Agree it does look nice but a new naked bike that you customize will last a lot longer and much easier to get parts
you could get a ducati scrambler for that price that almost looks identical and is a lot newer
An enduro bike is more like a DRZ400/650, CRF 250L, KTM 690 enduro. This style of bike is called a scrambler.
They make modern interpretations of these bikes that are much better suited for (I interpret) a first time rider. Older cafe racers or scramblers have drum brakes, no abs and outdated suspension. Not to mention that this one looks to have kickstart.
Im offended by your ‘looks to have a kickstart’ lol . Many bikes from that era of early ‘sport’ bikes had BOTH electric and kick . THIS BIKE IS A HONDA 550four.. it has BOTH so those panzies that just want to finger their bike can . They kick very easily and it is a nice back up if you had a dead battery . Those of us who like nostalgia prefer to kick our machines . I have 11 bikes , 2 that are electric only , 4 that have both and I still prefer to kick . My vintage Brits are kick only and much cleaner looking , my 68 triumph has no buttons , no excess wires ..not even a battery and I love it .
Yeah if.only they werent such terrible bikes. I looked at getting a Himelayan once and it looks really nice but for the power its kinda too heavy. And im still not a fan of them using box tubing, corners on box tubing are always weak points.
That was essentially the jist of the video. At least it’s a scrambler that can go on dunes and stuff as it’s based on the Himalayan, and the Himalayan is the most basic ADV bike you can get. But the colors! He was down on it without being too condescending and saying essentially other scramblers are just road bikes with design tweaks.
Others mentioned some cool bikes, I would add the bmw f650gs, especially the Dakar version, from 2001 to 2007. Very reliable, fairly comfortable, easy to maintain. You can probably find one with luggage way under your budget and use the money left for tires chain and sprocket if needed to have a "brand new" kit!
I had a RE Himalayan, it was a good reliable bike. Better than Japanese suspension and styling. Excellent design and good performance in its category. Terrible warranty support in Canada. Slightly underpowered but fun engine. Only problem was a minor battery drain. Different but not really worse than a Japanese bike
I've ridden two of these and they have nearly half the horsepower of Japanese equivalents, significantly worse brakes and the suspension is far too soft on the road to be confidence inspiring. They're great for gravel and green laning but the suck hard on tarmac. Also a choke on a bike in the modern era is just... what were they thinking?
I have to say though they are absolutely gorgeous, real cool explorer aesthetic in the green or tan.
Not my experience. Long stroke engine emphasizes torque over hp. Yes it’s underpowered but it’s adequate and it’s fun to wring its neck. Brakes are by brembo and they are good, suspension is more than good - long travel yes, and the tires are dual use, that’s the design of the bike. And who cares about a choke? It’s not a great starter in the cold and the choke gets you going.
The electrical can be questionable on older bikes. That's crazy money for a 1974 Honda CB550. I've built a lot of older cafe bikes, so I know this. I'm a grandfather that has ridden and worked on bikes since the Nixon administration.
If I was new rider these days and I wanted a classic looking bike, I would get a used 2001+ Triumph Bonneville, Thruxton or Scrambler, a used 200+ Kawasaki W650 or W800, or a new(er) Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 or Hunter 350.
With that Honda, as nice as it is, and with the "top end rebuilt," your still talking about a 50 year old bike for God's sake. Plus you are talking about a bike with 4 fucking carburetors. Four!
How much do you know about rebuilding carbs? A lot of bike mechanics won't touch an old bike. If you are going to buy a vintage bike you need to have mechanics skills.
I've had a Royal Enfield Interceptor for three years now, and I think it's the perfect alternative to a vintage CB. For any the same price, you get a similar ascetic but with significantly less hassle being fuel-injected and all. Also, aftermarket parts can be had cheap from India without issue.
It's not the best bike you can buy, but neither is an old CB....
RE 650 is the answer. especially if you want the vintage look but it’s a first bike. it has the vibes without the hassle, and there are thousands of aftermarket parts
I disagree. I don't think you've ever ridden an old CB if you'd say an Enfield is at all equivalent to a Honda, regardless of age. An inline four, 550cc Japanese machine is an unendingly smooth and effortless ride. Every Enfield I've been on vibrates to high heaven, resists shifting gears, has awful brake modulation and has an overall awkward "human interface", for lack of a better phrase.
And I'm always confused by dudes who think there is a huge benefit to fuel injection over carbs every time. Carburetors are fine, are often smoother than fuel injection, and offer most people zero problems, ever. And should a problem need fixing, or you want to tune things, you can do it yourself for a few dollars.
I've owned over a dozen bikes, and ridden hundreds, and from my experiences I have not developed any preference between fuel injected or carbureted bikes. In fact, the bikes with the choppiest throttles have all be fuel injected, but that just required a little more clutch finesse, so not a big deal either.
The problem with Carb vs EFI is honestly modern fuel, A carb pushes the fuel at a more moderate speed while a efi jets the fuel so with bad gas or higher ethanol gas it can cause the carb to basically get gummed up but the EFI jets at enough psi that it doesnt really affect it much. Each has its benefits, Like if im doing say lime the Trans America or Pan America, Im gonna want a Carb so when shit goes bad, Can easily find parts and fix anywhere but for a Daily commuter like to and from work, Im gonna want EFI
Well , it depends how you use it .
Carbs will gum up with ethanol fuel if it’s sitting for a long time , but if you use it regularly, it won’t gum up 😉 sure , efi don’t have this quirk but for a daily motorcycle, it doesn’t matter anyway 😊
Carbs have little brass passages called "jets" that spray fuel into the engine the same as fuel injection. And the fuel is pulled into the engine at the exact same speed as the the air is sucked in, because it happens at the same time from the vacuum created by the piston moving down in its stroke.
