Terry

Doesn't look like it; the mounting bolt diameter is larger on the 6th gen 10mm vs 8mm on the 5th gen.

Thanks Mohawk, my VO2max is peaking right now and I'm seeing some interesting colours! Not to be unnecessarily picky but aren't all engines that use a primary chain to drive the clutch spinning "backwards"? I'm thinking of CB750/900/1100Fs and of course Z1s, GS1000s etc, before the move to direct gear drive of the clutch basket. Probably even Harleys? To get the same with "modern" engines a jackshaft is usually employed e.g. the MV 800F3. I never owned the 550 but did have a CBX400F back in the day, I never had camchain issues on that one but it used to have quite the appetite for sparkplugs and got quite sulky at low revs until they were swapped.

It's not a 550? (actualy 572cc). Also the crank spins backwards due to the chain primary drive.

I'm pretty happy with my front and rear stand combination, the rear just lifts the swingarm using rubber pads on metal angles that can be adusted for width. And the front lifts directly on the steering head via a pin inserted into the stem. It's a fantastic combination until you want to remove the swingarm/shock or the steering head.

Good luck with your restoration; I owned a couple of these back in the 80's from new, great little bikes that punched well above their weight. Managed a couple of 900km days on one but then I was young and stupid. I managed to wind my first one out to 210km/hr down a long hill much to the surprise of my friend alongside on his GPz900. The brakes are a bit complicated but once you figure out the right disassembly sequence they're not too bad to work with, but you can overheat them easily when playing hard.

If all is well in the caliper (moving freely on the slide pins and the pistons are free) then I think you do indeed need to be looking at the SMC. In order for the rear centre pressure to release, the compensation ports in the SMC need to be clear and allowing fluid to flow back from the caliper. There are two ports, one in the casting as per normal, but there is a second one in the plastic one-way valve that is just under the banjo fitting, you'll know it when you see it. I'd be popping that out and flushing it well and then making sure the whole SMC is clean and the piston is moving freely. There are also some critical dimensions for the clevis to screw onto the shaft, if there is not enough movement the piston can't retract far enough to uncover the compensation port, so measure that before you disassemble it (actually the manual says not to disassmble the clevis from the piston, just to replace as a unit).

I can tell you with confidence that my two bikes with voltmeters fitted show a lower voltage (the battery voltage) at idle (low 13s) and then hit a steady higher voltage (usually around 14.2V) once the revs rise, and then don't change at all with any higher revs. Are you sure you're getting the right info and that the numbers have not been switched around?

Excerpts from the manual are attached. The voltage should start at whatever the battery is putting out, and then rise up to the regulated voltage as the alternator puts out more and more energy as it spins to higher rpm. If the voltage is dropping back to the battery voltage then that might suggest a failing regulator/rectifier.

Me an my ST1300 got really lost in middle of nowhere and ended up doing 80km on mainly single-lane gravel through a native forest area. The unexpected bits of the ride are the ones that stick in your memory however. ST1100s and 1300s are actually not bad on gravel provided you never let them get away from vertical....

When I delinked I also swapped to CBR954 calipers and CBR600RR master, to fit those you need VTR1000F fork lowers as the caliber mounts are different. At the back use a different Honda master and join both brake hoses to that with a double banjo bolt, leave the caliber alone. You could possibly leave the forks and use the std calipers but you’d need to include the 3rd pistons either externally or by internal drilling, and a master cylinder change. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the interests of science and because I happen to have a surplus PCV from my 99 VFR just lying around (delinked the brakes and sold the bike earlier this year) I did some disassembly. Very simple to pull apart to clean the parts and easy to reassemble. The 3 screws holding the cap on have threadlock and needed some persuasion, once that is off there is a large spring that applies tension to the decompression piston. That pulls straight out with a couple of rubber piston seals affixed. On the end of the cut valve is a small circlip, push the cap in and dig the clip out. I used a small self-tapping screw in the end of the cap to extract it. Then there is another smaller spring, and finally the cut valve itself which has another piston seal. This leaves the cast body which you can squirt brake cleaner/air through. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly (as they say in the Haynes manual).

Easy enough to look up the part numbers on Partzilla: 1998: 46200-MBG-006 unavailable 2001: 46200-MBG-016 unavailable 2004; 46400-MCW-D01 available (fits 02-05) 2006: 46400-MCW-D02 avilable (fits 06-09)

I looked up the parts on Partzilla, none of the 5G PCV show as available. The 6G part is available for $60, but I have no idea if that would interchange. So your options are wreckers or a part from a different model. Or you could try and repair it. The PCV function is designed to stop the rear brake from locking up due to weight transfer. As you crank on front brake and the SMC compresses, it applies more and more pressure to the rear caliper at a time when weight is transferring to the front end. The PCV relieves the excess pressure and allows it to drop and reduce rear brake pressure to the centre piston. I would expect that the function won't change between models but the fine details e.g. spring rate or piston size might. From the schematic and the external appearance it looks like you could remove the two screws and the spring and I assume that will enable removal of the internal components for cleaning. I'm betting there is a gunk build-up that is stopping fluid flow but no actual parts damage.

I agree with that; my internal logic is that if the chain is tighter, it puts more load on the bearing pins when the suspension passes through the point when the sprockets and swingarm pivot are perfectly aligned. I think this is why chains develop tight spots when the rest of the chain is fine.

They all do that, Sir. What you are probably hearing is the flapper valve on the airbox or the electric solenoid that drives it. The flapper is held open with the clutch pulled in, in gear, or whenever the revs are over 5500rpm, or in neutral. The clutch lever switch is the component that is causing the sound as it is making intermittent contact due to dirty contacts and also sitting right around the point that it is switching, which causes the flapper or solenoid to buzz or rattle. You can clean the clutch switch with contact cleaner and working it, or replace it (pretty cheap component). You can confirm that diagnosis by pulling the wires off the clutch switch and seeing if the sound goes away (and you won't be able to start the bike unless it is in neutral then).