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Ok good to know that the spokes would be the same. Ill begin cleaning the wheels shortly. Is there really no way to salvage the forks? I took some steel wool to the forks and it removed most of the rust and the pitting is barely noticeable now. Lastly, what are your opinions on the enduro type tires? As stated before I plan on doing some upgrades as I progress towards the cafe style but Im stuck on tire type. On one hand I love the aggressive look of enduro tires and on the other hand I have read that enduro tires reduce the top speed of the bike.
Sorry if it does seem that I'm doing a lot at once. My grandmother would really like to see her husbands motorcycle ride again and time is not exactly on her side.
As long as the Pitts aren't in the travel area of the forks you are usually OK. If it is really bad at the triple clamps you could have a problem but you may be OK.
As long as the Pitts aren't in the travel area of the forks you are usually OK. If it is really bad at the triple clamps you could have a problem but you may be OK.
I agree that they didn't look THAT bad, and all seemed up where the fork ears trap all the moisture. Travel area was hard to see, but looked OK from what I could tell too. You can run them as-is for now until you find a set since the fork seals stay in the bottom end anyways, if you find another set, just swap out the stanchions and call it a day
By the way, the best way to loosen up all that old stuff is with an impact gun if you can afford it/have the compressor for it. I don't even mess with the lower end of 30+ year old forks without one. I didn't read too far back, so I don't know if you have a good air compressor or not. So far so good though, she's coming right along and hopefully on the road in no time!
Just found these forks on ebay. they appear to be in great condition for a fair price but they are off a 78 and mine is a 74. Shouldnt they be a direct fit?
I dont have the answer to your cross reference question but i will say I have dealt with that seller on several occasions and everything went very well.
Ok good to know that the spokes would be the same. Ill begin cleaning the wheels shortly. Is there really no way to salvage the forks? I took some steel wool to the forks and it removed most of the rust and the pitting is barely noticeable now. Lastly, what are your opinions on the enduro type tires? As stated before I plan on doing some upgrades as I progress towards the cafe style but Im stuck on tire type. On one hand I love the aggressive look of enduro tires and on the other hand I have read that enduro tires reduce the top speed of the bike.
Sorry if it does seem that I'm doing a lot at once. My grandmother would really like to see her husbands motorcycle ride again and time is not exactly on her side.
i wouldn't put enduro tires on a street 550 but thats just me
it seems alot of people these days get hung up on how a set of tires looks in a picture when the bike is parked and motionless .nobody can tell what kind look the tires you have when you are riding the bike .so really if you want it to handle like it should on the street get a good set of street rubber sized properly to your rims.there is a good selection out there just do it and be done with that part,happy that you made the right choice for RIDING not pitchurs
hmm the part numbers on the forks are the same from 74 to 76 then change from 77 to 78. Honestly I doubt that there is a noticeable difference between the two, but I cant give you a "definitive" answer. I would give you a strong 99% chance that they would work just fine based on gut feeling, and the way that Honda engineered the old bikes. Many parts were the "same" or "swappable" from model year to model year (even some from model to model).
Also on the tires, I feel ya on the enduro tires looking neat. I was planning on using them too, but xb does make a good point. Get the right size tires that fit. When your riding it, you will be happy you did. I have not used them, but avon roadriders seem to be the "go to" around here for vintage bikes, and I haven't heard a bad thing about them.
If you really wanna get this thread lit up into a crap storm, just tell people that you are planning on running firestone champion deluxe tires.. I bet if you don't have thick enough skin, you wouldn't ever log back onto this forum again =P
Avon roadriders are excellent tires. I had a set on my CM450t and they improved that bikes handling a lot. I currently have shinko 230s and 720s on my gl and cx and like both those. Great tirea for the $$$. Used to be Yokohama.
Just found these forks on ebay. they appear to be in great condition for a fair price but they are off a 78 and mine is a 74. Shouldnt they be a direct fit?
Double checked the fork tube list and it says 74-78 are the same fork tube diameter! You SHOULD be good to go. I have a pair of forks here from my 77 CB550F and I'll see if they look the same for the wheel on my 73 cb500. The fender might be the only difference for you.
EDIT: I couldn't see any noticeable differences. The 77' had an extra brake dust cover that goes behind the left fork, but it appears to be a "bolt-on" section, not structural to the fork. Both use the same axle style where the bottoms of the forks come apart, speedo on the same side and even though just the rear holes are used for the fender stay, they still have the front holes if you had the fender with front and rear stays.
Yea Im not sure what kind of exhaust it is but I love the way it sounds and the aggressive look it gives the bike. Im tossing around the idea of wrapping the pipes and also doing a rejett in the future to ensure i have the right jets for that exhaust plus the pods I plan on installing
Two questions. For the electrical component under the left side cover, should I remove that component if I plan on permanently removing the starter motor? If so, what else should I remove along with that?
and lastly, I looked through the service manual and I cant seem to find out what this little speaker looking thing is that was attached to my forks behind the headlight. Any help?
Two questions. For the electrical component under the left side cover, should I remove that component if I plan on permanently removing the starter motor? If so, what else should I remove along with that?
and lastly, I looked through the service manual and I cant seem to find out what this little speaker looking thing is that was attached to my forks behind the headlight. Any help?
i think it is a turn signal beeper something they did before self canceling signals you should be able to yank that out .but dont be messing with the major electrical components or wiring in general unless you just want to make extra work for yourself
as to the starter why are you going to remove it ? did you have polio and need to build up one leg ?
hahahahah srsly tho its not cool or fun trying to kickstart the thing in front of your gf on a cold morning and it
wont go cause you fergot to turn the gas on and yer turning red :-[and they are not exactly the most durable thing its not uncommon to have them wear out internally or break a ratchet pawl or return spring then yer fucked
it is far better to save it,the kicker, for emergencies like a low bat
i think it is a turn signal beeper something they did before self canceling signals you should be able to yank that out .but dont be messing with the major electrical components or wiring in general unless you just want to make extra work for yourself
as to the starter why are you going to remove it ? did you have polio and need to build up one leg ?
hahahahah srsly tho its not cool or fun trying to kickstart the thing in front of your gf on a cold morning and it
wont go cause you fergot to turn the gas on and yer turning red :-[and they are not exactly the most durable thing its not uncommon to have them wear out internally or break a ratchet pawl or return spring then yer fucked
it is far better to save it,the kicker, for emergencies like a low bat
Well the starter isnt working anyway and the bike starts within the first two or three kicks as it is. Thought i would be good to loose that extra weight since im going for the minimalist cafe look anyway.
Cant help but to agree on keeping the starter man. On these 550's, you would need to make a bracket to hold the starter cover on anyways to cover the big ol hole since the cover bolts to the starter itself
fantastic points! and I suppose since winter is coming I'll be doing some more work to kill time anyway, so I'll save the starter rebuild for that . Thanks for all the input. Anyway, now that i know she fires up strong, Im focusing on the looks a bit more now. I know you guys hate me for it but I WANT MY PODS!.haha. I need to know what type of jets ill need and also how I can clean up the electrical components behind the left side cover.
I don't hate it that you want to run pods... just get UNI pods and be prepared to learn carb tuning... until magic jets are invented (fuel injection with mapping) you will want to read up on the subject.
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