Topic: CB550 Cafe

[FunJimmy]

An excellent choice for livingroom art. 

I really like the starter switch mount and location too.

Cheers
FJ

[syverter]

I've had a bit of time to get a few things done on the bike.  Right now I'm working on getting a few things mocked up. I have a few questions as I'm prepairing to get into paint on the body work.  I had a fiberglass seat/tank built for this and the builder set up the tank with mounts for a petcock that uses an earlier petcock than the one from my 75 tank.  The new petcock uses 2 screw mounts that go up through the bowl of the petcock.  I have the petcock, 2 screws, and the little fiber washers for the screws.  When I screw the petcock up into the tank it sits flush against the tank, but since the hole in the tank that the main fuel tube from the petcock fits up into is slightly larger in diamter than the tube itself is there something else that I need to do to seal things off? Or is this okay as long as the petcock is screwed in tightly and the fuel sits in there?  Here is a shot of the petcock when its not screwed all the way in: (you can kind of see the gap around the center tube in the petcock going into the tank)


Also, I'm going to be sealing the Gas Tank before I paint it.  What do I do with those holes for the petcock in the tank when I use the Sealer?  It seems to me If I just cover the holes from the outside then the threads where screws go will get filled with sealer and the hole for the tube from the petcock will get filled as well.  Anyone have experience with this?

[syverter]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a really small battery that works well on a cb550? 

[Godffery]

http://www.carbon-speed.com/prod.htm

[dave500]

i used two stainless screws just long enough to plug the holes,touched the end threads with a little oil,for the fuel hole i used the tapered end you snip of the spout that screws on to tubes of silicon or similar and just wedged it into place snuggly,it just wiggled out cleanly aftewrwards,or get the rubber off cut from a tyre puncture plug as a wedge.

[syverter]

Got the inside of the tank sealed and I finally got the bike painted. I went to an paint shop and they put some single stage automotive paint in aerosol cans for me.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out, especially considering it only cost about $65 for all the paint, primer, tape, and sandpaper.  I still have to get a new chain and sprocket, get a new front tire, mount the battery, finish up some wiring, get some brake fluid in the front, mount the exhaust, and get the carbs tuned for the pods/exhaust. Here's a updated pic of the bike:

[nk140]

very nice

[joshuanagao]

Beautiful bike.   I love the paint job.

[syverter]

Well I've got a few things done with the bike in anticipation of spring.  I got a new Shorai battery for the bike that fits under the rear tail section.  The battery is really tiny and looks like it will do the job well.  Once I got the battery mounted up I went to work on the wiring yesterday morning.  All the lights, new starter button, hi/lo, etc seem to be hooked up correctly.  In addition to the wiring and battery I've also mounted up the mac exhaust that just came in the mail.  Unfortunatly there aren't a whole lot of options out there for 550 exhaust unless you want to fork over a ton of cash.  I guess we'll see how it sounds....  Anyone know how it sounds with vs. without the baffle?  The last little thing I did was made up the tank emblem with some black adhesive vinyl.  The bike is just about finished with some minor things to tighten and button up.  The next thing I'll do is get it outside when it gets warm enough and put some gas in it and start it up.  After I get it running I'll bring it to the shop to get it tuned for the pods and exhaust.
Heres a pic of it in its current state:

[tedone]

That is a classy looking ride. Great build.

[syverter]

Finally got the bike moved out of the living room and fired up.  Unfortunatly here in Fargo ND riding season is still a little ways off considering yesterday we just had a blizzard which left over 800 people stranded on the highway.  Its nearly done.  Still have to bleed my front brake and mount my stone gaurd in front of the rear wheel.  Here are a few pics:




Here is the newest bike i just picked up.  Its a 2007 DR650 dual sport bike.  Its not as pretty as the 550 but its definitly more practical.  Considering I've got 2 new(to me) bikes this should be a fun spring if it ever arrives!

[brettster26]

Syverter,  
    Bike looks awesome!  Can you take some pictures of your steering setup / top triple and clipons?  Specifically your push button starter ect would like to see how you wired it... Would like to do something similar with mine.  Im in the process of building a 75 CB550K  going to keep the stock tank for now and build my own seat... But Really like your setup... Crazy that you live in Fargo ND  I used to live in Theif River Falls MN so i know how those cold long winters are!

Also how does that exhaust sound?  Do you like it?

Thanks

[brettster26]

Hey was just thinking but a toggle switch with the red cover may look pretty awesome Like the ones that jets have to fire the big missles!   and may hold up alittle better than the red button... either way awesome work!

[syverter]

Well its been a long time since I finished my build, so I figured that I might as well post an update about the bike! 


(550 parked in the alley outside my apartment)

I've been riding the 550 since april of 2011, so I've put plenty of miles on it and had a lot of fun.  The biggest news with it is that in July of last year, it was stolen from where I had it parked outside my apartment.  I filed a police report, started a Facebook search page, and was completely bummed.  Several days later, the bike was recovered behind some dumpsters downtown and I got the bike back in rough shape.  It had been dropped on both sides, the paint/bodywork was completely scratched up, the ignition had been drilled out, the wiring had been ripped out, etc....
Needless to say, I was happy to have it back, but disappointed at the condition.  In the next few weeks I worked towards repairing the bike and giving it a fresh new paint job. 


(new paint job after the repairs)


(new paint job after the repairs)

I've been happy to have it back on the road, and its pretty much my daily rider.  -Just yesterday I did a good 70 mile ride, which is about as far as I ever go considering how uncomfortable it is.  I've had a few small issues with the bike in regards to a short somewhere in the electrical system.  As it sits there seems to be some small short in the system that drains the battery very slowly and if the bike sits without being ridden for about a week and a half the battery has a hard time turning the motor over.


(out for a ride last weekend through Itasca State Park)

On another note, against the good advice of others on the forum, I ditched the stock air box early in the build to go for the cheap pods/mac 4-1.  So far, I've been riding the bike with stock jetting, and it could definitely use some tweaking.  I've got some vacation time on my hands and I'm planning on taking off the carbs to get it tuned a little closer to where it needs to be.  Does anyone here have any specific advice for jet sizes that works okay for them with the same arrangement as I have?  I've never ripped into a set of carbs before, so I could definitely use some help.

[Godffery]

First and VERY IMPORTINT, Ditch the cheep Pod's; get yourself some K&N's.
You'll never get consistant tuning without GOOD filters!

Then get a few sets of Main jets in the 15 to 20 range, set your needle clips second from the bottom and try the 15's first and work your way up if necessary.

[dave500]

bummer about the theft,,good you got it back though even though it was damaged,did you have it chained or the steering lock on?

[Gman]

bummer about the theft,,good you got it back though even though it was damaged

+1
Sorry to hear about that - some people downright suck.  Fantastic looking bike!

Cheers,
G

[syverter]

Recently, I've added a set of velocity stacks to the 550 and had the carbs cleaned/synced while going up to 115 main jets.  The problem is that the bike wants to rev to 3-4K.  It will idle normally, but as soon as I give it gas it wants to stay at those higher revs.  I haven't changed the idle jets, but I'm wondering if going up a size on the idle jets will help.  I'm wondering if it's trying to use the main jets at idle instead of the idle jets.  anyone have any experience with this or other ideas?