Honda-SOHC

I think I`m probably doing this slightly a*se backwards as I`ve already posted to the site a few times. Better late than never eh? Back in 1976 I bought a CB550 F1 brand new....loved the bike and always regretted trading it in a couple of years later for a CB750 F2 which although faster, felt like a bit of a carthorse in comparison. Always thought I might like to get another 550 one day, so started looking in earnest a few months ago. I bought my 1977 Honda CB550 F2 from ebay earlier this summer. I`d looked at a few others and discounted them for various reasons. A couple were VERY nice...but correspondingly...VERY expensive. Two others were cheap but really ratty. The one I bought was somewhere in the middle. The original paintwork and frame were in good condition, the engine ran..albeit a bit rough...and everything else was rusty and needed cleaning up or replacing. I rebuilt the wheels with new rims and spokes...never done it before and was a bit wary, but found that it`s one of those jobs which if approached logically and systematically is actually quite straightforward. New wheel bearings, front brake caliper and master cylinder stripped and service kit fitted, carbs stripped and cleaned, forks fitted with new springs and seals etc etc. I think the bike is pretty much finished now although I would like to get her running a little bit smoother on tickover. It`s all a matter of using the bike and fine tuning as i go along I guess. This site has been enormously helpful to me and I`d like to say thanks for the advice I`ve been given when I`ve been stuck!

I`ve posted a video of my bike on youtube if anyone wants to see the fruits of my labours. here`s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K11_mMlR38k

Cheers

Nick

Ashford, Kent

Thanks for the advice gents. A previous owner has prised the washer off leaving just the remains of the brass rivet. I`ll drill out the lock and get a new one ordered from DS.

I bought a brand new headlight unit from a Taiwanese company that lists on ebay.com (rather than .co.uk). You get the unit complete with a halogen H4 60/55w bulb, Chrome plated metal rim and a trailing connector to plug the CB550`s 3 pin plug into. The quality is superb. The only slight downside is that there is no hole for the sidelight bulb, but was not a problem to locate a bulb and holder from a local car accessory shop. I carefully drilled a hole in the reflector, which is made of mirror coated plastic, fitted a rubber grommet in the hole and pushed the new bulbholder in for a good friction fit. All in all I think it was fantastic value for $29.99 (

Thanks matthew....the piece of wood worked perfectly. Seals now replaced.

Hi everyone,

I`m very pleased to have found this forum having recently bought a 1977 CB550F2 which I have begun to restore. I actually bought one brand new back in 1977, same colour as the one I`m working on and always regretted trading it in a couple of years later. One of the first things I noticed when I bought it was that the fork gaiters appeared to be "scrunched up" and the front end was sitting a bit low. Also it was very difficult to get onto the centre stand. I have begun to strip the forks out and check them over. I pumped the old oil out and measured the quantity which was low at about 200cc total from both legs. I`ve measured the spring length at 18.5 inches which I hope is ok as my haynes manual doesn`t give the length for the F2 (can someone confirm that this length is ok please?). I want to replace the oil seals but I`m having no luck getting the damper rods detached from the legs. I`ve tried undoing the hex bolt at the bottom end, with the filler cap and spring in situ as per the manual but the damper rod just spins round with the hex bolt. Does anyone have a solution for this problem please? Thanks


Nick