Vin Plate

[rbt1548]

Hi all, I have just acquired my 1979 CB550 F2, and, like most new owners have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

One of the previous owners has had the frame powder coated, but either through laziness or incompetence did not bother to take the VIN plate off and it has also been coated, so I am on the look out for a VIN plate. There are various ones on the 'net but I do not know what info is on it as I cannot find a clear picture of one. I would be grateful if someone could either direct me to a picture of one or maybe take a picture of theirs. I understand some people would not want to show their frame numbers, so even one with the frame number blanked out would do , it's just to give me an idea of what I am looking for to enable me to get another one.

I also acquired a full original exhaust system and silencer with the bike, while the silencer is solid and the chrome excellent, the No. 1 pipe, has a bit of a tear in it from the head joint end, it's about 3"- 4" long, dear knows how it happened as it is a tear rather than having been down the road as there are NO scratches or road rash on it, (I am a Road Traffic Collision Instructor, part of that is wreckage reading, and there are no rash signs at all!)... strange!  As I would like an original system I was thinking of getting it cut out and a steel patch put in and rechromed, does anyone know of a company who would do the repair? I had it done to my BSA years ago but I can't remember who did it.

I'm sure I'll have a few more questions before I finish, but any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks

[Spitfire]

Try contacting these guys they might have more details for you

http://www.vin-plate.co.uk/motorcycle_plates.html

Cheers

Den

[K2-K6]

I may be wrong on this so invite others to comment.

I thought many of the original exhausts for this era were double skinned where they leave the head so making it slightly more difficult to repair effectively, mainlt to stop them going blue at the highest heat point.

If that's true, then a single skin repair I would expect to show through any ney chrome plating if you went that far.

A friend had a new one of those, 550F2, a very nice bike in dark metallic blue with gold decalling, hope you enjoy it anyway.

[rbt1548]

I may be wrong on this so invite others to comment.

I thought many of the original exhausts for this era were double skinned where they leave the head so making it slightly more difficult to repair effectively, mainlt to stop them going blue at the highest heat point.

Hi, No you are quite correct it IS double skinned and I realise I either go for a double skin repair, weld a piece in then another on top, or a single thick piece, I think it might be worth it as the pipes are in really good nick apart from that and the silencer is solid, also I like the look of the routing of the pipes.

[matthewmosse]

The welding should be simple enough and best done as 2 seperate repairs as this will give even heat dissipation in use and minimalise dammage or discoulouration to the chrome from use. Re chroming exhausts is something I'm lead to belive is hard to get done as it can cause contaminaton of some rather expensive chemicals. Might be more easy to get done if just the downpipe could be chromed as this could be cleaned more effectively inside and out than a silencer, depending on how that double skin is formed (if it might form a internal dirt trap)

[K2-K6]

It's worth a good repair then as they are such an integral part of the bike's style, I guess they must be getting more rare as well.

[rbt1548]

Hi,
I think I have managed to source someone to make up a vin plate, if anyone has a picture of a plate , it is the one one the frame tube behind the right hand side panel, or even if someone could give me the info as to what should be on it  I would be grateful.
Cheers