I forgot to mention in this that I'm super-grateful to my good pal, Winkle, who allowed me to use his workshop, bust a few of his tools, put up with me trying to run before I could walk, and generally help me from total newbie to someone who has at least a good understanding of why my welds look like pigeon shit! Having someone like this who was totally tolerant of me taking up some of his space was truly crucial in my ability to put this bike together. Thanks man, you're a true friend!

@beobe99

5 жыл бұрын

Awesome build man, super clean.. And it sounds super crisp!

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

@@beobe99 cheers man!

@iwantoffroad

5 жыл бұрын

@stephen do you have any more videos on this bike or a forum build thread ?

@thewanderingrey8830

5 жыл бұрын

Great work mate. I don't know if I have enough patience to work for two years transforming a piece of crap into a beauty like yours but the result is certainly stunning! Great job and Happy New Year!

@danwarren6068

5 жыл бұрын

What carb jetting did you go for in the end?

The Exhaust note is EPIC ! 😳

@garyjohnson4575

5 жыл бұрын

When I was young the seventies bikes were all being run with open headers. You could hear them echoing off the buildings in Manhattan. I said someday that's going to be me, and when it did that was an extremely happy moment. I knew some kid was listening to wide open headers, popping like fireworks on deceleration (we didn't have Power Commanders, only jets.) Back in the 80's that popping was great in tunnels!!

@John-yg2rt

5 жыл бұрын

This thing sounded nothing like I expected it to

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

It’s a mental sound, isn’t it? To be honest, it’s the real reason (other than the look) that I love this thing

@Redshift313

5 жыл бұрын

This thing is in the ideling Key of Ab/G# sweet

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

Redshift313 cool man, how’d you figure that out?

As someone who has worked on many old Japanese bikes. I'll save some people years of trouble. Steve is right! If you want the most power, and the best throttle response, and the best high RPM performance, leave your stock airbox, 100% stock. Also leave your mufflers 100% stock, with the factory baffles. Do not drill a single hole in the air box. Do not change to a different air filter. Run the stock carburetors with their vacuum slides, with a stock air filter, and stock air box, in the stock location. Do not modify it. You will be absolutely astonished how much more power your bike has with the stock air box, even though it looks like it has a tiny orfice, it was engineered to work properly. As soon as you drill a single hole in the air box, you drastically change the jetting requirements, and the engine will not have as much power. I rode for years on 400cc Yamaha XS400 twin, and it never had very much power, and felt boggy. One day I plugged the 1" holes I had drilled in the airbox, and the engine gained 20% more power on top, it became a snarling beast that wanted to rev to 10,000 rpms. If you open up the mufflers, that also changes the jetting. The easiest way to start a motorcycle project is to start with stock mufflers, and a stock airbox. Then, modify ONE THING at a time, while making a before and after comparison. You'll never know how much power your engine is supposed to have, unless you start with the STOCK AIR BOX, and STOCK JETTING. If you don't know what the "baseline" is, then you'll be searching endlessly without any reference, wondering what your bike is supposed to run like. Start stock, even if it seems counter intuitive.

That racey sound is savoureux

I keep returning to this bike as one of my favorite builds

@stephenmarshall6004

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks mate!!

@jasunjames

4 ай бұрын

Me too lol

@iantaylor6832

29 күн бұрын

I hope to have mine as nice as this sweet bike 💯💯💯

sweet sweet bike man

That’s sounding fantastic!

I just love these regular rides series. Thank you !

Fantastic restore - absolutely love it. So many cool bikes/bikers at the Bike Shed. The UK riding scene rocks!

Amazing job. Beautiful, clean lines and great attention to detail. Sounds great too.

that looks sweet. So glad you got into this, nothing like a project to give you purpose in life! love the 70's engine...they look bulletproof.

nice work, love the indicators

One of my favorites on here recently, beautiful.

Amazing work. I would have given up long ago. Congratulations.

That's a beauty. Such a lot of work into it. It sounds amazing too. 👌

Sounds amazing and looks clean and simple.

Super clean and beautiful!!! Great job!

This is so sweet, absolutely beautiful lines and subtle but unique features in the top plate etc.

that's a beauty of a built.

Magic. Buttons/swiches are brutal!

Nice clean and honest bike, well done! Those pipes are awesome too. Enjoy what is a great bike.

