76 cb550 Brat

550 Okie

New Member
Hey all! So a couple of years ago, when 70's hondas were still relatively easy to find on craigslist for a decent price, I snagged 1976 cb550k that had been sitting for a few years and hadn't been registered since 1989, when I was 2 years old! It was pretty dusty and covered in overspray, but when I finally got it all cleaned up and polished it turned out to have a really great custom paint job! I paid $250USD for it so I was pretty stoked after wiping it down a bit

This is what it looked like after I had almost completed rebuilding it the first time
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Unfortunately, the tank with the great paint job was rusted through, so it had to be replaced with one that I plan on getting repainted to look the same. After I finished the rebuild I rode it around pretty much stock except for a mac 4-1 exhaust, some pod filters and a new front brake master cylinder. About 4 months after first getting it on the road I had my first accident which bent the bars, crushed the gauges and mysteriously snapped the fuel line. Nothing too major and I wasn't hurt past a bit of road rash and a sore wrist, but since it was starting to cool of anyhow I decided to sit on it until the winter and start ordering parts for a custom rebuild.

1 year later, a new house with tons of space, and another winter on the horizon I've finally gotten around to ordering those parts and tearing the bike down. Here's what it looks like today:
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This is what I've got planned past what you can see in the photo:
- ordering some 365mm rear shocks to give it a bit more of an aggressive stance (plus I'm a bit of a tall guy anyway)
-making it kickstart only to simplify the wiring which i plan on stashing between the frame tubes underneath the new seat
-making a seat pan, welding on a rear loop, and mounting the seat
-mounting a smaller, agm battery beneath the swingarm
-powdercoating the rims black and relacing them with new spokes, possibly powdercoating the frame
and some other small things that i'm sure will work themselves out along the way

any input and suggestions are welcome as to how I should go about doing any of this. I'm sure once I get to the wiring issues I'll have some more specific questions
 
i can't figure out how to insert pictures, any help?
 

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So type whatever you want then it looks like
 
$250?? that's insane. i was looking at 70's era jap bikes a few years ago and only bought one. wish i would've scooped up a shed full considering the prices they're at now. these days, that's a $1000 craigslist find, haha.
 
So i've been a little distracted this last week with the birth of my first daughter and all... I would have felt guilty updating from the hospital. Not that I have too much to update, just ordered some parts that should be getting here soon. The seat on the bike is from Dime City, I splurged a bit on it. Here's what should be coming in the post for me sometime next week:

-Rear shocks, I went with the stock 320mm size in all black. Decided that a raised rear end wasn't really the look I was going for
-Left side handle bar control switch
-bearings for both wheels

will post some pics of the updated mock up when the parts get here
 
Its looking good so far man! keep it up. Don't feel bad bout updating, time is always a huge factor in how long these builds take. Looking forward to seeing the finished outcome=D
 
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