Honda-SOHC

I think I know who Mr B is. He doesn't come cheap but he has a really good reputation and I'd be surprised if he bodged it. I talked to him about mine my Honda CB550 where the red zone on the revcounter had turned white and asked if he supplied stick on faces. He didn't and was a bit sarcastic with his answer. Anyhow I decided to buy some from an advertiser in Tansha and pull the recounter apart myself - which was actually no hassle but a matter of care and patience - in readiness for the arrival of the faces. What arrived was a total disappointment - wrong colour, wrong font, wrong length of markings. Also nothing like the crispness of my original dial markings & numerals but like it had been printed on a poor laser or inkjet. So bad I decided not to even use them but cut the red zone off and stuck it on. Looks ok if you don't look get a magnifying glass out. Did a bit of research and it seems all the stick-ons look the same as if they came from some computer file that's done the rounds. My personal advice is avoid at all costs.

I'm sure this has been flogged to death but can I please have the definitive answer on whether it's actually possible to get a smooth tickover under 1400 rpm on a 1977 CB550K3 and what is the true source of the cacophony of noise from the crankcase at anything lower than 1400. My "new" bike has exactly the same as my old one and I've done everything I can to balance my carbs (gauges, airsscrews, prayer) and it's still lumpy below 1400. Also how much choke do I need to use to start it from cold because if I open it full it refuses to fire? I'd add that on the main jets over 2000rpm it flies like a bird. In passing I read an MCM article some 30 years ago that said words to the effect that 550K owners simply have to accept that on tickover it sounds like someone has thrown nuts and bolts into the gearbox.