Honda-SOHC

Other Stuff => Where's My Old Bike? => Topic started by: Rob62 on August 29, 2017, 10:28:05 PM

Title: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on August 29, 2017, 10:28:05 PM: Owned by me between about 1980 and 1987, sold to a lad who had just written off an LC350 and a reliant robin,,,, bought for him by his Dad, i wished him luck as they took it away.... These old fours were shit cheap in those days, i had fitted comstar wheels, twin disks, marshall 4 into1, marzochi adjustable shocks, it had a stove enammeled frame and looked pretty good... Sold for £350 if i remember correctly..... I'll dig out an old photo if i can... i reckon she will be dead by now 😔
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Johnwebley on August 29, 2017, 10:35:57 PM: its SORNED,

https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ViewVehicle
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on August 30, 2017, 06:33:03 PM: Oooh 😄 Its still alive then.... hopefully undergoing a restoration and about to hit the streets again. Hopefully the owner will join here and post some piccies. Would love to see her again, we were mates for a long time.... 😍
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: mike the bike on August 30, 2017, 06:38:09 PM: I love your optimism. Keep it up. ;D
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on September 15, 2017, 12:17:14 PM: Here she is in about 1985ish
(https://s19.postimg.cc/62d2whi9v/AWY_834_S-1.png) (https://postimages.org/)
(https://s19.postimg.cc/72w4yuib7/87526_DFE-_B68_B-478_E-_B0_A4-0_DD866_B229_E9.png) (https://postimages.org/)
(https://s19.postimg.cc/hh9k13umb/AWY_834_S-3.png) (https://postimages.org/)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Tomb on September 15, 2017, 12:27:55 PM: I regretted selling my first shiny F2 but later had lots more to make up for it, they weren't anywhere near as shiny but I like em like that.

Yours was a beaut!, I put a Marshall on mine too, but Konis shocks, it was the done thing - exhaust and shocks (and red frames LOL)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on September 16, 2017, 11:24:37 AM: I always fancied an F model with the 4 into 1 pipes and different paint.....never got one though 😔. These days i like the look of the earlier models with 4 pipes, and the cb500's... they look chunkier. I always thought my 550 looked to have a "skinny" looking motor compared to the chunky 750's. Im looking forward to getting my 750 sorted out and otr..... Delkevic short pipe 4into1 and a classic giuliari two-four seat if i can get one, if not a replica will do.... I have an original giuliari for my RD but they seem to be very rare these days.....😳
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 09:34:26 AM: its sorned because its being rebuilt in my kitchen. Bought it in 2012 in Hereford for £450 , just before a spell of ill health. when bought it looked nothing like your pics, single front disc, loads of parts missing (front mudguard, clocks, seat, rear mudguard, , rear lights/indicators. the tank was battered and candy apple red, so were the side panels. Came with a box of mixed odds and sods, original swing arm (it was fitted with a box section swing arm), and very bad chrome spoke wheels .at present what's left is being rebuilt as a retro/50s/60s café racer
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rozabikes Tim on July 21, 2020, 09:42:00 AM: That's a result wow!!
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: SteveD CB500K0 on July 21, 2020, 09:53:46 AM: I have to say that after 20 years running old Honda sites (13 here and previous 7 on SOHC4.net) that is probably the first time we have had someone join up and say “I’ve got it”!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Andrew-S on July 21, 2020, 10:58:24 AM: Great result! and what were the chances of a first poster having it?

Wish I'd had that luck when I was looking for my old 71 CB750K1 (JML 60k) a few years ago, now believed written off in 1988. :(
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: paul G on July 21, 2020, 11:29:15 AM: Quote from: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 09:34:26 AM
its sorned because its being rebuilt in my kitchen. Bought it in 2012 in Hereford for £450 , just before a spell of ill health. when bought it looked nothing like your pics, single front disc, loads of parts missing (front mudguard, clocks, seat, rear mudguard, , rear lights/indicators. the tank was battered and candy apple red, so were the side panels. Came with a box of mixed odds and sods, original swing arm (it was fitted with a box section swing arm), and very bad chrome spoke wheels .at present what's left is being rebuilt as a retro/50s/60s café racer

Can we have some pictures ;D ;D
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 02:25:31 PM: struggling to get pics to post due to size limits
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 02:44:24 PM: ill try again
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 02:45:42 PM: success!
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 02:47:58 PM: amazin what teenage daughters can do with phones
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 02:50:43 PM: oddjob, im in newton Hyde, yes have heard of road and racing
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: AshimotoK0 on July 21, 2020, 03:54:26 PM: Quote from: Andrew-S on July 21, 2020, 10:58:24 AM
Great result! and what were the chances of a first poster having it?

