Topic: Advice for touring on a 71 500four

[MCRider]

Compliments, orange550, I'm used to pack my 500 like you do, be it that my rolbag on the luggagecarrier is smaller. My sidebags hang a bit higher to clear the original 4 in 4. Heavy things like tools I carry in a tankpack. Light stuf like towel, sleepingbag,  etcunderwear can be in a small backpack on... your back. Why not? No solid stuf here, so the backpack can give some comfort in case of an unexpected landing. If you still need more luggageroom you can consider... a similar backpack on your front. Airflow is not affected at all, since you are already there. The way I distribute my luggage over the bike, I never felt handling was affected. On the contrary. it always felt very stable. You could pack your toolrol (tools are heavy) under the carbs, but I've no experience with this (I just remember I've promised to post some pics.).
BTW, I've seen some horrendous pics in this forum of bikes packed with a pile of luggage. They must handle like a pig.

They handle about the same as carrying a passenger, though without the wiggling. Now a paassenger AND an overload, there's some bad handling!

http://www.honda305.com/frames/zen-hld1.htm

Click on the first picture to enlarge it, for the full effect!   

[Bankerdanny]

Danny next time your up this way holler at me kalamazoo is only 18 miles from my shop

I am planning to ride my GL up to the Gilmore show in June. Hopefully I will be able to hook up with SeanBarney and Ekpent, who live in KZoo while I am there.

[orange550]

Compliments, orange550, I'm used to pack my 500 like you do, be it that my rolbag on the luggagecarrier is smaller and I have a small pack over the tank. My sidebags hang a bit higher to clear the original 4 in 4. Heavy things like tools I carry in the tankpack. Light stuf like towel, sleepingbag, underwear, etc can be in a small backpack on... your back. Why not? Caution: no solid stuf here, so the backpack can provide some comfort in case of an unexpected landing. If you still need more luggageroom you can consider a similar small backpack on your chest. Airflow is not an issue, since you in person are already there. The way I distribute my luggage over the bike, I never felt handling was affected. On the contrary, it always felt more stable. You could even pack your toolrol (tools are heavy) under the carbs, but I've no experience with this (I just remember I've promised to post some pics.). Remember those small filmrolcontainers before we went digital? I have some taped on the inside of frametubes. One of them is filled with garagesoap to wash your hands after you've been busy with your chain. The tape they're attached with is an essential too for long rides. 
BTW, I've seen some horrendous pics in this forum of bikes packed with a pile of luggage. They must handle like a pig.
On a gentleman's express one likes to ride like a gentleman. Therefore: I never ride two-up (I just don't like it) and I never carry cookery stuff (there is no personel anyway so what's the point of bringing it?)
Are there any of you that have experience in carrying a pop-up tent like Quecha? I would love to have such a tent with me, but it would probably catch to much sidewind.

Hey Thanks DeltaRider. I'm still learning the art of packing. I'd like to incorporate a tent as well, plus find a nice tank bag for all the little bits. I'd also like to find a way to carry just a few more tools. But generally, for me, less-is-more. Thats the entire point afaik.

I just got back into the sport this past year, and so far, I do little two-up. My wife likes the occasional short ride--maybe for breakfast--but otherwise she knows it's sort-of my thing. She's kind of old school that way; guys do guys stuff. And she certainly has zero interest in road-tripping on the a back of a motorcycle. Which is good, 'cause I like the time to myself.

[Bankerdanny]

I found my luggage rack/backrest combo to be very useful for the tour I did. The backrest gives lots of bungee options and allowed me to use a leather sissy bar pack that I picked up cheap.

That said, SeanBarney did the same tour with me carrying half the stuff. He managed to fit a small tent, a couple changes of clothes, tools and a light weight sleeping bag into two small vintage style hard pannier cases.

The next trip I do will involve a lot less crap, even though my GoldWing has more storage space.

Here is Sean's 750 on day 1. We called it the Cafe Tourer for this event

[MCRider]

I once got this advice from atravel agent: "Take less luggage and more money."
Another bromide; "Do the most with the least."

I remember my first longtrip was 6 weeks, though much of that time was spent visitng and not on the road. Though i did about 6,000 miles. What with access to laundry, i had taken several shirts I never even wore.

[JBMorse]

Yup, just do it man!  The CB500 is the perfect touring bike!  Plenty of power, nice handling, smooth, reliable, and comfortable.  I had the time of my life in the summer of 2010 riding mine around the country.  Deltarrider will cringe at this photo, but this was our luggage setup.  Yup, our, as in my wife and I.  We rode two up with all this crap.



