50 years riding. My first street bike was a 1971 cl350 scrambler. I put on knobbies. Laid it down 5 times until it was totalled by the tow truck driver pulling it out of the guard rail in 1979. Only been greasy side up once since (doing a demonstration during a safety class). Oh, loose the fender if YOU like it that way. Your wedding ring says that you don't ride in the rain. Very nice build.
Hi Taylor , Why not fit Fender as you want it , however use the original nuts . Then fid a way of attatching and hiding a spaner to undo nuts in case of emergency. Spanner could be fitted under saddle . Cheers keep up good vids, cheers Paul uk
I would suggest saving the knobbies for next project. I would really like to see you do a stubby fender though. Love your channel! You and a couple others have inspired me to start my first project bike, a 1980 Yamaha xs850, that I'm better than half way through!
There are a lot of ways to go with these old Hondas. If you run knobbies, make the fenders huggers, kinda like the new big adventure bikes. Or extend the studs on the seat and use those same wing nuts to attach the rear fender as well.
I ran into the same predicament when I built mine. One solution is you have to remove the fender first before removing the wing nuts for the seat. Fender could be installed with wing nuts but you could run into clearance with the tire. Ultimately, I mounted finder with nuts/bolts but changed the mounting of my seat. I did very low profile tabs off the rear shock mounts and two up front that with a round composite twist hand twist screw, with a wing nut underneath. This allowed me to install/remove the seat without reaching under it. very clean and not noticeable unless you stare right at it. A fender is a must if going off road or just dusty dirt roads. Also I feel like the look of this CB550 with the patina green/brown tank, brown seat and grips already is the perfect look to complete a more scrambler look. I would ditch as much chrome on this build, mount the fender and run the knobbies. Maybe a knob tire that isn't quite aggressive. After all, it will mostly be on the street, unless you lived in the boonies and road nothing but dirt roads.
You worked so hard to keep the tail section clean. I'd nix the rear fender, and just focus on where to mount to tail light. I'm in the Cedar Park part of Austin. I dont think we are ever going to see rain again. Maybe work up some type of hidden splash guard for the electronics box vents that is quick release and doesn't ruin that perfect tail.
If your going to go off-roading you should put a full fender that goes from the bottom of the swingarm and stretches about six inches past the seat. It'll keep debris away from the carbs , you can attach it with a metal bracket down by the swingarm and up by the seat. then use dzus fasteners so that you can move it out of the way so that you can still get to the seat if needed.
That bike is so clean in its current state! Leave the knobbies off and just wrap it up! Did you happen to do any video of the gas prep? Would be very interested in that
The bike looks really great, if you weld a bolt on the back of the bike and cut a slit in the fender, you could slide it on, and maybe even bend it to use wingnuts to connect the front of the fender. I would definitely watch out off road with the very low exhaust, that’s going to be a lot of scraping and painful sound. But I do agree that the off-road tire/looks would suit the bike very nice!
I think the knobbies would look awesome on the bike, I not completely against a rear fender but i agree that the back end looks super clean with out one....either way the bike is looking awesome keep up the good work
You should go for the chopped fender, completes the look of the bike and the style you’re going for. However if it minimises the practicality off removing the seat is it really worth it? Knobbies should be a go too!
Firestone ANS are a great alternative to the deluxe tires with a more aggressive tread that is still a vintage style so would suit the bike. I have built a couple of xs650s with them and they are great tires and track well on and off road
I am currently debating the fender question myself. Doing a cafe ish style of build(cb550f). I like having a rear fender simply for not having to clean the engine all the time, but i also do not like the beefyness of the stock one. So, i have an extra front fender wich im going to widen by an inch or so, keeping it long and hugging the tire from the swingarm to just past the top of the tire. I think itl look great once the bike is painted, gonna do the fenders i the same colors as the tank.
If your going to build a bike to have off road tires you should use a high swept pipe. I think a short fender to mount your light would look good. You could just mount it to your rear hoop?
i personally like the back fender. put the wing nuts through the fender maybe? Have you ever thought of doing a build with Tuffsides shorter seat? love the bikes man. keep it up
at the end of the day its what YOU want that matters so go with that....one bit of advise regarding the fender. Why don't you just fabricate a press fit at the inside of the fender (hard to explain but the fender slides and locks into a tight fit) and hold it up with another wingnut at the outside (backend). That way its secure, won't rattle, can be removed with just one wingnut, so you can get to the other 4 to remove the seat.
