1977 Honda CB550F Super Sport 4 into 1 Muffler

amirsafayan

amirsafayan

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Total Posts
118
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2
Location
Colorado Springs
Hello Internets,

I've been absent lately surreptitiously purchasing more old bikes and filling my barn (it's a small barn!). Unfortunately, my wife has begun counting motorcycles. I've noticed she does an inventory every time she walks into the barn! She ain't buying the "their an investment" line -so other excuses - I'm mean explanations would be appreciated. : )

My latest purchases are:

1. 1971 Honda SL350 - it's all there and in somewhat neglected condition but my son Luke will be doing a frame up restoration on it. That is a first for us as I've been very hesitant to bite off that much project. A quick Google search of John Wayne and SL350 shows the Duke sporting a 10 Gallon hat on his 1971 SL350. One of my early bikes was an SL70 and I used to look at older kids riding SL125s in awe! This SL350 is awesome.

2. 1977 Honda CB550F Super Sport. This bike is in GREAT condition but needs a new muffler - the pipes are good - just need a muffler.

If anyone on this here Internets has a 550F Super Sport 4 into 1 muffler I would be highly happy. Or any other ideas for suitable mufflers that are somewhat period correct.

Happy New Year and let's all hope that this COVID shiza will soon be behind us.

Amir
 
Good to finally see you again Amir. Can't help on the 550 muffler, but Happy New Year to you and the family just the same. There has to be someone out there who makes a slip-on replacement muffler for the factory 4-1. Oh, and congrats on the SL350K1, you'll love it once it's finished and running. Beware the weak kickstart idler gears, use the kick starter with great care so you don't break the gear, they're unobtanium except for a guy who is making and selling them for about $230
 
I don't think DSS makes a replacement muffler. They're getting harder to find, as they rusted out while the thicker headers survived. If you haven't already you could post a wanted ad on the SOHC forums: http://www.sohc4.com/
 
Thanks. I registered several days ago with sohc4.net ( the forum for sohc4.com ) and have never received approval.

After spending several hours searching, I found predatormotorsport.co.uk and they actually make the CB550F 4 into 1 pipes. I’ve asked for a quote to ship to Colorado Springs. I also found an original one on eBay in the U.K. and have asked for a shipping quote.

That’s the easy part - the hard part is managing to “hide” a nearly 1,000 purchase from the wife!

I got this bike by driving 800 miles R/T in one day from Colorado Springs to Wyoming. I got it for 500.00 and it’s in very good condition so I can “somewhat” justify spending the money to get it back to original. I am not a flipper and frankly, I don’t like flippers of any sort. But to each his own. I like to find good deals on classic bikes which can be brought back to their original appearance and will sit in my barn ( and occasionally ridden )for the next X number of years while I’m on this good earth.
 
That SL350 kickstarter is a poor design, the idler and driven gear are meshed so they are spinning when the engine's running so if the kicker is accidentally hit the spinning gears contact the fixed drive gear and boom. If it fails to start on a kick wait a few seconds before kicking again so everything is stopped.
Try telling your wife that the collection is for the education of Luke into the various mechanical designs of internal combustion engines.
 
I will show this to Luke who is restoring the SL350.

You know, both of my boys have full tuition academic scholarships to UofA / Tucson. Proud father warning. I own real estate and every time we do a renovation, I do my best to introduce my boys to basic trades. I want them to have a basic understanding of all the trades.

I feel most kids that are not raised in rural areas, will have no clue about how anything works. Worse yet, our glorious political leaders ( from both sides of the aisle - as I’m a independent) have somehow thought that we should not manufacture a damn thing and import it all from China. This MUST change but how can it if our kids never touch anything mechanical?
 
amirsafayan said:
I will show this to Luke who is restoring the SL350.

You know, both of my boys have full tuition academic scholarships to UofA / Tucson. Proud father warning. I own real estate and every time we do a renovation, I do my best to introduce my boys to basic trades. I want them to have a basic understanding of all the trades.

I feel most kids that are not raised in rural areas, will have no clue about how anything works. Worse yet, our glorious political leaders ( from both sides of the aisle - as I’m a independent) have somehow thought that we should not manufacture a damn thing and import it all from China. This MUST change but how can it if our kids never touch anything mechanical?
Click to expand...

And you should be proud, happy for you. It's been a long, slow process of migration from everyone easily learning a blue collar trade while growing up, due in part to more and more young parents going to college and working in some form of white collar jobs, to the point where most young people now haven't been exposed to any blue collar experience by the time they've left high school. I feel very fortunate that my father got me involved in so many things while growing up as it has been very valuable in my adult life, and I'm sure your sons will appreciate your efforts as well... maybe more later if not so much right now. It's funny, people always talk about how kids think their parents are stupid until they grow up and realize differently. I never felt that way about either of mine, I knew how smart they were during my childhood by all the things they taught me and I've always been thankful for it. There are still a few young people getting into trades and even vintage stuff by choice due to the pure fascination of it all, because it's hard to be fascinated by computer-driven stuff that shows you nothing of how it operates compared to the internals of anything mechanical.
 
If they're in Tucson, you should pay a visit to Bob's Salvage yard in Phoenix. I don't recall seeing a 550F muffler in there but the place is huge and they might have one. They've also got a couple shelves of old slip-ons for the SOHC 4s, Kawasakis, etc.
 
amirsafayan said:
Hello Internets,
Unfortunately, my wife has begun counting motorcycles. I've noticed she does an inventory every time she walks into the barn! She ain't buying the "their an investment" line -so other excuses - I'm mean explanations would be appreciated. : )
Click to expand...

Remember: It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission!

I have a 550F with the original muffler, they are nearly impossible to find. I bought what I thought was a spare muffler but once received, it turned out to be an HM388 which looks very similar. Let me know if you want more info.
 
ancientdad said:
And you should be proud, happy for you. It's been a long, slow process of migration from everyone easily learning a blue collar trade while growing up, due in part to more and more young parents going to college and working in some form of white collar jobs, to the point where most young people now haven't been exposed to any blue collar experience by the time they've left high school. I feel very fortunate that my father got me involved in so many things while growing up as it has been very valuable in my adult life, and I'm sure your sons will appreciate your efforts as well... maybe more later if not so much right now. It's funny, people always talk about how kids think their parents are stupid until they grow up and realize differently. I never felt that way about either of mine, I knew how smart they were during my childhood by all the things they taught me and I've always been thankful for it. There are still a few young people getting into trades and even vintage stuff by choice due to the pure fascination of it all, because it's hard to be fascinated by computer-driven stuff that shows you nothing of how it operates compared to the internals of anything mechanical.
Click to expand...

Man - I replied three times on my phone and see that none of them were in the correct order - so here we go:

Well said. Ultimately, isn’t it about family and friends? Would we be content if it were just ourselves and our motorcycles? I don’t think so.

Sounds like you had some great parents - not perfect but great. Thank you so much for your contributions to all of our crazy classic motorcycle projects. Greatly appreciated.
 
Stev-o said:
Remember: It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission!

I have a 550F with the original muffler, they are nearly impossible to find. I bought what I thought was a spare muffler but once received, it turned out to be an HM388 which looks very similar. Let me know if you want more info.
Click to expand...

This is the ONLY one I’ve found available right now and shipping would be 500.00 I addition to eBay price!

This appears to be the correct muffler / pipes:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CB550....m46890.l49292
 
CarnivorousChicken said:
If they're in Tucson, you should pay a visit to Bob's Salvage yard in Phoenix. I don't recall seeing a 550F muffler in there but the place is huge and they might have one. They've also got a couple shelves of old slip-ons for the SOHC 4s, Kawasakis, etc.
Click to expand...

Will do! Sounds like a road trip to me.
 
I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- Bob's is a treasure. It's huge and there are still some hidden gems. And since it's Phoenix, although the wiring and plastic on the bikes that sit outside goes, the chrome and metal stays in good shape. They're a bunch of great guys as well. Living in Mexico now, I make a list of stuff I am after when I go back to Phoenix, but spend the first hour or more just BSing with the guys. The stuff they acquired in 2016 from another yard in Rye, AZ, still has a few CL pipes in decent shape, 450, 350. OR did have last time I was there.
 
CarnivorousChicken said:
I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- Bob's is a treasure. It's huge and there are still some hidden gems. And since it's Phoenix, although the wiring and plastic on the bikes that sit outside goes, the chrome and metal stays in good shape. They're a bunch of great guys as well. Living in Mexico now, I make a list of stuff I am after when I go back to Phoenix, but spend the first hour or more just BSing with the guys. The stuff they acquired in 2016 from another yard in Rye, AZ, still has a few CL pipes in decent shape, 450, 350. OR did have last time I was there.
Click to expand...

I know you've mentioned it before and I wish I was closer. My cousin lives in NM and I'd like him to go there and look for stuff for me, but I'd still have the problem of getting it from NM to FL
 
CarnivorousChicken said:
ROAD TRIP!!!!
Click to expand...

I hear you, and it's tempting. Too bad I didn't know about it when I was out there to visit my cousin in Albuquerque in late 2016, we flew out and stayed there for 4 days and then drove from Abq to Oceanside CA. It was the perfect time... but I had just bought my 450 the month before and didn't even know what I needed at the time. Still, it would have been fun just to see the place and I'm sure some ideas of stuff I'd soon need would have come to mind.
 
Stev-o said:
Remember: It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission!

I have a 550F with the original muffler, they are nearly impossible to find. I bought what I thought was a spare muffler but once received, it turned out to be an HM388 which looks very similar. Let me know if you want more info.
Click to expand...

Hi Stev-o,

I just got my SOHC/4 forum registration approved this morning and I realized that the thread I was following on that forum about a guy who had a 550 4in1 muffler has the same handle as you - so I'm assuming that is you back in 2015?

Is that muffler you were referring to on the SOHC/4 ( old thread ) also the one you mention in my current thread here - that turned out to be an HM388?

Thank you sir.
 
amirsafayan said:
Hi Stev-o,

I just got my SOHC/4 forum registration approved this morning and I realized that the thread I was following on that forum about a guy who had a 550 4in1 muffler has the same handle as you - so I'm assuming that is you back in 2015?

Is that muffler you were referring to on the SOHC/4 ( old thread ) also the one you mention in my current thread here - that turned out to be an HM388?

Thank you sir.
Click to expand...

Yes, that must be me. When I got back into bikes, the 550F was the first Honda that I bought in '09. Sold that one but this is the 550F I have now...


30563109287_b3fefcb7e4.jpg
 
Stev-o said:
Yes, that must be me. When I got back into bikes, the 550F was the first Honda that I bought in '09. Sold that one but this is the 550F I have now...


30563109287_b3fefcb7e4.jpg
Click to expand...

Great picture. Was just chatting with a friend from La Mesa whose parents are farmers down there. Was asking Dan if his Dad could keep an eye out for me if he ever finds old Honda’s or vintage gas station signs.

So I have to find a suitable muffler for my 550 Super Sport. The cost from Europe would be about 1,200USD including shipping. I only paid 500 for the bike so my total in is still only 1,700.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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