It didn't handle that badly.  It actually handled rather well considering the load.  We had aftermarket shocks with heavy springs, new wheel bearings, and roller steering head bearings.
The key is to know the bike well.  As others have said, do maintenance before you go.  Start with a newish chain and sprockets, tires, cables, etc.  There is little that will break that you can't fix on the roadside if you're prepared.  We carried a few basic tools to do maintenance, as well as things like a tube patch kit, some electrical tape, fuses, cable ties, etc.  Luckily we didn't use much of this stuff. 
We did have a first gear failure halfway through the trip, but were told to just continue on which is what we did!  You will hear things about the CB500 transmission.  I have to say they're not that bad.  Overall it's a very reliable bike, but the clutch and shifter are not up to par.  The shift forks can bend slightly for example.  But I would not let this stop you.  If you've got a good solid running bike, run it.  The chances of sudden shifting/transmission failure are not that good.  I am still not entirely sure what happened with my bike, but I think I was one of the unlucky few for whom the CB500 clutch/transmission/shifter setup just would not work.  Keep in mind how hard I was working the bike, too.  We were 5k miles into a trip when it broke!
Anyway, there's lots of good advice already so think about what kind of trip you want to do and go form there.  The bike will be game for anything!

[HondaMan]

The only thing that bike needs for an all-day, day-after-day, weeks-long Interstate speeds tour is some X24ES-U or D8EA sparkplugs and 20w50 oil (preferably something for motorcycles, like the Castrol 4T type).

Proof: My brother and I toured 6 years, every summer, side-by-side across the West and South, and he singled it all the way across Canada from International Falls to Lake Louise, back into Montana & Colorado, to reconnect with me and take on Colorado, Utah, and parts of Arizona together before going home (MO).

I was on my CB750K2 that I still have, he rode his 1971 CB500. When he traded it for a CB650-4, he said that was the biggest mistake in his life, to date.

[BeSeeingYou]

Yup, just do it man!  The CB500 is the perfect touring bike!  Plenty of power, nice handling, smooth, reliable, and comfortable.  I had the time of my life in the summer of 2010 riding mine around the country.  Deltarrider will cringe at this photo, but this was our luggage setup.  Yup, our, as in my wife and I.  We rode two up with all this crap.

Dude, you and the Misses get the Iron Butt award.  I have done plenty of long trips but only once did I do two up w/camping gear and that was only 600 miles.  Now my wife is only good for about an hour or two on the back so I never have to do it again.

[HondaMan]

Yup, just do it man!  The CB500 is the perfect touring bike!  Plenty of power, nice handling, smooth, reliable, and comfortable.  I had the time of my life in the summer of 2010 riding mine around the country.  Deltarrider will cringe at this photo, but this was our luggage setup.  Yup, our, as in my wife and I.  We rode two up with all this crap.



It didn't handle that badly.  It actually handled rather well considering the load.  We had aftermarket shocks with heavy springs, new wheel bearings, and roller steering head bearings.
The key is to know the bike well.  As others have said, do maintenance before you go.  Start with a newish chain and sprockets, tires, cables, etc.  There is little that will break that you can't fix on the roadside if you're prepared.  We carried a few basic tools to do maintenance, as well as things like a tube patch kit, some electrical tape, fuses, cable ties, etc.  Luckily we didn't use much of this stuff. 
We did have a first gear failure halfway through the trip, but were told to just continue on which is what we did!  You will hear things about the CB500 transmission.  I have to say they're not that bad.  Overall it's a very reliable bike, but the clutch and shifter are not up to par.  The shift forks can bend slightly for example.  But I would not let this stop you.  If you've got a good solid running bike, run it.  The chances of sudden shifting/transmission failure are not that good.  I am still not entirely sure what happened with my bike, but I think I was one of the unlucky few for whom the CB500 clutch/transmission/shifter setup just would not work.  Keep in mind how hard I was working the bike, too.  We were 5k miles into a trip when it broke!
Anyway, there's lots of good advice already so think about what kind of trip you want to do and go form there.  The bike will be game for anything!

The clutch issue you mention is key to the fork-bending problem you encountered. The clutch lifter, if not lubed well, develops a groove-notch that stops the screw partway into the release: the rider just toes his way through it when the bike is moving and seldom realizes he is dragging the shift drum against a partially-disengaged clutch. This causes the gear dogs to drag on each other during the shift, wearing the tips of the shift forks. If the oil is hot and thin (10w40), this happens much faster.

