My new-to-me 1975 Cb550 came to life tonight, after sitting in a shed for a year (at least that's what the seller told me). I didn't even do any
actual work on it.
Right after I got it, I put in a new battery and ground cable. The old cable had gone missing so I bought a generic ground cable for a lawn tractor at Tractor Supply. Don't laugh, it works. The start button is missing (maybe it's hanging out with the ground cable) so I used the eraser end of a pencil to spin it over. It spun fine, the oil light went out, and it sounded like it wanted to run, but that nasty old gas wasn't going to cut it.
Today I removed the tank and drained it, along with the carbs. Pulled the plugs, cleaned them, and checked the gaps. I checked for spark on #2 and #4 (present), put the tank back on and filled it with fresh gas. I jammed the pencil in the starter button hole and after a few spins it started right up. That was a pleasant surprise. I revved it a couple of times and it blew chunks of exhaust innards out the back. I couldn't resist and, against my better judgment, I took it around the block a couple of times. It did mostly OK.
Now the real work begins. My mental to-do list so far:
Oil and filter
Check for air leaks (the #4 airbox boot has holes)
Adjust valves
Check timing
Sync carbs
Tires (the front feels like it's made from granite) and tubes
Brake pads
Bleed and adjust brakes
Fork seals (the left is leaking)
Chain and sprockets
And a hundred other things I can't think of right now. But hey, it runs.
[youtube=425,350]EZEY6IV_p3c[/youtube]
~john
