Topic: '76 550f barn find.

[Mark1976]

    We'll move forward in small increments and see what it brings. I've looked carefully at how the cam sat in the upper half, it looked fine. I still have to clean the rockers up a little more before I install them and the upper half. Maybe by tomorrow I'll have it back together and see what I have. I don't really anticipate any issues. 

[Mark1976]

   So, was able to install the 650 cam on Saturday,  once the head was clearanced it was pretty straightforward. Bike started right up but it idled a little poorly. So I put on the vacuum gauges and everything looked ok , then rechecked the IM, turned them in 1/2 turn and it smoothed right out. Took a spin around the neighborhood and as far as I can tell at this point, we're good, I really need to register it and take out for a good spin, all in good time I guess.
   Next project is the started button,  just received the 3D printed re-pop piece, will let ya know how I make out.

[grcamna2]

You put the labor into it and seems like it's given you a good return on your investment of time. 

[Mark1976]

   Well, I'd really like to get it out for a good shake down ride, then do a compression check and assess where to go from there. I'd like to avoid pulling the entire top end for a recondition but it may not be avoidable. I'm not far off from that, I can then pull it all down to the frame and powder coat it and reassemble and replace as I go. A complete top end recondition gets pricey.

[Mark1976]

   Sooooo, I replaced the starter switch housing with the 3-D printed repop piece. Altogether including shipping its $22, seems like a good deal. I watched the video on how to assemble and install, said to myself "no big deal." Spent time prefitting the plastic housing just to make sure it fit inside the control housing. Cleaned everything up, lubed what needs to be lubed.
   In the video, its all done on a table top and completely removed from the handle bar, I did it with it still attached and on the bike. Anyways, getting the contact board in with it still attached is a little more of a challenge, once in, its a tight fit and its never coming back out. Then the contact toogle goes in, then the push button with springs and ball and then the small metal cover. I power it up, everything works.
   Now, when I did the prefit, the housing fits tight with nothing in it, once its assembled it's even tighter, making an already awkward final install of the fully assembled housing even that much more challenging. So after much pushing and gentle cajoling it fits in but it so tight that it must  distort the housing because the switch which worked so well before install is now sticking. Put in the hold down screw and it won't work at all. Spend another 1/2 hour pushing and gently prying to find a point where it won't bind and finally realize that if I leave the hold down screw out, it'll work fine even when you do finally close everything.
   Only time will tell if this is a good investment, maybe its just me, maybe I'm just getting old, but either way, this was a PITA... Add to it that it takes 2 weeks or more to get the part and this becomes a pricey little piece of plastic.. It's definitely cheaper than an entire assembly, but if it breaks again, I'll get an entire assembly before I do this again.
   

[grcamna2]

I'm not familiar with that,is it the top half of the switch housing that's now plastic? or the bottom half ?

[Mark1976]

   Its the small plastic box that holds the starter button and headlight on/off assembly inside the RH switch gear.

[rb550four]

    That was interesting, I was saving all those little parts from both sides of the controls just in case of a failure of said parts later on down the road. I wanted to stay as original as possible too. Honda wanted like $80 for either side replacement so it seemed worth fooling around with those pieces , then I found after market replacements , all shiny and new, all over the internet for around $40 and they were plug and play. Although they aren't Honda, I've decided that they were the way to go for me, no foolin' around with small buttons and screws that I can barely see or tiny springs and balls that take months to find after they spring across the room....a real time saver and certainly saved some aggravation and a few bucks. I just want  things that work and they look stock, and  I got no museum pieces here anyways so it works for me.   

[grcamna2]

   Its the small plastic box that holds the starter button and headlight on/off assembly inside the RH switch gear.

Oh,the one that's made out of pot-metal originally ?

[Mark1976]

   So I was able to find a few hours to install the cb650 oil pump. Its not a straight forward swap but the mods are minor. The 650 pump is about a 1/4 inch wider, mainly due to the fact that the stock 550 pump has flush mounted screws the 650 does not. The 650 pump also has a neck that the oil pressure sending unit threads into and the stock one does not. You'll need to trim it down about 12mm to get the proper height in order for the sending unit to clear the top of the oil pump compartment. You could trim it down another 2 or 3mm but then you might need to tap the interior of the housing deeper to get enough purchase to properly thread in the oil pressure sending unit in. Once that's done, you've got to open up the counter shaft cover with an opening to clearance the additional width of the 650 pump. It fits and works and is oil tight.

