Topic: 1976 honda cb550f

[ristb]

HEy you guys,  I'm pretty new on the forum and the scene.  I'm about ot purchase my first classic bike a 1976 honda cb550f.  The bike looks amazing.  CLean.  But there is a few flaws as always.  One of the carbs leaks gasoline from the tube when gas is on and the bike is on.  I'm guessing one of the floats is busted.  Also the kick start doesn't work but the electric starts pretty well.  The bikes ignition is kind of worn too.  The key is loose in the ignition.  Are these things hard to replace or fix?  Should i be super worried about these things?  The bike has a new tank new seat and new paint.  No rust that I can see.  He wants 800 for the bike.  What do you guys think?  Thanks in advance for the advise.

[Kalamazoo]

hmm, well. I bought my first 1977 550 for 400 bucks with oil leaking everywhere.
Then I bought my second 1976 550 for 375 bucks with only 10,000 miles and no leaks.
So, offer a little less, try and deal with him, whats the worst that could happen.
Not saying that is not a good deal.  I would definitely look into the kick start not working, because if your electric start stops working you definitely going to want that. Return spring maybe? Not sure never had any problems with mine.
Also never had anything like a key being loose in the ignition but, I did see an ignition on ebay not to long ago for like 20 bucks.  However then you have to get a key made for it. Or just ghetto rig it with some duct tape or a wire. I personally wouldn't worry about that to much.

In conclusion, offer a little less, nothing should be really hard to fix, and good luck with gettin the bike.

[ristb]

THanks for the quick response.  I did offer a less about 700 but he wouldn't budge since he brought the price down from 950.  The bike is super clean cosmetically but the only problems is what I listed.  It isn't a oil leak but a gas leak from the carb tube. 

[bryanj]

Fuel leak is sticky float or dirt in needle seat floats rarely, if ever break.
Ignition switch if under tank is easy to replace and not expensive

Kickstart is an engine out and strip job as the paul and ratchet are inside the crankcase--having said that they dont work with the clutch lever pulled in

[ristb]

i'm sorry but i'm kind of a noob when it comes down to kick starts.  Are you telling me to try to kick start it without the clutch in?  or are you telling me that I need to take the engine out to fix the kick start?  Do you guys think $800 is a good deal for this bike??


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[NickC]

Tranny in neutral, no clutch.....kick

[78 k550]

if painted frsh and real clean it is worth that. easy to fix a sticky float.

Paul

[OakBehringer]

bryanj is saying that to fix the kickstart you are going to have to remove the engine from the bike and split the case. Fixing the carb will be easy, but tedious and stressful b/c it's your first time. That being said, there's a first for everything, and there's no reason not to dive in. Decide if you want to risk being stranded b/c of a dead battery or starter.

I personally think you should pass on a bike that needs work in the crankcase and you're not eager to learn to do it yourself.

[bryanj]

What i meant was the kickstart only works when the clutch lever IS NOT pulled in and if it is defective its an engine out job

[Lars]

I think the price is OK, just consider what a NOS tank will cost if you find one. NOS seat is not cheap either. I think you should go for it, they are nice bikes to ride. Carburettor problems is not that difficult, besides, you have this forum to guide you.
Lars

[Kalamazoo]

+1
go for it.

[ristb]

Thanks for all the help.  The guy wasn't too familiar with kick starts either so maybe we were trying to kick start it wrong. noobs...