Very clean build. Well thought out and executed. I give it high marks in all areas.

Was not expecting that exhaust note. Epic.

Lovely build and great job on the tail section.

Good Job on the Rebuild !!

That is One Beautiful bike. The exhaust sound is out of this world. 👍💯

Handsome bike! Love this kind of silhouette and stance.

I fell in love as soon as I saw that smooth little rear cowl.

Oh wow, I wish I had the skill, time, patience and where-with-all to do something like that - lovely machine (and I don't even like cafe racers!!).....great vid once again guys, lovin' your content....

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

If I can teach myself to do all this, having zero background in the process, so can you!

@jaydmhearne

5 жыл бұрын

Here you go... suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=268604241&damageUnrepaired=NO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED&isSearchRequest=true&maxFirstRegistrationDate=1950&minFirstRegistrationDate=1930&pageNumber=5&scopeId=MB&sfmr=false&sortOption.sortBy=searchNetGrossPrice&sortOption.sortOrder=ASCENDING&searchId=3e0bf6c1-b5b3-984f-3b8a-ca8ae1e5779a

@TheMissendenFlyer

5 жыл бұрын

@@stephenmarshall3175 Nice one Steve - love your bike but don't underestimate your achievement here - what you've done is something very special that not everyone can do....because of skill, time, patience, where-with-all, etc.....enjoy and ride safe buddy!

Stunning looking Bike m8,,,well done,,,,,wow

@stephenmarshall4427

4 жыл бұрын

Colin Wood thanks Colin

Love the switches. Hell of an undertaking, you're a brave man! The end result is definitely worth it - nice job

Nice , clean build and a massive undertaking considering how the bike started off. I tip my hat to you Sir and what wonderful motivation to get through your CBT and test. 👍

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

VadersDarkside thanks mate, it was a proper challenge, and I loved every minute of it!

Awesome build sir! So many unique ideas. I've learned a lot from this video👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘

Top notch with the details. That sound too wow. Thanks for sharing.

@stephenmarshall6004

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like stink, right?

An absolute beauty.

Fabulous bike.......beautifully converted and it sounds as good as it looks!

Very inspiring! Love it!! You got the wheels turning in my head now.

Extremely sweet build!👍 It looks and sounds fantastic!!😁

I adore this bike... clean, humble, yet has it’s own pride...

Sounds awesome. Nice build 👍🏼

Great build. The thing sounds incredible. Well done!

Love the custom tail piece, just beautiful. Overall aesthetics are very classy, great job. And boy does it sound good!

Absolutely fabulous job. I still have the 550 I bought new when I was in high school. It hasn't run in 30 years but this proves that given the time and the will I could bring her back to life. Nothing sounds quite like those 550s with a proper exhaust system. My bike was still running strong with 80,000 miles when she went to sleep. Time to wake her up.

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

George Wallace mate... that sounds like you’ll have as much fun as I did!!

@Hariharan-ms1fr

Жыл бұрын

How did it go?

@gwilliamwallace

Жыл бұрын

@@Hariharan-ms1fr I've been thinking about the restoration for quite some time and was saving up for it. Then in late 2017 I came across a brand new 2014 CB1100 for $6,199. I bought it immediately and installed a set of Arrow headers straight away. So the 1100 has twice the power, better brakes, better suspension, a hydraulic clutch, and fuel injection. It's a great ride which I'm very happy with and nicely pairs with my '14 CB1000R. Still there is nothing like the sound and feel of the old 550F. Long answer to the "how did it go?" The short answer is it didn't. Yet.

Great job you pulled that bike out of the grave and made it a bike of beauty just awesome.

Congrats on this build Man-Wicked~Awesome!⚡️🤘🏻👍🏻

Looks and sounds awesome. Great work.

Love the bike and story!!!!

@stephenmarshall4427

4 жыл бұрын

ACTS_ MEN thanks mate!

That sounds awesome! Great video and lively build

Really great build! And that exhaust note - wow.

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

Andrew Boundy thanks mate

WOW, cb550 is my favourite sounding bike

Shiiit !!! That exhaust sound ❤ amazing bike.... I liked the simplicity about it ... I wasn't expecting that sound at all

Brings back memories of my Navy days. Nice color too. Thanks.