Wish I'd had that luck when I was looking for my old 71 CB750K1 (JML 60k) a few years ago, now believed written off in 1988. :(

Last V5 issued 14 July 1993 :)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Andrew-S on July 21, 2020, 05:06:03 PM: Quote from: AshimotoK0 on July 21, 2020, 03:54:26 PM
Quote from: Andrew-S on July 21, 2020, 10:58:24 AM
Great result! and what were the chances of a first poster having it?

Wish I'd had that luck when I was looking for my old 71 CB750K1 (JML 60k) a few years ago, now believed written off in 1988. :(

Last V5 issued 14 July 1993 :)

Thanks Ash,
I hadn't looked on the DVLA website since it had been updated with the V5 info, so maybe it's still out there after all?
The info about JML 60K being written off was from the dealer I bought it from in 1977, Bill Bunn M/Cs in Ealing W5 who did a HPI check on it and contacted me through Facebook.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 05:27:11 PM: oddjob, not far from white bridge , but nearer to where the old cig factory used to be, just near Talbot rd on route to the rising moon
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 21, 2020, 06:09:37 PM: There are 4 "write off" categories and two of them can be rebuilt
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Andrew-S on July 21, 2020, 10:14:31 PM: Quote from: Bryanj on July 21, 2020, 06:09:37 PM
There are 4 "write off" categories and two of them can be rebuilt

Oh yes, of course Bryan - wasn't thinking, I must have had a grey cell fart! So maybe it's sitting in someone's garage and will resurface one day.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 21, 2020, 11:12:55 PM: so after all the excitement of the day - there are two big questions

a)can anyone let rob62 know its been found

b)how can I find out about its travels from Yorkshire to Hereford and back to Hyde owners wise?
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 21, 2020, 11:40:30 PM: Wow! I am amazed, I never truly expected to hear of this bike again. By the look and sound of it there isn’t much of the original bike left, I wonder if it’s the same engine... is the frame painted or stove enamelled? I had it stove enamelled by a company in Leeds who’s name escapes me at the moment, they did a lot of bike frames, this was before powder coating became the norm.... I presume you have the v5, how many owners has she had? Oh the name of the Leeds stove enamel co just popped into my head, Thackreys.... or something... Wow I'm a bit gobsmacked at this bike turning up...
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 21, 2020, 11:46:54 PM: You’re in Hyde Greater Manchester? That’s not a million miles from me, just over the hill..... I can see a reunion coming up :)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 21, 2020, 11:57:41 PM: This is me sat on AWY 834S in about 1981 at the Yorkshire Copperworks (night shift) happy days..
(https://i.postimg.cc/NM6z3JSC/35E5B6AF-4CFA-4ACD-9292-F7ADCDF1931B.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 22, 2020, 12:47:44 AM: rob62, hi rob to answer some of your questions (deep breath) yes Hyde m/cr, frame painted, number of owners 12. can I ask a few questions? -

did you change the swing arm, if so what make is it?

the front rotor disk is not a standard cb550 disc do you know what its off so I can match it for dual disc set up?
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 22, 2020, 07:29:55 AM: If the rotor its probably easier to get 2 originals, same ones on all 500 and 550
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 22, 2020, 09:46:52 AM: Quote from: rocker61 on July 22, 2020, 12:47:44 AM
rob62, hi rob to answer some of your questions (deep breath) yes Hyde m/cr, frame painted, number of owners 12. can I ask a few questions? -

did you change the swing arm, if so what make is it?

