CB550SC Project

[CB550Jas]

Great! Thank you Todd, looks like I did put it back properly, just looked a bit wrong to me... unless of course yours is wrong too

Appreciate the help guys, stay tuned for more.

Jas

[ToddW]

Great! Thank you Todd, looks like I did put it back properly, just looked a bit wrong to me... unless of course yours is wrong too

I considered the same thought but I was informed by the seller that engine was never removed, only the heads.  The lower mounts look nothing like the uppers, so don't let the difference fool you.

[B83550nighthawk]

Mine looks like that too...

[CB550Jas]

Thanks, that's a relief! 

Really appreciate the support

[CB550Jas]

Finally making some real progress after getting those stuck exhaust studs out. Should be ready to fire up in a week then ready for the road a week after that. Just discovered that the rear indicators held part of the seat assembly on so the new mini ones won't fit or help secure the rear grab bar. Might have a work around for that one - anyone else done it? Need to make some room for the fuses in the headlight and will unfortunately have to recover the seat agin as I found out I made the fron too short and you can see a gap behind the tank. Doh.

[CB550Jas]

Well I think it's as finished as these projects ever are, it's all road legal working beautifully apart from a little carb tuning still to tweak. I'm really happy with the finished look, the matt black frame and headers work well with the high gloss metal flake paint job and polished aluminium parts. The round headlight looks right and the bars are slightly less pulled back compared to stock - but still a 7" rise. The mufflers are a little too loud, straighthru with turned out slash cut ends but I have the quieter megaphones the bike came with. I restyled the seat and like the smoother finish which took two attempts. If I had to do it all again I would have probably taken the block off and had that and the head blasted and painted, it was a horrible job trying to get old paint off the engine with it all in one piece. It was the high cost of the gasket set that put me off in the end.

It ended up taking 12 months but I loved doing it (I figured 3 tops at the outset!), the Honda has been a dream to work on; the engineering is superb so it fitted back together like it was a self Assembly kit right out of the box. No rust to speak of and only the stuck exhaust studs tested my patience. After clocking up a few hundred k's I have decided to sell it whilst the weather is still good - it's actually just a bit too quick for my liking; I got off sports bikes because I was heading for impending disaster and thought a cruiser would be less likely to tempt me to hoon about, but the 550 wants to rev! So maybe a V-Twin next any suggestions?

I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you that helped me through this project, without nighthawk-forum it would still be in pieces in the garage, but you guys took the time to send me pictures and answer my dumb questions, I am sure I will keep looking back in now that I'm a seasoned nighhawk project-er!

So what do you reckon she's worth - remember possibly only one of two 550SC in the country, priceless I reckon... 

pics to follow very shortly....

[CB550Jas]

Here they are...

[CB550Jas]

one more...

[fishmeister]

I say the old girl is worth as much if not more than every other 83 550. That's the glory of restoring a common scooter.
What kind of paint did you use on the pipes?

It really does look quite nice tho...

[scoathy]

She looks like a shiny new penny! Is that the stock instrument cluster? I've seen these on ebay and am considering this as a replacement for the stock set on my 84 650. Not sure how it would align to the current mounting holes and ignition switch though.

Very nice work you've done!

[hppants]

That bike's gorgeous.  Great job.

[hockeyhawk]

     Bike looks awesome. I'd love to see a video of that thing running so we can hear that exhaust.

[Brittles]

Very nice and tastefully done. 

[CB550Jas]

Thank you all for your comments, in answer to the questions;

1) The headers were painted with P51 VHT exhaust paint, used the entire can
2) Yes that is the original instruments, doubt they would fit the 650 but a look at the parts drawing might help
3) I will see if I can get a video but the pipes are so loud I bet it will distort, might work if I stand 100yds away!

Now to send a pic to the guy I bought it from... 

[luckylindy]

 That looks fantastic.  Great job.

[chromy]

That's a great looking restore you've accomplished!
I know that took time, patience, and $$$$!
Well done.

[tomb raider]

Another Honda saved 


I'm looking at painting my pipes to, Was that paint from the bike shop ?

[CB550Jas]

I used PJ1 fast black http://www.thevisorshop.com/acatalog/PJ1_USA_Products.html don't know if it's available in the US though. Was about $10 but you need an entire can just to cover the headers and you need to rub them down well to get a good fix. Then lots of light thin coats and time to dry inbetween.

[tomb raider]

Gotcha, you bike is Rad... Love the older Honda's.....

[isleofmanfan]

Nice looking scooter.  I really like the red plug wires, it gives the package a nice snap.  Reminds me of my Z-28 hot roddin' days.

[Hangster]

I cant belive how nice of a job you did on that bike  .....Super sweet and looks better than it did when new , you're a credit to rehab bike folk everywhere    Awesome Pics

[CB550Jas]

Thanks for all the comments! As summer is over I have decided to keep her safe and sound in the garage over winter and think about selling in the spring, but probably won't! I looked for a nice V-Twin project but the Magnas looked funny and nothing similar was coming up cheap - so I ended up with a Kawasaki ZZR600 project instead, it was sooooo cheap I couldn't resist (bloody Ebay!) So looks like I'll be in the garage all winter again...

[CB550Jas]

scruffy sports bike project...

[CB550Jas]

I know it's not a Nighthawk but there's the result of that scruffy sportsbike project after 10 months

[NightHawked]

Very nicely done, I bet ya this is not your first.