Just Finished 78'550E

[badbrown]

I got this bike in June and it did'nt run and looked retarded. After some mods and more mods this is what I have now.

[badbrown]

This is the Before

Mostly the project was just a resto-mod. But it looked like this when I got it. Bent forks and all.

[badbrown]

Some of the changes

This is the tail section now. I got some trailer lights from pepboys and was able to wire them into the rear cowl. After moving the whole thing Foward @ seven inches.
Lowererd 1 inch front and back
hacked/re-coverd the seat
bobbed the tail and moved it foward.
trailer lights in back
clip ons W/ drag bar cut in half
130 rear tire/normal size front
Dyna S w/ Katana coils
Mac Exhaust
Buell flyscreen painted to match side covers
replaced bent forks
polished engine, as much as I could for now.
went from 50t rear sprocket to 45t. plus new chain and Front spocket. rebuilt calipers f/r
Still some minor details to work out, but I could'nt have got this far without the invaluable info on this site.

[kilroy]

Very nice.A change for the better!..

[edbot]

Good job! I like the look of the shortened tail and reshaped seat.

[80GS1000]

Nice! Looks like all your hard work paid off!

[Guyver]

Very Cool

The bike looks one heck of a lot better. I like the semi cafe racer look you gave it. The integrated taillight section is really nice as well; great work! What kind of fairing thing is that? I've seen them before, just can't remember where. ~Gene

[khardrunner14]

where did you pick up the black exhaust...or did you paint/powder coat it?

All I can seem to find is the chrome MAC exhaust for my 550.

[johnnay]

Nice job - love the short rear end...

[badbrown]

fairing

The fairing is from a Buell I think a Buell Blast. But the Buell cyclone also looks good. But harder to find. I painted it flat black along with the side covers. it's the smallest fairing I could find. they're refered to as a flyscreen.

[badbrown]

Exhaust

The exhaust is a MAC exhaust. I bought it NEW off of ebay for @ 100 + shipping. The seller is called BikePartsOutlet.com. I had wanted an old Kerker but they were really hard to find for the 550. And if I did find one it was in BAAAAAD shape. I saved myself the headache and got the new one. I happen to prefer the black for the MADMAX effect. But I understand that the Chrome MAC exhausts don't hold up well + I believe that is all that was available from the seller. And it will fit a 78' despite what the listing says. It is powdercoat black and very durable.

[Dignan]

Looks real good. I dig the stripes. Hadn't seen that color combo before.
Really like what you've done with the lights. Any rubbing over big bumps?

Any plans to change the wheels up? Gold might look neat.

[badbrown]

It bottoms out if I ride it real hard over bumps, but mostly because I trimmed the springs (which I don't recommend). It would break the cowl off if I did. I 'm either going to go back to normal hight or extend the swing arm. Either way I'll need stiffer springs. I may paint the wheels. The gold is a good idea. Glad you like it though. The look of your 750 inspired me along.

[drhermanstein]

I got this bike in June and it did'nt run and looked retarded. After some mods and more mods this is what I have now.

Great look!! very subtle.
I had a bike that required a decision on wheels color and had come up with gold as my plan. An old guy said "Gonna look like fake gold unless its plated gold. High gloss black will go nicely."
I never felt right about it untill I mounted them on the bike for the first time.
He was absolutely right! All the stuff I wanted to have stand out woud have been overshadowed by the wheels. The other neat part is it made the tire/wheel look beefier than before.

[Mike_H]

Wow, Dr...That looks the the father of the M50. I have a buddy with an M50, same color scheme and look...I like yours, Nice looking bike.