The Honda Nighthawk CB550SC is a four-cylinder motorcycle manufactured by Honda in the United States in 1983; one other version was sold in Canada in 1984. It had a six-speed manual transmission (sixth was 'overdrive'), shaft drive, single front disc and rear drum brakes, side and center stands, and seating for two, with a "grab bar" mounted at the rear of the passenger seat.
The 550sc was the first 550 Honda offered with a dual over head cam. It actually used the same camshaft as the slightly larger CB650 nighthawk. The engine was very low maintenance with hydraulic self-adjusting valves.[verification needed]
The power was rated @ 75 horsepower and roughly 36 foot pounds of torque.[citation needed] Fuel economy was 41 MPG on average.[citation needed] It would cover a quarter mile in 12.67 seconds @ @102 MPH.[verification needed] Though there have been various claims about the horsepower in magazines the Honda specifications in their Official American Honda Service Manual rates the HP at 64 at 9500 rpm with a torque of 36.5 lb.-ft. at 8000 rpm.