Author Topic: '75 CB550 rebuild, working toward cafe racer..... (Read 13847 times)

sinister902 · « **on:** June 03, 2008, 07:32:31 PM »

well, I just joined (pictures of current state of bike in my intro thread). just got my $300 CB550 home a few days ago. started tearing into it today/checking things out more closely. The battery is for sure kicked, I ordered the new ignition/key....

noticed alot of the wiring is botched, so i'll be re-wiring alot of the harness. went to see if the motor rotated(hasnt been run/turned since last fall by PO).....no movement on the kick starter.....guess i'll be pulling the plugs and putting some royal purple down in the cylinders for a few days and slowly trying to work it free. I was told by PO and mutual friends that the bike ran and rode great before he tried jumping it off his running car. (DUH!)

anyhow, I'm ordering some clubman bars, and flipping the front footpegs upside down and welding them into position to get them about an 1" or so further back for comfort (I wear a size 14 shoe!)

really have my fingers crossed that the block isnt seized....I think some oil for a few days and a little nudge once a day should get it free'd up soon enough.

Now, I just have to think of a nice paint color........thinking of going with the sunburst orange.

Hush · « **Reply #1 on:** June 05, 2008, 03:52:41 PM »

Not that I'm too knowledgable about your model but would you be able to swap left and right foot pegs, on my 650 that would give me another inch or so.
Motor should be all good, others on here have been ressurecting ones that have been left in the rain for years or abandoned in barns for decades!

sinister902 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 05, 2008, 06:37:42 PM »

not switch sides, but take out the spring and weld them in the "down" position, then remove them, grind the little stop peg off the frame, and mount them upside-down, which offsets them about 1.25" further back than stock. the right side peg is longer than the left.

sinister902 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 09, 2008, 04:47:33 PM »

Well, got the new ignition with key today, and god thank my lucky stars I can put the key halfway in the lock for the seat and jiggle it and get the seat open. So i started checking things out trying to diagnose what could be causing the engine not to get spark and whatnot due to idiot previous owner "charging" it off his running car for 20+mins......
heres what i found....
This here is not plugged into anything, with nothing to plug it into....

followed by this other wire/plug that seems to be missing its better half as well

So then I pulled the plugs/wires......this is what the plugs look like: note the strange rusty buildup type crud on the 3 & 4 plug. (bike WAS sitting for about 6 months untouched....)

Also took off the points cover to find some points in GREAT shape
(thank god SOMETHING looks good)

so under the seat i noticed the little holder deal thing.....this is what i found under it..

so i opened it up. i had a good laugh as it was loaded with old registrations and insurance cards from two owners ago, AND his bike permit!!! lol....the guy had lost the keys when he sold it to the previous guy (who i bought it from)

TwoTired · « **Reply #4 on:** June 09, 2008, 05:59:09 PM »

Your spark plug tips have [blurry] on them. This is caused when [blurry] and [blurry] align incorrectly or are worn. It could also be caused by [blurry] as well as [blurry]. I this case you will have to [blurry] the motor and replace the [blurry]. This is easy for some and hard to do for others. It depends the just how much [blurry] is present. And, how much you want to spend on the [blurry].

Cheers,

sinister902 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 09, 2008, 06:24:03 PM »

sorry about the blurriness, i didnt notice until i posted the thread, my digicam has seen better days i guess. My dad said its pretty normal to see that on a bike that has sat some months esp over a winter where they could take on moisture.

lone*X · « **Reply #6 on:** June 09, 2008, 06:56:46 PM »

Blurry is better in this case. You would not like the litigation that could occur if the PO's documents were legible and he found out you posted them to the internet. Caution is better part of valor in these things.

bradweingartner · « **Reply #7 on:** June 09, 2008, 07:09:29 PM »

Well, for what it's worth. In order to get spark from one of these motors you need a total of 4 connetions to be good.

Positive Battery to Coil + (through keyswitch, but I digress)
Negative Battery to Block
Yellow Wire from Points to Coil
Blue Wire from Points to Coil

And it will run.

So trouble-shooting spark should be easy. It's the lights and the charging system that is usually a lot of fun!

strangedaze39 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 10, 2008, 12:05:39 PM »

You should really take down those photos of the permit and registration. Not for your sake but the PO's. It has his address, name, signature, and other info. I know it's old but still.

Sorry

not trying to be forum parent! Anyways the points do look really clean actually, the spark plugs are definitely crap though. Also those leads near the tail, if they are running from the turn signals don't worry about it, I know my bike has a few leads that aren't used (maybe an optional ground?) Unless they something doesn't work, then I would worry

Good luck with the build and let us know if you need any help, some pictures of the bike would be nice 2

sinister902 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:25:18 PM »

so I popped off the fuse panel cover to find this fuse completely exploded inside....hopefully this is a good sign that maybe the bike is fine afterall.....

sinister902 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 11, 2008, 04:38:04 AM »

also, i got the kick start moving last night, so im making headway.....just need a battery and plugs now

sinister902 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 15, 2008, 07:52:20 AM »

yesterday went well, a friend had a spare battery for me so i tossed that in, bought new plugs, oil and oil filter.....when i went to drain the oil, about a pint of water came rushing out first. used an old turkey baster and put a bit of oil into each cylinder and then i used the kick starter to get the cylinder walls lubed up nice until i stopped hearing the gurgling of the oil. tossed the new plugs in, double checked all the wiring, and spent an hour trying to get it started.

the mixture of oil and water kept fouling the plugs and i got too tired to keep trying, had a few backfires out of it so thats a good sign. I think ill leave it another day and then pull the plugs for a good clean and try some starting fluid

sinister902 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 16, 2008, 05:36:34 PM »

got her running after about an hour's worth of messing with it today, turned out i had about a half quart of oil too much in the motor....runs and idles decent, needs some carb adjustment and i have to raise the idle about 200rpms or so.

now to locate some sidecovers and paint........clubman bars on the way.

sinister902 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 17, 2008, 12:42:42 PM »

I would get new pictures up, but the quality of my camera's pictures has taken a plunge lately....

