Topic: How reliable are these machines?

[Knottyandgrain]

Hey Guys I was wondering how reliable are these machines?I currently have a 1976 CB550k and have done some work (list of work I've completed down below) to the bike but I am always worried about it breaking down, as it does regularly. I've owned a 73' 750 that never ran right (built by someone else and maintained by a Honda shop). I dont personally know anyone with one of these so I have nothing to compare it to. Just seems to me that these are what they are, ~50 year old bikes with 50 year old tech and not really reliable. Anyone take these on long trips or ride everyday?

1976 Honda CB550K2
Rebuilt carbs
spark plug, coil, wires
Timing
All new cables: clutch, speedo, tach
rebuilt caliper/ drilled rotor/ upgrade master
voltage regulator
battery
etc.

[Kevnz]

IMO, back in when these bikes were new, people could, and did ride them as everyday transport as well as all over the place on holiday etc. A properly maintained bike should be equally reliable, and unlike more modern bikes with complicated electronics, eminently repairable. After all, it doesn't get much simpler than carbs and points ignition. It's entirely likely you might have trouble getting a newly repaired bike properly dialled in, but once you have I think you can have complete confidence that you get to where you are headed.

[69cb750]

Hey Guys I was wondering how reliable are these machines?I currently have a 1976 CB550k and have done some work (list of work I've completed down below) to the bike but I am always worried about it breaking down, as it does regularly. I've owned a 73' 750 that never ran right (built by someone else and maintained by a Honda shop). I dont personally know anyone with one of these so I have nothing to compare it to. Just seems to me that these are what they are, ~50 year old bikes with 50 year old tech and not really reliable. Anyone take these on long trips or ride everyday?

The answer has a wide range ...
If the bike was maintained since new and ridden every year it can still be very reliable.
If the bike was parked because it was worn out or sat unused for decades then very unreliable.

[The Sovereign Man]

Hey Guys I was wondering how reliable are these machines?I currently have a 1976 CB550k and have done some work (list of work I've completed down below) to the bike but I am always worried about it breaking down, as it does regularly. I've owned a 73' 750 that never ran right (built by someone else and maintained by a Honda shop). I dont personally know anyone with one of these so I have nothing to compare it to. Just seems to me that these are what they are, ~50 year old bikes with 50 year old tech and not really reliable. Anyone take these on long trips or ride everyday?

The answer has a wide range ...
If the bike was maintained since new and ridden every year it can still be very reliable.
If the bike was parked because it was worn out or sat unused for decades then very unreliable.

I’d add to this, if a backyard mechanic with little knowledge and patience, ham fists, and no desire to perform good work has had a crack at it before you, it’s also likely going to give you trouble.

[Alan F.]

In my experience all bikes regardless of make like to be ridden more than they like to sit. When bringing a bike back to life it's not uncommon for people to say that their bike rides and runs better every time they take it out. Buy quality parts, follow good repair practices, use a good manual and ride-ride-ride!

[scottly]

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,6895.125.html

[seanbarney41]

I have ridden probably over 100,000 miles on dozens of different cb750's and 550's, the bulk of it on my 2 or 3 main keepers.  Just get it running get on and ride.  Never ever had to call for a tow or loaded em in a truck.  Ever.  And I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to stop and fix something.

If your current bike is an indication of your taste in modifications, and you want to ride a lot, you might consider leaving closer to stock.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[HondaMan]

I currently have over 140,000 miles on my CB750, and Crazy PJ put over 100,000 on his 550. Some others here have even more mileage on them than mine. Mine has never 'broken down', although on a really hot day in 2007 (110 degrees) in city traffic, my OEM 2-3 coil finally died, leaving me to limp home on 1-4 cylinders only. When the old fuse clips lost their chromate plating in 2006 and began heating and melting the main fuse, it would occasionally break that fuse and quit running (which is why I make modern fuseholders for them: they were supposed to last 10 years back when they were made...). That's the total downtime record of mine since I bought in new in 2/72.

[754]

I bought a ' 750 parts  bike in 2015. Got it running started riding it..it was sorta wore out.
 Fixed the top end thrashed that one, now put another motor in from a 78 rode it to Colorado a few years back, Bonneville in 2018.  By tomorrow I will have put 27, 000 Mike's on the parts bike.
 Friday I rode 190 miles was back by 11 30 am
 In a half hour at 9 pm going on a mOOnlight ride , be back by 4 am or so   another 250 Mile's or so..
  Biggest problem people have us trust, if they never did it, it's fear of the unknown.
 I starting riding 750 in 75 , I got the trust back then already..
 

[jlh3rd]

people rode their hondas everywhere. Even the smaller bikes , such as the 350's , were ridden across the country. I rode my 450 everywhere for 5 years back in the 70's. It never left me stranded. The fact that so many have survived is a testament to their reliability. I don't see many 70's harleys around.....keep the oil changed.
     

