RHODE ISLAND / '78 / CB550 / CAFÉ

[noctisariel]

Well... this is my first post. Never been one for testing the waters, so I'm just going to dive right in.

I've got a 1978 CB550K. Started out completely stock - now it looks like what you see below. I won't go into specifics about the build - most of everything can be detected by your discerning eyes. The build will be approaching a year come this summer. That being said, the end is in sight and all the final touches are being completed.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but the most challenging decision has been that of color scheme. At a certain point I'm going to have to overcome my indecisiveness and make a decision. I'm definitely leaning towards a more "vintage", possibly factory, color. Maybe an olive green? I'd be curious to hear what you all think.

DESIGNED BY CURTIS
BUILT BY PETE (OF CAFE CYCLES)

[valvesprung]

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BUILD! Well...it is a Honda, so I guess not everything

I think a good green could be awesome, but Audi Nimbus Grey could be rad too:

[noctisariel]

Thanks valvesprung!

Wow - REALLY loving this grey! I was debating between the olive green and a charcoal grey, but this is one of the best i've seen. Looks solid too - no metal flake.

Would be awesome to upholster the seat pan with that same reddish leather 

[warner6616]

wow!!! looks great so far! i have the same year make and model. love seeing all the different ideas folks are coming up with for these bikes. when i'm done i plan to paint it a VERY 70's bright green flake. can't wait to see what you decide. those rear sets... did you get them from dime city? and do they just bolt right? what is involved in getting those set up. thinking of doing the same thing. good work, post more pics when you're done!!!

[noctisariel]

Thanks warner!

Yea - it's so awesome to see all the different interpretations. Lots of inspiration out there.

The rearsets are Tarozzi. Not sure if Dime City Cycles sells them or not. I believe they are a direct bolt-on part, but in the case of my bike, custom rearset mounts were built when the subframe was modified. I highly recommend them though. Incredible construction.

I'll be sure to post more as it develops. Thanks for the words.

[valvesprung]

Yeah I love the Nimbus grey, no metallic at all, just a subtle pearl. They call that interior the baseball glove interior and it would make for a very cool moto seat.

[FlyinRyan350]

Beautiful bike! That lower fairing is an excellent addition

[noctisariel]

Thanks FlyingRyan! I was/am expecting to receive a lot of criticism for the underbelly fairing, just because that decision was completely based on aesthetics. But I love it, and maybe other people will appreciate it like you.

Cheers

[Ringo]

No criticism for the belly pan here!  I'm building one for my 550 at the moment too.

That rear sprocket- 46 tooth? Hard to estimate the teeth behind the swing arm.  I have a 40 tooth rear on my 550, 17 front.  That's really as high a rear as a guy should go if you still want to be able to go highway speeds.  I'd even like to step down a tooth or two after riding with the 40 for a year.  With a 40 tooth, I top out at 110ish from max rpms, not aerodynamics.  I can't even imagine how bad a 46 tooth would be.  You'd top out at what, 80-90?  hah!

Other than that, great looking bike!  I'd ride the hell out of it!

[YogiBear]

Very cool 550! Where is your yoshi pipe from?

[DSchnarr]

Nice job!  I have the same forks on my CB750 project, not quite as far along as yours.  Well done.

DS

[marla_do]

i'm a fan of monochrome and keeping the tank silver. but the shiny seat has to be dulled or painted

where did you get the seat?

[noctisariel]

Yeah it's bare aluminum, so it will definitely have to be prepped and primed to take the paint. I hate to do it, because it really is a gorgeous seat. But I want the seat to match the tank, and I simply can't afford an aluminum tank.

The seat was handmade in the shop.

Thanks for your feedback.

[noctisariel]

The more I look at examples, the more I'm liking valvesprung's suggestion to go with the Audi Nimbus Grey.

In case anyone's curious, here are a few color mockups I put together early on. As I mentioned initially, I'm still into the olive green.

[1969Honda]

go with the grey, if you get tired of the mono-tone paint you can always go back later and put on an olive tank stripe or something as an accent.