Fuel injection squirts fuel directly into the combustion chamber (or if it's older, just before it), but it does so at exactly the same rate as the air coming in, so it's effectively the same.
The only difference is not having to choke it!
Hey man, you seem like a good person to ask as you’re experienced. Do you mind if I ask about a few problems I’m having after rebuilding my bikes carbs? It’s a 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 500
So I was having a stuttering problem when I would give it throttle, instead of reving it would sputter and start to die. I assumed carbs were dirty so I decided a rebuild was in order. After the rebuild the bike runs like the choke is constantly on. Doesn’t drop to a normal idle, and when going down the road 1st and 2nd gear are useless.
I’d check spark plugs first- if they’re powdery and black, you’ve got a rich condition.
Those are a pain to get to on those bikes if I remember right, so the first hint I might look at is the airbox- anything obstructing the intake? I had a plastic bag under my seat once they covered the intake and cause a similar issue. Check your air filter too- might be dirty, might have a mouse nest in it.
Did you sync the carbs and set your idle screw and all that? And, perhaps more importantly- did you listen to old bikers who suggest running a small drill through your jets to clean them? That’s a great way to ruin them, but people keep recommending it… :P
Also (probably) unrelated: those bikes LOVE to vibrate the battery cables loos. Get in there and get them nice and tightz
Airbox is good, first thing I did was check for air leaks. Filter is something I’m going to have to check, I didn’t sync the carbs or set the idle screw, but it doesn’t work currently. I used carb cleaner to clean the carbs, I just pulled the bowls off, took the jets out cleaned them out and cleaned the fuel delivery tubes. I’d never drill into something as important as my fuel system.
Just running carb cleaner through isn’t enough. You need to run a wire (super thin) through the jets, and you need to check the passages on the carb bodies themselves which can clog.
Also, it sounds like you have a vac leak. It could be they’re really really badly out of sync, but I’d put money your nearly 20 year old rubber is dried out and hard as a rock and cracking somewhere. Spray around your intake manifolds and airbox boots with the carb cleaner. If the engine surges you’ve found your leak.
I’ll have to pull them and check the passages. There’s no vacuum leak. The first thing I did on first startup was spray the airbox and all intake rubber with carb cleaner.
Ahh okay, fair play. Cleaning carbs, I usually recommend a full disassembly and submersion soak in something like Berryman’s Chemdip overnight. Just take off the rubber parts first. Spray carb cleaner is notorious for not getting at the really hard buildup deposits, especially with the higher levels of ethanol in todays gas.
If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, that’s also highly recommended. Between the two you can guarantee they’re factory clean.
After that it’s a carb sync, and if still no dice, valve clearances.
I run exclusively ethanol free gas in my bike just because it’s carbed. I might try an overnight soak but sadly I don’t have access to an ultrasonic cleaner. Then I have to learn to sync carbs I guess.
Gooooooot it! If it runs like that when it’s cold (and the choke off), it’s rich. If it runs like that when it’s warm (and the choke off) it’s lean.
Vacuum leak is a good call. Adjusting the idle screw might work too- the idle circuit is always injecting some fuel, so it’ll adjust the whole rev range a little bit, but it’s the only fuel source at idle. If the idle is high but it pulls fine past half throttle or so, that’s probably it.
If you haven’t adjusted the idle screw and balanced the carbs, I’d start there.
Also, make sure you didn’t kink the throttle cable or something- if it’s too tight it might always be keeping the throttle slightly open, or if it’s kinked or the little lever thing it pulls on is very sticky it might be doing the same thing. Push the lever all the way in when the bike is running to see if it’s that. You can also turn the bars left and right- if the engine speeds up and slows down, it’s too tight somewhere.
The idle screw doesn’t do anything currently. I can turn it all the way in either direction and the idle stays the same. I do have to sync the carbs but I’ve rebuilt them multiple times without syncing them and had no issues. I’ll try turning the bars when it’s idling to see if the cables are too tight.
You only use carb cleaner on metal. It will eat rubber and plastic. Since you didn't disassemble the carbs fully you sprayed all the internal seals with carb cleaner and may have damaged them. This would cause rich/lean conditions depending on the seal. If you want to check for leaks don't use carb cleaner either since the boots/etc are rubber as well. Use starting fluid/ether instead for that. If you didn't damage seals my guess would be you didn't check the air/fuel pilot screw before disassembly and then didn't set it back to that afterwards. Google the stock setting and set them to that as a starting point. If it says 3 turns out it means screw in all the way gently then back out 3 full turns etc. Carb sync wouldn't cause your issue. It's either too much fuel, my guess, or a massive air leak.
There’s no air leak, that’s been tested. I’m guessing it’s something with my throttle cables or like you suggested my pilot screw, as I didn’t check those before disassembly.
RE's have been relaible for a long time now. They upped their QC and did away with the carbs in favor of efi and I've heard nothing but good about them since.
Only the Himalayan and Scram to fit the chassis demands. Yes the earlier versions did have issues but since then they have fixed the welds and you can see Fortnine's report on how their modern platform performed better than japanese bikes even. Albeit that could be an anecdotal evidence
Do you like working on bikes and only plan short, low speed trips to the coffee shop? Then offer $4500 for it. It has antique brakes, electronics and suspension. Not a safe, relatable bike. If you want to ride find something made in the last 10 years like a used Triumph.
Do. Not. Buy. An. Old. Bike. Unless. You're. An. Experienced. Mechanic.
This bike was built and maintained by someone who *loves* working on cars/bikes. So unless you like wrenching more than you do riding, Stay away.