[69cb750]

The fact that so many have survived is a testament to their reliability. I don't see many 70's harleys around.....keep the oil changed.

[david 750f]

Only time I’ve been left stranded in 25 years is when I run out of gas

[jlh3rd]

The fact that so many have survived is a testament to their reliability. I don't see many 70's harleys around.....keep the oil changed.

...i said many. I've gone to many bike shows. By far, there are more surviving, running japanese bikes than any other. From the mini's to the 750's. A testament to their production numbers and reliability.
Actually, that picture illustrates exactly where most harleys ended up, abandoned on the side of the road in the grass.

[madmtnmotors]

Rode my 78' 750 from Florida to Ohio and back in 2014 and would not be afraid to do it again. 

[jlh3rd]

I liked my 03 electra glide. It was a nice bike.....until the motor developed a noise in the bottom end at 35,000 miles that harley said to replace the motor for $5000 . With just a year warranty.   No thanks, ...it's the first motor that ever failed me and that includes all the cars, motorcycles, and boats I've owned....

[ekpent]

 I am always amazed at how reliable and durable the 750's are and have had at least one in the stable since 1981. Once set up and dialed in they just keep going like that little energizer bunny.

[carnivorous chicken]

I've had 350Fs, 400Fs, 550s and 750s that have all be completely reliable, from near-daily commuters to a 550 that I park in Seattle at my dad's place and run around on once or twice a year, including trips to Portland. The OP mentioned that it keeps "breaking down" and "not running right" -- how? Find out and fix it, and you've got a reliable bike as many others have mentioned.

[Deltarider]

My CB500 has proved very reliable indeed. Last year the ignition switch failed, which I soon detected and after some fiddling, I could continue and make it home. Malfunction probably caused by me spraying WD-40 into the keyhole the month before, which had made a mess. Don't! These key switches do not require maintenance. Reliability had been compromised - also by me - some 40 years before, when I had fitted an inline fuel filter. Never again! Having the fuellines in the right length and diameter was enough to solve the problem. Petcock filter is still the same the bike had, when it left the assembly line. The only time in 40 years that I got stranded was in torrential rain. Plugcaps and/or HT leads got soaked. This is the CB500/550s true weak spot. Furthermore I recall a couple of main fuses blown and an overflowing carbbowl (2X) after hibernation, which was easily cured. As far as endurance, the CB500 will have its page in the history books, next to the pyramids.

[MauiK3]

Florida to California with a loop up into Canada, twice, other than a worn out chain no problems.
Years of commuting to work in Northern California.

Bullet proof bikes.
Maintain them right, they keep going.

[ktm136]

I bought my 750k6 from a coworker in 2015, it had 19,xxx miles when I bought it. The first week I owned it I took off for NC, 500 miles away. I've installed new coils/wires and a maxi-dwell points plate. I tried to balance the carbs but #3 was damaged so I've installed carbs from a 700sc. The only times it was ever un-rideable was because I screwed something up.

[bryanj]

The only time these bikes are unreliable is when screwed up by the person working, or not, on them

[754]

I bought my 750k6 from a coworker in 2015, it had 19,xxx miles when I bought it. The first week I owned it I took off for NC, 500 miles away. I've installed new coils/wires and a maxi-dwell points plate. I tried to balance the carbs but #3 was damaged so I've installed carbs from a 700sc. The only times it was ever un-rideable was because I screwed something up.

How do you like the maxi dwell ? I really liked mine..adds to reliability I think.

[ktm136]

I like the maxi dwell, I think the bikes starts more easily. I've used Pamcos and DYNAS as well on other bikes, I feel like the MD is just as reliable and easy to set up.

[Deltarider]

I've looked at it once, I've looked at it twice and I still fail to see what improvement the maxi-dwell could bring. Personally I mistrust all products with 'super' and 'maxi' in their brand name. There's a lot you can sell where it concerns electrickety and/or magnetism. I stick to:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168266.msg1948882.html#msg1948882

[Bankerdanny]

I rode my '77 550K a 1,000+ mile trip, my '75 550F on a 13 day 4700 mile trip in 2017, and last year my 750F on a 1200 mile road trip.

With proper maintenance they are quite reliable. I am always skeptical when someone says that the carbs were 'rebuilt' and doubly so when the rebuilding was done by someone else. The Keihins on the SOHC4 bikes rarely need rebuilding, which to me entails replacement of needles and jets. I can't recall the last time I read about someone buying a bike with the carbs 'professionally rebuilt' where the builder used proper OEM Keihin jets and needles and Honda float valve assemblies. The vast majority of the time they use the crappy brass included in the Keyster and other non-Honda kits and often have tuning issues that are never sorted.