My CB550

jwarriner

Been Around the Block
The day I got her. Friday, July 20th.
 

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And today...
 

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When you switched to your current turn signals, did you have to change out the flasher relay? I've got those big obnoxious flashers now, and I want to switch to the more subtle one you've got.
 
I kept the flasher however my right side barely winks due to, I think, because currently I don't have it hooked up to an indicator. The left is hooked up to the indicator but it still winks slow. I think the bulbs, although still incandescent, are less wattage than the big googly stockers.
 
cool look man. seat cover looks alittle loose, but i like the overall look a lot!
 
My mom and I made the seat cover. It was our first try. I think we can improve on it but I was being impatient. The padding is also too thick. I am going to pull it apart, put a thinner, firmer foam in there and then put the cover on, pin it, mark it and then hem the bottom. Should be a much better seat. Maybe by next week or so.
 
no shame in that! good on you for doing it your self! i sewed up mine on my wifes sewing machine. it took a few attempts and its still not perfect but im happy that i did it my self. trick that i found a few others using is carpet padding. like 3 layers of 1/2inch carpet padding is super comfortable and pretty thin(like 7 bucks from lowes/home depot will get you WAY more than you need) just cut the shape you want with a bread knife. pretty easy. you should be able to use the same seat cover if you want, i love the style and color it just needs to be tightend up. you can drill and hand rivit to the seat pan or what ever other crazy method people come up with. here was my first attempt, it was just a pair of jeans i cut up and sewed together,
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and here was round two with some marine vinyl i found at a thrift store (4 bucks)
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I plan on using the same seat cover. Glued to the seat pan is a layer of yoga mat. It is mostly one layer thick except for a few areas I built up a bit. The top foam is 1" thick regular foam. It's not attached to anything, just sitting in there under the cover. It was an experiment. I plan to replace the 1" thick foam with another piece of yoga mat but attach it to the inside of the cover to help it keep its shape.
 
I don't know guys, I'm seriously considering cutting off the fender stay and ditching the stock seat pan. I always think I don't want to do this but end up figuring out the hard way that bikes just look better with lower profile seats. If I did this I could make a seat out of wood and use staples and get the upholstery super tight.
 
I say chop the fender stay, fit clipons and a fork brace, and rough a pan outa aluminum and glue some gel pad to it... but that's just my two pesos
 
Not doing clip-ons on this bike. I'm leaving the stock "ape hangers" such as they are. My 500 has clips and my 650 has Euro bars. This bike is more for cruising around in an upright position.
 
Ah I see. Yeah all mine have clips, sometimes I wish I had one with stock bars for the long rides tho.
 
I remember first getting my CB500 in 2006 and thinking the "ape hanger" bars were the first thing that had to go. Now here we are, six years later, and the bars are one part of my CB550 I'm adamant about keeping. I have less of a one track mind now. Back then I thought a cool bike was a matte black spray bomber with Clubmans and fiberglass seat (which can still be alright, I guess) but since then I've broadened my horizons and like multiple styles. Which is probably why I have three bikes that are all pretty different looking.
 
Much happier with this seat and rear fender...
 

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Are you going to get rid of the stock mounts for the turn signals, i think the front end would look a lot cleaner with them gone , but that just my 2 cents
 
Yes, I am going to pull the forks for a rebuild and when I do I will be getting rid of both the OEM signal mounts and OEM headlight ears. I will also be adding fork gaiters for more of a retro look.
 
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