Topic: CB500/4 First riding impressions

[Clasico]

Here are my first riding impressions after some 100 miles with my new bike.
Since everything depends on what you compare with, i'll use my, now gone, BMW R65 monolever as a benchmark.

For starters the new baby likes to be rev, otherwise it lacks punch. But what a glorious buzz she does. I'm acostumed to shift on low revs on the boxer and some other harleys i had, so first miles i was changing up at around 4k and wasnt getting much in terms of speed momentum. I reckon now that i should be shifting at 5/6k at least.

Gets very busy above 60 mph, again probably im acustomed to slow machinery.
However even being such a punchy bike does very well on slow riding in 4th and 5th.

Riding position is great, confy and old school. Is taller than it looks though, a bit challenging to move with my shorties. Its clearly not designed for sustained high speeds, good for training your neck and arms in return!

Cluth pretty stiff, dont know yet if anormally so.
Brakes similar to the boxer, close to marginal. However i may change my opinion once the front brake is adjusted, same for he clutch. Gears are a bit notchy but may soften with fresh oil and clutch adjusment

It goes very well on the twisties, maybe a bit front heavy.

Starting with the pedal is a fantastic experience, so cool and easy.

Overall, i still have to service the bike properly and learn how to drive a four, but she is a hoot to drive. And the smile factor is great.

[flybox1]

I would suggest doing most of your riding in the 5-6k rpm range, and shifting much closer to redline.
@ 5-6k rpm, you're just getting into the meat of it 

[TwoTired]

Engine red line is 9000 ish.  Anything below that is useable on a routine basis.  Quiet pipes allow you to wind it up with less guilt and less attention drawn.
They make HP and torque only when revved.  You will learn to use the transmission shifter almost as much as the throttle twist.

It will do high speeds easier than the rider.  Fairings make high speeds routinely easy for the rider yielding far less fatigue.

Open cockpit airplanes routinely have windshields.  Anything without a windscreen is a low speed vehicle, imo, with on-the-track exceptions.

[Bankerdanny]

The upright stock riding position can get tiring for long stretches at highway speeds where your torso is like a sail catching the wind. That's why a lot of members switch out to a euro or touring style bar, which are lower than stock. You don't get the extreme lean of clip ons or cafe bars, but you get a small forward lean that really helps at highway speed.

[Clasico]

Mine is an european market bike with lower bars than yours, still is a pretty upright position but i wouldn't change it for anything lower. It'll spoil the looks and the comfort in general.

BTW I'm trying to post some pics but can't do it!

[Bankerdanny]

The pics need to be relatively small. I use a free program called IRFAN View to resize. 1200x800 seems to be a good compromise allowing for 3-4 pictures per post, but good resolution and detail.

[seanbarney41]

yep, let her rev...5000 is just the beginning

[flatlander]

Mine is an european market bike with lower bars than yours, still is a pretty upright position but i wouldn't change it for anything lower. It'll spoil the looks and the comfort in general.

i know what you mean. i have a 550f that has the same bars (if yours are stock). after getting used to it i find i can go 120/130kph for quite some time without problems. faster, and i need to go a bit lower to catch less wind.
i didn't get this bike for highways so won't mount a screen but if you will use it there for longer periods, it may be a good idea to get one.

as others have side, 5-6k revs is just where it starts. you can get it past 8k then shift at redline. of course, less is also fine for relaxed cruising but then you really need to shift down if you want to take off in a hurry.
compared to the 2-cylinders you're used to it's quite different. you need to pay more attention to engine speed and shift more depending on what you're after. but that's part of the fun!

to your other observations:

stiff clutch: not sure what you mean but it should go easy, although it comes on quite suddenly which may need getting used to.
notchy gears: they should also be really smooth so try after an oil change.
brakes: i've got a second disc (OEM) mounted on the front which is a real improvement.
the twisties... yes i think they were invented for this bike 

[Airbusboy]

I recently restored a 74 CB550 that sat in a barn for 38 years. What a hoot this thing is to ride!  I also own an 83 CB1000C and believe it or not I find the 550 smoother and possibly even better handling!  Both bikes seem to be harder to shift if the oil level is even slightly over filled...I don't know/understand why but you might want to check that. Also the clutch pull is for sure harder on the 550 so it may be a normal trait. Get to know her and she will constantly put a smile on your face!

[Deltarider]

The 500 Four was more or less the final blow to the British motorcycle industry and at BMW they said: that's it, we'll never be able to catch up, let's concentrate on other products than motorcycles (eventually they continued making them). At Benelli in Italy they could not think of anything else than making a copycat as the Chinese did later in the... 90s. Sometimes I believe it has something to do with the combination 500 and 4. I've owned two Peugeots 504, a model that was in production for over 37 years. Excellent cars to cross the Sahara desert, btw. We passed stretches at 90 km/h where even 4X4s had dug in.
The 500 clutch is not as easy as on modern motorcycles. Shifting should be like knife through the butter however. You may want to inspect the drivechain.
Both the 500 and the 550 have always been praised for offering a good riding position. With euro handlebars that is.

[flatlander]

hey delta, you're in amsterdam?
we're almost neighbours then, on an international scale at least

[Chachi]

How old is your clutch cable? A fresh Honda cable and adjustment may make the clutch seem smoother. Deliberate shifting may help smooth the gear experience out more as well. The 500s have some notorious shifting 'issues' compared to the 550s. I had a 500 for a couple of years and it was a lot of fun.

[Deltarider]

hey delta, you're in amsterdam?
we're almost neighbours then, on an international scale at least

Yep, maybe I've seen yours parked in the Ferdinand Bolstraat.

