Author Topic: 1975 cb550k survivor (Read 3930 times)

seanbarney41 · « **on:** April 06, 2019, 08:15:57 pm »

Made a quick snatch of this mid sized beauty the other day...

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 06, 2019, 08:21:32 pm »

This bike is really unmolested except for the addition of the saddle bags and engine guards. It also had a windshield, tall sissy bar, and luggage rack that I had to pull to get it in my van.

First thing I did was whip all that crap off.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 06, 2019, 08:29:55 pm »

11,800 miles on the odo, tank is clean inside, throttle slides are really gummed up, pipe number 1 is in rough shape, and the grab rail is mia. Other than that, its gonna need to get fired up and deep cleaned. The plan is to keep it bone stock.

BRG-BIRD · « **Reply #3 on:** April 06, 2019, 08:46:55 pm »

Looks like you found a very nice machine!

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 06, 2019, 09:08:46 pm »

Thanks...i hope it turns out to run as good as it cleans up. I really did not need another bike but that candy jade green is mesmerizing!

river · « **Reply #5 on:** April 06, 2019, 09:12:29 pm »

Sean that thing looks great! Congrats!

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 06, 2019, 09:18:53 pm »

Yeah! I really feel like Michigan is one of the best places in the world to be finding these old bikes. They just keep turning up. Really happy I get the chance to save another one.

jakec · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2019, 11:33:27 pm »

Send me those panniers?

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2019, 11:58:11 pm »

Quote from: jakec on April 06, 2019, 11:33:27 pm

Send me those panniers?

I could...they are cosmetically ok but the lids are barely holding up and they are super light weight and flimsy overall. They would be expensive-ish to ship plus a hassle to protect from damage...not worth the cost imo...

jakec · « **Reply #9 on:** April 07, 2019, 12:10:12 am »

Thanks, I actually just saw that they are not the shoei’s

Robbo · « **Reply #10 on:** April 07, 2019, 06:20:40 am »

Wow that’s a really great find Sean. She’s gorgeous

Wish my tank and side covers were as nice as those.

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Can550 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2019, 08:27:51 am »

Great find
Always loved that green
Congratulations

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SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #12 on:** April 08, 2019, 09:20:59 am »

Great looking survivor. Nice find.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 08, 2019, 09:33:15 am »

Thanks guys. I did a bunch of cleaning yesterday. Gonna try and find time to fix the stuck carb slides, and fire it up this week.

Bankerdanny · « **Reply #14 on:** April 08, 2019, 10:14:34 am »

Nice. Welcome to the 550 club.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 08, 2019, 11:39:48 am »

Hi danny...this is the second 550 I have owned. The first one, I owned 3 separate times! That bike owes me nothing. Lol

Scott S · « **Reply #16 on:** April 08, 2019, 02:25:28 pm »

Sweet bike.

Gurp · « **Reply #17 on:** April 13, 2019, 06:06:10 pm »

Beautiful!!! Soo jelly!

Tews19 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 17, 2019, 03:16:11 pm »

Heck of a find Sean!

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 17, 2019, 03:57:21 pm »

Quote from: Tews19 on April 17, 2019, 03:16:11 pm

Heck of a find Sean!

Hell yeah, Nick! If only it was a 750.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #20 on:** May 17, 2019, 09:23:35 pm »

Ok...so I just got a little ride around the neighborhood on this thing! It is running quite well after a 30 year rest. Super stoked...celebrating with some drinks!

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 17, 2019, 09:37:56 pm »

So, of course a bunch of carb work had to happen. Slides were stuck, floats totally gummed...but the varnish all cleaned up pretty good. The worst of it was when the tip of the pilot jet broke off in the number one carb body. I used a borrowed pin drill set to gently ream out the remaining brass and simply replaced the jet. I was worried that the passage in the carb body would be damaged, but it still measures the same using the pin drills as feeler gauges. Unfortunately, a bunch of pictures of the carb work were inadvertently erased.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #22 on:** May 17, 2019, 09:55:13 pm »

I gotta say...as a 750 guy, tons of respect for 550 mechanics. These little bikes are wayyy more complex and difficult to work on. It took me a good while to solve the carb installation airbox puzzle...and then there's those throttle linkages

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 17, 2019, 10:04:42 pm »

Hooked up a slave tank, jumpers a battery, still ended up having to kick because it was poorly charged...and bam! Filled the shop with the sweet smoke of marvel mystery oil that I had lived the combustion chambers with. This engine really has that super sweet, smooth, seeing machine on strriods sound.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 17, 2019, 10:30:31 pm »

The bike sounds like a thumper dirt bike with the one rotted pipe and 3 almost perfectly solid. We can't have this...so hit me up if anyone has a line on a clean number one/upper left pipe. I am also needing a grab rail.

Time to get a battery, service the tank, and test ride. Pulled the petcock and everything was in order except for some minor debris. I just overhauled and cleaned the petcock and flushed the tank with fresh gas.

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Author Topic: 1975 cb550k survivor (Read 3930 times)