Honda-SOHC

Had a brilliant trip. CB550K3 went perfectly. 480 miles in 3 days, 2nd day sometimes torrential rain or hail. Found the site where my grand-father's cousin was killed in one of the Somme battles in 1916 and saw his name on the memorial which was cool.

Could this happen in the UK - stopped in a cafe in a little seaside town on the River Somme estuary to avoid hail stones, storm passed and go outside about 6.00PM Saturday night to find my brothers ZX6-R rear tyre flat. The girl in the cafe phones a garage. With 5 minutes a transit van arrives and his bike is loaded in. Back to the garage where the hole is found in the centre of the tread (no nail or screw in it) and repaired with a plug within about 5 minutes.

No pressure lost for the remaining 2 days and 350 miles but now he's home he will have the tyre off and checked.

The guy really saved our lives. What would we have done without him? I really don't think you'd find someone like that on a Saturday evening in the UK.

Taking the 550K3 to France tomorrow for a few days with my brother on his ZX6R and my Uncle on his Triumph twin. Staying on the Somme and checking out the WW1 battlefields which should be good.

Weather forecast not good. Cool with rain a lot of the time....

Just thought I'd put a posting up about my book which I need as many people as possible to read. It's a fiction thriller.

Now available for the Kindle and can be read on any Apple & Android tablet or phone or a laptop or PC with the Kindle app.

Go on.... have a look. Go to the Amazon web site and search for andrew parkinson deception

I hope you like it.

Andrew

Proud owner of a 1978 CB550K

I think that's the way to go.  That can be my winter project....

I had exactly the same issue with my K3 after rebuilding the carbs after they had sat unused for 14 years.

The push in pilot jets were furred up and I redrilled them to the correct size but it still ran weak. The main jets were new so not the problem. It turned out the needles were set too low.  I raised them 1 notch and it transformed the bike -  it runs beautifully now.

I had the carbs on and off many times while sorting them.  I could get them off in 15 mins and on in about half an hour with practice

Er... it's my bike. Not my missus I'm afraid...... Just playing around with photoshop.

Steve if you're down Hastings way let me know. It's a nice ride to Rye.

I just got a L813142 Motobatt Sealed AGM Battery from stuff4bikes.co.uk

It's a gel battery for the CB750 and other bigger vintage jap bikes but just fits the 550 if you take off the yellow tray that comes fitted to it and remove the rubber bungs at the bottom of the battery box on the bike.

It has a much higher amperage and cold cranking power and spins the bike over like never before.

Good upgrade for

I had exactly the same bunged up pilot jets on my K3 which had sat for 10 years. I pulled them out and reamed them out with modelling drills. I can't remember the size but I was able to get the drills to the exact 10th of a mm. I can probably find the size if you want.

It solved my slow running completely and it's perfect now throughout the rev range.