I would of used the wing nuts to attach the fender. You just had to flatten out that particular area of fender out . Cut the excess fender that's not protecting the battery box. And using a small rear tail light that way you could have a even shorter fender because all you want is to protect the seat and electrics. That's what I would do
In my opinion, if you were going with an off-roadish type scrambler build, you should really design around clearance, weight, and function. I'd probably go with a smaller engine as well. This bike is great as is...and would need a different exhaust to do any off-roading. I dig the bike as is...keep it more tracker-street and go ride!
No to the knobby tyres, just meaty street ones. The rear fender looked good before you cut down and had it positioned further forwards than stock. Maybe trim the ‘ears’ off the side a little. That will also make it functional.
Awesome progress. But an FYI, the 550's have issues with the low output charging system and using an electronic ignition. You may need to use a ballast resistor. Have a search on sohc4.net for more info on it.
can you tell me the exact handle bars you have? I am looking for some just like that and what is the muffler you have on their... I have a cb500 1978 Honda Hawk 2
Strap a plastic dinosaur to the seat or some notable statesmans' visage. Or, put a peice of matching leather sewn to wood on a spring and emboss a lucky number on it. Maybe a circle shape. Or, put a racing number plate under the seat, black number on white background.
Beware though...They look great, but their added mass gives a stronger gyroscopic force on the front wheel and makes steering feel more sluggish than lighter tires. I've gotten used to it on my V-strom.
You keep saying Philips. But they may actually be JIS which Stands for Japanese Industrial Standard. Shame you didn't show us you coating the tank. As for the tires. If your considering them for the other bike. For the cost mount them. If you don't like them. Switch them. Plus if the shop knows your a you tuber. They should give you a discount. Seeing as your building a lot of bikes. And bringing business their way more than once every two years.
Okay, skip the knobbies, but use a fender...front and rear. Do you follow BikeBound? They follow builders from around the world and you might see something that sparks your already quite good imagination...
think the bike looks great the way it is. yes maybe a little meatier tires, but for the street, bike looks to clean for the knobbies, they would just stand out, almost like an after thought, a little stubby fender maybe, but probably better with no fender. just my thoughts on it.
Looks too good with that exhaust (and skip wrapping it, think it looks good with the bike as is) and the nice patina on the bike overall - go with street tires and skip the rear fender!
Go with wider street tires, knobbys doesn’t fit the look of the bike. One thing you can do to keep the dirt out of the carbs is weld a metal plate on the frame facing the carbs or you install a piece of plexiglass on frame so you still have clean look and the functionality of it.
Hi Tyler, In my honest opinion it’s to clean of a build to ruin the chrome on this bike doing off road, put the wide street tires and to make it a little bit different just put a trimmed front fender to make it stand out from the other builds, save the chrome bruh.
Perhaps a tire with a slightly less aggressive tread pattern would work. How about something like this is.gd/Sh9IfH or this is.gd/jXAknZ or one of the tires linked lower down on those pages?
DO IT! Rear fenders look sweet with brat seats!
50 years riding. My first street bike was a 1971 cl350 scrambler. I put on knobbies. Laid it down 5 times until it was totalled by the tow truck driver pulling it out of the guard rail in 1979. Only been greasy side up once since (doing a demonstration during a safety class). Oh, loose the fender if YOU like it that way. Your wedding ring says that you don't ride in the rain. Very nice build.
Leather grips look really nice, might have to do that to mine. Good vid
Hi Taylor , Why not fit Fender as you want it , however use the original nuts . Then fid a way of attatching and hiding a spaner to undo nuts in case of emergency. Spanner could be fitted under saddle . Cheers keep up good vids, cheers Paul uk
I would suggest saving the knobbies for next project. I would really like to see you do a stubby fender though. Love your channel! You and a couple others have inspired me to start my first project bike, a 1980 Yamaha xs850, that I'm better than half way through!
I like the knobbies. No rear fender. Grips look great 👍
There are a lot of ways to go with these old Hondas. If you run knobbies, make the fenders huggers, kinda like the new big adventure bikes.
Or extend the studs on the seat and use those same wing nuts to attach the rear fender as well.
I ran into the same predicament when I built mine. One solution is you have to remove the fender first before removing the wing nuts for the seat. Fender could be installed with wing nuts but you could run into clearance with the tire. Ultimately, I mounted finder with nuts/bolts but changed the mounting of my seat. I did very low profile tabs off the rear shock mounts and two up front that with a round composite twist hand twist screw, with a wing nut underneath. This allowed me to install/remove the seat without reaching under it. very clean and not noticeable unless you stare right at it.