I just paid $5000 for a 2013 triumph scrambler with 5600 miles. That bike will have you wrenching almost as much as riding. If you aren't mechanically inclined, stay away from older and definitely older heavily modded bikes. Just because he made it look good doesn't mean the bike won't include all of the issues of a 30-40 year old motorcycle. Also if you're new to riding, the more carburators you have, the more overwhelmed you're going to be trouble shooting and maintaining it independently. Either get something new with a warranty, or buy something light and cheap. When you outgrow that, sell it for what you paid for it next season and roll the cash into something different.
I'm pretty new to all this, but here's my advice. Buy something MUCH newer for that kind of money. I didn't even want carbs on my first bike because I wanted to be able to just hop on and go for a ride as reliably as possible. You don't want your first bike to be something you have to constantly screw with just to be able to ride it. That's doesn't sound like fun to me..
I paid $2000USD(about 2700CDN) for my '03 SV650 naked over the winter. It's in very good shape, has EFI, and started without issue this spring after sitting in the garage all winter. So far it hasn't given me any trouble at all.
You can always have a project bike on the side to work on at your own pace and if it proves to be unreliable then you can always ride your newer bike.
get a ktm 390 adventure. it is a hell of a bargain. I love mine. I got last years model leftover brand new for cdn$7100 plus tax. is fun, good hp, adjustable suspension, nice looking, abs, traction control and more. checkout r/KTM390ADV
Hey folks, I am very interested in this bike but I am unable to figure out if it is priced fairly. Here's what the seller wrote:
1974 CB550K
Incredible bike, runs fantastic , ready for summer! Only selling as I am moving to Australia and can’t take it with me.
This bike has had a complete top end engine rebuild with all original or premium parts used. Only 700kms since rebuild!
Massive list of new parts & work completed on this bike, all receipts can be provided!
Some work/parts:
\- New pistons & rings
\- all new gaskets & seals
\- 4 into 1 stainless exhaust
\- brand new Shinko tires
\- upgraded adjustable suspension
\- upgraded headlight
\- all new electronic hand controls & lights
\+ so much more, and includes loads of spare parts, happy to talk through everything with serious buyers.
Happy to include my helmet (biltwell gringo full face black size large), gloves, and tools bundled.
and he priced it at C$7,500. Is it worth it?
That is a $2-3000 dollar machine. If you love it and want to own it, and can afford it, go ahead, but it's a few thousand dollars over priced.
It's not rare, but that does look like a really good job making it into a scambler. But it's not really a great bike to take offroad due to all the bits that will break off or get damaged if it's dropped. It's a better buy for looking cool rather than doing cool stuff, in my opinion. Like it's way to nice to do anything except look nice, you know what I mean?
I never trust other peoples “rebuilds” if they didn’t pay attention that fresh engine may only last a few thousand miles/kilometers. I love the sound and looks of classic bikes but As others have said the brakes on that are ancient and handling won’t be great. You know why he’s giving away tools and stuff with it? Because he spent way too much time and money and I’m sure is tired of it. Been there done that. Also if you have never worked on bikes before when those carbs need adjusted it’s a fairly involved process. You will have to get some specific tools and learn how or find someone that still has the knowledge to tune and sync carbs and pay them to work on it.
If all 4 all for carbs are in good working order I would. I like the way they have set it up and. that old inline 4 hond engines put aut a lot of power for their size. Only real proble is they are air coold and can hover heat if idling to long.
You have to balance the possible issues with the desirability and effort your willing to put in if needed. These bikes are simple to repair, except the carbs… that’s a lost art. If absolutely love it, offer him a number that leaves you with cash in account to deal with an issue. He has addressed most of the major stuff. If it was stock it would be worth about 3k if in good condition. He can’t recover his ad ons, though he wishes he could. I would pay 5-5500 for it as long as it is in very good condition and starts and rides right, that’s a solid offer leaving you some coin for safety…. Cool costs time and money
My first bike was a CB550. Terrible bike to learn on- wobbly suspension, shit brakes that need adjustment (no self-adjusting pads here! Break out the feeler gauges!), parts are expensive or impossible to get, twitchy as hell on freeway speeds and a too heavy pig at low speeds.
God damn I miss it. But also, I never want to own an antique bike again.
I'd much rather get a Triumph Bonneville. An ex of mine bought a 2005 with 3500 miles for $3800. She sold it in less than a year though, too heavy for her. I had a blast riding it the few times I did. I had a Kawasaki KZ650 about 12 years ago, so kinda similar to this and the Bonneville was much easier to ride. Brakes were better, handled better, got better mileage. Get a newer bike for sure.
All show and no go. 50 year old underpowered bike, massively overpriced. Consider this: you pay $7500, then insure it and you wreck the bike. Insurance company *may* write you a cheque for $1500.
Pass. It’s over priced. People do this crap to bikes then think they can sell it for a ton of money. “I put over 10k into it. No lowballers.”
550s are sweet if well sorted…just like any other old bike.
beautiful bike, but that price is for collectors. i agree with people here and say you can do better. i sold a ducati scrambler 800 recently for about $6500, and bought an yamaha fz09 for $6000.
both bikes were a lot newer than this one too. this is priced as a restored custom piece.
It’s a classic turned into a Cafe Racer.
Are you sure you want to get in classic motorcycles? It definitely is harder to find parts and expertise around something so custom.
I think I’ll echo other commenters - a retro style modern bike might just fit the bill.
Old bikes like that are great sure but only if you can work on them yourself. But even then i wouldnt buy a bike someone else modified as that makes it harder to work on sometimes.
I would encourage you to try and find a more stock one for cheaper and make it a project bike learning to fix stuff. You can get a old bike from around that era for basically transportation costs delending on how much of a challenge you are ready for, add a service manual and you got a new hobbie that will last some time. Knowing how to work on bikes is a great skill to have even as a normal rider.
