1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: Lester Mags and Ikon Shocks Version 2.0

[DKB]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Big Morning....

I enlisted a couple of friends to help get the bike outta my apartment, into the elevator, and back onto the street. Not exacly fun but I am excited to be one step closer to up and riding...

Took a bit of coaxing but we got the bike in the elevator with literally an inch to spare after removing the front wheel. Had one guy balance the bike and ran down the stairs with the front tire and thew it back on pit crew style.

The half way point. Only 4 stairs and a couple of doors to go:

Someone threw away a table last night that we conveniently employed as a ghetto motorcycle ramp. Good timing on that one:

And finally, after a few months of indoor living- Daylight

*(please excuse the crappy camera phone pics. Didn't have my camera on hand and was in a time crunch to get to work)

Taking a stroll up Avenue A. I think the bike fits in with the environement around here pretty well. Stoked with the overall build and think it's gonna make a really fun little city bike and escape pod for getting off the island.

And the last one for today- Outside of the new garage after a nice trek through the neighborhood.

I'm stuck at work all night but plan to head over to the shop in the morning to resume work and try and fire her up. I ended up ordering another chain which arrived today *(I've been waiting almost a month for the first parts order to arrive) and should be ready for a test ride within the next day or so.

Videos are on the way...

 

[mothgils]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Awesome man! Congrats on finally getting it out of the apt. Doesn't seem like you have a lot left to do.


Now, show us those vids!!! ;D

 

[Rocan]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

my hats off to you man!

we have to get a DTT member meeting going for us NYC guys...

 

[grumple]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Thanks for posting this project along with all the great pics. I can't even describe how inspirational this build is for getting me started on my next project. Such an hot looking bike, too, moreso for knowing you built it in your apartment!

 

[thompsonmx100]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

looks good man. Its finally out of the living room. must feel good. I'm beginning to feel like mine might end up as a coffee table for the garage. Are you gonna paint it now? I like the natural look of the tank.

 

[diesel450]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Big Hurdle crossed here! Way to go!!

Hey, what are those tires? I like the look.

 

[DKB]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Thanks everyone for the kind words! Stoked I'm not the only one who thinks the bike is turning out alright It's been a really fun project and all the people taking time to comment on my work and the process have been a great source of fuel and support to get this done.

Diesel- The tires are Dunlop K70's. Really like how they ride and handle and they still look close to new after 3500 miles on em. Holding up good so far.

Thompsonmx- It's nice to have my living space back. My whole apt is only 400sq feet to begin with so its great getting the bike, tools, and parts outta here and back to a bit more normal living. Think I'm going to leave this tank raw metal (going to experiment with clearcoats and sealants to see what works) and will send the alt tank off for paint this week. Kinda digging the raw metal look of the bike as is but just want to be sure it's not going to rust or wear prematurely.

Oh, and by the way:

It's Alive!

I wheeled my 550 out to the street this morning, kicked the bike over a bit to circulate the oil before starting, and she fired right up! Probably one of the best moments of the build. The first day of her second life

I still need to sync the carbs and see what changes I need to make to get the new filters and exhaust dialed in, but as it stands, the bike is running well and holding a nice idle. Really stoked to hear her come to life after all the time and work.

It looks like the last carb cleaning or perhaps replacing the manifold gaskets cured the hanging tach/ cold pipe on #4 issue. That was the last lingering running issue I was trying to troubleshoot on the bike before the accident and it looks like I'm set.

I've still got a few small items to address but nothing I can't sort out in an hour or two tomorrow.

The bike is leaking a bit of gas from the float bowl gaskets on #2 and #3 so I need to pull the carbs and fix that before the first ride. The gaskets are relatively new (rebuilt the carbs last Sept) so I imagine they just didn't seat properly.

I'm going to head down tomorrow to work on the carbs and do a bit of tuning and will shoot some video footage. Should have the videos posted tomorrow afternoon and the bike ready for a test run this weekend!

 

[FIXEDGEARMIKE]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Hey, following your build for a while, awesome work!!
I have a 550 that has the same leak out of the 2 and 3 carbs, but haven't pulled em yet, let us know how it goes...

 

[DKB]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC

Fixed my fuel leaks and am good to go

After several pages of posts and photos, here's some footage of the CB550 powered by her own device- shot around NYC and Brooklyn this afternoon. The new tapered bearings, shocks, and all the other updates were well worth the time and minimal investment. It feels and sounds like a new bike. So stoked right now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90qqi41cxy4

 

[andoor]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

The bike looks awesome. The movie's cool too!

