The original CB500 released in 1971 ultimately morphed into the 1974 CB550 and the 1975 CB550F 'Super Sport'. The original 'base' 500cc manual was expanded, by the factory, to include the CB550 and subsequently updated with supplements for the later models.

It covers the 1971-1973 K0, K1 & K2 CB500 the 1974-1978 CB550 K0, K1, K2 ('76), K3 ('77) & K4 ('78) and the 1975-1977 CB550F F0, F1 ('76) & F2 ('77). Beginning in 1968 and extending through the 1975 model year, the 'K' suffix often, but not always, changed on an annual basis. 'K0' was normally used to indicate the first model in the series with updated versions identified as K1, K2, K3 etc. While the 'K' number designations continued in use outside the USA through 1978, in September 1973, American Honda adopted a year identifier within the model number - for example; a CB550'76 would be a 1976 USA model but in most other countries, that same model would be identified as a CB550K2. Setting this potential for confusion aside, we can state that this manual covers the entire 1971 through 1978 range of 500cc and 550 cc four-cylinder models.

After his visit to Japan in 1961, Floyd Clymer published 'The Complete Catalog of Japanese Motor Vehicles' (ISBN 9781588502209). Based on his experiences during that visit, Floyd also anticipated the need for repair manuals for those Japanese motorcycles that were just starting to be imported into the USA [Yamaha (1958), Honda (1959), Suzuki (1963)]. The predominance of the Floyd Clymer Japanese motorcycle manuals were either reprints or compilations of the factory publications which today makes them more desirable than the current aftermarket manuals.