Topic: mike from england saying hi

[MIKE550/4]

hi all

mike here from northants in england,

in the process of stripping a 79 honda 550/4 , first time doing this so may need some help, hence why i am here , and hopefully to make some new like minded friends, quick story on the bike , well guy bought it in 79 used it for 4 years, and then bought something else,  been stood since 83 in his garage till i bought it 2 weeks ago,

purely doing this to see if can do it ,

cheers all

mike

ps first question has been posted in tech section

[rhos1355]

Mike, welcome to the forum. I'm a new member as well. Have been here just a week and am already astounded to the level of friendship and help and information given on this site. Especially from the guys over the pond. I have a CB750 k2 that am doing a nut & bolt restoration on it. Have completed the stripdown a few months ago. Got all the major parts sandblasted, powder coated etc. Ordered a lot of parts off David Silver and am now well into the rebuild.

[MIKE550/4]

hi

i am only 2 days into strip down,  out of interest how did you manage with getting the engine out , the weight is my worry , mine is the 550 , chrome and engine is my main worries, engine is non runner but turns over with good compression, at this moment taken lessons to get my full licence, wife thinks i am mad doing this but hey its been fun so far ,

cheers mike

[rhos1355]

hi

i am only 2 days into strip down,  out of interest how did you manage with getting the engine out , the weight is my worry , mine is the 550 , chrome and engine is my main worries, engine is non runner but turns over with good compression, at this moment taken lessons to get my full licence, wife thinks i am mad doing this but hey its been fun so far ,

cheers mike

Mike,
Had a mate come over. Put a plate of plywood under the engine supported by a jack.Theres a couple of places where you can thread 4-5 big thick cable ties to make grab-holds. Undid all the securing bolts & nuts etc. One guy on the left and one guy on the right, lifted and placed it on the right hand tube of the frame, I came 'round sharpish and we lifted the engine off the chassis and onto a square 2"x4" frame on the floor. For added leverage the bike was on a bike bench at the time. Wasn't too bad tho'. Try and get a mate that's got a bit on mechanical nous so if things do start going wrong you don't have to start explaining every dotted i and crossed t. Don't, whatever happens, don't try this on your own. It'll end in tears.
If you want more info, there's a couple of threads covering this on the technical board of this forum.
The classic biking fraternity is a very friendly community. Go to Staffs. bike show (twice a year) or kempton park bike jumble (next one 16th august I think) and every one's willing to impart some advice or bend your ear with "in my day........" stories.
David Silver's great for spares. Try them first before you go to the guys in Holland. They're a few quid more expensive and the charge silly money on shipping. Don't get drawn in by the chancers from Australia selling Honda bits on the eBay. They seem to be extravagantly priced.
Good luck with the bike licence. Sure beats taking the dog out for a walk.

[SteveD CB500F]

Hello Mike.

You'll probably get much more response here than on the HOC board as i seem to be the only one there that's intereseted in these old bikes (except you of course!)

[MIKE550/4]

hi steve, its a small world 

yes mate bit slow on other site , i am only recently getting into these bikes, to be honest i have not got a licence, i am 39 and getting back into biking, last bike i had was an rd250, but met a couple of guys at a local show who had  a cb 750 and a 550/4 and was then hooked, seem a friendly bunch on here ,

bending as many ears as i can , maybe meet up at show some time, am looking for shows local to me to see what spares can come up

mike