Yes, my old Honda CB550k up and died.

For the longest time I had it on life support, doing everything I could to keep it running, but I pulled the head yesterday and noticed the exhaust valves sitting funny.

Camchain slipped, ate the guides, and yup forced the pistons into the exhaust valves bending them all.

Oddly enough I think it had been running on bent valves for about a year. Those Honda inline 4's are about as tough as they come.

Sorry to see it go, just can't find parts to replace the damaged ones with anymore.

 

That sucks. My Virago slipped the front timing chain the other day, but that's the beginning of it's project status. Since it's a stout lower end and fairly low speed engine, it's going to become a diesel.
There are three exhaust valves for your bike on ebay right now-
Cycle barn up in Marysville might be able to locate the rest of the parts as long as the cam didn't get bent or broken. They helped me out with a chain for my MT250 when it let go on the way to work.

 

Naw, the temptation is there, believe me, but its time to let it go. The camchain tensioner and followers were destroyed and neither is readily available. I'm going to go down to the junkyard after work and sift through the piles - maybe find something and get lucky. But without those exhaust valves it's hopeless.

At a minimum I'd need 4 exhaust valves and guides and neither are available short of me buying an old head. The rest is available though and actually pretty cheap.

On a side note, I was very impressed by how well that 'socket and hammer' method of removing valves worked.

 

I had a '76 Honda 550F "SuperSport".

Loved that cycle.

When my youngest daughter was born, my wife said that the motorcycle had to go.


That 550F was faster than my 750F, 0 to 60.


Sure don't make 'em like they used to.

 

Don't give up just yet, Cycle Salvage in New Jersey. Back in the day when I was restoring, they had a couple hundred something-fifty-fours in stock. Worth a shot. (I got a factory set of V65 slip ons and the exhaust pipe from them, mint. I paid a mint but this was after most of the US and Holland told me no luck....)

 

Well, there's Bent Bike in Auburn and Everett as well, their website sucks but the guys there are knowledgeable.

 

There's gotta be parts out there somewhere. don't give up.

 

I know Bent Bike well. Heck half the Honda came from there (well not quite). They are knowedgeable, although I find the Lynnwood shop kind of sleazy. The Auburn shop is top notch.

They did offer me a replacement head for 1 and a quarter (new used). But it's that dang camchain tensioner and guides. Those two are simply nowhere to be found. Currently I'm seriously considering retrofitting something off a CB650.

You see the predicament I'm in.

I can get new guides and valves from an online source - for about 250, but again without the tensioner and guide it's all for naught.

Of course someone is offering me a Honda V45 Sabre for 1500 mighty tempting....