubborn bolts without screwing myself over?

2) I've been reading about phosphoric acid(1 part) to water(5 part) when cleaning my stock chrome pieces. But I'm more interested as of the moment on cleaning off the frame. I'm just worried about sanding off some of the factory paint. Any ideas? I've searched all over, but all these project threads and FAQs don't seem to cover the basics. Maybe I'm asking a really obvious question. Should I give the frame and parts a good wash with Simple Green before working on the rust?

BTW...Nearly all my nuts and bolts have rust or grime on them...any suggestions?

I am in the process of completely stripping my frame.  I used Aircraft Stripper and rough (black) and medium (red) paint stripper wheels as well as a brass wire wheel to get the rest of the paint off and all the imperfections and remaining rust.  All purchased at Wal Mart.  Now I'm using ScotchBrite and steel wool to polish it up before applying a final coat of Gibbs protectant.  I'm leaving my frame bare metal.  You can see some shots at my site link below.  I'll try to post some newer shots tonight.