the front rotor disk is not a standard cb550 disc do you know what its off so I can match it for dual disc set up?
Hi rocker61
Interesting that the frame was painted. The stove enamel was pretty hard material and i imagine it would have taken a bit of removing. 12 owners! I think I would have been either the 2nd or 3rd owner, I paid £850 i think, from simpsons motorcycles (long gone now a kwikfit garage in Castleford). The swing arm was standard when i sold her. The only things i did was frame coating, comstar wheels, twin disks, marzocchi shocks and the marshall pipe. The rear wheel was off a CB650 and my standard drum brake went straight in iirc, the front wheel and discs were 400 superdream, i made a double adaptor banjo bolt for the twin disk setup, the forks already had all the lugs and threaded holes.... Things i remember, the rhs clutch cover had been chrome plated but was peeling off and looked rough, you can just about see on the photo’s. The lhs generator cover had a small hole at the bottom edge where it had been ground through due to a slide (previous owner to me) i never replaced that... I notice you said she had rusty spoke wheels but now she is wearing another set of comstars, her second set. It looks like she has had a lot of modifications over the years. I would love to know if its still the same motor, i dont think there is any way of finding out although Honda UK do keep records.. I’m 99% sure i dont have any more documents or photo’s relating to this bike but I’m going to double check later...
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 22, 2020, 11:38:53 AM: hi rob62
when I bought it it already had paint (hammerite) over the enamel. I just filled in holes that some butcher had drilled badly in the frame in a attempt to fit rearsets. the enamel could be seen underneath the paint. on the frame the support frame for the passenger foot peg had been roughly ground off along with the mount for the rear brake pedal. For some strange reason the support frame on the gear change side was left on.
The comstars in the pics came fitted, so may still be the ones you fitted. I also got original spoke style front and rear wheels and a original style swing arm as extras. the marzocci shocks had gone, as had the Marshall rear pipe.
as for the motor, David silver spares has a service where you can check frame/engine numbers so I am going to try this in the next few days, as Honda uk are dragging their heels over giving info
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: SteveD CB500K0 on July 22, 2020, 11:53:50 AM: Put the frame and engine numbers up here and Bryan will tell you far quicker than DS

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 22, 2020, 12:19:28 PM: The front wheel and discs were definitely off a 400N, I’m 99.9% sure. I remember buying them from a breakers in Leeds called “twistgrips and spanners”.... I guess the ones you have will be the originals I fitted.. what about the generator cover? Does it still have a hole or evidence of a repair....it looks like it might on your photo... The frame is obviously the original I'm assuming the number matches the v5 and it still has evidence of the enamelling... wow it’s exciting seeing a bike from all those years ago...40 years since i first bought it.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 22, 2020, 12:39:14 PM: Im racking my brains trying to remember stuff.... I’m pretty sure i remember bundling the original 4 pipe exhaust with the sale to young LC murderer :-) I cant be 100% but i bet I gave him the the original wheels too as they would have been kicking around with the pipes. So the spoked wheels /hubs that came with it could well be the originals.... i’m sure I never fitted an after market swing arm, my photo’s dont quite show but it looks to be standard.. The reasons I fitted comstars were 1 to make it look more modern, 2 because the original spokes were rusty and 3 because the rear spokes used to come loose for some reason and cause low speed wheel wobble... probably my fault for not adjusting them properly. The tank has recesses in the sides, did you do that? It could be the original tank as it has the flip up cover... Another thing i remember, the nut on the top of the steering stem had damaged threads (slightly stripped) I always struggled to get the steering head bearings adjusted properly and had that nut off a few times, i had to be careful not to overtighten it..
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 22, 2020, 12:48:27 PM: These are all the remaining photo’s i have that haven’t already been posted on here... most importantly they show the number plate.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GpxYpGHz/0011-F861-063-A-4575-8-C25-DEE71-E3-FD3-FD.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/yJWWQJhS)

(https://i.postimg.cc/V67Cqw9C/2-D7-FFE1-A-8480-4-B03-9-C56-701266-EB0-B3-E.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/34vNhPc8)

(https://i.postimg.cc/vB8nxTny/4-B43-FCB3-999-D-4519-9-C87-8893-B0-BA572-D.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/2qJyPzT9)

(https://i.postimg.cc/TP6gGCYp/A90789-FC-6-DCD-46-E9-ACDB-F740525220-B4.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/pmspJQjH)

(https://i.postimg.cc/QCHWSzSn/C866-A3-E7-7-AB1-48-FA-96-E1-75-C0-C681-DED6.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/9wHMQJ6G)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 22, 2020, 10:42:13 PM: first thanks to rob62,oddjob , Steve d ,and any others that have made a newbie feel welcome with info and advise its very much appreciated!

rob 62 - only the 4-1 downpipes came with the bike and they are painted matt black.
tank recesses - yes I did that to cover dents and dings
stem nut - still have to be careful locating the lead thread
brake disk - identical to one of your pics
clutch cover - dull aluminium cover

oddjob - will be going back to spoke wheels eventually so might take you up on offer of disk
Steve d - frame - cb550f 1000201 engine 550e 1100181
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 23, 2020, 12:04:57 AM: More questions for you rocker :) You mention the downpipes that came with the bike, are they the same ones in my photo i.e. cross over pattern? . Have you checked the generator cover, is there evidence of a small hole where the metal was worn away on the bottom edge... this would be a sure indicator that its the original motor.. cheers, Rob.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 23, 2020, 07:44:10 AM: F0 started at frame cb550f 1000002 añd engine cb550e 1100004.
Not even Honda kept records of what engine went in what frame only the start numbers for each model.
Those numbers are in the correct region for being original but unusual in that engine number is lower than frame.

