Faults:

I'm lucky to own a 35 year old bike that the two previous owners loved. This bike looks as though it's been on the road about a year or so. The only issues I've had so far are:

** Carb float stuck for a day. It freed itself on the next ride.

** Starter solenoid just went bad. Thankfully, there are plenty of used parts around to fix inexpensively.

** Speedo gauge lights went out (old). I found OEM Stanley bulbs and fixed within 30 minutes.

General Comments:

I don't think you can find a more dependable, nimble, better handling, and mechanically engineered motorcycle than Honda. You might here it all the time, but this statement is true: Old CB Honda's are bullet-proof. To me, they are the best bikes I've ever owned.

These make fabulous starter bikes, too. Relatively inexpensive to purchase. Lots of used parts to fix yourself. Not extremely complicated with a Haynes or Clymer manual.

Faults:

Nothing other than replaced the ORIGINAL battery that came with it when I bought it this year 2009.

This motorcycle is fast for a 550. It will run with most newer bikes of a much larger size.

General Comments:

This motorcycle had sat in a garage for 19 years, when I spotted it after doing some welding work for the original owner. It had a old Vetter fairing and floor boards on it, but he gave,me all the original foot pegs and shifter for a $350.00 debt on the welding work.

I have cleaned the carbs and rode it trouble free for the entire summer, what a blast from the past.

It gets attention everywhere I go. Typical response: "My Dad had one or I wish I never sold mine". Very cool indeed.

Faults:

When I purchased the motorcycle, it was a rat bike that had been turned into a cafe racer. Nothing was in adjustment. The bike was trashed and broken. It had been abandoned and I purchased it from a local auction buyer. The City of Seattle picked the bike off the street because it had been sitting there on the street for half a year. I remember seeing it by the side of the road.

When it arrived I was unsure that I could get it running, and it took a year of restoration work to get it back to good runner status. The bike had oil leaks in several common places. I did a complete head gasket replacement.

I had oil leaks at the tach hook up and at the gear shifter which are common.

I cleaned the carbs and changed the fork oil.

Soon it will get new tires because the current ones are a little rotten.

I replaced the points and tuned the carb's air flows. Taking the engine apart and putting it back together was a real learning experience, and was worth it for the results.

General Comments:

Now that the bike is running, and has been outfitted with a windshield, saddle bags and highway pegs, it is a lot happier.

I'm also very happy with the bike because it runs like a top. I took it on a 300 mile road trip and it ran great.

The seat is a little hard, but that problem is common with this style bike. I purchased a seat pad with gel in it and that solved the problem of a sore butt.

At this time I'm really not interested in a newer more modern bike, or even upgrading to a faster experience. The bike does a comfortable 65 MPH with no problem. The gearing is perfect for low speeds in traffic, and is able to keep up with the faster more powered bikes.

Finding salvage parts for this bike has been easy because the Honda dealer still has parts available. The local salvage parts guy has many parts available, so I was able to use 750 controls and incorporate them into the bike with no problem.