For those of you who are willing to add a few extra steps to this procedure, on a lot of these vintage air cooled bikes, you can leave out the base gasket and use loctite 510 in place of it. This generally will increase the compression a half point, and most Pre 1980 air cooled bikes have plenty of squish/valve clearance to do this. Obviously, when doing this you want to check the squish and valve clearance (squish with solder, valve clearance with clay). But if you're looking for free HP and a little more pep, it never disappoints. It's also a good idea to check cam timing when you do this, however MOST bikes will only have the cam timing retarded a few degrees, which will increase the top-end a little bit. I've done this on every bike I've ever built, and have never come across a pre 80's bike with an otherwise stock engine that didn't have enough clearance to do this. YMMV

I can not tell you how useful these videos are man. Thank you.

I love watching these videos while working. You should definitely do an xs650 brat at some point :)

We're in a time now where I get super stoked when I see a notification that my favorite channels have uploaded new content. Thanks for keeping it coming Taylor, much appreciated!

After all of this time, this bike is still my fave of the ones you've built. I know you think a lot of people are tired of seeing 70's Honda content, but I could watch these builds all day every day! Repeat content > no content ;)

Those impact drivers are a real life saver. Made changing my stator a 20 minute job.

"Good idea to have the manual here to double check your work" Love my shop manuals. Someone commented on one of my videos that I couldn't call myself a mechanic if I used a manual. Feel sorry for that guy's bikes and their future owners.

I remember when working at a Honda shop when the CB-500 was introduced, one of the big selling points for mechanics was that we no longer had to remove the entire engine to work on the top end. It really made things easier for mechanics. But the base gasket leakage was common on all bikes at the time except for the earlier Hondas like the 305s and 450s. Triumphs and BSAs especially were noted for this, and ironically Honda made the same mistake BSA had made; they didn't have enough bolts holding the cylinders down.

omg i was thinking about bringing my cb to a shop to let it repair. it would cost 500-750 euro. Now i can do it myself, including restoring the carbs. AMAZING CONTENT!

Hey Taylor. Always glad to see a new video 😁

Keep it going! This encourages people to get into bikes!

Wow dude, you do some amazing work! You seem so calm and confident. Love your videos!

For all of us with CB550's, these videos are a so helpful! Thanks

That's a sweet sound on new start !!!! Well done

These videos are interesting, the strip down of the top end looked so easy, thanks Taylor .....👍

I'll do this on my 1998 Cagiva W12, I learned a lot from this video, keep up the good work!

Good job, great video young man. Always enjoy watching your efforts

Thanks Taylor. You made that look easy. Keep em coming. I have a similar oil leak on my bike I might tackle now.

Nice tidy job Taylor, enjoy these episodes

This is awesome. I have to do this exact thing to my CL175 and I've never attempted something like it before. Great timing on this video!

Dude you make it look so easy! I hope it goes as smooth for me on my 76’ CB550 I just bought. I should’ve paid more attention to the engine leaking and thinking that it was just something small. About to start this rebuild process this week… wish me luck!

havc a 150cc cafe racer. u just gave me an idea of my dream bike. thanks man.

I really liked this video! Nicely done!

So glad you mentioned you were going to touch up the engine paint.

Good stuff! Keep the content coming.

Literally about to do this job for the first time tomorrow on my 550, perfect timing. Cheers!

I am about to do this next weekend on my 1975 CB400Four. Thanks a lot.

Great video as always Taylor. I definitely go between the shop manual and your videos when working on the 72 CB500. I got to the point of removing the cylinders and had to laugh. You said they might need a little tappy-tap. I was wailing on those suckers with my rubber dead blow mallet. They finally did give it up, and yes, as you said, that base gasket just didn't want to let go. It's going to take some time and patience to clean that up. Thanks again for these videos.

Love you channel great info. I'm having a heck of a time with my cam tensioner it doesn't let enough slack.

Hi Taylor, thank you for the effort you have put into these videos. I currently have a line-up of Honda CB's (100, 350, 550 and 750) that i am working on or want to be working on and your videos are a huge help. I know you are looking to change direction on your channel but I do hope you keep working on these bikes. I appreciate all that you have done thus far. May you be well! Matt

Love these videos Taylor. Just tore down my 1980 cb750c. With plans on turning it into a cafe racer. And your videos are an inspiration to someone who doesn’t know much about motorcycles. But that’s why I bought it. Was hoping I wasn’t going to have to dig into the engine....... because it was running fine. But did notice oil around the heads. So I’m thinking I need to change out all the gaskets. Engine’s already out........ probably a good time. Thanks again for all you do

Great job keep up the good work.

Hi, great vid…I’m just about to start the same thing on my ‘85 650 nighthawk…I did this to an ‘83 550 nighthawk about 15 years ago but I’ve slept since then so I’ve forgotten EVERYTHING….so this “beginner” is thankful for this vid! Shalom….

god this bike looks so dope! nice work my man

Great content!