[BoneDigger]

Pulled the carbs, a real mess.

. Wow! Those carb bowl look like they have been used to excavate a swamp.  Well, cleaning is half the fun of a project...

[Mark1976]

The bodies themselves cleaned right up, the brass was a complete loss. But yes, they did clean up and sync just like new.

[grcamna2]

The bodies themselves cleaned right up, the brass was a complete loss. But yes, they did clean up and sync just like new.

Did you find all good oem brass to replace them ?
How did your exhaust work out Mark ?

[Mark1976]

  I have plenty of old oem brass available for the carburetors, so that wasn't an issue. Only thing I had to buy was float bowel gaskets. I've got the oil pan off and I'm currently working on attaching a nipple to the oil pump p/u for the oil supply tube for the transmission. Once that's done I'll post pic's, maybe this weekend. I'm really stumped on what to do with the exhaust, would liked to have been able to find an old Kerker to toss on but that's just not gonna happen. The exhausts that are available currently just don't scratch that itch. The Delkevic isn't too bad but it just doesn't get it done for me, aesthetics. I've got to get something soon, just have made up my mind. Need a decent single stay front fender as well, so I'm on the look out for one of those as well. Gotta get a hold of Hondaman for a ignition box as well, it just never ends...

[grcamna2]

Can you find a better,long 550F stock muffler than the one you have ?

[Mark1976]

Ya know, the stock pipe never appealed much to me, I always preferred a 4 into 1 header, I believe the Hindle pipe is a 4 into 2 into 1, and I'm looking at that as well.

[grcamna2]

Ya know, the stock pipe never appealed much to me, I always preferred a 4 into 1 header, I believe the Hindle pipe is a 4 into 2 into 1, and I'm looking at that as well.

Would be handy if you could find a performance slip-on to fit right over the stock four into one header outlet.

[ReggieC]

Congrats Mark, that's nice work on your 550 resto-mods.  Good luck with the rest of your project.

[Mark1976]

Thanks for the support,  always appreciated.  Slip-on's, mufflers, canisters what ever you want to call them are way expensive, used or otherwise. So I'll bite the bullet soon enough and buy a complete system.

[Mark1976]

   Well, a somewhat productive couple hours. Dropped the oil pan and even with an oil change, the bottom's still has abit of black sludge. No big deal, nothing out of the ordinary, just black residue. I brazed in the nipple from the 550 p/u onto the new p/u. I then installed the pickup with new o rings and plugged in the oil feed line. Then I checked the drop of the p/u and the double checked the oil pan depth, "1.750 is the magic number and both matched perfectly. Installed the cb650 oil pan with new o ring and poured in 4 qts.of 10w -40 rotella. Kicked it over a few times (4 or 5) bumped the new starter switch and it fired right up with the oil light going out immediately. Ran it for a few minutes, let it warm up and shut her down. Checked for leaks and by the grace of god, there weren't any. So I'm done for today.

[grcamna2]

Nice work Mark.
The exhaust,I purchased a Supertrapp SS slip-on for another bike.,yes it was expensive;it was the enclosed disc slip-on too.I hope someone here might help you with a 4 into 1 system.

[Mark1976]

Good to know.

[Mark1976]

Sooooo, this came in yesterday, and its not what I thought I ordered. It doesn't fit and can't be made to be useful unless I undo everything I've done thus far (oil pan, oil cooler etc.). So 6 weeks later I'm back where I started. Anyone need a Carpy yoshi style pipe? I don't know, I'm a little frustrated at the moment.

[Mark1976]

Well, pulled the 650 oil pan and p/u and swapped out with the stock pieces,, mounted the pipe, normal minor finagling to get everything to line up and seat. Took a quick ride around the neighborhood.  Still  undecided...

[grcamna2]

Looks good,that large tube muffler,beginning from the collector looks high performance  How's it sound ? Did you have to go up a few sizes on the mains ?