History There was never much bad to say about the Honda 500 Four, so why enlarge its bores by a mere 2.5 millimeters to make a 550? Several reasons: first, and probably the least important, is the presence of Suzuki’s 550 - Honda didn’t want to lose any sales over a piffling 50ccs; second, the consumer woudld be more likely to absorb a price increase to $1,600 without squawking if their getting more motorcycle for the money; and, third, the extra displacement - tiny as it is (a guppy could barely turn around in a 50cc fishbowl) - actually added a noticeable amount of mid-range power and torque.