Great job Taylor

I like your motorcycle. I like your music. I like your shop. I like your torque wrench. I like your bike lift. I like your lights. I like your truck. I like your head gaskets.

Yeh broooo Im just about to do the head gaskets on my CB550 so this was good timing! Subscribed to you as well now! Good shit legend keep it up!

Awesome video thank you

Wish the video was longer and more detailed but still a great learning experience. I"m doing exactly what you did on my 78' cb550 four k. Hope it goes as well. So far so good.

I love what your doing.

That is one sweet bike... well done.

Great video! I have been meaning to do this to my bike for a while. Its leaking oil something awful.

Good video!

Wish I'd seen this when I was re-doing the top end of my old Yamaha twin. It was my first and winging it was tough. Also, it's 180º but you knew that. :)

Nice work

I own a 1978 Honda CB550K it has less then 60,000 miles on it. It is completely stock down to the 4 signal exhaust pipes there still good and not beat up it does have the crash bar and rear rack and a sport windshield. When parked 10 years ago it ran perfectly so smooth at idle you wouldn’t believe it was running, but it would wipe out my right shoe and pant leg with oil from the failure of the head gasket and o rings. I’m a good backyard mechanic having read what was required to repair it for some reason scared me off, but after watching your video I now feel I was just being silly I CAN DO IT IT WILL LIVE AGAIN !!! My question to you is while it’s opened up should I go ahead and replace the rings lap the valves and replace the cam tensioner for many more years of service and maybe the oil pump I trust your opinion it’s 53-60,000 miles normal wear what is there life expectancies lm 65 years old and when growing up you see a bike with 10k on it would would think it’s time is soon over. I live in Colton CA AND IF I Don’t FIX IT I WILL NEED TO FIND A GOOD HOME FOR IT IM THE 2nd owner 15,000 miles when purchased in the mid 80s 👍

THX for a nice video.

Great video as always! It kind of skipped the fun part of putting valve cover on. Valve tappets usually get in the way of putting it flat on. Using rubber bands to hold them up helps tremendously.

Awesome! Very nice! Thank you! 😎👍🏻

Great video. Thanks!

Hi Ty, really enjoyed this video man, I love how easy you make everything look, i would attempt that now myself, using your video as reference. This job would take 2 days to do and cost a kidney over here in the uk 🇬🇧 lol 😂 instead of the 2 hours it took you. Dang it. You’re just tooooo freaking good man. 😎👍👍👍🇬🇧

Hello from UK, I still not get bored at all ...I've never got cb in all original, but once I bought just a frame cb500 and modify it for water colled 90s kawa engine. If you want , I can drop some pic of my bike. Keep going on your videos! Liked.

My 72 500 last summer shit oil all over my leg and I thought I was losing it 😂 good to know it’s a common thing and I’m not crazy

literally doing this to my bike this weekend sept I'm changing the piston and rings to. love your channel.

Midnight blue :) love it

Perfect timing, i gotta do mines on my 550 😂

I realize there's not going back and making a new video, And I ain't here to bitch or complain, your video was instrumental in helping me do this, but there's a couple steps that I would have loved to have seen seeing as this was my first time taking the top end off and trying to put it back together. The cam chain tensioner (when it goes back for the first time, do you tension it, or leave it loose?) I realized that loose means you have all the trouble in the world later on getting the chain back on that sprocket and so I tightened it (with that cam chain tensioner screw in the back). When you put the valve cover back on, you mentioned the breather, the o'rings, and adjusting the cam chain tensioner (yes that again) and you time lapsed that part.... would have great for this newbie to see what you did there. But I get this may not be a instructional video for all that and the work you did show us was invaluable. NOW I just need to find a video that's more detailed and talks about the which new O'rings go where and what to look for when doing stuff. Little tricks of the trade ;) Thanks again for this though and I look forward to new videos of yours.

beautiful!

You are very close to 50,000 subscribers! Congratulations. A coupla questions and comments - first of all, you show people how you do these repairs but not many can do what you do. I have a hard enough time putting a cylinder with one set of piston rings to line up and make sure they get into the cylinder properly and don’t get damaged. Four pistons would drive me crZy! You make it look so easy. Did you get any training at a technical college or motorcycle mechanics institute? My last question, do you have to retorque the cylinder/head bolts after you have warmed the engine up completely a few times? Other than that thanks for another great video where a simple plan comes together nicely.

Thank you

I just found your channel last week and I have been absolutely addicted to your videos - you do a terrific job with each one and they give me hope that I'll be able to build my own custom CB550 (or 450) one day since I love the look of those bikes and have always wanted one. P.S., would you recommend avoiding the use of a pneumatic impact driver, or do you just use the manual one because it fits into place in the frame or around the bike more easily?

