Honda-SOHC

Back in the day when my 550F2 was my sole form of transport, I first tried TT100's (very 'tippy' into corners and the rear centre wore out quickly) and then a couple of sets of Avon Road Runners and they were always very good with a nice round profile.  The latest set were now dead on age, not wear, and I didn't want to run on old, hard and cracked tyres after putting the bike back on the road after a long layoff. My rims are standard sizes for the 550F2 (1.85 x 19 and 1.85 x18, as stamped into the chrome) and the Avon Road Runner tyres were Front: AM20, 100/90 H19 and Rear: AM21 110/90 H18.
So I began my research last month into the availability of suitably sized and specified tyres. I checked out the Avon Road Riders and although they had appropriate tyres, availability was a problem as I am told the Avon factory had largely shut down during the lockdown and had only recently restarted production. Then a chance conversation with my local dealer brought the Bridgestone Battlax BT46 to my attention. Billed as the modern tyre for the older motorcycle it was available on a 3 day order. So now I have 100/90-19 BT46F on the front and 110/90-18 BT46R on the back. Each one is specifically marked as either a Front or a Rear tyre.  First impressions, before rain stopped play and confined me to barracks, is that they are a good, rounded profile, sticky tyre that I am confident to push in the twisties. Time will tell on the rate of wear.

 Soon after buying my 550F2 in 1977, I discovered Paddy Hopkirk had a shop/warehouse somewhere out near Leighton Buzzard/Wing area (I can't remember) and sold a Cibie Z Beam conversion. This used a headlamp bezel from a Mini to enable  it to fit the headlamp bowl on the 550F2. It was a transformation. It's still on the bike, still works just fine.

My original chromed rims and spokes were not in the best of condition and the rear hub had the usual badly cracked brake lining which made the back brake not safe to use and kept the bike off the road..  After hunting high and low for a long time for someone who not only said they could fix the hub but who I could also trust with my wheels. Then, unexpectedly, Google did its job and found a blog in which a traditional engineering shop only 20 or so miles from me, was writing about restoration of various motorcycles, including the relining of brake drums. A quick exchange of emails convinced me to hand my wheels over to Terry who was 100% confident that he could do the job, having done this numerous times before. We also discussed wheel building, using 316 stainless steel. Terry's workshop is very traditional with all sorts of equipment for practising the dark arts of engineering. There are also several wonderful motorcycles in various states of restoration, the work looking to be of a very high standard. Terry did my job in 4 days and I duly collected two immaculately rebuilt wheels with polished hubs. The rear brake lining had been custom machined for the hub and shrunk into place reinforced by the same adhesive that is used to glue brake shoes to their backing plates.

The man himself is Terry Ives, Stotfold Engineering, Biggleswade - look him up. He used to race Bantams and an Ariel Red Hunter amongst many other bikes. He tackles any engineering project, not just motorcycles. Pick through his blogs, some are quite entertaining, especially his views on BMW spoked wheel rebuilds!

Hi everyone. Richard (Dick) from Bedfordshire.  I have a CB550F2 that I bought new in August 1977 from Coburn and Hughes in Luton for my own 21st Birthday treat. I haven't run it for several years but my plan is to service the carbs, and give the whole bike a good service and see what happens. The photo is of me on my way down to Rome in 2001.