I drove my little Accent to Bracey, VA and back (~900 miles) last week and managed to hit 39mpg...with a 16' Mad River Canoe on the roof. Pretty impressive for a little cheap car.
Kit bikes are a bit different than "rebuilt" bikes. The manufacturer of the frame will supply you with a MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin) which will function as a title (of sorts) to get it titled in your state.
There's a shifter shaft seal and a countershaft sprocket seal. They're both known for leaking. When you get ready to do the shifter shaft seal, remove the old one with a small screw and a pair of vise grips. The new one will just slip right into place. Be sure to wrap the splines of the shifter...
That Lockhart fairing came from Dennis Kirk in the mid-nineties. I don't know if they're still available, but I'm not so sure I'd recommend them anyway. It was pretty flimsy and would shake really bad at any speed over 60 mph or so. A simple brace could be built to tie the upper portion of the...
You'l find that the 74 CB550 is much closer to the 73 CB500 than the 75 CB550. As far as the case screws go, invest in an impact driver (the ones you hit with a hammer). They're fairly inexpensive, but will save you many headaches.
Most of the parts are readily available, with some...
Cool bike. I've owned three '74 CB550's, a '75 CB550, and two CB750's (one K model and one F model). Bullet-proof design, and super easy to work on.
My last CB750...
I used to have some pics of my CB550 cafe racers, but I think they may have been lost when my shop computer took a crap.