One key to solving this is to install a North American grease zerk in the clutch lifter so grease actually goes into the lifter, and once in a while disassemble it and clean, then smooth off the little ridge that develops at the end of the clutch pull stroke. As soon as you do this once, you'll be in there every season to do it again because it makes the whole bike feel fresh and new with the silky shifting and operation that is the hallmark of the 500-4.

[camelman]

I rode my 350f with my girl on the back for 800 miles along with saddle bags, tent, backpack, tank bag and a shoulder bag.  that included interstate miles and plenty of miles of me blowing by cars like they were standing still on highway one.  So, yes, the engine has enough power.  The only thing I carried were tools to adjust my drive chain and extra ignition components with appropriate tools.  More than that, and I just assumed there was a shop nearby.

Get out and ride!  Oh, and don't forget that you have an amazing community behind you that will find you... as long as you have a smartphone to post your predicament!  ;-)

Camelman

[JBMorse]

The clutch issue you mention is key to the fork-bending problem you encountered. The clutch lifter, if not lubed well, develops a groove-notch that stops the screw partway into the release: the rider just toes his way through it when the bike is moving and seldom realizes he is dragging the shift drum against a partially-disengaged clutch. This causes the gear dogs to drag on each other during the shift, wearing the tips of the shift forks. If the oil is hot and thin (10w40), this happens much faster.

One key to solving this is to install a North American grease zerk in the clutch lifter so grease actually goes into the lifter, and once in a while disassemble it and clean, then smooth off the little ridge that develops at the end of the clutch pull stroke. As soon as you do this once, you'll be in there every season to do it again because it makes the whole bike feel fresh and new with the silky shifting and operation that is the hallmark of the 500-4.

The clutch issue you mention is key to the fork-bending problem you encountered. The clutch lifter, if not lubed well, develops a groove-notch that stops the screw partway into the release: the rider just toes his way through it when the bike is moving and seldom realizes he is dragging the shift drum against a partially-disengaged clutch. This causes the gear dogs to drag on each other during the shift, wearing the tips of the shift forks. If the oil is hot and thin (10w40), this happens much faster.

One key to solving this is to install a North American grease zerk in the clutch lifter so grease actually goes into the lifter, and once in a while disassemble it and clean, then smooth off the little ridge that develops at the end of the clutch pull stroke. As soon as you do this once, you'll be in there every season to do it again because it makes the whole bike feel fresh and new with the silky shifting and operation that is the hallmark of the 500-4.
[/quote]

That's great info Hondaman!!!  I wish I understood this concept better then.  Nobody's ever explained the dry clutch lifter problem to me before. I am now rebuilding that bike with a 550 bottom, but I also have a separate CB500 project and will take your advice to heart.  The Japanese grease fittings aren't good?   Should I replace other fittings on the bike, like the swingarm one?  I hope the OP follow this advice too!

[orange550]

The clutch issue you mention is key to the fork-bending problem you encountered. The clutch lifter, if not lubed well, develops a groove-notch that stops the screw partway into the release: the rider just toes his way through it when the bike is moving and seldom realizes he is dragging the shift drum against a partially-disengaged clutch. This causes the gear dogs to drag on each other during the shift, wearing the tips of the shift forks. If the oil is hot and thin (10w40), this happens much faster.

One key to solving this is to install a North American grease zerk in the clutch lifter so grease actually goes into the lifter, and once in a while disassemble it and clean, then smooth off the little ridge that develops at the end of the clutch pull stroke. As soon as you do this once, you'll be in there every season to do it again because it makes the whole bike feel fresh and new with the silky shifting and operation that is the hallmark of the 500-4.

Hi HondaMan,

Is this issue just on the 500, and right up to '73 or did it carry into the 550?

Thanks

[Bankerdanny]

It's been mentioned by others, but keep a close eye on your chain. I found that the drive chain on my 550 (which was admittedly the original chain, but only had about 7k miles on it) needed to be adjusted every few hundred miles. it's easy to do and you do not want the chain to jump off at speed.

[Goofaroo]

I always hang on to old shirts, socks, underwear, sweat pants, etc. When they get too shoddy to use at home I just throw them in a trash bag in my closet. When I take a motorcycle trip, I go through the bag and get out whatever I think I will need and can use. When the worn out clothes get so dirty that you can't even use them to ride your motorcycle just throw them away. You'll lighten your load as you go, do a lot less laundry, and make room in your bags for items you may want to purchase along the way. If you go through your closet and dresser right now, you can probably find a lot of clothes that you wouldn't mind throwing out anyway. You can pretty much wear anything you want under your riding jacket and you'll be wearing your riding pants while on the road so you really only need something to wear while off the bike and it is really easy to overestimate and take far more than you need.

