1980 550 LTD dual sport/cafe project

So I got my bike in a trade about six months ago. It ran, but poorly. It had a top end and carb rebuild, but then had been left to sit in a shed for a year.



Mechanically its all there, just sort of disorganized and in need of a good tune and a refresh.

So far, I've bought a replacement tank for it, sent the carbs to a local shop for a fresh rebuild and ultrasonic cleaning, and removed all the aftermarket and broken pieces.

As it sits now, it looks like this -



Here's a concept drawing of what I want to eventually do with it-



Other than that, I'm planning on mounting some dual sport tires and lowering the front end down an inch or two.

The only issue I'm really running up against so far is how in the world to get rid of that crap little 16" rear wheel. The 550A drum brake 18" alloy doesn't seem to exist, so I guess I'll have to switch to rear disc brake and change the front wheel too.

I like it. If you are really going for dual sport, and you have the ability to do some minor fabbing, I bet you could get some nice aluminum wheels with spokes. That would be a rare 550 then, plus the dual sport tires look more appropriate on spoke wheels.

Hello That's a nice clean looking bike. I kind of favor the cafe look.
Will be watching.

You're definitely right about the spoke wheels. I'd considered it, but couldn't find any model of kawi that would be a straight swap.
Maybe wheels and a swingarm from a kz650/csr650?
Also the shoestring budget starts to come into effect, so any wheel swaps are probably a ways off for now.

I'm really just trying to make the best all-rounder bike that I can.
This will be my daily as soon as the carbs are back on and some safe tires are mounted. Maybe even before i get the seat upholstered!

I have this crazy idea that when its finished I'll take it on a road trip out to the west coast, so reliability and ease of repair/replacement parts are also a must.

thanks for the replies guys

Also, another question:

Is there any way to retrofit a kick start onto this bike? The idea of being utterly reliant on the battery to start the bike is a bit daunting.

Nope, no way to do that, if you want kickstart, sell the 550 for a 400, 440 or 650

No kick, but the 550's are real easy to bump start when you get a little practice. The bike in my avatar has no battery. I've been bump starting it for about 7 years. With a battery, on a different bike, you can bump start them practically from a walk.

Ah, okay. That works fine then.

I'll be picking the carbs up tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have a running bike again by the afternoon.

If you'll notice, the rear tire is taller than most. This is to compensate for the smaller rim. In the day, guys were going to 16" rims not only were the tires cheaper and you got a little more low end, it looked cool. I didn't like it because I'd lose ground clearance. Being 6'1", seat height wasn't a issue. As long as they make the taller tire, I think you would be at about where a 18" rim would put you.
Steve

I haven't had a problem finding tires that would fit the 16", its just a aesthetic thing really.
I just don't like the big and little wheel combo.

Otherwise it really doesn't affect anything. Maybe the handling is a little softer than with an 18".
Thats why I'm not in any huge rush to swap the wheel set out.

I think the reason for the small wheel was so it could use a big tire, in an effort to mimic muscle cars. The overall outside diameter ends up around the same (but may be wider). I don't think the small wheel/big tire looks all that bad for a muscle bike look. It may also be ok for a dual-sport as dirt bikes tend to also have small rear wheels. The only real problem is that some riders say the small-wheel / big-tire combo handles poorly compared to the 18" rear wheel. If you are not looking for high-speed maneuverability, and money is an issue, you will be best off using what you got. Looks-wise, I think it'll be fine.

Unless the tire has strong side walls, there could be handling issues in the turns.
Steve