Honda Cb550 Four Super Sport (cb550k)

The CB550K0 is essentially what the CB500 should have been — that extra 44cc makes a genuine difference pulling out of corners, and the engine spins with an almost addictive mechanical smoothness that four-cylinder bikes of this era rarely matched. Honda's new frame keeps things planted on sweeping A-roads, and the 4-into-4 exhaust sounds properly purposeful without being obnoxious. That said, the single leading shoe drum front brake is the bike's dirty secret — scrubbing speed from 130 km/h in a hurry requires planning well in advance and some serious lever pressure, which gets tiring fast on anything twistier than a motorway cruise. It's not a fatal flaw, but it's the one thing that constantly reminds you this machine was designed for a different era of traffic.

The CB550K1's new front disc was the update everyone wanted — it actually stops the bike with conviction instead of that vague drum guesswork, and it transforms confidence on fast B-roads. That 544cc four pulls cleanly from about 3,500 rpm and just keeps building in a linear, trustworthy way that makes you forget you're only making 50 horses; it feels like more because it's so smooth. I've ridden this back-to-back with the 750 Four and honestly the 550 is the better sporting tool — lighter steering, more flickable, and you can use all the revs without losing your license every five minutes. The cosmetic tweaks are forgettable, the side covers are slightly better looking, but nobody bought one for the side covers.

The CB550K2 is essentially the same bike Honda got right with the K1, but with carbs that actually behave in cold mornings — a small thing until you've cursed a stumbling four-cylinder in January traffic. The inline-four pulls smoothly from 3,500 rpm up, and that 175 km/h top speed is honest; I've seen 165 on a warm day without drama. At 209 kg it's not light, but the weight sits low enough that town riding never feels like a wrestling match. The '76 color schemes are sharper than the earlier bikes, though let's be clear — you're buying this for the engine character and Honda's bulletproof build, not badge redesigns.

I put nearly 8,000 miles on a K3 over two seasons, and the engine remains the whole story — that SOHC four pulls cleanly from 3,500 rpm and delivers a genuinely satisfying mechanical howl past 7,000 that the later CB650 never quite matched. The chassis feels planted on sweeping A-roads, though push it hard into tight hairpins and the 209 kg wet weight reminds you this is a gentleman's sport bike, not a canyon carver. The K3's revised graphics look sharper than the earlier gens, but let's be honest — by 1977 Honda was already sketching the DOHC CB750, and this bike has the unmistakable feel of a platform being run out rather than developed. Carbs need synchronizing every couple thousand miles if you want the idle to behave, and the front drum on earlier K builds was already showing its age by this point.