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My other CB550s...

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Yoshi823:


 I was after a commuter bike (back in the '80s) that I wanted to use instead of the modified 750, so I bought this bike as a possible project. It had a Dresda box section swinging arm, the shown Piper 4-1 & a box with a load of bits in it. Unfortunately the cam bearings had gone, & a friend offered a straight swap plus his original swing arm for the Dresda plus beer vouchers. I sold this bike on to someone else who wanted a challenge.

SteveD CB500K0:
That Piper looks familiar.

76-79 I lived in Brighton and had a Piper on my 500/4 (as shown in avatar). My room-mate had one to.

After about three weeks, rust started to appear on the downpipes so we (both) took them back to Bikes of Brighton and they replaced them immediately.

A month or so later - same again. The guy in Bikes said "Where do you live - on the beach?" Might well have done.

The third new Piper (x2) we sprayed with Sperex VHT lacquer before riding anywhere and they lasted a few years.

Later that year at the Racing & Sporting M/C Show (remember that?) we heard about Piper's chroming problems and that they'd changed their plating subcontractor.

Yoshi823:


This was another CB550 that I bought as a commuter. I had been working up in Kettering where the rag MCN is printed, & as I was about to leave late on the Monday night, there was a pile of the classifieds page waiting to be inserted into the main part of the paper. When I got home at about 3am, I sat & had a coffee & read the paper. I was due to start a new job up in London so wanted a bike that I knew about & would be reliable, so when this bike appeared in the advert for

Yoshi823:
Concerning the chroming on Piper exhausts Steve, I din't have much of a problem with the downpipes, it was the collector which seemed to rust the quickest.

I had a Piper on my other 550F1 as well, but the bracket that went on to the pillion footrest came away...it should have been longer & it stressed the welding...hence the break.

My brother & another friend liked the Pipers that I had & both bought this pipe for their 550s.

They always seemed to go blue where the pipe mated to the cylinder head, no matter how careful you were with getting the jetting right.

Yoshi823:


This shows how long ago the picture was taken. In the background is Clacket Lane services being built on the South side of the M25. Shown is my commuter 550K3 & the wifes 550F2 with the lower seat borrowed from my K3.

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