Amazing Pristine 1974 Honda CB550 Four head turner

Up for sale is a just-finished renovation of a mostly-original 1974 CB550 Four. arguably the most beautiful design of the 550 line. It turns heads from blocks away and starts conversations at every traffic stop. Between the unique sinking teardrop decal and the sunrise orange paint. the orange 74 is one of the standout favorites of an all-time great Honda model. and already a classic in its own right.

The plan was to build this one for myself. My loss is your gain. because the project was done with love and no expenses spared. It came from a kid who was mid-way toward turning it into a caf?© racer when he ran out of money. Fortunately he kept all the original parts. It was non-op for over 12 years.

The paint job is incredible. spectacular. Done by Randy at marblesmotors. com. who can nail Honda?ˆ™s sunrise orange and make it exact. The only way you can tell it wasn?ˆ™t done by Honda is that it has no flaws or imperfections. Honda never painted this well.

All major mechanical work was done by Kurt Winter at valleycycles. net. He?ˆ™s a master at keeping old 4-carb Hondas healthy. To say it runs perfect would sell it short. It starts with a touch and runs exactly like it was meant to. The 4 into 1 pipes give it just a bit more pop than the originals did. in both sound and acceleration. While I?ˆ™m more into the look of original pipes. I can see why the rat bobbers and caf?© racers put these hotter ones on. Fast or slow. it?ˆ™s a thrill to ride.

All chrome is bright. with the exception of two small rust spots on one rim.   The original seat is pristine; it even still has the plastic coating on the chrome strip. The inside of the tank was professionally flushed and relined prior to repainting.

Issues/left to do: The turn signals work when using the touch method. but the click doesn?ˆ™t work. I think there?ˆ™s a flasher (beep signal) missing that shorts it out. The front brake caliper took weeks of soaking to break loose prior to rebuilding it and the master cylinder. and now it squeaks a bit. also noticeable when pushing it in neutral. Maybe there?ˆ™s a slight drag that needs adjusting. I?ˆ™ve been thinking it was getting better. There?ˆ™s a very slight weep of oil on the stacks. mostly on the left. Not one drop has hit the ground. I?ˆ™ve only wiped them off 2-3 times since early spring. riding all summer in high heat. Kurt says the compression is great and not to even think about gaskets until a ring job is warranted. Sometimes old gaskets weep and reseal after riding for a while; after hundreds of miles it seems about the same. but hasn?ˆ™t gotten any worse. The kid before me painted the spokes black. which is hardly noticeable and even sorta looks cool. You know how the old Honda spokes suck. I wouldn?ˆ™t bother with them until I get around to tires. and then would probably go with new stainless. The right fork boot has a crack. It would make sense to change those out whenever you get around to redoing the front end. (also true for any remaining 40 year old rubber parts). I didn?ˆ™t redo/replace the old faded and cracked gauges (yet). my artist son has been arguing that the older look is cooler; same with leaving a small worn through spot on the headlight bucket.

No tool kit or owner?ˆ™s manual. It comes with one extra side cover (left). The originals are intact. solid and shown in the pics. It has clear and legal title and current tags in CA.

This bike is listed locally and subject to immediate sale at any time. $500 deposit within 24 hrs. of auction close. Full payment within 7 days. PayPal accepted. Questions? Call Larry - 562-201-1524

Also published at eBay.com