morepower4me
New Member
Hello,
I've been lurking on the foums a while learning more about vintage bikes, and thought I would finally show-off (modestly) a bit of what I've been up to.
About me:
Never owned a street bike before & this is my 1st bike build outside of dirtbike stuff when I was younger. I have done a lot of car modifying for auto-X and drag racing, so I hope some of that transfers!
This is my 1st 'big' project in the new (1st) house, and lot of the little stuff, like organizing the garage, buying new tools, sorting/storing stuff is slowing the project down & affecting the budget... but it'll get there.
About the bike:
I bought this 1976 CB550F in October last year as a 'winter project'. Being new to Chicago (from Arizona)... I didn't realize quite how cold unheated garages are... and the project quickly moved to a Spring one!
Bike was purchased non-running & I had no idea what to look for. It was dumb luck it is as 'solid' as it is, and even so - its pretty rough!
I finally got started on it & have made a little progress. The early part of this thread is older (a few months) but catches up. I'll be current from here on out.
Bike as it came to me: (you can see it's already marking its spot...)
And a few more cell pics showing other angles and the sad condition:
In the 1st day of wrenching I tackled the most offensive pieces &
Removed Sissy bar
Removed rear fender
Removed rear brake & turn lights
Installed new rear shocks (with reservoirs) from a CB1100F (thanks Ebay)
I also turned the bars down to get an idea of whether I could chop the existing ape bars to save a few bucks... but I could not!
Second day of wrenching was also pretty effective.
Got the rear 16" 'cruiser' wheel switched out for a 18" 'cafe' style one
Removed the very rusty F tank it came with
Removed the rack of carbs & started to clean them up
Most recent day of wrenching happened on a weekday.. and was cut short by the next day's impending work. Still knocked out a few items:
Finished Carb rebuild & reinstalled Rack & linkage
Installed the less rusty tank from a 550K (it bolted right on)
I'd purchased some new parts to create a more modern interpretation of a cafe (USD forks from a 03 GSXR 750, clip-ons, 6 Piston Tokico calipers, dual 320mm rotors) but like most projects... I was running into funding issues and may take a more 'period correct' approach since I can do that for a bit less money.
So in the meantime I decided to get my existing parts working better.
I managed to revive my front brake.
The front Caliper was completely seized and the lines were bone dry, but a friend and I pulled them apart, 'un-stuck'd' the caliper, ground away all the rust on the piston and pad, then put it all back together.
The brake works as it should (piston pushes & retracts) and so far it is holding pressure and fluid. We'll see how long I decided to use that... but at least it functions.
Throttle cables are no good though. The HUGE return spring on the carb rack is still not enough to close the throttle. I need to twist the grip backwards to close it. I'll start it like that, but not thrilled about wanting to ride it like that!
Pulling apart the throttle tube it looks like the tube itself is broken and that may be causing the bind. I'll order a new one and hope for the best, but I think new cables are in my future to ( at a minimum)
Here are those pictures I promised.
Front calipers/lines after reviving them (still need cosmetic help - but at least they work!)
^^ I can't imagine the 2 sides of the clamp should be discoloring at different rates... but we'll see how they clean up.
Newest side profile - still trying to decide whether to go clubmans (for authenticity) - Superbike bars for comfort - or clipons....
And the view from the back
These last pics are what I had originally planned to use - but I am starting to think a more 'classic' approach is the right way to go.
I'd found all the parts necessary to mount the fork (which can be done with some clever steering head bearing changes) - but the machine work to get the spoked wheel spaced correctly in the wider axle, to re-drill the rotors I purchased for the CB hub, and to fab up caliper mounts proved to intimidating.
Looking back, there were other ways documented on the forum I could have & should have gone - but I was chasing deals - and thought I could do it on the cheap. If i had access to a machine shop I likely could have - but paying per hour it can't work. Buy a complete front end if you want to swap, it almost always is cheaper in the end.
And if you can't afford the $600 a whole front end costs... Take it as a reality check - you can't make it work for less than that.
The only upside is that I was able to sell the pieces I purchased to someone else for a few bucks more than I paid. So I only hurt my pride, not my budget.
Lastly...
It Runs!!!
Not well... (throttle needed to be 3/4 open & ONLY 3/4 open) and not for long, but it was 30 or so degrees out with full choke and I was jumping the starter relay with a screwdriver.
I am hoping that the rough running was caused by the lack of any air filters (it was open carb) and any exhaust (also open header) because if not I'm a little stumped. I guess I just expected it to fire up & work... I blame TV.
To be honest, worries over why it wasn't running slowed the progress down a few months & made me question whether or not I had the ability to finish it. For a while I was going to sell it & just get something newer & working...
But I've come to my senses & I'm back on the wagon. Its time to make it work.
I just ordered Uni-Filter pods & clubmans to get things moving again, and I'm REALLY hoping the bike starts and runs a little better.
And to cover some downtime at work...I made this progress (and photoshop) of where I'd like to see it go (+/- a few changes.)
