Author Topic: 1976 CB550 - First Post/First Bike  (Read 1174 times)

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Offline zwish

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1976 CB550 - First Post/First Bike
« on: June 06, 2011, 10:06:47 AM »
Just picked up a '76 550 for $400.  Needs a lot of work.  This is my first ever bike and don't know much about working on them at all.  Trying to figure out where to start.  Here's a link to some high res photos:   

flickr.com/photos/39236490@N00/sets/72157626775369827/with/5805118222/

There's a good amount of rust, no battery, center stand underneath bike hits the chain, clutch/throttle/front brake lever probably need to be rewired/tensioned, and the wiring is pretty messed up I think.  Just want to get it up and running and reliable as it will be my main mode of transportation. Been scrounging around on the forums looking for similar builds and I've read the factory service manual cover to cover.  Thanks so much!  This is a great forum.







« Last Edit: June 06, 2011, 10:13:01 AM by zwish »

Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: 1976 CB550 - First Post/First Bike
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2011, 10:30:26 AM »
Looks nice and complete, so that's a good start.

If it hasn't been ridden in a while, start with the carbs. They will be gunked up. I recommend a complete strip and soak in a cleaner solution (I bought the Gunk 1 gallon size soaker, it includes a tray to hold parts).

You don't have to go crazy replacing stuff. My bike had sat for 30 years before I bought it. Engine wise I just replaced the carb gaskets, installed new plugs, cleaned the tank and installed a new petcock (mine was frozen solid), and changed the oil and filter before the 1st start and again after aboout 10 miles of riding once I got it back on the road.

I also cleaned and gapped the plugs, checked the static timing, and cleaned every electrical terminal on the main fuse block and coils and wire brushed the frame where the battery ground attaches. Bad connections cause a lot of the problems that people think are carb related when getting non-runners going again.
"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you never know if they're true" - Abraham Lincoln

Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200

Offline Bankerdanny

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Re: 1976 CB550 - First Post/First Bike
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2011, 11:35:35 AM »
Maybe, but I wouldn't worry about it until I had the engine up and running first.
"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you never know if they're true" - Abraham Lincoln

Current: '76 CB750F. Previous:  '75 CB550F, 2007 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter, '75 Harley FXE Superglide, '77 GL1000, '77 CB550k, '68 Suzuki K10 80, '68 Yamaha YR2, '69 BMW R69S, '71 Honda SL175, '02 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, '89 Yamaha FJ1200