[RideApart] - Bike Of The Week: Tidy Honda CB550K

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From a dim barn to the light of day, a shed builder cranks out a tidy five fifty. *A soon to be regular, weekly event for RIdeApart is Bike of the Week. *This week we present a build built in a shed that we found in another shed, the thebikeshed.cc*



1978 Honda CB550K


Bike: 1978 Honda CB550K

Builder: Bob Ranew

There are many types of bikes and builders rebuilding them. RideApart simply can’t help but share what we think are the best builds from all kinds of categories. Each week we will feature a different built bike, and maybe some unbuilt. This week our feature is this shoestring budget cafe’ Honda CB550K. Some folks shouldn’t do it themselves and there are certain things I am not willing to do myself, but clearly for Bob Ranew, of Garner, NC is doing just fine.

Bob bought the donor for his lightweight creation from some dark pit located through Craigslist. He did the normal refresh; new boots, valve seals, rebuilt the carburetors, adjusted the cam chain and timing. “Little as possible”, as he puts it. One of the joys of these sewing machines is that they don’t need very much.

Front fender shortened, frame de-tabbed and hoop added.


Bob ordered a box of parts from DimeCity Cycles and handled most of the hands-on work. He even shaped the seat himself! Not content to let all the dough go to the pros, he made the keen economic decision of a rattle can array. Why put the notes on the tank, when you can paint them in it? We see here most important are sensibilities of color and graphic application.

Custom seat pan, foam shaped and upholstery set out with very detailed drawing.


There’s just something about the four into four…

Do you know the feeling of joy when things are easy? *Or the sense of accomplishment when things are difficult? Bob says every bike is a learning experience. This 1978 Honda CB550K is Bob’s youngest of three.

Bob claims he learned some valuable lessons about paint this time around. “I think the tank came out just grand for a rattle can.” *He says “a build isn’t done until it feels right”, and I would say this five-fifty feels just right.

See more of Bob’s bike and more just like it, and many more not like it at all, at the thebikeshed.cc



Check out Mr. Ranew on his FB page – Redeemed Cycles.


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