Absolutely gorgeous!!! Looks so good! Hopefully my CB650 turns out this well

Awesome, the sound is great

I’m just starting to get into bikes. I still need to do all my schooling and test. But these models made me fall in love. Yeah sure Yamaha r1s, Ducati panegali’s are all nice but these are a work of art I want one so bad I want this this to be my first bike and my last !!! It’s so hard to find one at my location…

Always good to see something different, great little bike.

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

Jean Clifton thanks Jean!

Love this build This was the inspiration for my cg 125 build, simple yet beautiful

Amazing build and the fact that it was a basket case makes it that much cooler!

Jesus it sounds SO beautiful!

@stephenmarshall6004

4 жыл бұрын

Pablo Jan Martinezzi cheers bud

Fantastic build! Congrats!

Awesome build. Love the simplicity and the use of custom fabrication. Great job!

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks murt! The cb range has a lot more to give than i've seen in relation to simplicity. There's a massive amount of natural character to them which i wanted to extract. I suspect that my next might take a similar direction with a different model...

Fantastic, it looks gorgeous.

Holy Cow!!! That's an awesome bike. To think that you pretty much brought it back from the dead. Such a labour of love.

Wow, amazing job. This bike is stunning.

@stephenmarshall6004

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!!

Fantastic sound!

This video was good, I watched it twice. The exhaust note is empyrean.

@stephenmarshall6004

4 жыл бұрын

Plight_of_Icarus great word!

That build is beautiful !!! And the motor sounds so sweet

Fantastic build. And boy, that sound

Wow! One of the nicest CBs I have seen! It also has the best exhaust note, lovely!

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

she's a screamer for sure!

Wow! Beautiful workmanship! I love it! 😎👍🏻

@stephenmarshall6004

3 жыл бұрын

Cheers John!

Brilliant. Just brilliant. The lines, the flow, the machining. And that sound is to die for.

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

cheers mate - it's the little things that make it

alot of great little details bike guys will appreciate. Awesome build

Beautiful CB, one of the best 550s I've ever seen, the ell done!

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

thanks mate, I deliberately tried to remove the feel from every other cb I've seen, simple look too.

Que bella quedó esa obra!!

Wait,it sounds so f fantastic damn simple clean lines yet powerful robust engine..awsome great work

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

kishor kamble cheers man!

Great job. Like the indicator solution in front 👍🏽

Wow....good work... Beautiful bike.

Nicely done Mr 😎

I was in awe at the sound of this machine. That exaust is unique. The LEd custom...is what I now want in my builds. M.

Awesome build!

Definitely like this bike. Nothing crazy, just subtle and elegant. A bunch of tasteful changes that equal a really nice looking ride.

Great job! Love the build!

Very nicely done!

Lovely sound

Very much in the spirit of the 70s Honda fours - really nice build!

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

thanks man!

The bike is absolutely amazing and I can see the work you've put in it to have looking exactly how it it. I hope you do a whole lot more in time.

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

keion williams cheers mate, just need to get a workshop of my own...

awesome built!

Uff that exhaust note. 🥶

good job on reviving an old bike. The engine sounds pretty damn sweet!

Almost a year later and I still LOVE this build. Steve this is a beautiful build.

@stephenmarshall4427

4 жыл бұрын

charles kiarie cheers mate!

Really enjoyed your video. Gorgeous bike!

@stephenmarshall6004

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Peter!

The exhaust sounds brilliant without having the need for volume. The seating reminds me of the 80's Suzuki Katana. I rode with my feet behind me on the pillion rider's foot rests to avoid back and thigh cramping!

That's one awesome bike! great job! and that exhaust sounds amazing!

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

Mark Glenn Zamora cheers mate!

That is an amazing restoration 👍

Nice bike Well done Nick

That sound brings back memories, love it

@stephenmarshall6004

3 жыл бұрын

its so addictive isn't it?

That’s probably the coolest little Honda I’ve ever seen!

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

John son cheers mate!

Looks really nice. Impressed you were willing to take that on, it was knackered in the before photos.

@stephenmarshall3175

5 жыл бұрын

It was truly wrecked!!! I like the fact that I saved it from going to the scrap yard!

Lovely job mate

Bravo, fella! One of my favourites so far. To bring a bike back from the dead and turn it into that is an amazing achievement.

@stephenmarshall4427

5 жыл бұрын

Jonathan Hopkins cheers man! Super chuffed to get all these positive comments