EDIT I seem to remember that the frame and engine number were stenciled on outside of cardboard crate cover but dont remember if engine number showed on invoice so recorded but even then at that time it was paper records and probably long gone.

Oddjob can you remember those crate numbers?
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Trigger on July 23, 2020, 07:54:26 AM: That frame number relates to a CB550 F1 or F0 in the USA. A CB550 K3 frame should be CB550K ;)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 23, 2020, 10:37:51 AM: trigger is correct about the numbers given, the US I.D. book does not even mention a "K" in the frame number and according to them frame starts CB550-20*****

Only Honda UK can say if its correct but knowing what Honda did with the 500 to UK numbers anything is possible. I take it the numbers on V5 match the stamped numbers?
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 23, 2020, 04:10:07 PM: I find it highly unlikely that its a usa frame in a uk bike considering that we have already established that its the same frame that I had enamel coated back in about 1984. Any Honda dealer will confirm the model if you quote the chassis number to them in order to buy spares, just do that Rocker..... I am confident that all will be well. :) ..
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 23, 2020, 06:23:46 PM: rob62 see enclosed pics, the pipes are not cross over as you fitted. I have never seen pipes like that what can you remember make they were? also gen cover large area of road rash but no hole
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 23, 2020, 06:25:00 PM: pipes
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 23, 2020, 06:30:47 PM: brianj couple of pics of vin plate and v5 details (sorry coundnt get a clearer plate pic)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Trigger on July 23, 2020, 06:38:49 PM: You identify a UK CB550 by the VIN number.
The CB550F1 VIN will be CB550F-1******
The CB550F2 VIN will be CB550F-2******
And the CB550K3 will be CB550K-*******

There is a difference between the F and K3 frame ::)

The cross over pipes were made by Lazer, not to be confused by Laser exhausts ;)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Nurse Julie on July 23, 2020, 06:57:12 PM: So are we talking about 2 totally different bikes 🤔🤔🤔
as Rocker 61 replied to Steve D with this number.
Steve d - frame - cb550f 1000201 engine 550e 1100181
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 23, 2020, 07:00:21 PM: Julie got there first, quoted numbers are not those on V5
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 23, 2020, 07:03:38 PM: brianj and other members I owe you all an apology, I have a uk 550 and my brother has a 550 imported from the usa. I am currently trying to research both bikes at the same time, and have mixed up our details and originally posted his engine /frame numbers. my apologies my details are as follows -
cb550k-202195
cb550e-2222655
I have just checked these - again my apologies
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 23, 2020, 07:34:01 PM: frame should have read cb550k-2021925
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 23, 2020, 10:07:01 PM: OK so his was a very early F and yours a K3
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 23, 2020, 10:52:25 PM: Hi rocker. Halleluja! Of course it is a K3 :), as clearly shown in the photographs taken in my back garden 36 years ago. Glad that we’ve cleared that up. The gen cover looks to have been filled but not easy to tell in the photo. It also looks a lot worse than it was if its the same cover...of course its not forced to be or it could have been down the road a few more times in the last 30odd years.. we will never know for sure. The pipes do have a similar bend in them as the ones that were on when i sold her...but the collector box is totally different. The cross over pipes were marshalls as i have already said, not Lazer or Laser... here’s a possible theory, the pipes look to have a similar bend but may have been straightened a little in order to get them to fit the flat collector box instead of the original square one which may have rotted away, it was slightly rusty all those years ago.... but they could well be the same down pipes, it looks like a distinct possibility to me, they are very similar bend... again, we will never know for sure. The only thing we can be sure of is that its the same bike. You haven’t mentioned if the motor runs ? Or if its waiting to be stripped and rebuilt... If you need any help with that i’d be happy to assist.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 24, 2020, 12:36:32 PM: rob62, when I bought it I set out a plan to do a rolling chassis and cosmetics, wiring(never been good at that so its time to learn the dark art of electikerty),then the engine. Luckily I've learnt a bit on engines over the years working on triumphs, and my brother has had both brits and japs so that's a good start, and my daughters just finished level 3 mechanics at college so we should have it covered but thanks for the offer
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 24, 2020, 01:18:18 PM: Rocker you appear to be doing a great job so I’m sure you will sort it out.. I’m not a mechanic either although I have rebuilt a few of my engines over the years..its all basic mechanical engineering especially these old Honda’s.. I’m looking forward to seeing her finished and on the road! If there’s anything I can help with just shout.... and keep the pictures coming. Great stuff 👍
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 24, 2020, 03:36:00 PM: Forget the Triumphs and other Brits.