A fender is a must if going off road or just dusty dirt roads. Also I feel like the look of this CB550 with the patina green/brown tank, brown seat and grips already is the perfect look to complete a more scrambler look. I would ditch as much chrome on this build, mount the fender and run the knobbies. Maybe a knob tire that isn't quite aggressive. After all, it will mostly be on the street, unless you lived in the boonies and road nothing but dirt roads.
I feel like you should keep it street. Looking good as usual.
Cant wait for the next episode. You make great videos mate!
Ditto
You worked so hard to keep the tail section clean. I'd nix the rear fender, and just focus on where to mount to tail light. I'm in the Cedar Park part of Austin. I dont think we are ever going to see rain again. Maybe work up some type of hidden splash guard for the electronics box vents that is quick release and doesn't ruin that perfect tail.
If your going to go off-roading you should put a full fender that goes from the bottom of the swingarm and stretches about six inches past the seat. It'll keep debris away from the carbs , you can attach it with a metal bracket down by the swingarm and up by the seat. then use dzus fasteners so that you can move it out of the way so that you can still get to the seat if needed.
Street tires, no fender bike looks amazing as always!
The exhaust looks a bit low so would worry about off road usage. Keep it a street tracker and put the knobby tires in the new project
That bike is so clean in its current state! Leave the knobbies off and just wrap it up!
Did you happen to do any video of the gas prep? Would be very interested in that
The bike looks really great, if you weld a bolt on the back of the bike and cut a slit in the fender, you could slide it on, and maybe even bend it to use wingnuts to connect the front of the fender. I would definitely watch out off road with the very low exhaust, that’s going to be a lot of scraping and painful sound. But I do agree that the off-road tire/looks would suit the bike very nice!
Chopped wide fender looks clean.
I really like the fender, I think it's a good tradeoff to use normal bolts. Nobbies will look amazing i think! 😁
I think the knobbies would look awesome on the bike, I not completely against a rear fender but i agree that the back end looks super clean with out one....either way the bike is looking awesome keep up the good work
If you plan on selling keep it stockish, if keeping, go all out, you can always return it to original !
You should go for the chopped fender, completes the look of the bike and the style you’re going for. However if it minimises the practicality off removing the seat is it really worth it? Knobbies should be a go too!
Firestone ANS are a great alternative to the deluxe tires with a more aggressive tread that is still a vintage style so would suit the bike. I have built a couple of xs650s with them and they are great tires and track well on and off road
I am currently debating the fender question myself. Doing a cafe ish style of build(cb550f). I like having a rear fender simply for not having to clean the engine all the time, but i also do not like the beefyness of the stock one. So, i have an extra front fender wich im going to widen by an inch or so, keeping it long and hugging the tire from the swingarm to just past the top of the tire. I think itl look great once the bike is painted, gonna do the fenders i the same colors as the tank.
Get another set of wheel to mount the knobbies on. You can switch back and forth depending on your mood.
If your going to build a bike to have off road tires you should use a high swept pipe.
I think a short fender to mount your light would look good. You could just mount it to your rear hoop?
Nice video Taylor!!
i personally like the back fender. put the wing nuts through the fender maybe? Have you ever thought of doing a build with Tuffsides shorter seat? love the bikes man. keep it up
at the end of the day its what YOU want that matters so go with that....one bit of advise regarding the fender. Why don't you just fabricate a press fit at the inside of the fender (hard to explain but the fender slides and locks into a tight fit) and hold it up with another wingnut at the outside (backend). That way its secure, won't rattle, can be removed with just one wingnut, so you can get to the other 4 to remove the seat.
I would of used the wing nuts to attach the fender. You just had to flatten out that particular area of fender out . Cut the excess fender that's not protecting the battery box. And using a small rear tail light that way you could have a even shorter fender because all you want is to protect the seat and electrics. That's what I would do
Best way to get my fork tubes nice and shiny, they are like a dirty gray color at the moment
In my opinion, if you were going with an off-roadish type scrambler build, you should really design around clearance, weight, and function. I'd probably go with a smaller engine as well. This bike is great as is...and would need a different exhaust to do any off-roading. I dig the bike as is...keep it more tracker-street and go ride!
That bike looks sick man. I can see your dilemma. Be hard to change from that classy look.
Forget the dirt, that ain't no motocrosser!
No to the knobby tyres, just meaty street ones. The rear fender looked good before you cut down and had it positioned further forwards than stock. Maybe trim the ‘ears’ off the side a little. That will also make it functional.
Shinko Classic 270s , YES !
Check out Mefo explorer tyres, I reckon they would suit what your goin for. Nice build keep up the good work.
Do a swing arm mounted fender.that way it protects the back side of the motor as well.
I use hairspray for grips, the hairspray will become like a glue (old trick I used to do on BMX bikes)
the tires that are on it look tight af, keep those.
I would prefer if you omit the fender all together. Also I REALLY wanna see those knobies on that 750, I think it would look great!
How did you make the rear fender on 00:26? And what kind of fender is it called? Thanks!
Awesome progress. But an FYI, the 550's have issues with the low output charging system and using an electronic ignition. You may need to use a ballast resistor. Have a search on sohc4.net for more info on it.
Oooo mmaaann . I think this video have to be all about rear fender .
I think some of those old school fat tires that are about the same front and rear would look great.
can you tell me the exact handle bars you have? I am looking for some just like that and what is the muffler you have on their... I have a cb500 1978 Honda Hawk 2
Strap a plastic dinosaur to the seat or some notable statesmans' visage. Or, put a peice of matching leather sewn to wood on a spring and emboss a lucky number on it. Maybe a circle shape. Or, put a racing number plate under the seat, black number on white background.
put fat street tires on this one; I wouldN't ride it on dirt, that's a nice bike man.
I like the stock rebuild best. Chopped fenders don't seem road worthy to me. Upgraded suspension/mechanicals seems better.
Perhaps Shinko 705s would give you the look you want without being overly aggressive looking. Just a thought.
705's would look great!
Beware though...They look great, but their added mass gives a stronger gyroscopic force on the front wheel and makes steering feel more sluggish than lighter tires. I've gotten used to it on my V-strom.
Urban Monk TV good looking out, great info
for sure put the fender on how ever you decide to mount it.
You keep saying Philips. But they may actually be JIS which Stands for Japanese Industrial Standard. Shame you didn't show us you coating the tank. As for the tires. If your considering them for the other bike. For the cost mount them. If you don't like them. Switch them. Plus if the shop knows your a you tuber. They should give you a discount. Seeing as your building a lot of bikes. And bringing business their way more than once every two years.
Okay, skip the knobbies, but use a fender...front and rear. Do you follow BikeBound? They follow builders from around the world and you might see something that sparks your already quite good imagination...
I would place a fender and go for street tires
think the bike looks great the way it is. yes maybe a little meatier tires, but for the street, bike looks to clean for the knobbies, they would just stand out, almost like an after thought, a little stubby fender maybe, but probably better with no fender. just my thoughts on it.
I like no back fender. I think it looks good like it sits.
Haven't watched 16 episodes to see a scrambler built just to see it change at the very end......Put high fenders and knobbies on it
That one on the right looks like a K7 unit
I'm in central Tx and I'm looking for a new bike build if anyone knows of any older bikes for sale??
Looks too good with that exhaust (and skip wrapping it, think it looks good with the bike as is) and the nice patina on the bike overall - go with street tires and skip the rear fender!
Uk restorers would kill for those rust-free rear mudguards......😬
Go with a classic road look
A definite no to the rear mud guard from me, and no to the tyres its not a scrambler.
Triumph motovlog/ride-along
Tires... i would go with old school white wall tires.
Go with wider street tires, knobbys doesn’t fit the look of the bike. One thing you can do to keep the dirt out of the carbs is weld a metal plate on the frame facing the carbs or you install a piece of plexiglass on frame so you still have clean look and the functionality of it.
Put the knobbys on it then decide on fenders in my opinion
Fatter road rubber, clip ons and bikini fairing or dolphin fairing, more lovely original style colour on fairing? Steel wool 0000 is a top tip!
Don't put the rear fender. On the tires, use classic looking street tires, maybe a little bigger than the ones she has now.
Can always take them off if you don’t like it.
Put Firestone Tyres on it
No fender. How much off roading will u really do. Next build, scrambler. Lol
No fenders look way better to me
Hi Tyler, In my honest opinion it’s to clean of a build to ruin the chrome on this bike doing off road, put the wide street tires and to make it a little bit different just put a trimmed front fender to make it stand out from the other builds, save the chrome bruh.
No nobby no fender put clip ons
Yeah, no on the knobbies. That is definitely a street bike.
Perhaps a tire with a slightly less aggressive tread pattern would work. How about something like this is.gd/Sh9IfH or this is.gd/jXAknZ or one of the tires linked lower down on those pages?
Keep that road race or cafe racer look by keeping the type of tire that is on it now.
knobbies with a front a rear fenders.
Knobbies, no fender
Street tires and no fender...
knobbies and no fender
Stick to the original plan.
Knobby tires with a fender.
Don't go with the same old thing.