1978 CB550 build

DBC

Been Around the Block
well, my bike is almost done, but I just joined the forum so I figured this was the place for pics and build progress thus far, so here are a whole bunch of pictures!

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The day I brought it home

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The day after I brought it home

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engine with about 10 different oil leaks

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nothing like starting from scratch

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getting my mock-up together

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After second dis-assembly I took everything outside for a session with the pressure pot for sand blasting

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more sand blasting

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time for the fun to begin!

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After the Cinder red base and tangerine candy.

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I got some crazy reactions when painting the front fender, so I had to respray that later.

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masked and ready for black!

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Now we're getting somewhere. Unfortunately, I failed to photograph the final assembly process, but I have taken some detailed photos of the finished product...scroll down ;D

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I used the original seat pan and cut out the shape I wanted, then I cut little triangles out to hook the vinyl to so I could get it really tight.

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original inner fender

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I polished the outside of the wheel hubs, and painted the inside with Rustoleum industrial aluminum paint. it resulted in a great finish and clean look.

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I love candy tangerine.

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picture with the front fender on.

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I am amazed at how load this little horn is.

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OK, so there you have it. I still need to add gauges, which I just ordered and should be arriving soon. There was a ton of work done here, and being my first bike build, i think I've done ok so far. So, questions, comments, suggestions are all welcome. I will keep you all updated on the gauge install!
 
man, what an entrance. And the orange is amazing. Exactly what the color I was thinking. Great looking bike
 
thanks for the kind words. the color is House of Kolor candy tangerine over a cinder red base coat if your interested.
 
SWEET! one of my gauges came today! my indicator lights from KOSO North America.
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will be installing this tomorrow, and my speedometer comes on Wed. Almost there!
 
Nice tank, whats it off?
Bike needs a fork brace, particularly with the tyres you fitted
The forks will twist real bad, axle isn't strong enough to support sliders on it's own.
I find it easier to make one or get a damaged mudguard and remove stock brace
The holes in stock are too big on (I think) right side, but, 1/4" ID spring washer happens to be perfect size to take up slack.
It makes a dramatic improvement in handling.
Forks are usually too soft as well and need heavier springs
 
crazypj said:
Nice tank, whats it off?
Bike needs a fork brace, particularly with the tyres you fitted
The forks will twist real bad, axle isn't strong enough to support sliders on it's own.
I find it easier to make one or get a damaged mudguard and remove stock brace
The holes in stock are too big on (I think) right side, but, 1/4" ID spring washer happens to be perfect size to take up slack.
It makes a dramatic improvement in handling.
Forks are usually too soft as well and need heavier springs

Thanks for the advice! I'll Probably end up making one due to the fact that my Dad used my old fender as part of a sculpture. I am pretty satisfied with the stiffness of the forks though, so I think I will leave them alone...for now.
The tank is a fiberglass unit from www.legendary-motorcycles.com I think its called a Continental.
 
DBC, this guy knows his stuff. Don't know if you heard about CrazyPJ, but heed his advice.

Bikes lookin amazing! What's the story behind the fairing?
 
I've heard, but isn't fork stiffness a matter of preference? or is it a necessary mod for proper operation? If so, I'll order new springs today.
 
DBC said:
Thanks for the advice! I'll Probably end up making one due to the fact that my Dad used my old fender as part of a sculpture. I am pretty satisfied with the stiffness of the forks though, so I think I will leave them alone...for now.
The tank is a fiberglass unit from http://www.legendary-motorcycles.com ] www.legendary-motorcycles.com [/url] I think its called a Continental.

Thanks for link.
As for fork stiffness, not up and down but twisting.
Stand in front of bike, grip wheel with knees and ankles, grab bars and turn them left and right.
Unless you only weigh about 100 lbs, you will probably be able to move bars about 3"~4" total
 
DBC said:
SWEET! one of my gauges came today! my indicator lights from KOSO North America.
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will be installing this tomorrow, and my speedometer comes on Wed. Almost there!

Hey, where did you get that gauge and how easy is it to hook up?
 
so I saw the rest of this thread... I must say my hat goes off to you sir. clearly you have alot of experience with a spray gun. whats that all about?
 
I'm a custom painter (well, trying to be). I got laid off back in October and ever since, have been trying to start a little painting business. It's a slow process, but we're getting there :) Here's what I normally do:
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WOW!

You have a killer first build DBC. The paint looks amazing and from the pics it looks like that Tangerine really pops in the sun!
 
thanks! yeah, the tangerine is a very nice color. the key is using the right base color though. I wanted something that looked light a bright red in normal light, but really pops and turns orange in the sun. The Cinder Red base was definitely the ticket here!
 
Nice paint I really like your work. Keep it up man you do excelent work and I hope the paint biz works out for you as you def have talent.
 
thompsonmx100 said:
Nice paint I really like your work. Keep it up man you do excelent work and I hope the paint biz works out for you as you def have talent.

Yeah me too, i'm pretty hopeful it will be a success.

In other news, I installed the new indicator lights today :)

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the install was pretty straightforward. the most time consuming part was making the surround and an figuring out how to mount the thing. Wiring was simple...something new for this bike ;D
 
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