Topic: New member and first bike ever!

[deamicl]

Hey everyone!

I am excited to to say that I'm the new owner of a beautiful but neglected 1974 Orange CB550 with only 18,000 miles on the odo!  I had never ridden a bike before in my life but decided to go for it so I decided to go with my favorite and first choice of classic bike.  I was lucky enough to find the exact model that I wanted for cheap (for a reason). 

Anyways, enough ramblin' about my pride and joy. A little about me....  I'm 23 years old and about to graduate from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Information Technology and am part owner of a Shelby Cobra kit car building company ( www.gcperf.com ). Other passions/hobbies include rock climbing, autox and computers to name a few.
I have a great passion for anything with an engine and that is beautifully designed (engineering wise and mechanically). 

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and sharing my ideas and thoughts on these beautiful machines and hopefully acquiring enough knowledge to rebuild my bike.  I'll post some pictures later to share with all of you.

Cheers,
Lorenzo

[burmashave]

Welcome to the fun, Lorenzo! It does sound that you got a good deal. How about some pictures when you get a chance?

[kghost]

Welcome..

As burma said...we like pictures....

Might as well learn to post them now...

Don't forget the search function and the FAQ section.

[deamicl]

Haha. Typical forum needs.

I'll post some pics once I get home and steal my room mates camera.  Incredibly, I have yet to own a digital camera.

[martino1972]

Haha. Typical forum needs.

I'll post some pics once I get home and steal my room mates camera.  Incredibly, I have yet to own a digital camera.

welcome and you will learn fast that we are not so "typical" .....





besides the picture fetish that is...

[burmashave]

Haha. Typical forum needs.
Incredibly, I have yet to own a digital camera.

We understand. We're old school. ;-)

[deamicl]

Here we are!  I couldn't get a camera but I do have a nice 3.1 megapixel camera in my phone so I snapped a couple quick photos.

I changed the oil and spark plugs today and hopefully fixing all other major issues with it so that it's safe to ride again.  I must admit that even with the issues it hasn't stopped me from riding it.  What a blast!




Found a few issues already.  Front rotor is warped to the point where the caliper grabs on at certain spots occasionally making it more difficult to start from a stop. The rear brake isn't very responsive either so that will need to be looked at.  The battery is getting drained rather quickly even with the new battery I installed not too long ago.  Probably need a new rectifier.

Other then that it's tip top.....hahaha. 

Hope you like the bike.

[MCRider]

Those rotors rarely warped. More likely the surface has weathered in a spotty fashion, giving a grabby on-off condition. A good scrubbing on both sides with an abrasive pad for doing dishes often helps.

Less likely, your front wheel bearings are toasted, that can allow the wheel w/rotor to tilt ever so slightly.

Rears probably need a good cleaning and some fresh shoes.  Cleaning and lubing the actuator cam may be enough.

You may have an intermittent short in a lighting switch that's draining your battery. Old connectors do that.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend the Motorcycle Saftey Foundation (MSF) Riders Course. You will greatly enhance your chance of stayin safe.

Welcome.

[deamicl]

Thanks for the tips.  I'll do as you've said and check what you've listed.  I will eventually take the driving course so I can get my license (I have temps right now)  and have reduced insurance rates but they aren't offered at very convenient times.  Either way, I'm not planning to do anything....too stupid. 

I'm going to fix these major issues as I go along but am ultimately going to completely restore it. 

[heffay]

If you haven't already, I highly recommend the Motorcycle Saftey Foundation (MSF) Riders Course. You will greatly enhance your chance of stayin safe.

+1
my dad is an instructor and I think, in general, the course is a must.

just to have an experienced rider there, watching you, giving you pointers and having the ability to put into words what you are doing right or wrong, is something every beginning rider should experience and learn from.

[MCRider]

Thanks for the tips.  I'll do as you've said and check what you've listed.  I will eventually take the driving course so I can get my license (I have temps right now)  and have reduced insurance rates but they aren't offered at very convenient times.  Either way, I'm not planning to do anything....too stupid. 

I'm going to fix these major issues as I go along but am ultimately going to completely restore it. 

Kewl. have fun!