The Poor Boy - A Tale Of A CB550- Ride, Tweak, Rinse, Repeat.

[sxecafe]

So I came up on a deal i couldn't resist. Got these two rollers for under three hundred. The one with a motor is a '74 the other a '72. I plan on doing a full build and parting out the remainder of the pieces. Right now I am gathering inspiration and setting a budget. I'll slowly obtain parts over the summer and once late fall comes along... its off to the races. Let me know what you think... any ideas for a tank etc.

[sxecafe]

So I need a Stator to make sure that this thing fires up and has compression. Any one our there have one they are willing to get rid of? I need the whole assembly.

[Mustangsean]

So I need a Stator to make sure that this thing fires up and has compression. Any one our there have one they are willing to get rid of? I need the whole assembly.

I've probably got one I can dig up.  Send me an email at seanbelushi at hotmail dot com, and we'll talk about it.

Sean

[sxecafe]

I've probably got one I can dig up.  Send me an email at seanbelushi at hotmail dot com, and we'll talk about it.

Sean

Thanks man! PM Sent.

[sxecafe]

I have been talking parts and shit over with my wrenching hommies... this will definitely not be my last question like this but can someone please let me know why I would want to consider Nitrogen Shocks as opposed to stock oil? I cant get a good enough response. So far I am leaning towards keeping (well actually replacing) the stock shocks but there are just too many sick builds here that have nitro shocks to not consider them.

sXe

[sxecafe]

...giving the thread a little bump...

Got the following for pretty cheap:
Tank - going to use for a tunnel mold, cap and petcock mount
Exhaust - headers will be used to make exhaust.
Stator
Rack of carbs - picked these up for 60 bucks!!!

Slow and steady wins the race here.

[DoubleL3]

the nice thing about nitrogen filled shocks is that you could buy a bottle of compressed nitrogen and fill/adjust your shocks at your leisure very easily, most moto-cross, atv, and baja cars use nitrogen filled shocks  because of their lower weight while still providing a lot of displacement over an oil shock

hope this can help you chose, i think i would just stick with the stock oil filled shocks if they work, unless your planning on racing your bike

[sxecafe]

the nice thing about nitrogen filled shocks is that you could buy a bottle of compressed nitrogen and fill/adjust your shocks at your leisure very easily, most moto-cross, atv, and baja cars use nitrogen filled shocks  because of their lower weight while still providing a lot of displacement over an oil shock

hope this can help you chose, i think i would just stick with the stock oil filled shocks if they work, unless your planning on racing your bike

Thanks for the info man. I have been waiting for that answer :-).

[DoubleL3]

glad i could help

[sxecafe]

Thread Bump:

I got alot of parts in this last week.

Got my exhaust in last night. I got a set for like $15 bucks off the bay. I only intend to us the headers and continue to build my exhaust from the coupler.

Got a set of hand controls and a head light bucket all for $40 shipped. The start button doesn't have a recoil to it. In other words; if you push it in, it stays there. I see there is like a little plastic "Z" shape thats broken in there. Anyone know if you can replace that?

Got a doner tank also. I am planning on using it to glass the tunnel so I can build a tank and then I was hoping I could actually use it for the second frame I have but there are some pin holes and enough rust on the bottom that I dont think that will work.

I am waiting for my carbs and a stator coil and then maybe I can start to slowly mock up some things.

One last question, Im having a hard time finding 3M sanding disk for a die grinder. My Home Depot sucks ass... anyone?

[sxecafe]

The following are from Mikes:

I want to get this master cylinder with some clip ons. Any known issues?



Also, has anyone had any success using these calipers on a Honda? If there is no way to do it, are there any other suggestions for a modern break set up that would fit with minor fab work?

[andycafe]

Hey Man, That master and caliper look like their from a 95 mod cb250, I have just fitted that type to my 81 mod, However the mount holes lined up ( back of the left fork ) but i did have to modify the mount bracket to line the guide up with the disc as the 95 mod has a flat disc and the hub is offset, but with mine its the disc that's offset, the other problem you may have fitting this to yours is that the standard position is to the front of the fork with a caliper that drops down from the floating arm that follows the line of the disc and these need to be mounted to 1 side of the disc, and the other problem is these calipers a fat on the spoke side so clearing the spokes could be an issue. Sooo if you want to run a late mod caliper you may need to change your forks and wheel.. hope this helps Cheers Andycafe

[sxecafe]

Thread Bump...

So times are tough and I haven't been able to keep up with the parts buying like I wanted. However, in that time I was thinking of a few things...

I wanted to use a DOHC 750 or a 900 front end for a dual disk conversion. Would it be possible to simple swap those fork tubes out in to my existing tripping tree?

What are some of the limitations I should consider before I jump in to this?

Thanks, Dudes!

sxe

[VonYinzer]

Looks like there both 35mm.    http://www.ohiocaferacers.com/     The 750 forks are longer though. Cant remember exactly how much longer, but there will be a difference in handling.

[Rocan]

550 forks work better with the 550 then the 750 forks. put in some preload spacers and some new oil and fork seals and youll have all the performance you need.

you can use those calipers but youll need to create a custom bracket.

only newer calipers that will work are either if you get a front end off a gold wing (great front end) or if you get some sweet ass custom pretech calipers with slim backs so they clear the spokes (what im in the process of doing... kinda pricy, super amazing good looks plus amazing stopping power (6 piston!)... have to order them from england plus they dont make a caliper that mounts to the forks exactly (but they may be, ill keep you posted on what they tell me) so a custom bracket is necessary again).

you could also mount a new rotor from ebc... floating and awesome.


only limit is budget and what you can do with your hands. Stainless steel brake lines are a must. Ive been spending a lot of time on figuring out brake upgrades for the cb450-750 line up and this is what ive come up with so far.

good luck with the build!