PICS! Coyote's new 550

[Coyote]

Earlier I stated that the motor was black with yellow fins. Went by what the PO told me. Well, it doesn't have yellow fins. What it does have is a yellow ram air shroud. YUK!

Here are some early pics. I am cramped because I'm in a 1 car garage along with my GS1000. Later today the bike will come out of the garage and be moved to my climate controlled work shop. That's where I built RedZone. I'll get some better shots while the bike is out tonight. Still am confused sabot the plastic gauges. Research tells me that some were used in 76 until the over run of the 75 gauges was depleted. I hope someone knows when the change was made, Speedo and tach appear to work. I can move the needles and they return to zero. Trip meter also easily resets. I am certain these lenses were broken out because they became too cloudy to see. Battery shows 2 volts

[oldjapanesebikes]

Congrats on the find Chris - looks like the makings of a good project !

[Coyote]

This is a new one on me Never seen any side cover badges that weren't sparkle orange. This one is gold and appears to be OEM?

[yeadon_m]

I would guess that one has seen paint stripper in its past

On your clocks, it should be possible to install nice new glass lenses and give the faces a bit of a clean, replace the face screws and re-paint the needle tips. Thats a great (low) mileage. If there's been enough oil in the bottom end, it may even have protected the crank seals.

Cheers,
Mike

[Coyote]

Pic's always make things look better than they really are. I have decided that the front fender is correct. I think I have the original tool kit. How was the original packaged? This is a bad condition black vinyl pouch with a white snap. Does that sound right? I guess I will open it later and post a pick of whats inside. These were taken late last night as we (son and I) were moving it to the workshop. Everything not shown is in boxes. Tank, seat, side covers, disassembled carbs, badges and other stuff. Nothing has been cleaned or wiped off. I only had it for 24 hrs!

[Craig380]

That looks like a great find, enjoy her!

At the risk of being flamed ... I like the black jugs, they look pretty good to me ...

[yeadon_m]

That front guard is correct I believe for 1976A and 1977B models. Or, only the 77B. Your headlamp brackets, being chrome, say its not a B model I believe.
Those single-stay front guards are worth a packet in UK if in good nick. Made of unobtainium
Cheers,
Mike

[Coyote]

Had a pleasant surprise this morning. I pulled off the points cover expecting all kinds of horrors, but it looks nearly brand new! I can only see evidence on a couple of screws of ever being turned. The cam is perfect.Lightly lubed, no pitting and no signs of wear. Just some burnish marks from the phenolic followers on the points. Points look great with no pitting or arcing marks. I am beginning to believe the 3,240 on the clock is accurate. Another thing I noticed while looking everything over is all the original S bolts are still on it. WOW! Finding a 38 year old unmolested bike is like a pipe dream coming true.
My only wish is that some PO hadn't painted the motor black. Still don't know how I'm going to deal with that. I'm almost sure it was done with a rattle can as most everything below horizontal is unpainted. I believe it was painted in he frame because I can detect over spray on the down tubes on the front.
Underside of the bike is very dirty, but it is dry so that's good.
What puzzles me is why the master cylinder decomposed so badly. The condition is horrible and the piston seems to be frozen. The cup is dryer than a popcorn fart (sorry, that's how Okies describe dry beyond belief). I took the brake hose off at the MC and opened the bleeder on the caliper. I used very low air pressure in the hose at the top. Clean brake fluid came out of the bleeder so hopefully the caliper is OK They are easy to rebuild if not.
Check out this MC. It's for sale if anyone is interested

[Suzukidave]

A can or two of aircraft spray paint stripper and the black paint will be gone from your engine

[pjmcburney]

I'll have that M/C if you're selling it.


No, really I will!

[joolstacho]

Cooo, we could have that M/C looking good as new with a few hours work with wet 'n dry.

[Coyote]

Got some bad news and some good news. The bad. I just got back from the DMV.. Because the bike has not been tagged since 2006. They are going to nail me big time. $250 for tags and another $30 to transfer the title. They refuse to just transfer the title until all penalties are paid up. $280 is nearly half the price of the bike! So as far as I'm concerned, DMV stands for Done Molesting and Violating.
The good news is, with moderate effort the paint rubs right off with acetone.

[Suzukidave]

Coyote , if you havent tried the spray aircraft paint stripper its good stuff and you can find it at Auto Zone . Being a spray it gets into the small spots and you let it set a bit and then hose it off .. it doesnt hurt aluminum at all

[Coyote]

Ill look for that. There is an Auto Zone just 2 miles away.