As an Irish descendent, I always wanted to name a son "Seamus" (pronounced Shay-mus). I thought, if a kid could get through life with a name like that, the world would be his oyster. After all, the Irish would rule the world, if it weren't for their drinking! My wife had other plans - I couldn't quite sell her on "Seamus."
Over the past few months, I decided at 41 it's time to overcome my MDD - mechanical deficit disorder. I also realized I LOVE the look of gleaming pipes cascading out of a four-cylinder engine. So, it became my mission to scour craigslist for a "project."
Two weeks ago I picked up a '74 CB550. Using the word "project" is kind, as I think rust outweighs remaining steel and aluminum on the bike. I've sat in the garage, staring at the bike, asking it if it was a boy or a girl. I even looked up underneath the engine, but, given typical Irish endowment, I couldn't tell. Well, today, I realized it is indeed a boy, and his name is Seamus.
Here is Seamus, just moments after being born on January 17, 2010. Like any baby, he's got crusty, gooey gunk all over him. But, I think he's beautiful.
When Seamus was born, he didn't have carbs, so he didn't make a peep when he came into the world. I connected him up to his big sister Ruby (Jeep Rubicon) via jumper cables, and he came to life! The neutral and oil pressure lights lit, the left blinkers worked front and back, the right blinkers stayed solid (hoping this is a bulb filament issue), and he had no brake light. I flicked him from Off to On, and hit the starter. Seamus tried to spin to life, but he was missing some food. I sprayed starting fluid into the intake ports and, Voila, he started up (albeit for a few seconds)!
So, this is the start of our lives together. As with all kids, Seamus will undoubtedly teach me more than I'll ever be able to teach him. Seamus' ancestors lived a spartan past, so, he, like them, will sport only what's necessary to get by. Seamus will not be restored to his original glory, as too many parts are missing. He wants to be a racer - a pub racer. How is that different than a cafe racer? When you get to the cafe, a coffee will cost you $1. A beer at a pub, $2.50. So, you need more money left in your pocket after completing a pub racer, therefore the pub racer's budget is lower. I don't know how I'm going to make it, but my budget for Seamus is $1,000!
Here are expenditures thusfar:
Budget
| $1,000
| |
| | $ Remaining
|
CB550
| $250.00
| $750.00
|
State Patrol VIN Certification
| $20.00
| $730.00
|
State Title Search on Frame & Engine
| $4.40
| $725.60
|
Surety Bond for Title
| $100.00
| $625.60
|
State Title Issuance Fee
| $18.08
| $607.52
|
Carb Rebuild Kits (4) - Ebay
| $72.00
| $535.52
|
Carb Leaf Springs (4) - Salvage
| $10.78
| $525.74
|
Headlight & Bucket
| $15.99
| $508.75
|
Front Brake Caliper
| $45.78
| $462.97
|
I drool over the build quality and ideas of this forum's members. As a noob to CBs and anything mechanical, I'm going to make mistakes. When you see them posted here, please step in - I value, welcome and, most of all, need all feedback.
First, does anyone know what seat this bike is supposed to be on? It's missing the seat-side of the latch, and, where it was originally bolted on is about four inches forward of the latch mount on the frame.
I've found pipes online that will blow the majority of my remaining budget. I suppose, like anything, you can spend as much money as you want should your heart desire. Mine doesn't. So, my #4 pipe looks like someone got mad at it! I can't figure out how to pull this one out. I've a buddy with a dent-remover, stick welder gun. Can I have him weld a couple of those to the dent and yank it out? I know it'll never be smooth, but I'm not looking for perfection. I'm thinking, if I can get the majority of the dent out, scuff up the chrome real good and rattle can the pipes with some flat black, I may be able to pull it off!
Any advice on the petcock? I'm not sure what to look for with these other than, "looks like gas is flowin'!" I've seen rebuild kits. Think I should clean it up and rebuild or replace?
Once I knew he would start, I started disassembly. Here's what I did Day One:
After I took off the tank and seat, I thought back to the day I jump started Seamus. As soon as he had power, lights came on - without an ignition switch. I couldn't figure out how that happened, until I found this under the tank. Looks like the PO put a jumper across the ignition wiring. I still can't figure out how you could run the bike like this with a battery, unless you pull one of the ignition jumper leads off after turning the engine off and reconnecting it before starting the bike.
I pulled the pipes, too. You can see the #1 pipe has a rust hole toward the front of the muffler. Is there hope for fixing holes like these? I've searched the site, but I can't find anything definitive. I recall one member was going to try this:
http://www.aluminumrepair.com/, but I didn't see updates on whether it worked.
I started to disconnect the wiring harness inside of the headlight housing. I downloaded a CB550 wiring diagram off this site. A big "thank you" to whomever uploaded it! Much to my pleasure, I the wiring looks AWESOME! I've seen others' bikes with melted wiring, and I feel for them. Fortunately, it looks very clean. A PO had disconnected the turn signal buzzer, but, other than that, everything seemed unmolested.
I also got the controls/switches removed from the handlebars (along with the handlebars). Man, I'm not looking forward to internally wiring Seamus' next set of handlebars! I'm kicking around Clubmans or clip ons. Please chime in if you've internally wired Clubmans - looks like a booger with that tight bend!
I got all wiring disconnected back to the coil, where I decided it was a good stopping point. So, after Day One, here's where I stood:
