Cafe Racer Project cb550

[123maxence321]

is it difficult to change a stock cb 550 to this beauty? have you done modifications to the frame? please respond

[orenbec]

Who makes that front suspension, where'd ya get it? Thats an awesome look. I've been looking for a setup like that for months! Please help!

[GavinS1965]

Nice.

[mdanangp]

Fuckin badass.

[MrKgreen14]

what fork is that and does it take a lot to make it fit on the bike? verrrry nice bike btw

[socalredneck666]

gsxr1000 forks/triple clamps… how hard was that?

[cashmeout]

where did u get your pipes?

[kodakZX1]

Love it!

[lossy7]

Looks good , can't wait to make mine. I ride a gsxr 600 now, but seeing these cafe racers I love them.

[PeaceXthroughXmusic]

Whats the diameter of the pipe back of the collectors (at the tail)? It definitely gives it that nice hollow sound, awesome bike!

[batvette]

Is the bike tiny or is this guy from the land of giants... or am I just sniffing too much glue before I view?

[HardcourJustin]

What year is the 550? Did you do any custom work to the frame?

[7mJoe]

Beautiful bike. Beautiful sound. It's so tasteful man! I love it!

[hawaiisidecar]

Great work! Do a video riding it.

[JondogC]

awesome work man

[BusyBeeCompany]

Love the old engines where you can count the rpm...makes me miss my old villiers

[roboedar]

Geez, this probably sounds like another stupid question. But what modifications did you do to the gear shifter and the brake pedal to make it at that angle? Reason I ask is because most bikes like this I notice have a foot rest sort of thing that sits kinda flat, but i notice yours sits more like a sport bike.

[WillyPhister]

that bike is hot secks.

[danzofear]

You look like my ex's new bf, and for that I must dislike you and your sweet ride.

[stfuBUDDY]

@danzofear hahah faggot i hope she is choking on his dick,

[123spasser123]

Great job - is it difficult to mount the new fork? I got a Cb 650, and was thinking about doing the same thing to mine with the front

[fitztheviking]

that is a very nice bike. did you do much modding to the frame?

[kawa7900]

Now that sounds so nice , The 550 sounds like a strangled fart with its standard pipes , so its so nice to hear one that can breath . A real nice touch to an old classic

[9739326257]

it's a beauty.. wish i own one.. :)

[elnuse]

do you think a zanella sapucai could be turned into a cafe race?

nice bike , congrats

[Haroldkappers]

nice!!!

[dkm221186]

Very sic bike! did you do the fiberglass work for the cafe style seat? happy riding.

[uptobunks]

@dkm221186

I did do the fiberglass work for the seat. I used foam to make the outer shape, then made a fiber glass mold over the top that I then used as the female mode for the final seat. Thanks

[tpvalley]

@uptobunks

do them tyres corner ok?

[1min2thenext]

nice

[socalredneck666]

siiiicccckkkkk, totally unique little high performance cb, nice job man

[pmay222]

fuck mee you are throwing some money at that mate...just get an r6..cheaper..

[uptobunks]

@pmay222

Actually, the build was done on the cheap. You know this can be done if you do the work yourself...

R6???? Why would i want just "one more" cookie cutter moto?

[MASIFURI]

@pmay222 R6 are boring bike that every man and his dog owns. Good on these guys that know what real bikes are.

Dude your CB550 is amazing. keep it up.

[UnivoxMax]

@pmay222 OMG this guy has no clue what He's talking about.

[pmay222]

@UnivoxMax heya...my initial comment was tongue in cheek...it reads different to how you would say it to somebody perhaps.. but this bike looks like it has some pricey parts thrown at it. i would much prefer this bike myself to a boring ooh look at mee im on a plasticky r6 same as all the other weekend fashion fairweather bikers. and a bike like this would be far more satisfying to own after creating if oneself.... all these new crotch rocket 170mph machines are taking biking the wrong way

[ty5881]

Dude, I have a stripped cb550 right now... Carbs are really, really holding me up.... Any idea where I can get a set of good ones?!?! I've tried looking everywhere!!!

[cwalkfil]

how much money went into the project?

[adioman00]

NICE SOUND *------*

[terence20001]

Very nice design. The angle of the rear shock's run's great with the frame. 5*

[cafedumondo]

The stance of the bike is perfect. Please, do post up more vids of the finished project...

[skillet441]

Nice swing arm

[bqquintero]

how do i get that hollow racing exhaust sound?? love it man

ever finish the build??

[uptobunks]

The hollow racing sound comes from having an open pipe, and the fact that the exhaust is a true yoshimura racing exhaust from the 70's.

I did finish the build and have been asked several times lately to put up a new video, which I will do shortly so stay tuned. Thanks

[saxracing]

I'm just a jalous guy...

[khiddy]

Hey Squirley...got milk?

[A4TS]

I am curently building up my cb350 with mikuni vm30's and a cam. I dont really have the coin for a good set of silencers. Whats your opinion on running an open header or removing all baffeling from current garbage silencers. Im sure it wont help much (other than in the sound dept.) but do you think it could cause any damage? someone told me that it could damage my valves. any input would be apreciated

[Alemi9]

yo dude wats up sweet bike.. got a quick ques. for u i just cut my pipes on my cb550.. in order to get the back pressure back wat do i have to do adjust the carbs? longer pipes? can u give me a hand thx pal

[manchicken3]

squirley?