I use the same technique when I go to our favorite resort in Mexico. I go to the thrift store and buy some  Hawaiian shirts. Once I sweat through the shirt in the heat and humidity, I throw it away and it's one less nasty sweat soaked shirt to bring home in my suitcase.

On another note- don't forget that you will probably get rained on so be ready for that. Aside from the obvious rain gear, bring an extra pair of gloves. There is nothing worse than riding in soaking wet leather gloves. I recommend that at least one pair of your gloves be made of textile.  Also, you need at least one storage spot that is absolutely waterproof. If your tank bag has a rain cover that has always worked for me but if not then put a dry bag or a sealed plastic container into one of your bags that you can keep your wallet, camera, phone, insurance papers, etc. in.

Lastly, ALWAYS carry more water than you think you need and a few granola bars.

[MCRider]

I like that! Throw as you go, great!

[Goofaroo]

I get rid of all kinds of crap I would probably never wear again and isn't fit to donate. When I'm traveling on the bike though, I am dirty and I stink so I don't care what I am wearing. A few days on the road and nightly drinking around the campfire tend to make you look and smell like a bigfoot so you really don't need to get all dressed up.

Here's another tip. My father in law sent me a red thermal union suit for Christmas this year. He just thought I would get a kick out of it and maybe wear it around the house. As it turns out, it the best piece of riding gear I have ever had. I put on the union suit (onesy) and some socks and that's it. Now I just throw on my jacket, pants, and boots and I'm ready to go. It replaces my underwear and my shirt and it always stays tucked in to my leather pants.  Plus, around camp or in the hotel room, I can just hang out in just the suit and a pair of slippers. Not to mention how hot I look in it. I am sexy motorcycle ridin' son of a #$%* now.

By the way, mine has the "slot" in back instead of the "flap" and it is not footed.

[Spanner 1]

I bet chicks are turned-on by that outfit too, Goo 

[Goofaroo]

It's the clothes that make the man.

[mjstone]

The 500 makes a good touring bike if set up right.  Like Danny said, I did just shy of 2200 mile in the Rally on my '72.  Get a good fairing/windshield, you can't beat a Vetter Windjammer.  Hard luggage is best, if you can find some for the 500.  Vetter did not make any mounting brackets for their Floating Saddlebags, I modified the ones that came with my Vetter Tail Trunk.  I'm sure I've seen the Bates saddlebags with 500/550 brackets.  Hard luggage can be locked and your stuff might survive the bike being dropped better.  One of my saddlebags leaked, so everything I put in that bag was wrapped in plastic garbage bags or ziplock bags.

Here's some pics I snarfed from others posts of the Rally to show how I had my stuff packed. If you look closely you can see my tent tied on top of my right saddlebag and I have my cameras tripod on the left bag.  My sleeping bag is double wrapped in trash bags and tied to the seat, I've got my jacket draped over it.  And yeah, that's a big Corbin King/Queen seat, comfortable on a long ride.

Oh, I've currently got about 45K on my clock and this bike runs and shifts beautifully.  Believe Hondaman when he talks about how smooth the 500 is.

MJ

[Imago]

My first long bike trip was on my very first bike, a 1975 Honda CB550 (factory metal flake orange - I wish I hadn't traded it in on a brand new 1981 750F right after that trip).

This trip was from Saskatchewan, Canada down south to look at the Mount St. Helen eruption in 1981, and beyond.

My 550 easily kept up with a friends Goldwing and a big 1300cc Yamaha.

Another friend went on the trip with a little yellow rocket, a 1975 Honda 400F SS and had no trouble either.

I had a sissy bar, and lashed my sleeping bag and tent to that and used it as a backrest. Comfy. I had a waterproof army sleeping bag cover that doubled as a water bag, VERY handy in the rain to keep things dry (you can probably still find them in surplus stores).

I was also pushing a medium sized police windshield which really helped keep the bugs/debris off. I had a big crash bar on the front with highway pegs... that helped with long hauls too... if you can move around a bit it really helps. I seem to recall spending a few bucks on a cheap throttle cruise control too. Being able to shift around, body and hands, makes the miles fly by. Over my leathers I often wore a light down jacket... looked bizarre but I was never cold!

The only trouble I got into was when I came around a corner at the mountain where a grader was grading ash into the ditch but had his blade 1/2 way across the highway. Closest I ever came to buying it.

