CB550 Ups and Downs

I was pretty excited when the Honda started up on July 2nd. In the days afterwards, it didn't run as well. In fact it barely ran at all. I thought about why it would run decently and then quickly turn sour. Looking at info on the internet, I decided it's probably intake leaks from the 34 year-old carb boots.

There are some methods for restoring the boots, but the boots seem to be available from Honda so why not just order a set and avoid the playing around?

Meanwhile, I had three sets of stock CB550F needles and emulsion tubes, purchased on E-bay. I installed them on carbs 1-3. Then I ordered a set from Honda for carb #4. Not sure they can still be found, we'll give it a try though.

It's a good thing I took the carbs apart. The needle clips were on different settings - one carb had the clip set at #2 from the highest notch, the other three had the clips set at #2 from the lowest notch (stock).

The main jets on carbs 1 and 4 were 98's (stock). The mains on carbs 2-3 were 110's - probably too rich for a stock motor. I ordered a set of 100's off E-bay to replace them. That's slightly richer than stock, the inside cylinders tend to get hotter though and it might be good insurance to go that tiny bit richer.

A new MAC muffler for the stock CB550F four into one arrived in the mail today. Cost about $185, including the baffle. I think it looks great! Probably better than the stocker, which looks like a cigar.

The muffler was really easy to install - three bolts. The clamp at the headpipe junction, the bolt at the muffler and the connecting strap that goes to the passenger footpegs. That's it.

The more I look at the Honda the more I like it. There have been a lot of problems, in the end I think it will be worth it. I'm hoping to get the new carb boots and a few other pieces within a couple of weeks so I can actually ride this baby on the open road!

My CB550 started today!

It's been months and the victory arrived today! I've been working on the Honda in my spare time for the last couple of days trying to get some details sorted out. When I reinstalled the wiring harness, the only thing that would work was the tail light. A member of the SOHC4.NET forum suggested I check the wiring right at the point where the ignition plugs into the harness. I disconnected the wiring and hotwired it. The lights came on. Thus I knew the ignition wasn't getting a good connection. I cleaned the terminals and carefully plugged them back in. Then I checked to see if the ignition worked before I bolted it back to the triple clamp. The lights worked and I put it all back together.

Next issue - the starter wouldn't turn over. Back to the SOHC.NET forum and I learned about running a screwdriver across the two terminals on the solenoid. I tried it and it worked. So I could get the starter to work and it narrowed the problem down to the wiring that goes to the starter button on the right side cluster of buttons.

Last night I put some gas in the carbs and tried starting. No luck. I let it sit and this afternoon after work I put the tank on and added gas. I figured maybe the carbs weren't getting enough gas in them last night.

The motor turned over and there were a few backfires. No startup. Next I removed the ignition cover, pulled the #4 spark plug and turned the crank with a wrench. I looked and listened for a spark. I noticed that the spark was coming when the crank was at the 2-3 firing position instead of 1-4. I pulled the tank, looked at the wiring and it was correct. The blue wire at the harness plugged into the 1-4 coil and the yellow harness wire plugged into the yellow wire for the 2-3 coil. Well, I know what I saw (when the spark appeared) so I switched the yellow and blue leads. Try the starter again and the motor fired up!

That was great, now why did it start when the wires didn't match up. The answer was at the other end of the wires. The person who installed the Dyna ignition put the wrong color codes on them. The Dyna has a black wire and a white wire. The installer put some plastic on those wires (blue and yellow) but in reverse. When I put the bike back together, I wired it as indicated, which didn't work. So I removed the colors and corrected that issue to avoid problems in the future.

That's great. A few more things to take care of: 1) Fix the starter button; 2)
Secure the wiring harness to the frame; 3) Put the airbox back on; 4) Put a new muffler on.

The Honda had a MAC header when I bought it. I replaced the header with a stock CB550F headpipe. A MAC replacement muffler is on order. I have the old, rusty MAC muffler on it now, just to keep the noise down. It doesn't fit right so I probably won't ride much until the new one arrives.

I didn't clean the carbs and wonder if the pilots may have gotten clogged during the nine months or so that the bike sat unused.

Next post coming up soon!