I am working on locating a spare/beat/gummed up tank for cheap for a custom cafe seat like I have seen one of the members nominated for this month's bike of the month.....

I also have flush-mounted the stock signals by trimming the front "stalks" short, and using nylon spacers with bolts from the hardware store to replace the stalks in the rear since i removed the grab bar. all thats left is to synchronize and tune the carbs, paint, build the seat, and then Ill be pretty happy with it. dont know how short term the seat will come though....I'll be doing my foot peg flip this weekend so i will post how-tp/pics of that.....

insured the bike today, will be putting it on the road saturday and taking it for my first (legal) ride....[went up the street yesterday after i got it running and let it warm up]

sinister902 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2008, 07:47:50 PM »

well, the whole peg flip was a no-go, after flipping them i noticed it made the kick-start un-usable so flipped them back, but now im having engine issues so the build is on hold until i figure that out....

sinister902 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 17, 2009, 04:44:44 PM »

BACK FROM THE DEAD!!!!!

well, I did locate a spare tank, and have started on the seat fabrication. in the past 3-4 months I have been collecting parts Via Ebay and getting some awesome deals.

I have gotten GSXR600 rearsets for $50 shipped
Jardine 4-2 exhaust for $58 shipped, nearly spotless
CB750supersport rear disc/swingarm/wheel for $20 at the junkyard

clubman bars I ordered were on backorder, so I took a torch to the stock bars and bent them to my own liking.

on to some pics:

bike the day I purchased it. (non running)

Some of the teardown after realizing the engine had two dead cylinders (6psi compression)

testing the valve seals and such

whipped up some gauge face overlays in adobe illustrator

750 swingarm on

this shows the bars and the spare tank ( I plan to refurbish in a similar orange color) and the bike stripped to a roller

some seat fabbing/mockup

testing the riding position, and its SUPERB...not bad for not measuring a damn thing lol

side shot with a rearset test fitted

some initial mudding on the seat

skincoated in finishing bondo (cameraphone pic sorry)

the bars up close (also cameraphone)

bobbed the rear fender up and trying to decide whether to go with a fender or no fender

some of my buddy daryl being funny/calling me a pussy for not going chopper style instead (hes a harley fanatic)

Tretnine · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2009, 06:19:15 AM »

I was just digging through this thread not realizing who the poster was, then I noticed my crate in the background. My first thought was, hey, someone built a crate just like me! Then I thought, no, that's the one I built. Well, #$%*, I'll keep an eye on your build - good luck!

sinister902 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 23, 2009, 11:27:50 AM »

yeah thanks ALOT tretnine! lol.....really needed the motor to get me motivated, and now I work on it for about 3-4hrs at least twice a week.....

used the passenger footpeg brackets and relocated them to hang the rearsets....

the GSXR brakeline and master worked out PERFECT! lol

wire-wheeled all the paint off the tank....welded up the pinholes near the seam, and POR-15'd the spots that were a bit rusty.

and a mock-up side profile

sinister902 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 23, 2009, 11:38:55 AM »

sinister902 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 11, 2009, 06:34:30 AM »

some great progress yesterday finally....

tossed the new motor in and test fitted the exhaust I bought for it.

It DID NOT FIT lol, it didn't clear the gsxr rearsets at all. So, I cut about 18" out of the pipes and made some shorty pipes that end after the frame.

I also finished up mounting of the rear fender, and made a trim piece for the edge of the seat cowl where it meets the fender to clean it up, and it looks great IMO. chopped about 10" off the front fender as well...no pics of that cause that was the end of the day.

on to some misc. pics throughout the day.

fastbroshi · « **Reply #20 on:** February 11, 2009, 04:26:19 PM »

Wow I just realized how puny that rear disc makes the rears on modern bikes look. Since your at it, have you though about taking the seam off of the tank? Would be a subtle custom touch, but might be difficult now that you POR'ed it. Good progress you're making.

sinister902 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 11, 2009, 06:38:25 PM »

the seam might become much less apparent anyway, as I need to put body filler over the areas that have POR15 on them anyway...

I tore the bike back down to a roller today so I can finish cleaning up the frame and touching up some of my welds. Hopefully I can sandblast it soon and paint it, then all that's left is everything.

strangedaze39 · « **Reply #22 on:** February 11, 2009, 06:41:57 PM »

First I've seen this, it looks like it's really coming together. I'm normally pretty picky about cafe builds but this has a very good start.

You said you weren't sure if you should leave the rear fender on or take it off, my votes for taking it off. I think it'll look a lot better without it. Also have you thought about lowering the rear a bit (maybe some short shocks) or possibly raising the tank or moving it forward, that is if it doesn't interfere with your bars.

Good luck on the build! I'll make sure to check back.

cdoggy81 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 12, 2009, 08:54:38 PM »

That is looking REALLY good!

sinister902 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 13, 2009, 06:27:08 AM »

strangedaze:

thanks for the input!

I believe I have decided to keep the rear fender. now that I have it mounted properly and trimmed nicely, It looks much better, and "fits"

As far as lowering it some, I def. want to....I dont know what length shocks to get to be roughly 1/2" to 1" lower than the stock shocks bottomed out. I can't move the tank up or forward, as indeed it would interfere with my tank.

News:

Author Topic: '75 CB550 rebuild, working toward cafe racer..... (Read 13847 times)