Stateline Idaho (I'll never forget drinking beer ring side at a boxing match we found while the local army men went at it), Butte, Helena etc. etc. Wonderful places and many fond memories.

Maybe I should look up those guys to reprise that trip... hmmmm.

[Imago]

I'm sure chain technology has come a long way over the years, but I also recall adjusting the drive chain every morning before we left for the day. Be sure to take a few tools...

One other problem I encountered was a faulty spark plug boot... some of them have a resistor built in. One of mine went and I drove WAY too many miles on 3 cylinders before we figured it out. No damage thankfully... a testiment to these fabulous engines!

Maybe take a spare boot.

[Deltarider]

The 500 gearbox is legendary and has always been praised by journalists.

One department that would be acceptable by today's standards is the gearbox. It is simply superb.
'Sweet' seems a soppy description for a few cogs and rods, but that's the impression it gives. The five speeds mesh into place with a delicious soft snick. No clunk, no jarring, and matched to a firm and springy clutch it's as good as anything you could buy today.

Source: Classic & Motorcycle Mechanics, May 1994 p. 8-12
The article was titled: Honda CB500-4 FAR BETTER than it's BIG brother.

What I particularly like is that shifting is so silky and so precise I  immediately feel it when my drivechain needs to be adjusted.
And when someone else rides my bike, I always have to instruct them that just a little bit of toe movement is enough.
I know quite a few riders that never bothered to use the clutch whilst upshifting. You have to know the technique ofcourse.

[Goofaroo]

One department that would be acceptable by today's standards is the gearbox. It is simply superb.
'Sweet' seems a soppy description for a few cogs and rods, but that's the impression it gives. The five speeds mesh into place with a delicious soft snick. No clunk, no jarring, and matched to a firm and springy clutch it's as good as anything you could buy today.

I think the gearbox is a big factor in what makes these bikes so charming to ride. These bikes have a completely overbuilt gear box and it really seems to add to the straight line stability. These old CBs  feel a lot more substantial than most modern 500CC bikes.

As far as a throttle lock-  My 71' has a throttle lock from the factory and as far as I know it is all original. Does your throttle side have a thumb wheel protruding down from under the handlebar controls?  My BMWs have always had this and I was pleased to find that my CB500 had one as well. It is really there as a tuning aid but it works great as a throttle lock.  Just tighten it until it holds the throttle but you can still override it manually. When you roll into town or hit some twisties just loosen it off.

[HondaMan]

The clutch issue you mention is key to the fork-bending problem you encountered. The clutch lifter, if not lubed well, develops a groove-notch that stops the screw partway into the release: the rider just toes his way through it when the bike is moving and seldom realizes he is dragging the shift drum against a partially-disengaged clutch. This causes the gear dogs to drag on each other during the shift, wearing the tips of the shift forks. If the oil is hot and thin (10w40), this happens much faster.

One key to solving this is to install a North American grease zerk in the clutch lifter so grease actually goes into the lifter, and once in a while disassemble it and clean, then smooth off the little ridge that develops at the end of the clutch pull stroke. As soon as you do this once, you'll be in there every season to do it again because it makes the whole bike feel fresh and new with the silky shifting and operation that is the hallmark of the 500-4.

Hi HondaMan,

Is this issue just on the 500, and right up to '73 or did it carry into the 550?

Thanks

It's an issue with many of the Hondas where the clutch rod goes through the engine, with the lifter on one side and the clutch on the other. The old CB-CL72/77 and CB-CL160/175 etc. all suffer from the same issue. When the Mid-Four (and Baby Four) came out, I was a little surprised to see it again, as Honda seemed to go to great length to avoid it on the 750.

[dave500]

the 500 shift drum retention was its weak point,the drum could move sideways taking the fork with it thus causing the dogs to not be fully engaged,it was first pinned by a small ball then later by a spigot type bush improvment,the drive end also beared within the case,a few jumps out of gear and the fork would bend and or also wear the dogs and slots aswell as the fork and its gear groove making the whole thing worse,once this happened the engagement would suffer not being fully through and into place,the 550 rectified this and also had an improved detent mechanism on the selector drum with its drive end now held in a ball bearing,every 500 ive had has had its troublesome notchy selection and even a trapped in the up position shifter untill you release the throttle slightly,,this is the sideways action of the drum snagging the action lever,the actual gears/shafts and bearings are indestructible,its the shifter mechanism that was the trouble,lots of people have had good luck with the 500 transmission though,i had no trouble with a vf750f cam and valve gear?