Topic: 1974 CB750 vs CB550

[74cb750]

Ok. I have about had it with: rain, not being able to reach the ground while seated on my cb750. Sooooo...should I sell the cb750 and finish restoring the CB550? Maybe longer legs? as when I wear my wife's high heals to reach the ground, the Hardley riders laugh at me...plus they sink in muddy ground!!
PS. I am NOT a cross-dresser so no nasty posts please. Although I do have a sensitive side.

[SteveD CB500F]

See Terry/Linda discussion on lowering kits:

http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=3547.0

[Terry in Australia]

PS. I am NOT a cross-dresser so no nasty posts please. Although I do have a sensitive side.

Don't worry Michel, no-one's gonna accuse you of being a "girly boy", you're waaaay too ugly! Ha ha, buy some lowering blocks and keep your 750 mate, those "tiddlers" are ok for the women-folk, but real men ride "Fat Fours"! Cheers, Terry.

[Tim.]

550 all the way!  Now, if someone could squeeze the 750 engine into the 550 frame...

[TwoTired]

550 all the way!  Now, if someone could squeeze the 750 engine into the 550 frame...

...you'd have a very twitchy bike from frame flex and power changes, me thinks.

Be sure to go down and slide on each side of the bike alternately, so as to maintain the symetrical apearance.

I actually have 2 CB750s I brought home to "rescue".  And, I bought all the parts to make them whole.  But, the CB550s I have serve so well, I haven't had much drive to make the 750s streetable.

Besides, I have plenty of "size" between my legs.  An extra 200cc just isn't needed to satisfy.  I understand some need this, though, to feel adequate.

[Terry in Australia]

550 all the way!  Now, if someone could squeeze the 750 engine into the 550 frame...

And there's the rub. The 500/550 was a fine bike, it handled quite well (in it's day) and had a lower seat height than the 750. (probably the 750's only real "achilles heel" which limited ownership to taller riders, compared to the other "musclebikes" of the era like the Kawasaki Z1 etc )

The trouble is, that the 500/550 engine, while not "underpowered" is not all that inspiring either, and due to the compact nature of the engine design, there's not much room for big bore kits, crank stroking etc, so the most you can safely over-bore it to is a tad under 600cc. While the ideal overbore size for a 750 is 836cc, with bigger sleeves etc, 900, 970 and even 1000+ CC is possible, and then there's crank swaps that'll take it out to 1200cc, if that's your thing.

Sure, you can get a bit more power from head/cam mods, but you're restricted by the design limitations, and if you're looking for more performance, nothing beats cubic inches. Back in the day, a good 500/550 rider could keep up with a 750 and scare it through the twisties, but weren't particularly successful on the track, due to these design limitations, and by the time the Suzuki and Kawasaki mid range DOHC bikes came along, the 500/550 was going the way of the Dodo, as sales had all but dried up.

As to Two Tired's suggestion that some people need more cc's to feel adequate, well, I suppose that's possible, but if there was any real merit in that theory, the 350/400F set would be saying the same thing about you guys, and so on and so forth all the way down to Honda 50 scooter riders. (another fine bike, by the way) Enjoy your bike mate, you might not catch the 750's on the straights, but you'll give them some "brown moments" in the curves! Cheers, Terry.  

[TwoTired]

As to Two Tired's suggestion that some people need more cc's to feel adequate, well, I suppose that's possible, but if there was any real merit in that theory, the 350/400F set would be saying the same thing about you guys, and so on and so forth all the way down to Honda 50 scooter riders.
! Cheers, Terry.  

Touche!
But, you did leave out the moped riders.

[Terry in Australia]

550 all the way!  Now, if someone could squeeze the 750 engine into the 550 frame...

  An extra 200cc just isn't needed to satisfy.  I understand some need this, though, to feel adequate.

There is a huge contingent of riders out there who are riding bikes too big for their skillset, and just generally too big an engine for them, to compensate.

Good point mate, I've always said that an R1 owner isn't necessarily an R1 rider, (I have to keep changing that to suit the latest sportsbikes, I think it started as "A CBX owner....") but really, anything that travels faster than you and I can run probably falls into your theory.