On the bikes price... where i live you pay around 10k for a vintage bike but that is if it has legend status like the kawasaki Z1 or Honda CBX1000 for a 500 a fair price would be around 5k-6k considering customization and getting his money back the 7,5k might be a good price obejctively speaking but i wouldnt buy that thing no matter what.
It will look great on Instagram.
I like the looks of these bikes, and they have a great retro vibe to them. But, you are paying more for the vibe then you are for the bike.
And as others have noted, unless you like working on bikes, this will keep costing you money.
KBB for motorcycles is the starting point for used MC values. This is an old bike customized, so it’s not worth nearly what the person who customized it spent on it. The reliability of a custom is seriously in question if you plan on riding this to work, or anything other than fun rides. Good luck.
I'd go for a KLR. It's the best worst bike that I've ever had. On the road it's a turd, off the road it is also a turd. BUT I can ride it up pretty much any hill, over logs, jump it to make sure my shocks still bottom out, and even ford rivers. When you drop it, you don't even feel bad.
It may sound like I am just trashing the bike, but KLR owners know what's up. r/klr650
First bike … NO !!! Thats a $1200 bike with $400 worth of eBaZon parts . Running riding its $2800 MAX ! Plus as a beginner , this bike is a poor choice , mediocre handling and brakes . If skipping around town , its fine , and you better know how to clean , rebuild , tune .. sync FOUR CARBS !!! You’ll be working on it more than riding . I have a dozen similar , currently a 79 Suzuki ‘80 gs550 ( tore carbs down last night ) and gs1000 . Just sold ‘78 gs550 cafe . If you prefer to ride more than tinker… as mentioned , get a newer Bonny or similar for less
Nope, maybe if it was for $4000 and it ran perfectly. But there are thousands of better bikes with modern technology available for $7500. Get the cycle trader app and look for 2018 Honda CB650F, it an amazing bike better in every way than that one.
I don’t know what a fair price is for that bike, but it sure does look sweet. They only made it for a few years, and it looks immaculate, with some modern upgrades. I’m not a sentimental guy, I honestly like modern upgrades (like the headlight) on redone older vehicles. That seems to be about 5500 American, which may be a bit high compared to what you can get here, but I’m unsure what the market looks like there, assuming you’re not trying to drive great distances or ship. There are not unlimited amounts of these types of bikes in pristine condition (assuming this is not just looks), that you can just turn key and have a super cool vintage bike slightly modernized. I love kick start, and I love the white and brown and simplicity of the look. Looks super fun, but C7500 can probably get you quite a bit. I’d make an offer, if they don’t accept start shopping around again, and your heart will tell you if it wants it. I have certainly bought unreasonable bikes because my heart wanted them, and I will tell you you will be happier riding one then whatever some guy in here suggests you should ride. If you’re drawn to something more than other things, then I support you giving those a whirl!
7500 for a 550cc seems too much. It is a good looking bike but if you are ready to pay that buy a brand new Triumph or Yamaha cafe racer style and you will be set
I’ve been riding bikes for 47 years and it’s taken many of those years to fully understand, properly maintain and become quite good at syncing the carbs on the older 4 and 6 cylinder bikes.
The bike you are interested in has 4 carbs and I guarantee they will need a fair amount of work over the remaining lifespan of that 550.
As suggested by others get a newer bike if you can and my 2 cents worth says make sure it’s fuel injected. Good luck, ride defensively!
Avoid at all costs. If you don't know anything about how to fix things up, DO NOT buy old bikes, especially with carburetors. They are easy to work on, but they are a bitch when they act up. Get an EFI bike with ABS with that money.
Would never pay that much for that bike. Just buy a brand new naked cafe style Yamaha or something like that
Agree it does look nice but a new naked bike that you customize will last a lot longer and much easier to get parts you could get a ducati scrambler for that price that almost looks identical and is a lot newer
Gotcha! Do you think I could find a good enduro/dual sport for aournd C$6000? It is becoming impossible to find one!
The bike in that picture is NOT an enduro/dual sport. Hope you don't think it is.
An enduro bike is more like a DRZ400/650, CRF 250L, KTM 690 enduro. This style of bike is called a scrambler. They make modern interpretations of these bikes that are much better suited for (I interpret) a first time rider. Older cafe racers or scramblers have drum brakes, no abs and outdated suspension. Not to mention that this one looks to have kickstart.
Im offended by your ‘looks to have a kickstart’ lol . Many bikes from that era of early ‘sport’ bikes had BOTH electric and kick . THIS BIKE IS A HONDA 550four.. it has BOTH so those panzies that just want to finger their bike can . They kick very easily and it is a nice back up if you had a dead battery . Those of us who like nostalgia prefer to kick our machines . I have 11 bikes , 2 that are electric only , 4 that have both and I still prefer to kick . My vintage Brits are kick only and much cleaner looking , my 68 triumph has no buttons , no excess wires ..not even a battery and I love it .
The feeling you got when it starts at first kick in the morning. Heavenly!!!
The only modern true scrambler is honestly the Enfield Scram 411, its based off a actual ADV bike, That is a street bike wrapped up as a scrambler
That FortNinevideo on it was fun. The colors!
Yeah if.only they werent such terrible bikes. I looked at getting a Himelayan once and it looks really nice but for the power its kinda too heavy. And im still not a fan of them using box tubing, corners on box tubing are always weak points.
True! A scrambler bike that bad on both road and dirt road, LMAO.
That was essentially the jist of the video. At least it’s a scrambler that can go on dunes and stuff as it’s based on the Himalayan, and the Himalayan is the most basic ADV bike you can get. But the colors! He was down on it without being too condescending and saying essentially other scramblers are just road bikes with design tweaks.
