[joe c]

this is how it looked this morning. even after i put the bars on in the dark. anyone ever have problems with the throttle cables binding?? guess im going to have to have new cables made too! ug. and that brake hose is a little too long, so guess i'll be making one of those up too.

its getting there. too bad those pipes are shot eh?? the 4-1 mac is going to make it look like ass.

jc

 

[n/a]

Very nice JC. Although it aint eyetalian!!!!
Hey, next time you need club mans let me know. The ones I have are much nicer.


Champ

 

[jbranson]

I think it looks real nice. An old style quarter fairing and flyscreen would be cool.
JohnnyB

 

[FR]

Joe, what's wrong with those pipes? They look great to me. What else are you doing with it? The stock look is cool...

FR

 

[joe c]

i was thinking about a manx flyscreen. ive always liked the "naked" look. fairings are tough. they have to be just right. i like the ducati fairings. id have to have it painted brown and striped and ug. the first time i squeeze it through the gate at the shop, it'll be trashed. i have the 4-1, and im going to get a dyna for it. it still needs some carb work. the axle adjusters are bent. i should replace the carbs. the prior owner kinda messed up the float bowl screws and put in some big ones here and nuts and bolts there. so those are kinda fucked. the turn signals are going. i hate them. i just need to find something small, not modern, that doesnt cost 100 bucks. i was thinking the cb350 has smaller ones and i think the stalk is the same. so those might be good. im also going to upgrade to some ebc brakes. the stockers suck. bigtime. id like to find a vented disk too. and i still am looking for that rear wheel. whch could be a long search. although, i do have a pile of money owed to me right now, which would mean anything is game. the pipes have holes in them in the back at the bottom. on the right side. and the baffles are rotted, so they rattle around when you ride. its a small sound, but noticable. i have the 4-1 already, just need the time to hook it up. the rotted stockers sound good though. i also need to fix the ignition switch, reroute the throttle cable, or make a new one, replace the front brake hose with a shorter one, it needs a new clutch cbale, and i need to add bar end mirrors. id like some nice italian Stadium mirrors. and thats about it. i'll get pics with the new pipe when i get to it.

i still need t get into the suspension. and a race clutch will be fun.

and champ, those are the tomasellis on there. i was going to by from you, but it was just easier to get them from tex. and i have a garage full of british stuff. if i want to ride something that broke down all the time, id ride one of those. (actually, my bonneville is a great ride) i just cant afford something italian nor do i have the skills to fix something italian. i like that i can get on this and ride 150 miles and not think about anything but running out of gas, and making sure i have air in the tires.

and its funny, i used to get looks and comments with it before the clubmans, now everyone stops.

this is what i have into it.

660 for the bike
220 for the tires
220 for the pipe.
40 for the tailight
30 for the bars
(25 for the stupid wrench to tighten them)
probably another 75 for tune up stuff. oil, filter, brake stuff etc...







jc

 

[texmawby]

yeah champ, so there! take that you tommaselli hater.

hate the game, not the bars (nor the player).

g's up, ho's down.

and all that other snizzle my nizzle.

peace!

-m.c. tex

 

[n/a]

Hey Hey,

Love the bike, hate the bars, OK????

I'll get over it................

Bars or not, I bet I can do a better burn out than Johnny on it !!!!





Champ

 

[joe c]

actually, these 550's do pretty nice burnouts. although, jbs long legs might give him an advantage in leverage to get it started. when i had the old tire on it, it would smoke it up no problem. kinda fun! i remember walking around the start finish line at nhis one night following a burnout from a bike. it went around in circles, and figure 8's and question marks and donuts. it just went on and on. pretty impressive. anyone have any of those trials videos??

jc

 

[aaron]

I would like to get in on the burn out competition on the 550four.

Aaron

 

[joe c]

aaron, call me at the shop tomorrow.

752 4886

j

 

[aaron]

Joe, I'm missing the 6 on my phone.

 

[theman50]

Hi,
Where did you get the tail light?

