1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Yep. I should've shopped around. But i was so far over budget by the time I got around to the wiring harness I had to make do with what I could get.

I'll overhaul the whole harness next winter probably. Or just buy one from Sparck ;D
 
adventurco said:
I'll overhaul the whole harness next winter probably. Or just buy one from Sparck ;D

Ive had a harness from him now for 2 years waiting to go in my project, made 2 myself since then.. Looks nice, im sure it is nice. One of these days i'll be able to review :)
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

adventurco said:
Yep. I should've shopped around. But i was so far over budget by the time I got around to the wiring harness I had to make do with what I could get.

I'll overhaul the whole harness next winter probably. Or just buy one from Sparck ;D
Save the headache. I for one am a masochist, so I did this to myself. I'm still going to pick up an R/R from him though.
 
snmavridis said:
I for one am a masochist, so I did this to myself.

Aren't we all? I much rather enjoy the pain of building/learning to build something myself to purchasing something already made. Accomplishment. ;D
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

So a little update:

Started on the wiring for the starting system and hit a bit of a roadblock concerning the starter switch in regards to ground. I bought a Ulincos momentary push button switch that I plan on implementing into the dash for the starter button and a push button toggle for the kill switch. The trouble I run into with wiring my starter switch has to do with the safety switch mechanism. As of right now I'm trying to bypass it just to click the solenoid and verify it works. Here are some diagrams I'm working of off

My attempt at wiring it:
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The starting motor diagram from the manual:
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Not sure why she isn't working... moving forward, I'm trying to do research on building an electronics box for under the seat to hold electronics and battery. That will give me a better idea on how to go about wiring it efficiently.

I just got these gauges in today from carbonK, great condition and easy guy to work with. Bought them on Monday, got them today Woo hoo! Yes I know they're on backwards. I was excited.

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I've settled on getting superbike bars and keeping myself upright on my bike. I don't wanna crouch. Plus I've always liked the scrambler aesthetic more than the cafe racer. I just don't want to sweep my exhaust up. Thinking of doing 4-2 exhaust... just rambling here.

Cheers!
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Sorted out the switch issue. Now I'm working on the killswitch. Just got some bars, plug caps, and headlight ears. Hopefully I'll have her started up by August. Left my pod filters in Chicago so waiting for my girlfriend to go up there for vacation and bring them down with her.

Switch issue resolved:
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Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Nice work so far! You can just toss the kill switch in-line to the coil power (black with white stripe usually) and that will take care of that while keeping your headlight etc connected. Keep up the good work!
 
Commenting on your question about the Dyna-s. For me, it was the best investment I made on the 550.

Not sure if this was mentioned in this thread, but something all 500/550 owners MUST know. If you ever take the valve cover off, please check out youtube and the socomotor cb500 engine rebuild series of videos. If you do not use the rubber band method to keep your tappets "up" when putting the valve cover back on, you WILL bend valves, score pistons, break valve guides, and see all kinds of mayhem. Just file that away somewhere. The shop manual does NOT do a good job in explaining this seemingly simple, but critical aspect of 500/550 maintenance.
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Woah woah woah woah woah. I did the valve tappet adjustment like two years ago. I havent ran it yet. Are you talking about the valve tappet covers with the hex tops? Have I already screwed it up? Is this something I should check or be worried about?
 
Easy now...breathe....Not the 8 hex covers to adjust the tapets.I was referncing the entire cover that the tapet covers screw into (In other words, the entire valve cover). If you ever take the entire cover off to replace the valve cover gasket or do some other maintenance that requires you to expose the camshaft. THEN you need to follow the protocol when re-installing the cover. You have only been opening the individual covers. Nothing special to note about that.

Sorry for the alarm...but it something every 500/550 owner needs to have in the back of his mind to spark something when the time comes. Otherwise, there is nothing in the manual that adequately points this out.

Just looking out for fellow owners as many a valve has been needlessly destroyed.
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Oh ok good. Well now I know! Thanks for the heads up! In other news, I'm going to be removing the headlight ears this weekend and attempt to make a bracket for my switches on the frontend. After that it should be easy breezy lemon polka dot bikini for the rest of the wiring harness. I'm so excited!
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Just bought these off impulse:

http://4into1.com/honda-competition-shorty-lever-assembly-set-black/

Here's a question... since I need a new master cylinder, how do I get one on the brake lever? Are they sold separate from the lever??
 
Most masters will come with a lever, just find a used one from a modern sportbike with the same piston size and a similar lever. You probably won't be able to use a cable mount lever for the master cylinder, not without some fab work or real jerry rigging.
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Got my levers in, putting those off to the side since adventurco is right. I'll deal with those later.

Got a new ignition switch, will be working on a mount for that and the push-start and kill switch this week. Then wiring will be ready to wrap up.

In the meantime I took apart the front end to remove the gaiters and original headlight ears. Gotta say, this is the most amazing machine to work with. The forks popped off in no time. Barely any resistance. I'm super impressed with the condition of this thing. I mounted up the new headlight ears and I'm pretty pleased with the end result! New headlight bucket is in my sights now. Anyone got a 7.5" bucket lying around?

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Great work! If you find that you've made your front wheel out of alignment, loosen up the top triple clamps on both sides and give the tire a good kick in the direction you need to go. Then tighten pinch bolts again. Works well. Looking good man!
 
Looking good! Dyna ignition is worth money and makes the bike more responsive.
 
I'm back. Finally. I've still been browsing the site, just haven't been able to work on the bike. Looking back on this thread, its crazy to see how quickly time flies. Anyway, here's a little update: still in school, was gone for 8 months at an internship, money has been short, finally got things together, back to working on her. Bought a new right hand control switch, wiring harness should be good to go, gunna change the oil and try to fire her up over spring break. I'll fill you guys in when I've got some results!
 
Re: 1976 CB550F "Barn Find"

Just changed the oil. This is the inside of the filter housing. I'm so sorry I did this to you baby :(
 

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