Educate me.. Maxim 550 vs CB550 NH

Hi guys,

Lots of bikes going for the same price range..

Which one is better? (Love the Maxims as much as you guys), just looking for a light/middleweight choice.

Honda has no valve adj? More power, hyd clutch..

Any info is welcome,

Thanks

 

Honda does get valve adjustments. It's just done with an adjustable tappet rather than shims.

CB has more power? Are you sure? That heavy valve train should move the red line down compared to the XJ.

 

I know it's not the best source, but when reading about the XJ650 and CB750 on Wikipedia when I was looking at a bike of each type I found the XJ650 reportedly has more power than the larger CB. Perhaps this indicates there is something about the design of the two engines that allows the XJ to produce more power.

Other than small differences, I would guess the XJs and CBs to be about equal.

 

Some CB's like my old Nighthawk have hydraulic valve lash adjusters, which only require hydraulic fluid no adjustment-but they do add a little weight to the package. The CB has some higher cost to repair some components, but they remain a popular model and for good reason-they innovated a lot of things and had some nice styling.

I must say I have enjoyed both my CB650 and my XJ550 and oddly for different reasons. Nighthawk was fast and looked sharp, but it did have some handling quirks that took some effort to nail down and fix. The XJ is also fast and has a classic style that get's noticed, and it is easy to work on. If it were me I would go with the best bike I could find and go with my gut on which one suits my needs at the time.

All the SJM manufacturers were competing furiously in the early 80's and each one came up with some interesting designs. Although the difference is small (almost negligible) it does appear that the XJ plants (especially with YICS) make a little more HP per CC. Sorry I can't be more helpful-I guess I like them all-including the zuke and kawi.

 

The yammies have one major benifit. They do not try to spin a magnetic drag off the end of the crakshaft. When Yamaha moved the generator off the crank to the behind the cylinders. They removed a major power robbing electro-magnetic drag from the crank. They also gave a smoother running engine with the YICS balancing system.

The difference is noticeable.

Ghost

 

The CB550 is old-school Honda, with screw-type valve adjustment as Carl said. It was also one of the original generation UJM with the alternator on the end of the crank.

The Nighthawk series with hydraulic valves also had the alternator moved behind the cylinders, like the XJs. But a CB550 is not a Nighthawk.

The XJ550 will be faster and more nimble; the CB550 is a bit of a "truck" handling-wise; but its more standard styling and less radical seat could make it a bit more comfortable.

 

As others have said alot, I will just add that if you get the xj, you'll never have to fret about finding any replacement part you could ever need.

 

They did make a CB550SC Nighthawk in 83, a one year model.

Redlines at 10,000 rpm
Hydraulic clutch
Shaft Drive
6 Speeds
Hydraulic valve lash adjuster
Alternator behind the cylinders

http://www.postaldave.com/cb550sc.html

You really can’t go wrong with either the XJ550 or the CB550SC (the CB550 is a different beast) as long as they are in good condition and you get them back in road worthy shape.