cb550 Less Is More....*Pa POW!- ALL DONE!!! =D*

Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

got around to finally polishing my tank and test fitting it. i must say, she didnt need much in that dept, she cleaned up real good.







yes yes, it was wash day too :biggrin:









i also got around to fitting my new chain too:







i also fitted my points cover. Found out that the points wires also needed to be held with special clips to make sure the wire never touched the motor, i never had those, so i fabricated some while i was at it:



i also made a air box support bracket in SS, only to find out that it couldnt work as my new fuse box was in the way, so i had to make another, more slim line one instead ;D



i also fitted my kick start arm, carbs and CF airbox today/late last night...













i have quite a bit to do still, but my list is getting shorter by the day! almost time for the first ride! :ricky:
 
Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

MikeKato said:
The man has a very gifted brain and the determination to follow its orders. I really like that kicker. Stunning talent!
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what a reply :eek:thanks Mr :D

glad you guys are enjoying my build!

Here is a little more to add....


here are some pics of my finished fender...only crap thing about it is that the original that i panel-beat to get straight enough to use as a mold, as a bi product of doing so, she kinda opened up a bit. Basically the ends opened up with the stretching of the metal so it doesn't exactly fit snug on my front wheel...sux, but il make another when i have time.

after a polish:





here is my dial mod, i added a matt clear over the print to stop fade so it didnt really come out as expected and i am getting some light from each indicator to the other messing with the ideal look, but im happy with it...for now....and it looks period ;D













anyway, i took her out on monday night with Jays assistance and she ran like a beaut out of the gates...then, one oil leak and another....so it seemed, no really, there was quite a bit spewing out... so i was utterly upset and wanted to cry, literally. There was also a very "rich condition" we experienced. so it seemed.... My headlight also stopped working. So yeah, a typical first ride lol... I was hugely disheartened and disgruntled as to what just happened, so i parked it off and left it for a day or so...

I started to strip in down and as soon as i whooped the tank of, i saw what was probably causing the leak, what a relief! it was the damn tachometer drive blank-off-plate i had made to seal the hole in the tappet cover...Everytime i looked at it, i assumed it was torqued....it wasnt! It was finger tight FFS! so i cleaned all the oil up off the fins and and, and continued to find the running rich issue....

Took a little effort to get her running again? its not like this bike to battle. so i started the fault find. i eventually got her running and man was she running rough... switched her off and did the spit test on the zhorsts. Aaaaaand, it turned out that it was only running on two cylinders at low rpm, so as soon as the spark advanced, it ran fine as the spark was stronger. so i pulled the plugs, cleaned and refitted and she was back to her normal self!

Then came the second test ride, quickly sorted the headlight, fitted a "number plate" and hoped for the best. So today i took her out and to my amazement, the leak was GONE!!!!!!! what a relief! the little tinkering i did with the carb also helped! She still runs a little skitty at pull-off, but quite acceptable as i never rejetted the carbs for the aftermarket zhorst or custom airbox....After she is away she flies! way faster and smoother than i ever expected! She is everything and more! i am so so happy with her.
 
Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

Wow, you have been very busy!

It is turning out AWESOME. I can't even imagine doing all that work that you are doing.

You are making great progress
 
Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

Mr_Dunev said:
Wow, you have been very busy!

You are making great progress
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i actually forgot to post here in a while, just one massive update :D
 
Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

SSSSSOOOOOooooooooooooo, pics as promised....but before that, a few last updates that you i may not have posted before...

I bought a helmet from a guy, he bought it in 1970. I would have loved to have bought a newly produced one, but with no money and after finding this BEAUT, it was a no brainer! The insides were absolutely poked, The foam was, well, there wasnt any anymore...

Dont be getting ideas here about genders and and, im a dude and like woman okay...but on a budget so here are the pics: :thumleft: and i like to try just about everything ;D

used as much of the original material as templates. Using the old 19-voetsek Singer that she used to use to sew...





decided to go with a diamond stitch with 10mm foam as a soft backing and to give the design some depth.



pics are not the best, but you get the point...











after many hours of toil it fitted together pretty well. glued bits onto the polystyrene thing inside the helmet and bobs your uncle.

some pics of the stickers i found under all the old materials





scary hahahaha

\

here she is, again, i need to take better pics, but its a Bell Star 120



\

and what my brake light does...the camera taking the vid cannot adjust and record fast enough, but you can sort of see what she does...

 
Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

here are some pics that i may have missed along the way, pic of what i built that makes my taillight do what it does. The frequency and speed can be adjusted with the pots... sprayed with plastidip to protect it from the elements



i also made a generator cover, badge if you may...from carbon fiber once more. cut the material into a circle to fit into the cover. Laid a few coats of resin down, some sanding and polishing and yeah....pic below is just before sand and polish.



also wanted to build a vacuum synch tool to synchronize the carbs, this is called a manometer. I put ATF into the tibes about a foot in length in each of the tubes. they are all joined at the bottom. anyway, youtubes your friend ;)





there is quite a process to do the whole synch thing, very very fine adjustments. But this really is a must on any bike/vehicle with more than one carb. the levels of oil must be the same or as close to the same as possible at IDLE. the higher rpms does not really matter, as there is so much air and fuel rushing through, that the slides levels have little effect.

Anyway, i also fitted vacuum restrictors in each tube to help eliminate the fluctuations caused by the vauums created by each cylinder. In my case, i used some .22 doppies that i drilled 1mm holes in, pressed them in the tubes and they worked 100%.



this is what was left of my chain guard hahaha. I then welded a mounting bracket at the rear to mount to the original position, and the front i had to rivet a bracket i made to fit it to the swing arm. i feel safer now ;D



powder coated the end product and it can be seen in the pics to follow. Its very sleek, as id hoped it would be :thumleft:
 
Re: cb550 Less Is More....*engine's hoodie off*

Here are some pics i had taken some time back, thought id post the, before i show to pics of what she looks like now...










here are my attempts to take decent pics for ya'll :biggrin: Some art'sy ones, but still happy with the outcome... (i see there are rings on some of the pics in the lighter areas, thats because i had to reduce the image quality to upload, they were huge before hahaha)

oh, my grips, Thanks to Marnitz @ OldSchoolTrading (here in SA), Biltwell kung fu grips, last pair of grips you will ever buy, and by no means am i exaggerating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They will change your life :ricky:

but yeah, can you spot any changes with the overall look of the bike? a little more aggressive?

can you also find the battery? ;)





















thanks for looking ;)
 
JustinLonghorn said:
Cheers on the build, sir. Good looking scoot.
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Thanks Justin ;)

rundown said:
A most excellent build. Remarkable machining and awesome tig welding. Beautiful bike.
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im really glad you like it Mr, makes all the hard work even more worth it with comments like that ;)

canyoncarver said:
You have kicked ass and taken names. Great skills and work. Congrats on the beautiful bike.
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thanks a ton! i wish i could build another, if only i had more space at home!
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I will pay you good money for a set of those indicators.

Would you be up for sharing your flasher relay schematics?
 
Massive fan of this build.
Let me begin with those custom turn signals. Goodness! Would you be willing to make some for my 550 for a friendly fee? Love how they integrate with the added 5mm triangular pieces. Great idea!
 
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