Hi Taylor, thanks for your videos, always interesting. I am happy with more details and longer videos are not an issue. I have a question: why didn’t you clean the deposition on top of the cylinders? What needs to be done to prevent it? My understanding is that it can cause detonation, changes in compression etc. was the build up not big enough to worry about it? Greetings from the Netherlands!

Hey man, love watching your videos. Shame you're not closer to Vancouver because id love for you to build my 83 GS750T. :)

Back in 1980 i bought a 2yr old honda cb550f2 i wish i still had it.

Gr8 work I wish you would had focused camera on headgasket along with the orings etc that go allong with headgasket bcz thats most important to avoid compression or oil leaks So thats the most important detail.

Waiting on the freak triumph to start

The birds are happy today mate!

Another good one. I need to ride my CB550F up to your shop and get it looked at. I just did this a few months back but only the top gasket as it was leaking. Had more than a centimeter of carb buildup on the cylinder heads. It seems to struggle in the last gear to keep speed at about 80mph. Have gone over the carb so many times and the timing. I got it up in Austin leaking fuel, oil and had an obvious drop at some point. Have replaced and fixed nearly everything. Just won't run right and not sure why. Im in San Antonio. Need to save up some cash first but would love a once over and suggestions etc.

buen trabajo!

Plastic razor blades work great for cleaning aluminum mating surfaces too. No risk of gouging the aluminum either!

if you twist the impact driver by hand in the direction of removal , ie anti clockwise, you will take up the slack in the impact driver internal threads and will not need to hit it three times

Great informative video but as you're in there and they should come with the gasket set. I would replace the valve stem seals any how.

Wishing you continued success. I enjoy both the car and bike content. Didn’t you have a ‘32 roadster or something laying around?

U know that a old fella told me one time is not to paint the fins the help with the cooling of the engine

Would like to have seen more on installing the cylinders and would like to know if you honed the cylinders

Have you ever used wide hose clamps as ring compressors? You then can open them up and remove them after the pistons are in the bore.

Always a pleasure to watch your work. What was that cable you had in the back of your truck for loading ?

Cool. I have to do my valve oil seals on my bike. But am going to have to remove my engine and its fuel injection, fun. Thanks for showing the impact driver. I was trying to explain it to my wife and she wasn't getting it till I showed her that section of vid. What drive is it?

Hey man I love your videos. I'm doing a topend rebuild on my 78' 550, I've got new gaskets , rings and valves, do I need to replace the valve guides too?

Great video!, just a question: what tires are those? Asking because those are not the Shinzos I’ve seen on the others videos and looks that a perfect fit as well with the fenders.

Probably best to loosen head bolts from the outside-in. This way the tension does not bow the inside due to more friction holding the outside of the head. This is why when tightening head bolts from the inside-out makes sense. It's the same physics.

I have watched many of your videos and wonder where it is that you buy your spares from

"...it's a sound of magic"...

Hey bud, great video." What magnetic tool are you using to pull those nuts out and then drop them back in? Cheers.

..shop vac or something similar works good while scraping that gasket to keep stuff Out.. also, a sharp Wood Chisel of the appropriate Size does good on old gaskets..not Cold Chisel, Wood.. they're Flat on one side, with a nice Handle for Gripping..

Hi. I’m after some advice. Im attempting a top end rebuild of my CB550 and I can’t prize apart the cylinder casing as the gasket seems really stuck. I feel I’m giving it as leverage as I dare! On the small cut outs to fit a flat head screwdriver

More info on that yellow rover!

Hi mate the 4 into 1 kit you linked to is out of stock, found the Versah kits on the same website, are they just as good? There's a review that says it leaked straight away.

Enjoy watching your CB videos from here in Scotland UK. Many years ago, in the very early eighties, I rebuilt the engine of my CB400/4 on the kitchen table of my second floor apartment. It ran afterwards, too! Did that model ever make it to the US I wonder and do you ever come across them?

Will you ever do a cb650 build it's like a cb550 frame with a bigger motor their an awsome bike 79 is the year to get

I know you mentioned with a 750, the motor has to come out, but can this top end service also be done on an '81 650 without removing the engine? These videos man, what would we do without you? 👍🏻

Taylor ive got a question. I have a 83 honda cb 450 . With out a title. Trying to find a frame with title , what yyears will fit this motor

Great videos. Just a question ...... What batteries are you running, if lithium ion are you changing reg/rectifier. I`m in middle of doing mine and ideally want to go with smallest battery i can and hopefully keep elec start

What size of impact philips bit is needed to take the top part off?

Thank for posting what you do. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been riding a 72 CL100 for the past few years but it has developed an issue I can’t figure out. I posted a video on my channel if anyone wants to take a stab at suggestions. Thanks 👍🏼

What manual do you refer to when doing repairs?

How did you get the exhust painted like that

I have a CB550 74 but white smoke comes out of the top cover and it escapes after a period of use, it will be the piston rings, regards

Can you do this process on the CB400 while the engine is still in the frame?