Heyo! New to the site and it looks like we’ve got a lot of knowledgeable folk on here, excellent! I’ve done all the hard stuff. My 1978 CB550k is running tip top. It’s got 3,500 miles on it... wellllll ok...
Let’s start over:
Original owner bought it in 78. In 1982 he crashed it in a unique fashion. It hadn’t run since and was stored inside ever since! The only damage was to the stator motor cover... which pushed on the rotor connected to the tip of the crank shaft and “bent” the crank shaft. Crank Oil seal still intact
Previous owner bought it thinking it was an easy fix. Gave tip of the crank a little whack... you know... to straighten it back out 😂 sure enough the rotor and tip of crank flew across the garage. So he bought a 76 thinking he was going to take the crank from it and fix up the 78. Turns out the 76 was much easier to get on the road. He stole the 78 pipes (4 into 4) because they “looked cooler” and installed them on the 76. He sold me the 78 with the 76 tulip style exhaust 4 into 4.
After swapping the crank, vaporblasting every piece of the engine and carbs, stuffing it in the back of my Tahoe, delivering it to Marathon, FL from Maine, then riding it flawlessly without a hiccup 50 miles to Key West (where I currently reside aboard my 35’ sailboat) I’m at a crossroads.
I know the 76 pipes work excellent on my 78. They are in Great condition compared to some of the stuff I’ve seen on E-Bay. 5mm hole in one on the underside near the connector rubber/hose clamped piece (not visible to any onlookers but needs to be jb welded or something to quiet it up)
Wondering if I should just keep the 76 pipes, which I like the tulip shape 4-into-4 (looks like a spaceship or something!) or should I sell them to someone in need of them who is restoring an earlier model?
I see that I could make some good money off this great used set of ‘76 4-into-4 pipes AND they aren’t period correct for my ‘78. I see that acquiring a nice set of the 78 style exhausts is easier and would probably cost less than the more coveted tulip style ones I have.
I could make a little profit off the swapping of the pipes I think. Will my ‘78 be more valuable with the period correct exhaust on it, or with the more coveted tulip style 4into4’s?
I just get the feeling that if I am going to use the 76 exhaust on my 78 it is going to bring the value down, might as well sell the 76 exhaust to someone who could really appreciate them and get the period correct ones for my 78.
If having the 76 exhaust on my 78 is not going to affect the overall value of my bike I may as well save myself the headache of shipping and receiving and not to mention actually hunting down a full set of 78 four into four exhaust.
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, I know it’s a long shot but maybe someone out there In a similar but opposite situation as I am, would be interested in a Trade?
Pics:I currently have the proper headlight bucket and fork ears, the ones in the pictures came with the bike so I used them temporarily. Im now in the process of polishing the aluminum and getting it pretty. Mechanical issues are all squared away... I think. 🤔
@ mcetchy On insta
Thanks for reading.
-Chris
76 Universal Atomic 4 (Sailboat)
76 KZ400
82 Honda Magna v45 750
83 Honda Magna v45 750
2001 Suzuki Bandit 600
78 CB550K Four