 

[joe c]

don hutchinson cycle. there is a link on the racing page under sponcers. don kicks ass. its a lucas repro. dont use the screws that come with it. if youre using it on the 550 or any other bike that has the wire chase built into the rear fender you'll need to take the fender off, and grind the wire chase off, or use longer screws. it actually took a little work to get it on there right. although you could just drill holes and slap it on and it would look no different. the plate covers the holes from the old bracket. id like to pull the fender up a bit. so theres very little of it showing, ala triumph cafes. but thats for another time.

jc

 

[theman50]

awesome, thanks, bike looks great by the way

 

[LiLBull]

Dahli Lama ,bike should be a nice skoot to the temple ....just be sure your robe doesnt get entangled in the spokes.....do those bars let you fit the original wiring thru the bars or you have to move wires around for starter button and turn signals....I do like those adjustable bars though ... George



Edited by - LiLBull on Oct 17 2005 08:25:35 AM

 

[Geeto67]

On hondas with clubmans, dropbars, etc you need to route the cables around the gauges and across the frame to keep them from binding. It's whatI do on my 750s that run those bars. Kinda a pain in the arse looking for ways to take up the slack but once you get it right the bike will feel better. I ran my clutch cable around the top of the tach and down the center of the gauges, the throttle I ran to the otherside of the frame under the down tube and then back to the carbs. Make sure it doesn't bind when you turn the bars or else you will find unexpeced acceleration.

you need rearsets. You also need smaller front signals. For a clutch, just use barnett springs and stock fibers/steels. The cb's clutches are pretty stout, (profided you aren't doing burnouts).

cool bike.

 

[joe c]

the wires on mine were out already. its a 77 and im pretty sure it had factory bars. none of this stuff appears to be pulled apart. so it was just a swap.

and on another note, i put the pipe on yesterday. what an ugly horrendous piece of shit. it sounds like a fucking cbr now. and the stupid thing they give you for the center stand is just lame. im already thinking about a new one. anyone have one that has a nice growl to it?? and at about 5k, this thing just rings in your head. like it gets some kind of resonance that is just annoying. id like to source some hookers with a kerker. and maybe in chrome. the stock pipes are so much nicer looking. anyone have a 4-2? maybe those sound better.


2 hours later im writing this part.

oh fuck. ok, i didnt post this when i wanted. i just got back from going on a ride to dinner with kirsten, and the stupid piece of shit metal bracket they give you for the center stand lets the chain hit it. so what happens 15 mins from the house? my fucking master link clip buys it. i did notice the chain doing something weird, stopped, pulled over, and discovered the clip missing. the chain was hitting the center stand. maybe from having 2 people on the bike? i managed to nurse it to a buddys place and got a ride home. but it pisses me off that they give you this piece of shit. anyway, yeah, i know ditch the center stand, but the its so useful to me still. especially with all the back wheel crap ive been doing. and also front wheel related stuff. sucks.

jc

 

[Geeto67]

I didn't notice it until you said something about the chain but I think your shocks are longer than stock. I've owned a few of these bikes (still have my 74 550) and never had any interference problems with the chain and the center stand. Could be the back sprocket is larger than stock too (what is the tooth count?) and contributing to the interference. It could be the wrong center stand but somehow I doubt it.

It's a cafe racer, ditch the c-stand (keep it on the shelf for when you need to do maintenance). Save you about a pound. I have 4 into 2's on my 550 now and I like the sound. I was running drag pipes but one of them cracked (damn speedbump) and the 4 into 2 turn outs were all I could find. kerker has a nice sound in their muffler.

 

[joe c]

the rear is a 37 i think, which is stock. its stock. the chain is new, so its still stretching. i think the stock pipes are what stops the center stand. so when you pull those off, it has nothing to stop it. i noticed it when i didnt put the lame bracket thing on. its the only reason i realized what it was for. at least im pretty sure thats whats its for. i could even have it mounted in the wrong spot for all i know. i dont think there were any instructions in the box for this pipe. so its hard to tell. im pretty sure the suspension is stock. it seems like if there is slop in the chain, it hits everything. the swing arm included. my 350 will bash the swingarm, but it just drags in a spot. this bangs on part of it. this pipe dumps out on the right side. sitting on the bike. so the center stand has all that room to rotate up. it needs something either welded to the frame, or to be removed. and my chain yes should be tightened. i like the center stand. mostly because it keeps the gas from doing wierd things, like pouring out of the over flows in the carbs. i should put the overflow hoses back on it. and my driveway is just asphalt over dirt, so the center stand helps keep it from falling over. i know its big and heavy, but its still useful. i guess it'll have to go though. ug.

 

[Geeto67]

I am not convinced you have the right center stand. None of my cb550 center stands ever hit the pipe. The c stand would come in contact with a pad on the frame (not sure if it is welded or bolt on on a 77). I had a 4 into on on a 78 and it didn't interfere with the chain. Maybe you should ask about this at the sohc4 forum. YOur chain could also be too long, have you replaced it recently?

The reason I think your shocks are longer than stock is that there is too much distance between the tire and the rear fender (vertically). They look like the right thickness, just longer (maybe because they are missing their top caps).