My 550F...Nearly there!

[Steph550]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures of my 1978 CB550F (at last... )

I bought the bike last November and have been spending far too much money on getting her back to her former glory! Only a few more bits to go now: crash bars to fit, having one of the side panels repainted, and trying to get a gear shift lever in good condition.

So, here she is!









Steph.

[Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP)]

Hi steph550.

Looks great hope it runs as good as it looks.Post some photos of it before all your work.
Another one back on the road bloody great.
All the best
Bitsa

[LesterPiglet]

Lovely bike. I must get a chrome strip for my seat. It makes a lot of difference. 

[Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP)]

Steph550.

While surfing on eBay German saw a gear lever on there might be worth a look.
Regards
Bitsa

[Steph550]

Thanks both of you 

Les, I'll have to stop showing you pictures, you keep seeing things you need!

Bitsa, thanks for the heads up on the German ebay gear shift, I'll have a look into that. To be fair, she wasn't in bad condition at all when I bought her, but the front of the engine was a bit tatty and the downpipes looked like this:





I had a whole new stainless steel exhaust system hand made for her which has made a big difference. The silencer is subtly different from the original, because I wanted it a bit louder. It sounds great now, really pleased with it. And she runs very sweetly, thank goodness! I haven't had to do any engine work at all, all I'm going to do is overhaul and balance the carbs.

Basically it's just been cosmetic work to get her looking good again, with lots of chroming and polishing! Looking forward to getting her out on the road now

Steph.

[hairygit]

Who made your exhaust, looks amazing

[Steph550]

Thanks hairygit

It was made by Armours, they only technically do exhausts for Brit bikes but I know the owner and he agreed to do this for me as a favour... He's kept the original downpipes as a pattern, so I'm hoping he'll move into the Jap market at some point. I'll post on here if I find anything out. Won't be cheap though..!

Steph.

[basketcase]

Hi Steph, lovely bike. Wished that I`d kept my F2, my first `big` bike after passing my test. I bought a K3 two years ago but I`m not nearly as pleased with it as I was with my F2. It was the same colour as yours....it`s not YGJ 700S by any chance!! I`d replaced the rotted out Motad with a Marshall deep tone, sounded lovely. I`m in two minds about selling the K3 and looking out for a F series, maybe an earlier model.
All the best Nigel.

[kifer]

Well done Steph that looks spot on.

[LesterPiglet]

Les, I'll have to stop showing you pictures, you keep seeing things you need!

Oh don't worry about me. I like pictures for inspiration.

[florence]

Wow, a disturbing absence of rust.

[UK Pete]

That is a really nice looking bike , well done on all your hard work, the guy who made your exhaust is also very talented
Pete

[Steph550]

Thanks for the comments everyone 

Nigel, this is going to be my first 'big' bike too, doing my direct access as soon as I can, which unfortunately isn't until May! Can't wait to ride her now..! Not the same one you had though

Pete - the guy who made the exhaust really is very talented, especially as everything fitted together easily without having to force it. Couldn't believe it when all the downpipes slotted into place first time...

Steph.

[basketcase]

Hi Steph, I wouldn`t mind the guy who did your exhausts number, I would like a set of stainless 4-4`s for mine but he would have to wait until I won the lottery!!

[Steph550]

If anyone's interested I've just listed my original silencer on ebay, as well as some other bits and pieces.

Silencer here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CB550F-Original-Stock-Exhaust-Silencer-Muffler-/120892338680?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item1c25beb1f8

Steph.