One of the delights of restoring a motorcycle is putting it all back together again. It’s like building a jigsaw—complete with the inevitable frustrations of getting certain bits to fit.
In this week’s Saturday Sessions clip, we return to E3 Motorcycles’ Brooklyn workshop to see the Honda CB550 return to life. It’s the shop bike of New York ad agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons, and they’re looking forward to getting it back.
“Some parts of the rebuild process are rad and exciting,” says E3’s David Browning. “Like finding a stellar deal on a donor bike. Or UPS showing up with that new-old-stock tank you scored for a song online. Then there’s the other 90% of the process: The part most folks tend to leave out of the montage scenes. Which is what we’re doing this week.” And it looks captivating.
E3 have installed new OEM Honda 5.5mm fuel lines, overflow lines, and the air box assembly. There are no deviations from stock here, because the SOHC4s tend to run best with the original airbox and plenum components.
Next up is the advance and points assembly, closely followed by the battery and electronics trays and the wiring harness. Even if you’re not mechanically minded, it’s fascinating to watch.
E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 6: Installing The Engine