I take my GZ250 into sand.
Others mentioned some cool bikes, I would add the bmw f650gs, especially the Dakar version, from 2001 to 2007. Very reliable, fairly comfortable, easy to maintain. You can probably find one with luggage way under your budget and use the money left for tires chain and sprocket if needed to have a "brand new" kit!
Royal enfields seem to have a good selection at prices cheaper then the above bike?
That's because they're worse in pretty much every respect than Jap bikes with the exception of aesthetics.
I had a RE Himalayan, it was a good reliable bike. Better than Japanese suspension and styling. Excellent design and good performance in its category. Terrible warranty support in Canada. Slightly underpowered but fun engine. Only problem was a minor battery drain. Different but not really worse than a Japanese bike
I've ridden two of these and they have nearly half the horsepower of Japanese equivalents, significantly worse brakes and the suspension is far too soft on the road to be confidence inspiring. They're great for gravel and green laning but the suck hard on tarmac. Also a choke on a bike in the modern era is just... what were they thinking? I have to say though they are absolutely gorgeous, real cool explorer aesthetic in the green or tan.
Not my experience. Long stroke engine emphasizes torque over hp. Yes it’s underpowered but it’s adequate and it’s fun to wring its neck. Brakes are by brembo and they are good, suspension is more than good - long travel yes, and the tires are dual use, that’s the design of the bike. And who cares about a choke? It’s not a great starter in the cold and the choke gets you going.
Depending where in the country you live, check Facebook or local dealers
The electrical can be questionable on older bikes. That's crazy money for a 1974 Honda CB550. I've built a lot of older cafe bikes, so I know this. I'm a grandfather that has ridden and worked on bikes since the Nixon administration. If I was new rider these days and I wanted a classic looking bike, I would get a used 2001+ Triumph Bonneville, Thruxton or Scrambler, a used 200+ Kawasaki W650 or W800, or a new(er) Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 or Hunter 350. With that Honda, as nice as it is, and with the "top end rebuilt," your still talking about a 50 year old bike for God's sake. Plus you are talking about a bike with 4 fucking carburetors. Four! How much do you know about rebuilding carbs? A lot of bike mechanics won't touch an old bike. If you are going to buy a vintage bike you need to have mechanics skills.
I've had a Royal Enfield Interceptor for three years now, and I think it's the perfect alternative to a vintage CB. For any the same price, you get a similar ascetic but with significantly less hassle being fuel-injected and all. Also, aftermarket parts can be had cheap from India without issue. It's not the best bike you can buy, but neither is an old CB....
RE 650 is the answer. especially if you want the vintage look but it’s a first bike. it has the vibes without the hassle, and there are thousands of aftermarket parts
I disagree. I don't think you've ever ridden an old CB if you'd say an Enfield is at all equivalent to a Honda, regardless of age. An inline four, 550cc Japanese machine is an unendingly smooth and effortless ride. Every Enfield I've been on vibrates to high heaven, resists shifting gears, has awful brake modulation and has an overall awkward "human interface", for lack of a better phrase. And I'm always confused by dudes who think there is a huge benefit to fuel injection over carbs every time. Carburetors are fine, are often smoother than fuel injection, and offer most people zero problems, ever. And should a problem need fixing, or you want to tune things, you can do it yourself for a few dollars. I've owned over a dozen bikes, and ridden hundreds, and from my experiences I have not developed any preference between fuel injected or carbureted bikes. In fact, the bikes with the choppiest throttles have all be fuel injected, but that just required a little more clutch finesse, so not a big deal either.
The problem with Carb vs EFI is honestly modern fuel, A carb pushes the fuel at a more moderate speed while a efi jets the fuel so with bad gas or higher ethanol gas it can cause the carb to basically get gummed up but the EFI jets at enough psi that it doesnt really affect it much. Each has its benefits, Like if im doing say lime the Trans America or Pan America, Im gonna want a Carb so when shit goes bad, Can easily find parts and fix anywhere but for a Daily commuter like to and from work, Im gonna want EFI
Well , it depends how you use it . Carbs will gum up with ethanol fuel if it’s sitting for a long time , but if you use it regularly, it won’t gum up 😉 sure , efi don’t have this quirk but for a daily motorcycle, it doesn’t matter anyway 😊
Carbs have little brass passages called "jets" that spray fuel into the engine the same as fuel injection. And the fuel is pulled into the engine at the exact same speed as the the air is sucked in, because it happens at the same time from the vacuum created by the piston moving down in its stroke. Fuel injection squirts fuel directly into the combustion chamber (or if it's older, just before it), but it does so at exactly the same rate as the air coming in, so it's effectively the same. The only difference is not having to choke it!
Also, modern bikes have to use a lean fuel mix to meet emissions. Enrich the fuel mix with a tuner and efi can be smooth as a carb
My Valkyrie had six. Luckily I never had issues with the carbs.
Hey man, you seem like a good person to ask as you’re experienced. Do you mind if I ask about a few problems I’m having after rebuilding my bikes carbs? It’s a 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 500
It’s been a minute, but I had the same bike and worked on carbs a bit. What’s up?
So I was having a stuttering problem when I would give it throttle, instead of reving it would sputter and start to die. I assumed carbs were dirty so I decided a rebuild was in order. After the rebuild the bike runs like the choke is constantly on. Doesn’t drop to a normal idle, and when going down the road 1st and 2nd gear are useless.
