Topic: swing arm swap

[illrational]

Any one ever thought about doing it on a 77 550?

[Danno]

swap it to what ?  If it were me I would go a little longer say 2 inches

[illrational]

i know you can buy a longer arm through carpy

[crazypj]

Swap for a Big Mac? 
 2" longer is about optimum if your running round flat out all the time (helps prevent the weave at 115mph)

[illrational]

everyone keeps telling me cant reach 100+ on this bike...crazy did you swap yours

[Terry in Australia]

everyone keeps telling me cant reach 100+ on this bike...crazy did you swap yours

Don't worry what everyone says mate, they're just being honest...............

[Danno]

the only 550 that can be made to go over 105 mph is the 74 it can go 125mph

[Terry in Australia]

the only 550 that can be made to go over 105 mph is the 74 it can go 125mph

Yep, a factory tuned 550 with slightly higher gearing ridden by a 100 pound Japanese test rider with a sympathetic tail wind, and a few miles of level straight road, no problem! "Claimed" factory top speeds were always a little "creative". Put a 300 pound American on a 37 year old 550 and the only way it'll do 125 is if you drop it down a mineshaft!    

[crazypj]

Mines a F1, 591cc with Piper cam, etc
 It will go well over 100mph, just change down and redline it through the gears
 See avatar, that's at 100,000 miles
Oversize fronttyre means speedo runs slightly slow (4.10x19 Dunlop TT100 on WM3 Borriani)

[Danno]

terry mine does go 125 and I have the ticket to prove it clocked at 123mph by the local sheriff although the bike has to be ported and the original gears have to be used 16 front 38 rear

[xsmooth69x]

the only 550 that can be made to go over 105 mph is the 74 it can go 125mph

Yep, a factory tuned 550 with slightly higher gearing ridden by a 100 pound Japanese test rider with a sympathetic tail wind, and a few miles of level straight road, no problem! "Claimed" factory top speeds were always a little "creative". Put a 300 pound American on a 37 year old 550 and the only way it'll do 125 is if you drop it down a mineshaft!

sweet then in that case my bike goes 100mph!!! whoohooo

[dave500]

so you geared yours down a little danno?

[Tews19]

this thread has taken a twist... So the 550 cant go over 105? I got the 75 550F to 95 and had room to play but decided not to push her... Speedo must be off then.... still a blast to ride

[Eddie]

I'm going to extend a stock swing arm 2". I will document the build and keep you posted. I have a 74 550...to me the wheelbase seems a little short. the GSXR swap looks like too much trouble...

[cameron]

Te speedo IS off.. that is common.

[illrational]

i found that one side of my swing arm had been rewelded on when i took off to clean

[lucky]

i found that one side of my swing arm had been rewelded on when i took off to clean

What do you mean"rewelded"?
Was the weld so poorly done that you knew it was not a factory weld?

[illrational]

Exactly lucky

[Terry in Australia]

Mines a F1, 591cc with Piper cam, etc
 It will go well over 100mph, just change down and redline it through the gears
 See avatar, that's at 100,000 miles
Oversize fronttyre means speedo runs slightly slow (4.10x19 Dunlop TT100 on WM3 Borriani)

Yeah, no argument there mate, my 836cc powered CB750K1 will do 120 MPH in third gear on a good day, but I just find it hard to believe that a stock 1974 CB550 was actually faster than a stock 1974 CB750. Oh well, you learn something everyday. (Now where did I leave my can of BS repellant...........)

[Rgconner]

the only 550 that can be made to go over 105 mph is the 74 it can go 125mph

Yep, a factory tuned 550 with slightly higher gearing ridden by a 100 pound Japanese test rider with a sympathetic tail wind, and a few miles of level straight road, no problem! "Claimed" factory top speeds were always a little "creative". Put a 300 pound American on a 37 year old 550 and the only way it'll do 125 is if you drop it down a mineshaft!

I can show you some 22 percent grades out here in the high sierras. You could probably do 125 with the motor off!

Edit: Shortly after I fixed the swing arm bearings I read I could put a 750 swingarm on the 550 and lose 2 inches... making it the same wheelbase as the Vespa 250GTS... man was I tempted!

[luap]

http://www.cb-town.com/puma.html thats a stock 550 swingarm extended 3' Soon as I find another project 550 I will be putting a seca2 swingarm on pretty easy you need to legthen swingarm bolt an make spacers

[Danno]

no that was what came on the bike when i got it  It is obscure and hard to find the original spec and the sprockets and also possible that honda changed the spec mid year so it would not compete with the 750 on speed but my bike actually behaves underpowered with what is supposed to be stock replacements 17 front 37 rear but I am not all that concerned about going 125mph I changed mine back this spring to the stock gearing and decided that it is too hard on my antique bike and way to easy to wind it well over the redline by accident it takes a skilled rider that understands when they should shift to use that gearing plus you  better have your rear tire screwed to the rim and a new diamond chain or face a new tube hospital time and possibly a new case after the chain snaps the bike is heavy and in my opinion should not be going 125mph which may be why they changed the spec and ratio a little
my bike goes 100 mph easily even with the 17 37 gears I did it just last week by accident trying to merge on highway 94

[Danno]

the last time I did 100 mph i was merging going up a grade on a clover leaf

[crazypj]

1977 CB550F1 was tested at 112.something mph
 12.76 @98? in the quarter mile

[Danno]

have never run mine on the track if I did I would want to lighten it as I have bags a luggage rack and 4.5 gallon tank would have to strip all that off first then run it but I am pretty sure that with the 17 /37 it would still be pretty slow  would have to put the 16/38 back on