I own no less than three Honda CB550s. This fanaticism has a point, I only ride one on the road. the others are for spares. The story starts in 1976 with the proud purchase of a brand new CB550F1. In 15 years it has clocked up 212000 miles, admittedly not on the same engine. The second bike was a crashed example bought in 1979 for its engine and electrics. the third a non runner acquired in 1985 for just fifty notes.
The first 35000 miles were without major incident. The single from disc caliper needed attention every 5000 miles, the electrics were occasionally troublesome, the bike needed a full service every 1500 miles (if not done performance fell off and vibes increased) and the usual consumables wore out. I am not a mad bugger, but do occasionally like to stretch engine and chassis with a ton plus blast.
Almost straight away I had done the decent thing, fitted stronger springs and thicker oil to the forks whilst the shocks were replaced with a set of Konis. Even so, the bike was not a perfectly composed handler, its 420lbs often getting out of hand in fast bends. I had run it off the road a couple of times until I began to respect its limitations. Straight line stability went to pot after 75mph, bumps in the road it did not like one jot, whilst even a smooth road did not stop it wallowing.
By about 10000 miles I was getting a bit fed up with the handling so stuck on a Dresda swinging arm with taper roller bearings, which helped a lot. It was still not perfect and it was not until a few years later when I fitted a fork brace that it became near respectable.
The first sign of an engine problem came at 35500 miles when the camchain rattled loudly. I replaced this myself and all was fine until just under 40000 miles when the clutch began to slip. Again. an easy enough job to do. The SOHC engine is straightforward enough for most home mechanics to tear apart or service.
At 48000 miles it needed a rebore. Expensive with all those pistons to replace The top end looked OK, though. At 54000 miles the gearbox became very sloppy indeed, a symptom I was to find on splitting the engine not just of a worn box but also a shagged primary drive chain, a curious throwback to the days of British motorcycle supremacy. By then I had acquired the spare bike (with 12000 miles on its clock) so was able to swap engines and repair the old one at my leisure.
Much to my surprise the replacement engine ran faultlessly for 40000 miles but then revealed itself as totally worn out internally. Power was pretty much the same as the earlier motor with enough grunt to get the speedo past the ton but not much else. Disappointing given the lack of low and torque, as was fuel economy at 45-50mpg.
The riding position was modified with flat bars and rear-sets whilst the rotted seat was replaced with a neat looking 2:4. It was comfortable enough to do up to 300 miles in a day, at up to 80mph, but any greater distance or speed resulted in bones seizing up. Other mods included plastic mudguards, fork gaiters and panniers.
The spoked wheels proved themselves a very dubious proposition indeed. I had two back wheels break up on me, and wheel bearings rarely lasted more than 50000 miles. I don't know how many calipers I went through, too many! The back drum rarely needed much attention and worked well in all weathers, something that could not be said for the disc which gave new meaning to wet weather lag. I became so fed up with the front end that l fitted newish forks, wheel and brakes off a GS550 Katana. l was nearly thrown over the bars the first time I tried the brakes.
The original motor was restored by the time the second one had failed. It did over 50000 miles before it was worn out again, quite impressive, although it had required two clutch jobs and another camchain. By that mileage a hell of a lot of bits had been replaced - the whole of the electrical system save the alternator, the tank that had rusted through, the exhaust system and various other boring bits. Again, I had restored the motor that was out of the frame, using bits from the third engine.
I was expecting around 30000 miles from this motor but it did an 80mph seize up after only 18000 miles. That was a frightening moment, the back wheel seized up as solidly as my panicked mind. The back tyre was nearly burnt down to the inner tube by the time I'd got myself together enough to remember to pull in the clutch lever. All four pistons appeared to have locked solid and the camshaft and valves looked like they had been running dry. I found various bits of the oil pump in the sump! Not much was salvaged from that motor.
That meant I had to rush around finding parts to complete the second rebuild of the original engine. I was actually without wheels for nearly two weeks, something I would not wish on my worst enemy. Back on the road, the new power plant didn't have the urge of earlier engines which given its high total mileage is not all that surprising. Fuel economy was down to a mere 40mpg. It had to suffer the indignity of relegation to second machine status whilst I rode around on a nearly new CBX550. The older four felt a right slug after riding the newer bike. but I had such a sentimental attachment to the CB550F that I could not part with it and still managed 10000 miles or so a year.
The best point about the engine is the ease with which it can be worked upon. Although there are a multitude of parts they all go together logically and easily, it just takes a bit of time and patience. The strongest component is the crankshaft which is still original (having done around 150000 miles), even the small ends are what the bike came with. The weakest parts are the camchain and tensioner, followed by the clutch - god knows what would happen to that component it I ever tried a wheelie, something I have never attempted in my whole life.
The gearbox is the worst component to work on, it doesn't quite fail just gets more and more loose. The gears are quite tough, it's the change mechanism that wears out and I had to resort to new components on the last rebuild.
The cylinder head is still OK, it's had the eight valves re-seated just the once. The camshaft is dead meat by about 55000 miles, although I've had mine reground successfully. Inlet valves are still original, exhaust valves aren't. Consumables are not too daunting, most lasting more than 10000 miles. I've found Avon Roadrunners perfectly adequate for my needs.
Ferodo pads give the least worries in the wet and last longer than most. Chain is non standard O-ring and sprockets are aftermarket to suit. The four into one exhaust is on re-chromed headers with a universal silencer hung out back (I think its fifth, it's amusing to watch the chrome dissolve).
The CB550 was last built in 1981, so all are more than a decade old by now. There are still a few rats around and the odd decent one, but finding a good 'un will prove very difficult. A GPz550, GS550 or XJ550/600 provides better performance, more durability and better economy but they are a bit more complex and more expensive. I’ve even been burnt off by a 400 Superdream, so I don’t suppose many will be bought for their performance. I've done a long trip nearly every year on the CB, I think its best role is as a mild, cheap tourer, where the owner will have little cause for complaint.
I’ve decided to do a full restoration of the CB but with a few modifications thrown in to add to its individuality. Deep red paint instead of dayglo orange, replica CB400F 4-1 downpipes in stainless steel, retaining the 2:4 seat, flat bars and rear-sets.
Many will ask why bother, in modern terms the bike is too heavy and does not provide the huge power kick of today's middleweights, but I respect the bike for surviving for so long and don't see why I should throw it out of the household just because it's getting on a bit.
Steve Gregory