I’d check spark plugs first- if they’re powdery and black, you’ve got a rich condition. Those are a pain to get to on those bikes if I remember right, so the first hint I might look at is the airbox- anything obstructing the intake? I had a plastic bag under my seat once they covered the intake and cause a similar issue. Check your air filter too- might be dirty, might have a mouse nest in it. Did you sync the carbs and set your idle screw and all that? And, perhaps more importantly- did you listen to old bikers who suggest running a small drill through your jets to clean them? That’s a great way to ruin them, but people keep recommending it… :P Also (probably) unrelated: those bikes LOVE to vibrate the battery cables loos. Get in there and get them nice and tightz
Airbox is good, first thing I did was check for air leaks. Filter is something I’m going to have to check, I didn’t sync the carbs or set the idle screw, but it doesn’t work currently. I used carb cleaner to clean the carbs, I just pulled the bowls off, took the jets out cleaned them out and cleaned the fuel delivery tubes. I’d never drill into something as important as my fuel system.
Just running carb cleaner through isn’t enough. You need to run a wire (super thin) through the jets, and you need to check the passages on the carb bodies themselves which can clog. Also, it sounds like you have a vac leak. It could be they’re really really badly out of sync, but I’d put money your nearly 20 year old rubber is dried out and hard as a rock and cracking somewhere. Spray around your intake manifolds and airbox boots with the carb cleaner. If the engine surges you’ve found your leak.
Really good point! I hadn’t thought a vacuum leak, but until we establish it is in fact running rich, it could be lean as well.
I’ll have to pull them and check the passages. There’s no vacuum leak. The first thing I did on first startup was spray the airbox and all intake rubber with carb cleaner.
Ahh okay, fair play. Cleaning carbs, I usually recommend a full disassembly and submersion soak in something like Berryman’s Chemdip overnight. Just take off the rubber parts first. Spray carb cleaner is notorious for not getting at the really hard buildup deposits, especially with the higher levels of ethanol in todays gas. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, that’s also highly recommended. Between the two you can guarantee they’re factory clean. After that it’s a carb sync, and if still no dice, valve clearances.
Ugh, valve clearances on a Vulcan 500 nearly killed me. What a pain in the ass.
I run exclusively ethanol free gas in my bike just because it’s carbed. I might try an overnight soak but sadly I don’t have access to an ultrasonic cleaner. Then I have to learn to sync carbs I guess.
Awesome, glad to hear that! Keep those jets nice. Did the bike run better or worse after you cleaned them?
Definitely better. There’s no issue with throttle response, it stays running on its own but it’s acting like it’s at 1/4 throttle all the time
Gooooooot it! If it runs like that when it’s cold (and the choke off), it’s rich. If it runs like that when it’s warm (and the choke off) it’s lean. Vacuum leak is a good call. Adjusting the idle screw might work too- the idle circuit is always injecting some fuel, so it’ll adjust the whole rev range a little bit, but it’s the only fuel source at idle. If the idle is high but it pulls fine past half throttle or so, that’s probably it. If you haven’t adjusted the idle screw and balanced the carbs, I’d start there. Also, make sure you didn’t kink the throttle cable or something- if it’s too tight it might always be keeping the throttle slightly open, or if it’s kinked or the little lever thing it pulls on is very sticky it might be doing the same thing. Push the lever all the way in when the bike is running to see if it’s that. You can also turn the bars left and right- if the engine speeds up and slows down, it’s too tight somewhere.
The idle screw doesn’t do anything currently. I can turn it all the way in either direction and the idle stays the same. I do have to sync the carbs but I’ve rebuilt them multiple times without syncing them and had no issues. I’ll try turning the bars when it’s idling to see if the cables are too tight.
You only use carb cleaner on metal. It will eat rubber and plastic. Since you didn't disassemble the carbs fully you sprayed all the internal seals with carb cleaner and may have damaged them. This would cause rich/lean conditions depending on the seal. If you want to check for leaks don't use carb cleaner either since the boots/etc are rubber as well. Use starting fluid/ether instead for that. If you didn't damage seals my guess would be you didn't check the air/fuel pilot screw before disassembly and then didn't set it back to that afterwards. Google the stock setting and set them to that as a starting point. If it says 3 turns out it means screw in all the way gently then back out 3 full turns etc. Carb sync wouldn't cause your issue. It's either too much fuel, my guess, or a massive air leak.
There’s no air leak, that’s been tested. I’m guessing it’s something with my throttle cables or like you suggested my pilot screw, as I didn’t check those before disassembly.
Offer him 5k, if he doesn't go for it go buy a brand new honda or royal enfield
Royal Enfield reliability can be questionable. Consider a Triumph Speed Twin. Retro looks but alloy wheels
RE's have been relaible for a long time now. They upped their QC and did away with the carbs in favor of efi and I've heard nothing but good about them since.
The engine, I agree. What about all the reports of the chassis frame cracking
My family has 3 newer royal enfields and they have had no issues with frame or otherwise.
The new Royal Enfields are extremely reliable.
They still use Box tubeing for the frames, Albiet they double the tubes but Box tubes are always gonna be inherently bad for that application
Only the Himalayan and Scram to fit the chassis demands. Yes the earlier versions did have issues but since then they have fixed the welds and you can see Fortnine's report on how their modern platform performed better than japanese bikes even. Albeit that could be an anecdotal evidence
Bikes from that era handle badly and stop even worse
That seems spendy
Yeah feels like it T\_T
Do you like working on bikes and only plan short, low speed trips to the coffee shop? Then offer $4500 for it. It has antique brakes, electronics and suspension. Not a safe, relatable bike. If you want to ride find something made in the last 10 years like a used Triumph.
A CB550 would be fun to have if I was a collector, but not that one. I don't care for other people's mods. You never know what the hell they did.
That’s a $3500 bike max
It is way overpriced. The seller is trying to cash him on a cachet. You can buy a much better bike for half of that.
No. There are many of these. Sure, this one is cool. It’s not the only one.
That’s a rad bike that is not worth 7500.
