Topic: 1976 CB550 New to motorcycles and loving it. Few questions.

[Mercuno]

I am getting a kick out of just cruising the coast here in mississippi. I got it, topped off the oil and gas, and drove it 20 miles home...sloooooowly.    So i get home and the chain got really loose. fixed that (come to find out the tire wasnt even tightened very much to the frame). The battery went dead. so After reading this site I went to autozone and bought a ford regulator haha.  and im gonna order a rectifier from windy city.  but then I see the battery was completely dry, so i filled her back up. (hope that was the only problem with the charging system but murphy's law is sure to be in effect.) So the big issues I really need help with are...........

After cruising around for about 30 minutes with it I am finding the engine to be very very hot on the left hand side as im sitting on it right where my foot touches the clutch ...i dont know if that is the side that houses the clutch pack or the alternator or what just yet. Am I just being paranoid about that, also it is extremely difficult to get it just right to where I can get it in nuetral with the engine running...(normal due to age?)

As I get to speed and Im just chillin in 5th gear the front end goes up and down and up and down like im on an old jon boat. Is this a tire balance issue or a fork rebuild issue or both or what?  what is the cheapest way (and I mean cheap) lol  to remedy these situations. I have no prob going wild with this... i mean I just bought a regulator from a half ton pickup truck to frankenwire onto this beast haha.

Do I have to completely rebuild the whole motor to fix the kickstarter that wont crank ??

I think I have found that flat spot everyone talks about but geeeez it just sounds nasty. come to find out that the spark plug wires are permanently attached to the coil so if they get ruined oh my gosh. I have never seen a spark plug wire attached to a spark plug like this ever ever. the wire is bare at the end and it just sticks into the elbow thingy mcbobber that just sticks on the spark plug. I know this cant be right. so where can i find a replacement for it on the cheap?

Also for the future....far future...What would be a good engine to swap in later that is easy to swap maintain and gets good gas mileage?

Thanks sooo much for your replies.

[KingCustomCycles.com]

It sounds like you need to do a complete check over of that bike.  The fork issue is probably a lack of fork oil.  I like to use ATF (cheap) and 7 ounces per side will certainly help.  If it is like most of them I see, you will need to drain the water first :-)  Difficulty finding neutral could be many things but an oil change with the proper oil and filter will help in most cases.  I use Rotella 15-40 from the farm store and walmart carries the filter.  Use OEM replacement parts in the charging system or a reputable aftermarket setup.  Testing of the charging system is covered in the free manual download from this site.  Enjoy.

[chopped550]

There is nothing wrong with the spark plug wires like you stated, that is just how they are.  If they are really corroded (greenish stuff all over them), feel free to snip a bit of the wire off until you get to a clean spot and then jam it back into the boot elbow. Just make sure this hasn't been done a few times previously and that you have enough wire length.

[Tews19]

definately change the oil, filter.. replace the spark plugs NGK's are good.. Also look into a fresh battery. If you have a farm and fleet near you, they have them for 30 bucks.... How old are the tires? Never a good thing to ride on old tires, a time bomb waiting to to go off. As for the wobbling it may be associated with the tires too. I bought a 75 550f w old tires, bike felt like I was in the Fred Flintstone era.. If it sat for a while remember to lube the chain too.

Post some pics bud, and welcome to the site.. great advice and knowledge from lots of people...

[Gordon]

The plug caps screw onto the ends of the plug wires.  If you just push them on you won't have a good connection and they'll fall off easily. 

You need to get a manual and go through all the regular maintenance checks and adjustments.  Once you've done that, if there are still running issues then you'll be in a much better position to diagnose them. 

As for the far future, if you want an engine that's easy to maintain and gets good gas mileage, stick with the one that's in there.  It will run as well as you want and be as easy to maintain as you want it to be, and it won't require swapping.  The only other engine that's going to be an easy swap is another 550, and you'll be starting from square one with that engine, too. 

Sounds to me like you have a pretty decent runner already that just needs some TLC to be a reliable machine. 

[Tews19]

The plug caps screw onto the ends of the plug wires.  If you just push them on you won't have a good connection and they'll fall off easily. 

You need to get a manual and go through all the regular maintenance checks and adjustments.  Once you've done that, if there are still running issues then you'll be in a much better position to diagnose them. 

As for the far future, if you want an engine that's easy to maintain and gets good gas mileage, stick with the one that's in there.  It will run as well as you want and be as easy to maintain as you want it to be, and it won't require swapping.  The only other engine that's going to be an easy swap is another 550, and you'll be starting from square one with that engine, too. 

Sounds to me like you have a pretty decent runner already that just needs some TLC to be a reliable machine.

++1

[Duanob]

And post pics or this story never really happened! 

[cameron]

pics or it didn-- nevermind.

A good place to start with ANY bike.. especially a newly-acquired one, is a routine x000-mile service.
Download the manual for that SWEET EXAMPLE OF ENGINEERING and run through the routine checks and the like.
You will probably find that a lot of the problems sort themselves out.. and then we will all have a starting point from which to run down gremlins.

[Mercuno]

OK, I tightened and lube the chain, cleaned and fixed all wiring connections, changed out oil and filter, fixed blinkers and brakes, charged and filled battery, said a prayer and..... I have cruised at least 100 miles around gulfport and long beach today stopping every now and then to check everything out with a multimeter. Seems to me the charging issue was just that the previous owner did not fill the battery up and/or never maintained any rpms. We will see with some more seat time.

The nuetral issue was just simply that she likes if if we are still rolling a lil bit so it will slide right in to nuetral and Im not gonna argue with her lol.

I never thought I could have so much fun while being soooo terrified lol (Reminds me of being back in the combat zone) adrenaline....

Oh yeah(should have seen my eyes) On my very first trip ever on my very first motorcycle ever , I realized that if I hit that back brake with a little too much foot while doing 40 mph It will lock up......

I cant see how the gas on the right side of the tank gets over to the left where the outlets are...Can't just sit there and add weight right???

I need to go get the wheels balanced and I have ordered some parts to refresh the forks.

So far so good,  I am soooo hooked and I appreciate all of the info from you guys.

I also knew better than to post in the first place with no pics but I was excited.

SOoooo. Feast your eyes...

[Tews19]

Bud there isn't a pic

[WarwickE36]

wotttttttttt waaaaaahhhhh

[Mercuno]

how do i post pics

[Mercuno]

...

[Mcwilliams570]

There ya go. Looking good..

Matt

[Gordon]

I cant see how the gas on the right side of the tank gets over to the left where the outlets are...Can't just sit there and add weight right???

The backbone tunnel in the tank is very shallow at the back end of the tank.  The only time it will hold more on the right than the left is when you're almost out of gas.  Think of it as a reserve reserve.  When you're on reserve and the bike starts sputtering because it's out of gas, just slosh from right to left and you can make it a couple more miles. 

[becken]

I would STRONGLY recommend a MSF class.

http://online2.msf-usa.org/msf/Default.aspx

[seanbarney41]

yup...plus get in the habit of only using the back brake gently...lock that sucker up in a panic situation and you are not going straight, you are gonna get high sided , and it will hurt...the front break does a lot more, and no, you won't go over the bars...this is not a bicycle...

[Duanob]

"I never thought I could have so much fun while being soooo terrified lol (Reminds me of being back in the combat zone) adrenaline"

Funny but that bit of terror is what keeps you alive. When you get too comfy and complacent on two wheels is when bad $h#@(&$^t can happen.

[Mercuno]

That was my main concern about the front brakes but I am seeming to get more comfortable with them...I wrapped the exhaust with heat sheilding tonight. yay