Alright, let’s dive into this Honda 550 Four Super Sport saga. I’d been wanting a project, something with a bit of soul, you know? Stumbled across this one, advertised as a “good runner, needs a little TLC.” Yeah, right. We’ve all heard that one before. The pictures looked decent, price wasn’t too crazy, so I figured, why not? Went to pick it up, and the guy was all smiles. Should’ve been my first warning sign.
First Impressions and the Ugly Truth
Got it back to my garage, under the good lights. That’s when the “little TLC” started to look more like a full-blown resurrection. The chrome, man, it was more rust than shine in places. Tank had a sneaky dent the seller conveniently forgot to mention, or photograph. And the engine? Let’s just say “good runner” was a very optimistic description. It turned over, sure, but it sounded like a bag of spanners in a tumble dryer.
So, the first job was just to see what I was really dealing with. Pulled the plugs – oily. Checked the oil – looked like tar. This wasn’t going to be a weekend job, that much was clear pretty fast. It was one of those moments where you sigh, grab a coffee, and wonder if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
The Teardown – Deeper and Deeper
Started taking things apart. Every bolt seemed to be either seized or rounded off by some previous ham-fisted owner. The wiring loom looked like a rat’s nest – random splices, frayed wires, the works. Honestly, it’s a miracle it even sparked.
The engine came out next. That was a bit of a wrestling match. Those old inline fours are dense little buggers. Once it was on the bench, I started digging in. Head off, cylinders off. Piston rings were shot, bores were scored. Not a disaster, but definitely adding to the bill and the workload.
And the carburetors! Oh boy. Four of them, all gunked up. Looked like someone had tried to clean them with molasses. Stripped them down completely. Every tiny jet, every o-ring. Spent ages with carb cleaner and tiny wires. It’s tedious work, but you gotta do it right, or it’ll never run properly.
- Stripped and cleaned every single carb component.
- Fought with stuck float bowl screws.
- Sourced new gasket kits, which wasn’t as easy as I hoped.
Parts Hunting and Frustration
Then came the parts hunt. This is where old bike projects can really test your patience. Some bits for the CB550 Four are easy enough to find, repro stuff mostly. But other things? Genuine Honda parts are getting rare and expensive. Spent hours, days even, scrolling through forums, eBay, calling specialist suppliers. You find a part, think you’re sorted, then it arrives and it’s the wrong damn one, or it’s in worse shape than what you were replacing! It’s a proper rollercoaster, that part of the process. You get a win, then three setbacks.
The exhaust was a particular pain. The original was rotten. Finding a decent replacement system that didn’t cost the earth took months. Ended up with a set that needed a bit of “persuasion” to fit. Classic.
Putting It Back Together – Slow and Steady
Engine rebuild was slow. Honed the cylinders, new rings, new gaskets all round. Checked valve clearances about a million times. Everything cleaned, torqued to spec. Slowly, slowly, it started to look like an engine again.
Then mating the engine back into the freshly cleaned (but not repainted, I’m not going for a show bike here) frame. More wrestling. More scraped knuckles.
Wiring was next. Decided to simplify it a bit, get rid of some of the ancient, unnecessary stuff. Still took ages, continuity tester buzzing away.
Got the carbs back on, synced them up as best I could on the bench. Fuel lines, new battery, fresh oil.
The moment of truth was getting closer. You know that feeling? Mixture of excitement and dread. Will it even fire up? Or will it just cough and die, or worse, leak oil from everywhere?
The First Fire-Up and What’s Next
Hit the starter. Cranking… cranking… a splutter! A bit more throttle… and then VAROOOM! It actually ran! Smoked a bit from all the assembly lube and whatever was in the (not so great) exhaust, but it ran. And it sounded pretty sweet, actually. That typical Honda four whine. That’s the payoff, right there. All those hours, all that frustration, just melts away for a moment.
Still got some tuning to do. Needs a proper road test to see how those carbs are behaving under load. Brakes need a final bleed. Little cosmetic bits here and there. It’s never truly “finished,” is it? But it’s a running, riding motorcycle again. From a questionable “ran when parked” heap to something with a heartbeat. It wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t quick, and it definitely wasn’t always fun. But yeah, I’d probably do it all over again. Maybe. Ask me next week.