 

[Rocan]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

VERY cool my man. cant wait to catch you around.

 

[VonYinzer]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

great stuff man! very cool bike. i am dying to ride in New York one of these days.

 

[DKB]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

VERY cool my man. cant wait to catch you around.

Thanks Rocan. So happy to be back riding. I was really worried I overlooked or forgot something major and was going to have to deal with some setbacks. Other than having to replace my fuel lines with smaller diameter stuff, bike was ready to go out of the box.

I'm gonna be out riding and taking trips up north every free moment I have this spring and summer so we should get a few of the local guys together for a ride. How much longer do you think you have to go on your build?

 

[DKB]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

great stuff man! very cool bike. i am dying to ride in New York one of these days.

Thanks. Ya gotta let me know if you ever make it out this way. Riding around here is hectic at best but a ton of fun. Gotta try and stay Zen and not flip out on every taxi, driver and pedestrian that inadvertently tries to end your life The good thing there are some nice open roads not to far outside the city and lots of solid trip options with tons of variety. Thinking of heading up to Nova Scotia this summer but not going to make any bold claims till I try some mid distance rides with the new seat and bars.

 

[diesel450]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

Cool video, you guys scare me a little. all tough and gritty. 8)

Super work man, very rewarding im sure.

I have one suggestion that is purely asthetic. I love the no side covers look and I usually don't mind seeing the battery, but its a bit distracting on this bike. have you considered fabbing an Aluminum battery box? would look killer, me thinks. Aluminum and pop rivets is all you need! you could put a graphic there or cut "race" holes or just polish it up. might be a nice detail.

 

[DKB]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

Cool video, you guys scare me a little. all tough and gritty. 8)

Super work man, very rewarding im sure.

I have one suggestion that is purely asthetic. I love the no side covers look and I usually don't mind seeing the battery, but its a bit distracting on this bike. have you considered fabbing an Aluminum battery box? would look killer, me thinks. Aluminum and pop rivets is all you need! you could put a graphic there or cut "race" holes or just polish it up. might be a nice detail.

We're actually the second toughest bike gang on East 3rd St *(The Hells Angels NYC headquarters is up the block so that spot was taken). Our initiation includes some pretty grizzly things like thinking something really bad about a person and keeping library books well past their due date. ;D

I hear ya on the side covers. Still need to finish those up, the leather upholstry, and some other small details. Was just dying to get the bike back on the road and glossed over the end stuff to get out for a ride. There's a guy on the SOHC4 forums that's fabbing these sweet aluminum side covers for 750s and working on a template for the early 550's. I'm planning to pick up a set of his covers and may try my hand at making a set in the mean time if I can find some sheet aluminum locally.

 

[thompsonmx100]

Re: 1976 CB550K Rebuild- Indoor Living, NYC: NEW VIDEO FOOTAGE

Your Bike came out great. I like the video too. I like the black and white. Keep it up.

 

[DKB]

I picked up a few new items for my 76 CB550 build and finally got around to setting everything up in preparation for the VJMC show out in Brooklyn yesterday.

Was stoked on the bike before but the latest incarnation is by far my favorite to date. I recently purchased a parts bike just to grab the Lester Mags that were on it. New Bearings and a bit of polishing on the outer lips and they were good to go. Also found a nice pair of Ikon Shocks that make a huge difference in the overall suspension compared to the worn stock shocks and cheapo MDI shocks I tried previously. I modded a new seat from RocCity and installed a tail light that "floats" under the tail section. Last job on the list is to fab a set of aluminum side covers and she should be all set

 

[AnxiousCowboy]

Very cool. I was at the show yesterday. Decided to ride there after it hadnt rained for a bit... only to be downpoured on, it sucked, I didnt stay long because I was too pissed off.

Where in the city are you living? I'm in Bushwick...

 

[midnightcafe]

Very cool. I was at the show yesterday. Decided to ride there after it hadnt rained for a bit... only to be downpoured on, it sucked, I didnt stay long because I was too pissed off.

Where in the city are you living? I'm in Bushwick...

I was there too, the show was excellent! Up until it rained like shit :-\ Overall one of the best shows around, all those classic bikes were ridden in, not trailered. Even when it rained, there were all those nice classic bikes that were rained on, even a Vincent! Shows how hardcore they are.