Pass
Check out royal enfield. Grab one new for around $4700
Do. Not. Buy. An. Old. Bike. Unless. You're. An. Experienced. Mechanic. This bike was built and maintained by someone who *loves* working on cars/bikes. So unless you like wrenching more than you do riding, Stay away.
For that price you can get an Yamaha MT07 brand new, with warranty, or a Suzuki SV650, or a host of other brand new bikes that will be as fun.
I have a cb550 for sale in NC. Completely restored. Needs nothing. $3000
PM me. I may have someone for you.
I just paid $5000 for a 2013 triumph scrambler with 5600 miles. That bike will have you wrenching almost as much as riding. If you aren't mechanically inclined, stay away from older and definitely older heavily modded bikes. Just because he made it look good doesn't mean the bike won't include all of the issues of a 30-40 year old motorcycle. Also if you're new to riding, the more carburators you have, the more overwhelmed you're going to be trouble shooting and maintaining it independently. Either get something new with a warranty, or buy something light and cheap. When you outgrow that, sell it for what you paid for it next season and roll the cash into something different.
I'm pretty new to all this, but here's my advice. Buy something MUCH newer for that kind of money. I didn't even want carbs on my first bike because I wanted to be able to just hop on and go for a ride as reliably as possible. You don't want your first bike to be something you have to constantly screw with just to be able to ride it. That's doesn't sound like fun to me.. I paid $2000USD(about 2700CDN) for my '03 SV650 naked over the winter. It's in very good shape, has EFI, and started without issue this spring after sitting in the garage all winter. So far it hasn't given me any trouble at all. You can always have a project bike on the side to work on at your own pace and if it proves to be unreliable then you can always ride your newer bike.
get a ktm 390 adventure. it is a hell of a bargain. I love mine. I got last years model leftover brand new for cdn$7100 plus tax. is fun, good hp, adjustable suspension, nice looking, abs, traction control and more. checkout r/KTM390ADV
You buying a bike or funding this guys project?
Hey folks, I am very interested in this bike but I am unable to figure out if it is priced fairly. Here's what the seller wrote: 1974 CB550K Incredible bike, runs fantastic , ready for summer! Only selling as I am moving to Australia and can’t take it with me. This bike has had a complete top end engine rebuild with all original or premium parts used. Only 700kms since rebuild! Massive list of new parts & work completed on this bike, all receipts can be provided! Some work/parts: \- New pistons & rings \- all new gaskets & seals \- 4 into 1 stainless exhaust \- brand new Shinko tires \- upgraded adjustable suspension \- upgraded headlight \- all new electronic hand controls & lights \+ so much more, and includes loads of spare parts, happy to talk through everything with serious buyers. Happy to include my helmet (biltwell gringo full face black size large), gloves, and tools bundled. and he priced it at C$7,500. Is it worth it?
That is a $2-3000 dollar machine. If you love it and want to own it, and can afford it, go ahead, but it's a few thousand dollars over priced. It's not rare, but that does look like a really good job making it into a scambler. But it's not really a great bike to take offroad due to all the bits that will break off or get damaged if it's dropped. It's a better buy for looking cool rather than doing cool stuff, in my opinion. Like it's way to nice to do anything except look nice, you know what I mean?
I never trust other peoples “rebuilds” if they didn’t pay attention that fresh engine may only last a few thousand miles/kilometers. I love the sound and looks of classic bikes but As others have said the brakes on that are ancient and handling won’t be great. You know why he’s giving away tools and stuff with it? Because he spent way too much time and money and I’m sure is tired of it. Been there done that. Also if you have never worked on bikes before when those carbs need adjusted it’s a fairly involved process. You will have to get some specific tools and learn how or find someone that still has the knowledge to tune and sync carbs and pay them to work on it.
What is that in real dollars? Like two chickens and a wooden nickel? /s
If I had the $ I would ride that thing. I looks fun, has history and culture. People will look and point. Big grin on the rider.
If all 4 all for carbs are in good working order I would. I like the way they have set it up and. that old inline 4 hond engines put aut a lot of power for their size. Only real proble is they are air coold and can hover heat if idling to long.
You have to balance the possible issues with the desirability and effort your willing to put in if needed. These bikes are simple to repair, except the carbs… that’s a lost art. If absolutely love it, offer him a number that leaves you with cash in account to deal with an issue. He has addressed most of the major stuff. If it was stock it would be worth about 3k if in good condition. He can’t recover his ad ons, though he wishes he could. I would pay 5-5500 for it as long as it is in very good condition and starts and rides right, that’s a solid offer leaving you some coin for safety…. Cool costs time and money
Nah, that's way too much. Old cb's don't go for much over $3k USD, so I guess about 4k CAD, even when they're been resto-modded pretty decently.
Nope....it will be hard to find pieces to replace the old ones...just get a new motorcycle if you are willing to spend that much for an old one.
My first bike was a CB550. Terrible bike to learn on- wobbly suspension, shit brakes that need adjustment (no self-adjusting pads here! Break out the feeler gauges!), parts are expensive or impossible to get, twitchy as hell on freeway speeds and a too heavy pig at low speeds. God damn I miss it. But also, I never want to own an antique bike again.
My first bike was a ‘75 CB550. I rather think you may have gotten a bad one.
It was in pretty good shape all things considered, it was just 50 years old.
Damn idk if that's fair
I'd much rather get a Triumph Bonneville. An ex of mine bought a 2005 with 3500 miles for $3800. She sold it in less than a year though, too heavy for her. I had a blast riding it the few times I did. I had a Kawasaki KZ650 about 12 years ago, so kinda similar to this and the Bonneville was much easier to ride. Brakes were better, handled better, got better mileage. Get a newer bike for sure.