In 1969 68 BHP for a CB750 was enormous horsepower, nowadays it's barely adequate for a commuter bike. I think that your own maturity and experience level should determine what you ride, if you are a "competant" rider, then normally you'll limit yourself to what you feel comfortable riding.

There are plenty of 350/400F, 500/550/650, and 750 riders who own much bigger bikes, myself included. On the other hand, there are guys who are just not competant on any bike, regardless of age or experience. Cheers, Terry.  

[74cb750]

Competent Riders? You are correct Terry.
Today I was struck/hit/nudged off my feet....luckily I had already parked the bike and was walking. Scratched up my helmet a bit as it  went under the lady's car after I dropped it on the ground. She "....didn't see me..." Gee where have I heard THAT before. T
then, she accuses me of jumping in front of her blind spot! What?
My point? If I had been responsible and driving my slower cb550 instead of my cb750 I would have arrived at the parking lot after she had left. So I guess she was right it was my fault.

ps Had a difficult time asking her to not move the car so I could retrieve my helmet. Once in hand she took off like a Lawyer was after her.

[Raul CB750K1]

And people say bikes are dangerous...

Look at it this way. Have you had a Suzuki GSX1300 Hayabusa you would have arrived before her... 


I guess she ran away before you thouht about sueing her.

For me the CB750 is also a big bike. I use it mostly for long rides, not for commuting where a lot of foot down is required. For that I have my nimble, small commuter bike. I'm not ashamed to admit that the CB750 have more power that what I'm skilled to handle. For that reason I take it easy and build confidence little by little. When I recall the day I took my commuter bike out of the dealer and it seemed that big, and now it feels like an electric bicycle, I guess it's just a matter of time and miles to develop the skill over solid foundations.


Raul

[Buffo]

It is my belief that all school kids should be given the opportunity to take a motorcycle or maybe a scooter class as well as driver edu.

How much fuel would be saved if even 10% of new drivers had a 2 wheeled vehicle...let alone emissions

[Terry in Australia]

It is my belief that all school kids should be given the opportunity to take a motorcycle or maybe a scooter class as well as driver edu.
How much fuel would be saved if even 10% of new drivers had a 2 wheeled vehicle...let alone emissions

Very true Don, I commuted by motorcycle to work in the city right up to age 42, over here it's legal (if not at times, foolish) to "lane-split" on a bike, i.e., riding up between cars, particularly at the lights when traffic is congested. I was always a pretty conservative "splitter", so I'd always try to err on the side of caution (hence the reason for my continued presence) but the abuse that was hurled at me from the confines of the 4 wheelers, was incredible! Their theory was that I was a "queue jumper"!

One woman I was sitting next to at the lights rolled down her window and said just that to me, so I replied "Well you car drivers have created this traffice jam, not us motorcycle riders, so I'm just riding around your mess!" That seemed to give her pause for reflection, because she wound her window back up and ignored me until the lights changed. I've been verbally attacked by work colleagues from time to time for the same reson, and I've always used the same line in reply, and it seems to work. It just seems that some people, when they lose their cool, also lose their comprehension for common sense. Cheers, Terry.  

[74cb750]

Terry,
I didn't know people in traffic jams had common sense. Thusly, I stay in the backwoods of Vermont, and when I need to feel like losing my common sense I drive to Boston, like tomorrow.
 Should be fun with all the kids/parents/locals heading back home to prepare for the start of another work week.
peace,
michel

[Terry in Australia]

You should drop in on Mike Rieck mate, he's from around Boston! Cheers, Terry.

[SteveD CB500F]

over here it's legal (if not at times, foolish) to "lane-split" on a bike, i.e., riding up between cars, particularly at the lights when traffic is congested.

It's also legal here and I'm also very careful (especially on motorways). You never know when some dear old lady will decide to change lanes without indicating. I alway travel quite slowly between lanes and always approach the head of the queue with care as if the lights are about to change and the two trucks (which I am currently between) haven't seen me.