bradj said:
becouse there worth more if you take them apart than if you try to sell them together, every motor or front end you find on ebay represents a bike that was not worth fix en .176 pages of cb550 part should say something about quality.
OK, so you don't like Honda.
There are more 550 parts simply because Honda made more bikes than Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki combined.
There are also plenty of running bikes parted out because other people still ride them and want parts, failed projects, lost titles, etc
CB550 has very few faults but there isn't anything in the same group. (some people had second gear problems)
(it's heavy on gas when you start running 95~100mph)
I've only got 1 now but had K3, F1, F2 at the same time
CB400F variable handling, some are great, some suck big time.
same crappy cam chain tensioner as 360
CB360 bad oiling, cam bearings seize if held at high rpm, cam chain tensioner isn't a good design, (I have 4 360's, plus spare parts ;D )
Suzuki GT 550
it's probably a scrap if you have a crank seal go, (fixable but not cheap) handles like a 3 legged camel, plus, it's real heavy on gas
Suzuki GS (550/750/1000)
Good motors, shit generators/regulator/rectifiers/wiring. cranks fail when over revved (on roller bearing models)
Kawasaki 650
Great bike, but bigger than 550, crappy electrics, shim under bucket valve adjustment, expensive service if you can't do it yourself
Kawasaki H1- 60 hp motor in a weak 250 chassis , fun but not a learner bike, plus same problem with crank seals, fixable but not cheap, crappy electrics
Yamaha XS650 Generator problems, heavy, carbs suck (I have 3 ;D )
Any Italian bike electrics, build quality, parts availability (60's/70's/80's)
I worked on these things when they were new or only a few years old, or still have them
everything has problems, some more than others
name UJM/bike and I'll tell you problems with it (if I've worked on it or it's been in shop
)