Throw away the big hammer and ALLL the jointing compound(s) you have aquired over the years, get a 3/8 drive six sided socket set and decent circlip pliers, a box of stanley blades for gasket removal and 5 ltr of gunwash for cleaning.

REMEMBER near enough is NOT good enough on a Honda and the only manual worth having is the genuine one found in Alladins cave but you have to have the 500 one with all the supplements and yes you have to read ALL the supplements because each one only details the differences since the last supplement.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Laverda Dave on July 24, 2020, 06:15:17 PM: I agree with Bryanj, forget all you'v elearnt about brit bikes and the bodges, stripped threads etc that go with the old clunkers and have a mind reset. Honda's are a dream to work on, metric threads (although the pitch may vary) and metric sockets. I'm currently restoring my Triton and it's turning into a PIA, how many spanners and taps do I need, BSF, Cycle, AF, Whitworth etc (and a pipe wrench and lump hammer for the really difficult stuff)....... Give me a Honda any day!
Good luck with it though and now we found the old girl you need to post regular update photos :)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 25, 2020, 11:24:09 PM: well faced up to the moment I dreaded, and delved into the old water/oil stained boxes labelled wiring today, when I bought the bike years ago the wiring loom was not in situ just dumped in afore mentioned boxes. I opened these boxes, saw a jumble of wires and closed the boxes. After an afternoon of untangling/cleaning 40 yrs of grease and related crud off I ended up with what can be seen in the pics. luckily the loom looks ok and has not been hacked into. just a case of replacing amounts of black pvc tape. Before I start this task are there any pitfalls that I should be aware of?(wirings not my best subject ,probably no 11 on a scale of one to ten)
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 26, 2020, 07:32:58 AM: Old fuse boxes can give problems as the spring clips that hold the fuses get corroded and also loose their springiness giving high resistance contacts which can get hot enough to melt the solder in the fuse cap and on the back where the wires attach. On the sister US site Hondaman does a plug and play blade type replacement or its easy enough to do your own
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Nurse Julie on July 26, 2020, 08:34:47 AM: Check for continuity on all wires before fitting to bike. 40+ year old copper wire can literally fall apart inside the outer cables 😭😭😭
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,15937.msg133703.html#msg133703
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 26, 2020, 08:59:59 AM: Checking before fitting is a great suggestion. Connect the handlebar controls (if you have them)... its easier to correct any faults with the harness on the table.. But generally go through every connection, give it a good clean, replace any damaged insulation, nip up any loose bullet connectors or replace them if they are non-standard.... Just generally tidy it all up and you should be good to go. Back in the day those coils were fitted on backwards with the ht leads coming out of the rear because on a wet dingy day she used to missfire... but I would probably be tempted to replace them now with new reliable modern items, they’re not expensive and they look good..especially if you’re not anal about originality. I bought some for my CB750 from wemoto i think they were about 25quid a set.. Having said that, if they still work you could just use them as they are.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: K2-K6 on July 26, 2020, 09:26:41 AM: I can't find the thread containing it, but someone on here was running the loom (not components) through a diswasher cycle to clean and prep it.

Could have been BigAl.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Nurse Julie on July 26, 2020, 09:30:46 AM: Quote from: K2-K6 on July 26, 2020, 09:26:41 AM
I can't find the thread containing it, but someone on here was running the loom (not components) through a diswasher cycle to clean and prep it.

