Any clown with an adjustable wrench can take a motorbike aside (the time period basketcase exists for a purpose), and if you happen to go in with out a plan, that’s precisely how the following proprietor will take supply of your deserted dream—in bins. However you do have to interrupt a couple of eggs to make an omelet, and for our beloved $400 CB550F, we have to tear the bike right down to its naked bones to see what we’re working with. And which means the customized diamond-stitch saddle, cruiser bars, soft footpegs and different fragments from its previous life have gotten to go.
Whereas our CB will ultimately be torn all the best way down, that’s not my objective simply but. As a substitute, I need to declutter the bike as a lot as potential, decreasing it to its core elements. Having the engine, suspension and each wheels on the bike helps you retain the general dimensions in thoughts, and allows you to visualize adjustments in geometry and the place so as to add or subtract ‘visible weight’ to maintain the bike balanced. However within the meantime, attempt to look previous the trashed paint and crusty previous components and fasteners whereas we sq. away our imaginative and prescient.
Your most popular technique could also be a pencil and paper, or possibly you’re proficient sufficient to manufacture what’s in your thoughts from scratch. Nonetheless, the common storage builder works with a restricted price range and barely has a wall stuffed with components to experiment with. You’re typically working with a handful of rigorously chosen common aftermarket items and discovering the easiest way to include them onto some previous relic seamlessly.
Following that methodology, breaking the Honda down so far was a reasonably easy affair. The gasoline tank and seat had been barely connected to start with, and the whole rear fender meeting got here off with a couple of bolts and electrical connectors. The battery tray, airbox and carburetor meeting have to return out in a sure order, however that was no fuss, and all of the wiring connectors got here aside as meant. Hell, I didn’t should torch a single bolt within the course of—stunning—contemplating the quantity of rust on this previous pavement princess.
With all that out of the best way, we are able to lastly have a little bit of enjoyable. Our CB550 wears an previous set of aftermarket bars, with loads of peak and backsweep, leading to upright, cruiser ergos. Ditching these for a set of low and vast tracker bars modified the bike’s stance in fast order, and this set got here to us from our buddies at Lowbrow Customs. They’re cheap, have loads of width to fine-tune our setup and the chrome matches our old-school aspirations for the CB.
The subsequent piece I used to be dying to check match was our new Road Tracker seat from Tuffside. Chris at Tuffside styled us with a high-quality, made-in-the-USA seat with black pleated upholstery and threaded inserts designed for the CB550. As a way to get it sitting proper on the bike, a few hooks and the hinge for the manufacturing facility seat needed to go, and I used a cut-off wheel to begin after which roughed them in with a flapwheel. We’ll revisit these areas with a smaller abrasive wheel on a die grinder later once we end de-tabbing the body—the very last thing you need is unpleasant marks on a tube from being overzealous with an angle grinder.
With the bike’s angle and ergonomics considerably shifted, I’ve an ideal reference level to begin planning the following modifications. There are nonetheless loads of tabs to trim, and I’m going to therapeutic massage the body a bit extra to get the seat the place I’d prefer it to be. And whereas I wasn’t certain concerning the inventory tank initially, I’m offered on it now. It’s received good strains and matches the motorbike’s enjoyable and practical look. That two-tone brown paint has grown on me a bit now that the seat and aspect covers are gone, however we’ll in all probability repaint it, and the sunshine rust inside ought to clear up simply with a rust remover.
There’s loads extra I need to mock up on our Honda CB550 tracker, however I feel we have to get our wheels and tires sorted out first to maintain issues balanced. Our inventory rims are closely corroded and have a number of damaged spokes, so I took the chance to order some aluminum hoops and new spokes—a full wheel rebuild particular is on the best way. Additionally, we’ve received some gnarly rubber courtesy of Bridgestone that may fully change our motorbike’s look.
Within the meantime, I’ll go away you with two concerns for the feedback part. The shortage of a entrance fender on a pseudo dual-purpose machine is as massive of a pretend pas on this web site as header wrap and tan leather-based, however I used to be contemplating trimming our beat-up stocker to someplace across the inexperienced tape strains—yea or nay? Additionally, after omitting the inventory gauges, I began actually digging the manufacturing facility Honda standing lights on the bar clamp. They’ll in all probability be seamlessly built-in into our upcoming motogadget electrical system, however may simply as simply be ditched for the standard bar clamp. I’ll go away it to a vote.
Large because of Motogadget, Tuffside, Bridgestone, Lowbrow Customs and Biltwell Inc. for supporting our Honda CB550F tracker construct.
