74' CB550 F ?

[Jenr334]

Hi all. Just got a 74 cb550 , 4 - 1 exhaust , looks more like a 75cb550f. VIN CB550-101..... Engine CB550E10...
Maybe the experts can let me know if this is possible. Year and tank color don't add up. Did Honda make early F models without it written on the VIN? Did they make late 73 or 74s in this brown?
It will be ridden daily and eventually my cb project.

Thank you for reading.

 

[carnivorous chicken]

4-1 is aftermarket, it's not a CB550F Supersport. If you look on the tag on the frame under the triple tree, it will have a build date. Some 550s have a 1973 build date, but they are 1974 models. The Supersports were 1975-1978, if I'mnot mistaken (and likely build dates to 1974). Didn't make 'em in brown like that.