Could have been BigAl.
Mike the Bike always uses the dishwasher for the main loom and so do we if they are really cruddy. It's also so much nicer to work in a non black, sticky, dirty pile if wires 😁
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 26, 2020, 11:38:34 AM: a big thank you to all that replied, all ideas duly noted and gratefully received. nurse Julie- the nearest to a dishwasher I have is a teenage daughter who thinks that even washing plates and cutlery is a form of medieval torture
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 26, 2020, 11:45:39 AM: rob 62 - I have read on a different thread about reversing the coils, but it was to help stop the ht leads frying on the exhaust manifold
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: K2-K6 on July 26, 2020, 12:08:31 PM: Quote from: rocker61 on July 26, 2020, 11:38:34 AM
a big thank you to all that replied, all ideas duly noted and gratefully received. nurse Julie- the nearest to a dishwasher I have is a teenage daughter who thinks that even washing plates and cutlery is a form of medieval torture

The trick is to put it in someone else's dishwasher, then avoid any contact after retrieval ;D ;D
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 26, 2020, 11:46:26 PM: oddjob thanks for the info,duly noted.when cleaning the crud off I dismantled them from their mounts,cleaned and returned in the same places.on my loom I have two angled and two straight ngk caps, I presume angled are 1+4, straight 2+3?
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 27, 2020, 08:31:13 AM: Thats’s correct rocker.. cranked caps to the outside.. My recollection of reversing the coils is a bit blurry because its so long ago. I cant remember exactly where I got the tip from but my thoughts are that it wasn’t an uncommon thing back in the days when plenty of people used these old bikes all year round as their main transport (as did I). I definitely didn’t come up with the idea myself, I was only 19... At that time I worked at the Yorks Copper Works with about 4000 others, they had a bike park with literally hundreds of bikes in there every day all year round so there was plenty of advice for us young bikers.. i can vaguely remember having a conversation with somebody at work about it... Certainly the heat from the headers wouldn’t be a problem, not in the short term at least.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 27, 2020, 09:43:39 PM: hello folks, been following nurse Julies suggestion about testing the harness and found a few problems wiring wise, the wires to the clutch switch were hanging on by about 6-7 copper strands so new one ordered from dss, and a few bullet connectors mangled and need replacing, I would be grateful for any thoughts on the following -
bullet connectors or spade?
stripping the wire ends, twisting the copper threads and solder coated before fitting connectors for better contact?
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Bryanj on July 28, 2020, 07:15:31 AM: Stick with standard size bullets and get a decent crimping tool. I have a Ripaults 3000 which show up on ebay occasionaly and vary wildly in price, also have a "spare" which i might consider parting with
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 28, 2020, 09:54:31 AM: Yep definitely stick with Japanese style bullets, they are available on ebay or rs components etc... As far as soldering is concerned, if you’re just preparing the end of a wire to fit a bullet then no need to solder but if you are adding on lengths of new wire then yes twist and solder the ends... but if you need to make such repairs its probably better to replace the entire length if you can (although you will find such joins on original looms in some instances), stick to the correct gauge of wires too. I wouldn’t bother buying an expensive top quality tool personally, unless you plan on repairing looms for a living, but avoid anything un-branded cheap and nasty, I tend to try and go for middle ground compromise of price v quality... same advice goes for any diy mechanic buying tools.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 28, 2020, 04:19:10 PM: Rocker, have you checked out this guy’s channel on YouTube?
https://www.youtube.com/c/ClassicOctane
He builds lots of CB550 brat bikes, all the same style but they look cool.... he does a lot of mods to the electrics adding led’s etc.. Plenty of good content, def worth a look.
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 28, 2020, 09:27:49 PM: rob62, just sat thru a couple of vids, seems a decent source of info ill sit thru some more this week. Thanks for the link
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: Rob62 on July 28, 2020, 09:44:21 PM: Yeah interesting channel, not just for info but mostly for the nice looking builds he does...👍
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on July 31, 2020, 04:19:51 AM: inspecting my coils and leads I found a cracked ngk spark cap, so have replaced this, I have noticed the ht cables have a external covering of some form, and these are shorter than the internal cables. I am presuming these covers provide strength and extra weather sealant? if so what are they/where do I find these, any help gratefully received
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: AshimotoK0 on July 31, 2020, 08:11:13 AM: The closest I can find is 1mm wall, black, silicone, which is in fact superior property wise to the nitrile rubber Tec &N.D. used.
Choose ID to match the Honda stuff . IIRC it's about 8mm and the HT cable is 7mm. It's the HT cable which hardens and breaks .. quite often you can re-use the rubber sheathing after a good clean up.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_ssn=hilltopuk25&LH_PrefLoc=&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=sleeve+silicone+black+id+&_sacat=0
Title: Re: Honda CB550 four K AWY 834S
Post by: rocker61 on August 01, 2020, 09:55:47 PM: ashjmoto thanks for the info will look into this