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750 vs 550

burrpenick

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I owned a '75 550F for years, thinking of getting another basically for collecting. Not sure if I'd rather have the 750, what are the opinions
of the owners? Was happy w/the smoothness of the 550, had enough power, and looked fairly lean at 421lbs Appears the 750 is about 50lbs more and more powerful of course, any service advantages- the valves were no fun to adjust and seemed to need it about every 3k miles. I know the 4 pipers system is heavy and lean to the 4-1, but is the front end heavy on these older bikes- and if so, can a used late model be easily adapted? thanks, George in Tallahassee
 

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Hmmm....I might get chased outta town, but some say the 500/550s were the best 4s....
Especially if you ride the twisties.....😉
"Best" being smooth and flickable in this context....purely subjective....similarly some say the z650 Kawasaki was "better" than the 900s/1000s...
(I have owned both Hondas..a 1975 550cc and a sohc 750F2...my orange 550f being kitted out with a bikini fairing and aftermarket 4into1 and pod filters with rejet carbie fettling...the 750 having period S&W rear shocks and aircaps fitted but fairly standard otherwise)

A 750 (sohc) will give more oomph....and is bullet proof if well maintained. again screw tappets will need regular adjustment on the 750s as per the smaller wetsump 550 you had.....being heavier the 750 will magnify the handling shortcommings of these early inline 4s if not upgraded or at least reconditioned after 50years...(imho😄 as i remember it)....
IMHO...The early 750s up to bout 1973 seem to have a higher resale value and are more collectable generally....and are iconic in superbike history....and thats not tangible...

This post is my thoughts only....its not "black and white"...good luck with whatever cc you choose....
 
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Interesting you had an orange 550 too, and w/a 1/4 fairing- mine came from Dicks cycle west in CA! The double hump seat came later and I ended up putting the old cover/foam back on when that one wore out. My bike had real metal flake, but I've seen others that were more metallic than flake, was this only a year model change or did only lthe early F models come w/the large flake paint? Am I overthinking the valve adjust at 2-3k miles- like if they were not adjusted, the clacking w/not really do any harm? One last bit- my clutch w/ make weird noises if I took off hard w/higher revs. The shop said that was normal. I sold the bike w/24K miles and never had any issues w/anything... George fr WV but now in FL
 
Honda recommended valve lash check/adjust is every 3000 miles. They generally dont change much, if you have a couple that change every time then you have something that is wearing more than its supposed to.
 
Bought my 1975 CB550F SS brand new in Huntingdon TN- from what was advertised as the biggest selling Honda dealer in the US. $1529 out the door... I did all my maintenance, and just didnt like the sound of the valves ticking- maybe I should have just waited till 3K and done them, but I never had a hick up from that engine ever, used Castrol GTX 20-50.
Anyone else comment on the size of the metal flake on these 75's vs the later metallics? Also was the clutch weak on these- as in slipping when pushed hard on a take off?
 
The clutches did slip kind of easy compared to other bikes. 20-50 is pretty heavy for the 550, probably took half the HP just to pump that around.....
 
I was worried that it turned what was then high revs (9200 red line?) so I used the 20-50; this was warm weather riding mostly...
So maybe aftermkt clutch plates, maybe even stronger springs w/have cured that slippage?
 
20w50 oil probably in specs for warm ambient temp. riding...as per FSM and owners manual???
Dont have the manual handy but recommended for my Cx500/Cb750Dohc current rides...

Keep in mind most of us were using "car oils" back in the times of sohc new purchases...interested to see if slip would occur with a modern MA/MA2 rated oil...
 
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