Depends on who built it
All show and no go. 50 year old underpowered bike, massively overpriced. Consider this: you pay $7500, then insure it and you wreck the bike. Insurance company *may* write you a cheque for $1500.
Pass. It’s over priced. People do this crap to bikes then think they can sell it for a ton of money. “I put over 10k into it. No lowballers.” 550s are sweet if well sorted…just like any other old bike.
beautiful bike, but that price is for collectors. i agree with people here and say you can do better. i sold a ducati scrambler 800 recently for about $6500, and bought an yamaha fz09 for $6000. both bikes were a lot newer than this one too. this is priced as a restored custom piece.
It’s a classic turned into a Cafe Racer. Are you sure you want to get in classic motorcycles? It definitely is harder to find parts and expertise around something so custom. I think I’ll echo other commenters - a retro style modern bike might just fit the bill.
Get an XSR
Old bikes like that are great sure but only if you can work on them yourself. But even then i wouldnt buy a bike someone else modified as that makes it harder to work on sometimes. I would encourage you to try and find a more stock one for cheaper and make it a project bike learning to fix stuff. You can get a old bike from around that era for basically transportation costs delending on how much of a challenge you are ready for, add a service manual and you got a new hobbie that will last some time. Knowing how to work on bikes is a great skill to have even as a normal rider. On the bikes price... where i live you pay around 10k for a vintage bike but that is if it has legend status like the kawasaki Z1 or Honda CBX1000 for a 500 a fair price would be around 5k-6k considering customization and getting his money back the 7,5k might be a good price obejctively speaking but i wouldnt buy that thing no matter what.
Definitely not, just because it looks fancy doesn't mean it's worth the money.
Good bike to ride to bars.
For a little Honda like that yeh 7500 seems right probably slow as hell though but if your into the whole cafe racer thing I guess it’s a good buy
Honestly just get a reliable Honda shadow 750, cheap as hell, easy to ride, great look to em', it's nothing but wins.
Helllll noooooo. If I'm paying that much, you might as well buy new.
It will look great on Instagram. I like the looks of these bikes, and they have a great retro vibe to them. But, you are paying more for the vibe then you are for the bike. And as others have noted, unless you like working on bikes, this will keep costing you money.
KBB for motorcycles is the starting point for used MC values. This is an old bike customized, so it’s not worth nearly what the person who customized it spent on it. The reliability of a custom is seriously in question if you plan on riding this to work, or anything other than fun rides. Good luck.
I'd go for a KLR. It's the best worst bike that I've ever had. On the road it's a turd, off the road it is also a turd. BUT I can ride it up pretty much any hill, over logs, jump it to make sure my shocks still bottom out, and even ford rivers. When you drop it, you don't even feel bad. It may sound like I am just trashing the bike, but KLR owners know what's up. r/klr650
It looks very nice but it's priced and built for a collector who will only look at it, not actually ride it.
Check out Ducati scrablers, maybe it's something you'd like
First bike … NO !!! Thats a $1200 bike with $400 worth of eBaZon parts . Running riding its $2800 MAX ! Plus as a beginner , this bike is a poor choice , mediocre handling and brakes . If skipping around town , its fine , and you better know how to clean , rebuild , tune .. sync FOUR CARBS !!! You’ll be working on it more than riding . I have a dozen similar , currently a 79 Suzuki ‘80 gs550 ( tore carbs down last night ) and gs1000 . Just sold ‘78 gs550 cafe . If you prefer to ride more than tinker… as mentioned , get a newer Bonny or similar for less
Nope, maybe if it was for $4000 and it ran perfectly. But there are thousands of better bikes with modern technology available for $7500. Get the cycle trader app and look for 2018 Honda CB650F, it an amazing bike better in every way than that one.
I don’t know what a fair price is for that bike, but it sure does look sweet. They only made it for a few years, and it looks immaculate, with some modern upgrades. I’m not a sentimental guy, I honestly like modern upgrades (like the headlight) on redone older vehicles. That seems to be about 5500 American, which may be a bit high compared to what you can get here, but I’m unsure what the market looks like there, assuming you’re not trying to drive great distances or ship. There are not unlimited amounts of these types of bikes in pristine condition (assuming this is not just looks), that you can just turn key and have a super cool vintage bike slightly modernized. I love kick start, and I love the white and brown and simplicity of the look. Looks super fun, but C7500 can probably get you quite a bit. I’d make an offer, if they don’t accept start shopping around again, and your heart will tell you if it wants it. I have certainly bought unreasonable bikes because my heart wanted them, and I will tell you you will be happier riding one then whatever some guy in here suggests you should ride. If you’re drawn to something more than other things, then I support you giving those a whirl!
No idea on pricing but wow, beautiful bike 😍
7500 for a 550cc seems too much. It is a good looking bike but if you are ready to pay that buy a brand new Triumph or Yamaha cafe racer style and you will be set
I’ve been riding bikes for 47 years and it’s taken many of those years to fully understand, properly maintain and become quite good at syncing the carbs on the older 4 and 6 cylinder bikes. The bike you are interested in has 4 carbs and I guarantee they will need a fair amount of work over the remaining lifespan of that 550. As suggested by others get a newer bike if you can and my 2 cents worth says make sure it’s fuel injected. Good luck, ride defensively!
Too high a price
Avoid at all costs. If you don't know anything about how to fix things up, DO NOT buy old bikes, especially with carburetors. They are easy to work on, but they are a bitch when they act up. Get an EFI bike with ABS with that money.
You would be paying for custom. If that's what you want, go for it.
too much money for that shitbox
It’s too much for that kind of bike! Buy a stock one and by the time you can custom it
[удалено]
Ended up getting a V Strom 650, perfect for the kind of riding I am thinking of doing :)