[MilwaukeeLAX]

im supposing the forks/trees are from a early cbr? now... ive never really understood how you do that.... mate a new front end to and old frame... how abouts to you do that?!

[fryloc359]

You have to swap the stem from the old forks to the new, then it bolts up.

[MilwaukeeLAX]

what about the races/bearings in the head tube, should that meet up fine to the new forks?

[uptobunks]

This particular swap was very simple. you can source bearings for just about any sice ID or OD these days. The gsxr steering stem is 30mm OD at both top and bottom... this means that the standard roller bearings for the lower cb550 will fit the gsxr tube. The upper bearings were from ALL BALLS RACING. I forget what part numbers I found to fit, but if you go to the sohc4 forum link already posted, my build page tells what there were. NO STEM CHANGES WHATSOEVER.

[mike13thirteen]

what year and size gsxr trees and forks?that's fuckin sweet.

[ggllnc]

thats a nice one man.

[wsharp23]

what does cafe racer mean? is it just a style??

[adrianhabicht]

Love it.. I just started on my cb650 cafe build!

[represto]

Looks like an open pipe to me

[Alemi9]

yo dude wat kind of exhaust is that i have the same bike and looking to make mine sound like that

[uptobunks]

The exhaust is a yoshimura pipe from way back. They aren't made anymore, but you can find replicas out of japan

[mikefmc]

hey man could you please email me some info on the exhaust?

ill send you a private message with the email

[Huhuhuidu]

The bike looks 100 % harmonious!

Really nice.

[clarencecrowcarter]

Sweet scoot mate. Must be a blast to grab a handful and hear THAT!

[msw823]

at around 21sec a nut or something falls off the bike and hits the floor lol...that bike is seriously bad A....the reason why i love it is the inverted forks! bad

[BMiobW]

Great bike!

[matteobarbariol]

sweet

[MrFergdog]

Did you hand fab the tank indents? weld up the header pipe with the up tube? Looks great, a lot like benji's cafe racers... Good work man!

[uptobunks]

Thanks for the kind works all. The tank was originally a cb750 super sport tank. I made large reliefe cuts in the sides and removed the flush mount cap on top. then rewelded the sides and a classic style lid on top.

[meomy12]

rock`n roll on wheels !! beautifull !!!

Look at mine at " v11 cafe racer " in gulf colours..

keep on rockin !!

[xngpnk]

damn. best looking cb550 i've seen. great job on it man.

[jsclownn]

which wheels and tire sizes set up are you using? also, how did you make the front brake and axle aswell as the upper anf lower tripple work with the gsxr forks? did you have to modify the hub and the steering neck on the frame?

[uptobunks]

Go to the SOHC4 forums and then to the project shop section. Look for a thread called "Squirley's 550 Cafe Build." You may need to sign up to see the pictures.

All the info is there on forks, wheel, bearings, etc. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[sigshooter21]

One more question. I have the motor of mine pulled apart from the crank up. Now i need gaskets and honda doesnt make them. Do you know where i can get some or do i need to custom make them. Thanks

[uptobunks]

Ask any questions that you need.

I got my gasket set off ebay, but I think that Parts N More and David Silver Spares carries them.

You should consider joining the SOHC4 Forums as there is an unlimited supply of knowledge and resources there. Hope this helps

[sigshooter21]

How did you eliminate the battery. Is there a kit? That looks great without the plastic on to cover it.

[uptobunks]

Thanks for the comment. As for the battery, it along with regulator, starter switch, etc. is hidden under the back seat hump. If I ever get my stuff together, I will do a detailed video of the ins and outs of the bike as a finished product. Hope this helps

[vegataxkc]

Where did you get those rear shocks? I have been looking for some for my 77cb550 cafe.

[uptobunks]

The shocks are from a cb900 and can also be found on a cb1100. Just a heads up, they are about 14" eye to eye, so quite a bit longer than stock.

[bigbad900]

wow , perfect look. . is the seat fiberglass or steel.

[bigbad900]

After watching your vid i realized how much i loved the look of your rear frame so I went and did the similar on my 550 , except instead of pushing forward the shocks i went ahead and stuck a mono shock under the seat . Freaking clean look!

[uptobunks]

The seat is fiberglass...for now. I will eventually make it out of aluminum

[slartybartfarst10]

Im building a CB750 KO cafe I run a standard 1 and have enough bits left over + race tank but like you have done i want a modern front end but with wire wheels and double discs this bike just looks so right what was the front wheel n forks off that gives u 6 pots and wire wheels

[millchaz]

At about 22 seconds, looks like you lost a nut from the left side somewhere.

[uptobunks]

Yep, you would be correct. I was trying to find a good spot to weld on the kickstand bracket, and what you see is the nut that was holding the kickstand. Pretty funny, I finally get it going and it looks like it is already falling apart.

[DspecDJ]

thats a serious looking front fork, what was the donor bike?

[uptobunks]

The front fork and brakes are from a gsxr1000. Very much overkill, but I like the look.

[khiddy]

This is the coolest cafe I've seen on here so far. Nice looking bike. You selling any of these? If so, how much?