I've been lurking on the foums a while learning more about vintage bikes, and thought I would finally show-off (modestly) a bit of what I've been up to.
About me:
Never owned a street bike before & this is my 1st bike build outside of dirtbike stuff when I was younger. I have done a lot of car modifying for auto-X and drag racing, so I hope some of that transfers!
This is my 1st 'big' project in the new (1st) house, and lot of the little stuff, like organizing the garage, buying new tools, sorting/storing stuff is slowing the project down & affecting the budget... but it'll get there.
About the bike:
I bought this 1976 CB550F in October last year as a 'winter project'. Being new to Chicago (from Arizona)... I didn't realize quite how cold unheated garages are... and the project quickly moved to a Spring one!
Bike was purchased non-running & I had no idea what to look for. It was dumb luck it is as 'solid' as it is, and even so - its pretty rough!
I finally got started on it & have made a little progress. The early part of this thread is older (a few months) but catches up. I'll be current from here on out.
Bike as it came to me: (you can see it's already marking its spot...)
And a few more cell pics showing other angles and the sad condition:
In the 1st day of wrenching I tackled the most offensive pieces &
Removed Sissy bar
Removed rear fender
Removed rear brake & turn lights
Installed new rear shocks (with reservoirs) from a CB1100F (thanks Ebay)
I also turned the bars down to get an idea of whether I could chop the existing ape bars to save a few bucks... but I could not!
Second day of wrenching was also pretty effective.
Got the rear 16" 'cruiser' wheel switched out for a 18" 'cafe' style one
Removed the very rusty F tank it came with
Removed the rack of carbs & started to clean them up
Most recent day of wrenching happened on a weekday.. and was cut short by the next day's impending work. Still knocked out a few items:
Finished Carb rebuild & reinstalled Rack & linkage
Installed the less rusty tank from a 550K (it bolted right on)
I'd purchased some new parts to create a more modern interpretation of a cafe (USD forks from a 03 GSXR 750, clip-ons, 6 Piston Tokico calipers, dual 320mm rotors) but like most projects... I was running into funding issues and may take a more 'period correct' approach since I can do that for a bit less money.
So in the meantime I decided to get my existing parts working better.
I managed to revive my front brake.
The front Caliper was completely seized and the lines were bone dry, but a friend and I pulled them apart, 'un-stuck'd' the caliper, ground away all the rust on the piston and pad, then put it all back together.
The brake works as it should (piston pushes & retracts) and so far it is holding pressure and fluid. We'll see how long I decided to use that... but at least it functions.
Throttle cables are no good though. The HUGE return spring on the carb rack is still not enough to close the throttle. I need to twist the grip backwards to close it. I'll start it like that, but not thrilled about wanting to ride it like that!
Pulling apart the throttle tube it looks like the tube itself is broken and that may be causing the bind. I'll order a new one and hope for the best, but I think new cables are in my future to ( at a minimum)
Here are those pictures I promised.
Front calipers/lines after reviving them (still need cosmetic help - but at least they work!)
^^ I can't imagine the 2 sides of the clamp should be discoloring at different rates... but we'll see how they clean up.
Newest side profile - still trying to decide whether to go clubmans (for authenticity) - Superbike bars for comfort - or clipons....
And the view from the back
These last pics are what I had originally planned to use - but I am starting to think a more 'classic' approach is the right way to go.
I'd found all the parts necessary to mount the fork (which can be done with some clever steering head bearing changes) - but the machine work to get the spoked wheel spaced correctly in the wider axle, to re-drill the rotors I purchased for the CB hub, and to fab up caliper mounts proved to intimidating.
Looking back, there were other ways documented on the forum I could have & should have gone - but I was chasing deals - and thought I could do it on the cheap. If i had access to a machine shop I likely could have - but paying per hour it can't work. Buy a complete front end if you want to swap, it almost always is cheaper in the end.
And if you can't afford the $600 a whole front end costs... Take it as a reality check - you can't make it work for less than that.
The only upside is that I was able to sell the pieces I purchased to someone else for a few bucks more than I paid. So I only hurt my pride, not my budget.
Lastly...
It Runs!!!
Not well... (throttle needed to be 3/4 open & ONLY 3/4 open) and not for long, but it was 30 or so degrees out with full choke and I was jumping the starter relay with a screwdriver.
I am hoping that the rough running was caused by the lack of any air filters (it was open carb) and any exhaust (also open header) because if not I'm a little stumped. I guess I just expected it to fire up & work... I blame TV.
To be honest, worries over why it wasn't running slowed the progress down a few months & made me question whether or not I had the ability to finish it. For a while I was going to sell it & just get something newer & working...
But I've come to my senses & I'm back on the wagon. Its time to make it work.
I just ordered Uni-Filter pods & clubmans to get things moving again, and I'm REALLY hoping the bike starts and runs a little better.
And to cover some downtime at work...I made this progress (and photoshop) of where I'd like to see it go (+/- a few changes.)
