78 CB550.

[andrew]

having some issues with the carbs. perhaps im an idiot, as well as ive never dealt with these "pd" nightmares before.
this is whats stamped on the carbs:

is it these late model 77/78 pd carbs use their own style jets? they dont seem to look like the other keihin screw in jets, and i dont see a place for a press in o-ring jet to go either. i ordered 115's and 120's from dime city before i had opened the carbs to see these funny jets. the jets dime city sells that say they will fit up to 78' are the o-ring press in ones. (thats whats pictured under the listing, i havnt received them yet) here is the 90 jet that came out of my right side carb.

i thought perhaps the jet screws into the emulsion tube, but they dont budge, which at the time lead me to think its one piece. perhaps mine are really seized togeather? i put the 7mm on the emulsion tube and tried to twist the jet off with a flat head as well as pliers and nothing. can someone school me on these carbs as far as jetting, and where to get jets from that fit? the bike is a 78 and has the pd carbs on it. the bike has uni pods and a mac 4-1 with "race" baffle.(pretty free flowing) here some photos of whats inside the float bowl.

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[Godffery]

Yes, they come apart; place the 7mm half gently in a vice then use a properly fitting screw driver, pressing down hard, give it a quick snap counter clockwise.
If you don't have a vice; put them back in the Carb body and hold the jet tube still with the 7mm wrench.
They look like this when separated:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-CB750-CB-750-KEIHIN-CARBURETOR-102-MAIN-JETS-4-MANE-JET-/160681730922?hash=item256960a36a&item=160681730922&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

As for where to get the Keihin screw in style jets: contact Mike at
http://www.power-barn.com/servlet/the-Vintage/Categories
Tell him Godffery sent you.

 

[andrew]

it seems as if i have left this bike in time out for long enough. yesterday i tore it all apart and pulled the motor out of it as well as the other 550 parts bike i got with it. the motor thats going in the bike didnt have any signs of oil weepage or really any oil leaks i could see, as well as had the kickstarter in place. (P.O. snapped the shaft at the side cover) i removed the valve cover to check the valves and slack on the tc, and everything looks pretty good. put the vc back on, adjusted the valves and gave the motor a few coats of vht semi-gloss black. once that had dried, i installed as much of the stainless fastener kit as i could, as im not puting on a few covers until the motor is back in the frame. photos.

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[andrew]

since my buddy couldnt make it tonight to help me install the motor, i figured id rebuild the forks. while they were apart i polished the legs and the top caps. nothing like chrome, but a hell of alot better than the crusty, pitted barnacles i had before.
before:

after:

and togeather.

sorry for the shitty photos. the forks are much shinier in person. the lighting in my shop doesnt get along too well with my iphones camera. ill get some better ones when the bikes back togeather.

 

[andrew]

ordered some tires today as well. i went with a 4.00-18 duro HF318 rear and a 3.25-19 duro HF317 front. i was so close to to ordering a set of firestones, but after countless posts of how worthless they are handing wise, i figured id try out something a little better, but sill have a vintage look to them. i figure if they suck, i only spent a grand total of $120 for the 2 tires, tubes, and shipping. thats much easier to stomach vs. $260 for the 2 firestones alone. ill let you guys know what i think when i get them.

 

[Godffery]

Good call man, those firestones are gud awful!

For a vintage look and good all around handling; I like the Dunlop K81's

 

[codys1024]

I think its coming along great and i second the firestones they are a great tire for vintage look

 

[codys1024]

Those are the same filters i run on my bike i think i might switch over to the K and N filters there more expensive but look alot cooler it turned out nice though

 

[andrew]

Good call man, those firestones are gud awful!

For a vintage look and good all around handling; I like the Dunlop K81's

those were on my list of options, but for some reason the "chunky" looking tread pattern turned me way. i went with these. hope they arent complete garabe... but then again from what most others have said about the deluxe champions, i dont see how these could be much worse.
front:

rear:

 

[andrew]

muscled the motor in tonight by myself. got the forks in and caliper as well as the front fender. im going to wait till my tires arrive to slap the wheels back on.

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[andrew]

i have a question for those of you with the late model 550's.(PD carbs) i ordered 3 different size jets (4 of each size) from jetsrus for the PD series keihin carbs since they didnt have any listed for the 77-78 CB550k model and the jets that came are like this.

has anyone used these and had any luck? i am worried becuase they dont look like the jets that are in the imulsion tubes now. they seem much too long in length. can i get away with running these or did i just waste a whole bunch more money? i really hope i dont have to go order more... :-\

 

[Godffery]

Sorry bud, that's a No Can Do.
You won't even be able to get the float bowels back on with those long buggers in there.

Send them back and if they cant help you, go here : http://www.power-barn.com/servlet/Categories?keyword=keihin+jets the guy that runs the place is Mike; tell him Godffery sent you, he'll hook you up.

You need the ones that look like this:

 

[andrew]

Yeah I was worried about that. Damn. So the 77/78 550 pd carbs uses the same jets as the 750's and 175's yes? Thanks for you help Godfrey.

 

[Tetter]

. i went with these. hope they arent complete garabe... but then again from what most others have said about the deluxe champions, i dont see how these could be much worse.
front:

rear:

WOW those are the tyres which were on my bike when i bought it !
Loved the look, but could not find them
I now mounted Conti Go tyres....
Where can you get these ?

 

[andrew]

purchased the tires from bikebandit.com

 

[andrew]

tires came in today so i got those mounted up and back on the bike. its nice to have it resemble something again.

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also took apart the front caliper and spent some time cleaning it inside and out. the piston and seal seam to be in good shape. gave them a quick zip on the wheel and some fresh black paint.

my new jets arrived today as well, so im hoping my buddy will have a free minute tomorrow to let me come finish cleaning them (he lets me use his ultrasonic cleaner) and then reassemble them for hopefully the last time. fingers crossed.

 

[andrew]

question for those of you who have moved around the stock electrics on these 550's. i noticed last night that the "main" fuse holder had melted plastic around the fuse prongs. i turned the bike on and it wouldnt get hot. i then flipped on the headlight and i could feel it warm up to the point i couldnt hold onto it any more. (got too hot) what do you think is causing this? the only thing i cant think of is the headlight is an h4 that is a 60/55w bulb. do you suppose this is drawing that much current to be melting the plastic base of the fuse holder? any help is greatly appreciated!

heres a photo of the fuse holder. you can see the melted areas at either end of the "15A"

 

[Godffery]

Yes, that is exactly it; It has something to do with the head light being wired threw the stare button so it would go out during starting, but that seems to over task the main line as well as the ignition switch it self.

 

[andrew]

i swapped out the 60/55w bulb for a 35w and that seems to help. it still warms up, but not to the extent as it was before the bulb change. the electric start button is essentially the same as the stock one, just a different momentary switch. the headlight is on a 3 position toggle, up position being high beam, middle position being off and low position being low beam. the switch it self is either a 20 or 15 amp, i cant recall at the moment. being it is no lower than the fuse for the headlight i dont see that being an issue. perhaps its just normal for it to get a bit warm...? im just glad its not getting as hot as before. dont think i want my fuse panel to melt when im out riding. (if that ever happens...*fingers crossed on "new" motor being sound*)

 

[andrew]

well i got my carbs back from my buddy who ultrasonically cleaned them for me. he has been busy for a while so i was excited go pick them up and reassemble them. i get there and he even polished the tops and and float bowls! so awesome.

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