Topic: CB 500 K1 first impressions

[Clasico]

Today I had my first long ride with my new four. It's my first time with these machines and i would like to share with you my experience with it.

The starting procedure went rather bad. I had to push start it!
Maybe 300 miles on a trailer under lots of rain and rather cold temperatures is to be blamed. Also my starting procedure is not up to scratch yet.
- open the gas tab
- close choke (i'd always call it open choke but it seems that in this bike is the opposite)
- push starter (tried w/out gas and with some gas but to o avail)

Anyway after she started i open the choke and maintain 2/3 thousand revs to keep it going. Sounded very noisy for he first few minutes and then quieted a bit.
She is quite tall for my short inseam but the ride position is quite natural and old style.

Once fully warmed it went very well bar a stiff clutch and a very poor front brake. The gears are a bit hard to engage and neutral is just plain impossible. I would appreciate your advice on this one!

The rest is just perfect, the noise, the revs going up, the feeling of driving a piece of motorbike history, the position...

I shall post some pics as soon as i learn how to do it

[Bankerdanny]

You opened the choke fully immediately after starting?

It has multiple positions so you don't have to choose on or off. After start you should open it some, but not fully, at least not when the weather is cold. In the heat of summer you might be able to turn the choke off immediately, but when temps are colder you will probably need to leave it at least partially choked for the first few minutes until you get some heat into the engine.

[calj737]

Clutch issues may be related to engine oil. Download a manual from the forum, and perform the 3,000 Mile service. This will also attend to the poor front brake issue (or at least reveal the cause of the problem).

If you are at all unfamiliar with a vintage bike, you can not "judge" the performance based upon your familiarity with a modern bike. The brakes especially, will be VERY different. These are single piston units, and the fluid (current) may be in dire need of service.

Also, remember to lubricate/grease the swing arm. This is a very important piece of maintenance to insure decades of worry-free service!

[Vinhead1957]

I also found clutch problem to be a binding cable. Years of crap in the sheathing. New cables are not that expensive