just wanted to say hi, I'm a long time reader on this site and finally made an account. So a little about my bikes, I was working on a basket case 73 cb500 since I was around 16. A customer of my father(he is an auto mechanic) had dropped it off and disappeared. Long story short I had scattered ambition and never really got it back together. Around 18 I started working on it again, when my dad comes to me and asks "why don't you just take and rebuild my old 550? I'm never gonna do anything with it." YES!?!
So... I put up all the 500 stuff and rolled his bike out his garage. I hadn't seen that thing since I was 10. Messy divorce whole different story. This thing was F#$%@ing sweet! aluminum d.i.d.'s, clubman's, mikuni smoothbores, old gold anodized hubs, custom fiberglass tail and seat, I fell hard! spent all my time polishing, cleaning, rebuilding, got my license in there somewhere lol. 3 or so months later on the road! One of the best feelings in the world, all that work then twisting her open! Was my daily rider until I moved out of state and was forced to leave it with a close friend of mine. Don't ask. SO now here I was bike less in South Carolina with different family and friends. and amongst other buys come across a 78K for $600 bucks. scooped it up in the early evening, it ran sounded okay get it home all is well. or so I thought, come to find out somewhere over the years the lower cases cracked right ahead of the front sprocket. To make matters worse, upon further inspection some #$%* decide to jbweld the entire mating flanges of the cases along with the crack and it still leaked oil!! I hate people! okay EBAY
found new top and bottom shell for $60 bucks and a two hour ride. Got the engine tore down tranny out, remembered cyclex does race cutting. sounds like a good idea, USPS (first mistake) boxed it up and away it went. On the expected arrival day I call to make sure they received it, "uhhh we got an empty busted open box here?" huh whaaa!?!? Not getting the extra insurance (second mistake) ironically enough the town of the USPS sorting facility which was the guilty party, was in fact the same town where I found the replacement on Ebay. Damn you Appleton WI! Needless to say I'm putting her back together stock, and looking for another engine for a performance build. Anyone close by that can help me out?