Topic: Hello from Peoria, IL, 1975 cb550

[rpauli75]

Hi

I'm 18 and just bought a 1975 cb550 as a cafe racer project. This is the second bike i've owned with the last being a 1986 interceptor 500. The bike runs good but is definitely in need of some work to be what i'd like. I've been checking out the technical forums and i think you other 550 owners can help me out big time.

Thanks

[alltherightpills]

Welcome to the forums.  I grew up in Peoria, and my parents still live there (they work at Cat.)  Where'd you go to high school?  I went to Dunlap.

[HondaMan]

I went to Bradley University there, worked at Brown's Sprots Center, which was then the premier Honda shop of the area when the CB750 first appeared (1969).

Is Main Street still the Saturday nite strip, around the Steak-n-Shake just past the top of The Hill? Is Brown's still around? I was the (only) wrench at their Pekin shop during those years, too, 3 dys a week I went to that shop for their customers. It was a real hole-in-the-wall, too!

Sure have some great memories of those days there...

[jh_molleck]

cool man... i live in chillicothe and have a cb350 cafe project that i'm working on (my first bike)... you don't see very many old honda on the streets around here

[mystic_1]

Welcome.  Lots of Chicago area folks on here.  Did you make it to the Walnecks swap meet in Woodstock last weekend?  Wife and I were eyeballing a 550 there but ended up passing on the deal.  I think the 550 would be a fun bike to zip around on.

Do post some pics of your ride if you can.

mystic_1

[rpauli75]

Wow, glad to see theres a following with ties to Peoria. I actually did go to Dunlap high school, class of 08. Right now im down at SIU carbondale with no transportation so i've yet to see my bike in person. The pictures my sisters taken for me are all i have to go off of but it looks like the cb should be a good projec,t especially since i got a solid deal on it. Ill try to get a gallery goin and maybe a project post once i get home and start wrenchin.

[rpauli75]

O...forgot to mention, Im a big fan of your write ups Hondaman. As far as i know my bike runs good at the moment but if i ever get into the motor i'll be sure to apply some of your little tricks. Don't really know as far as Main street or Brown's shop. The only street strip in Peoria i've ever heard much about was Trigger road, every now and then my dad mentions pedaling down there as a kid in the 70's and watchin some fully built drag bikes run up the hill.

[HondaMan]

O...forgot to mention, Im a big fan of your write ups Hondaman. As far as i know my bike runs good at the moment but if i ever get into the motor i'll be sure to apply some of your little tricks. Don't really know as far as Main street or Brown's shop. The only street strip in Peoria i've ever heard much about was Trigger road, every now and then my dad mentions pedaling down there as a kid in the 70's and watchin some fully built drag bikes run up the hill.

Oh, yeah. The 750s duking it out there with the Harleys was a biggie in that same timeframe. It got a little dicey for the bikes after the very hot summer of 1969 on Main Street there, as a war broke out between the Peoria Blacktoppers and the Pekin Reapers. Cops got right down on the bikers, even though it was the high HP street car era of the time, with Blandinsville's NASCAR outlet selling the hottest Detroit iron of the days to Peorians. It was the street cars that were the biggest show, but more than a few bikes were in it every Saturday.