[Stev-o]

How old is your clutch cable? A fresh Honda cable and adjustment may make the clutch seem smoother.

+1.  You can try lubing the clutch cable but a new Honda cable is a good idea.

[Duanob]

I put 400F bars on my 550F and find the riding position more wind resistant than the upright position on my 550K with OEM bars. Just make sure to zip your jacket up all the way before hitting the Autovia!

Speaking of which, the last time I was in Spain they had just finished Autovia A-7 along the Med. Nice stretch of pavement! Awesome views and pavement as smooth as a baby's butt! You probably won't be keeping up with the Audis, BMWs and Benz' but you can keep up with everyone else. I would love to ride that someday.

[flatlander]

hey delta, you're in amsterdam?
we're almost neighbours then, on an international scale at least

Yep, maybe I've seen yours parked in the Ferdinand Bolstraat.

maybe... by some coincidence. i live in the east and may have stopped there picking up something?

the bike looks like this. i don't think there are many others of the type in town:


i've seen a nice 500k in the green colour scheme around. is that yours by any chance?

[Deltarider]

Opposite a 'klerenzaak' or 'schoenenzaak' it was, close to the Albert Cuyp tramstop. Mine is black, Excel Black and has a parking spot in the garage.

[flatlander]

i don't think it was me then. i don't live in that area and don't shop for kleren en schoenen - my riding clothes is all i need 

wasn't yours that i saw. but it was in similarly good shape.

[Clasico]

Thanks gentlemen I'll take your various recomendations for easing up the clutch, lets see how it works.

Duanob, let me know whenever back in Spain. We could do some routes together around Madrid. There are some brilliant secondary roads round the mountains. It's like hundreds of Mullohands over here!

[Clasico]

Opposite a 'klerenzaak' or 'schoenenzaak' it was, close to the Albert Cuyp tramstop. Mine is black, Excel Black and has a parking spot in the garage.

Hi Deltarider, my bike has the same color and patten than yours. In fact she was imported some years ago from the Netherlands.
One thing that does not up in my case is the fact that the bike is a K1 and i've never seen that colour in this model, any ideas?

[flatlander]

indeed, 500 k1 had different colours. some previous owner may simply have painted the tank and side covers, or replaced them with those from another bike?

[Clasico]

Then I guess they come from another bike cause both paint and lines are original and extremely well preserved thanks to a varnish coat. I just wondered if there was any last of the line K1s with that colour.

[Deltarider]

One thing that does not up in my case is the fact that the bike is a K1 and i've never seen that colour in this model, any ideas?

One way to determine whether it's a European K2 is to check whether it has one central grease nipple underneath for the swing arm instead of two on either side.
To further identify consult the various Parts Lists @ Honda4fun.
http://www.honda4fun.com/materiale-documentazione-tecnica/parts-list/parts-list-cb500
In 'CB500 prodotte fino al 1976' you'll find a separate Parts List for the 1976 500K2 [ED,F.G] which is a later model (3 years later) than the different K2 in the USA.

[HondaMan]

Thanks gentlemen I'll take your various recomendations for easing up the clutch, lets see how it works.

Duanob, let me know whenever back in Spain. We could do some routes together around Madrid. There are some brilliant secondary roads round the mountains. It's like hundreds of Mullohands over here!

If you have the opportunity, try to replace the clutch lifter itself. They wear a "notch" in them on the 500, because it allows the rider to so easily change gears with a partial clutch pull when moving. Over time, this builds up a stiff stopping ridge in the screw, which causes trouble as time passes. If you find a new one, be sure to keep it greased: this will prevent the wear for a long time. Most people never greased it. 

[scrichton]

I'd probably summarise it as fun, but not fast.

If only I could find a modern cb400 engine to put into the frame... that would be funner! (yes I know it's not a word)

Also on revving to the redline, a lot of the test's I've read from the time of release say that the last 1000rpm before redline isn't actually that useable, it more noise and less go. Plus moving that down in your mind means no valve float and no headaches with things succumbing to stiction or friction too soon.

[TwoTired]

Also on revving to the redline, a lot of the test's I've read from the time of release say that the last 1000rpm before redline isn't actually that useable, it more noise and less go.

Have you ridden a Cb500?

From this remark I'd have to assume the Cb500 must be a real dog compared to the Cb550.  All my Cb550s pull pretty good all the way to red line (and above).  It would surely be a LOT slower if I didn't use that last 1000 RPM (regardless of noise).  Valve float at about 10K.

I'd like to know which tests you read from the "time". 

[domi]

hello clasico (hola clasico)
i am domi with a 400 four-500 four and one 750K (hola soy domi tengo una 400, una 500 y una 750)
i am also living in madrid, if you want, send me a mail (estoy tambien de la zona de madrid, si quieres mandame un mail y quedamos un dia para dar un paseo)
bye (un saludo)

[strynboen]

hov fast are a newer  cb500.??...mine old 550 goes 170 kmt..thats fine for me..mine takes all rpm..and give full power to red line..its a fun bike.. more fun then the new 200kmt+ bikes..you loose the drive licens to easy on modern bikes

[Deltarider]

hov fast are a newer  cb500.??...mine old 550 goes 170 kmt..thats fine for me..mine takes all rpm..and give full power to red line..its a fun bike.. more fun then the new 200kmt+ bikes..

I agree. IMO top speed is not that important. It's all about contrast. On smaller curvy roads 80 km/h can be far more exciting than burning away your rear tire at 160 km/h on dull Autobahns. For some reason in books and mags the 500s were rated faster than the 550s with exception of the 550F and 550F1. I don't know why this is, increased weight of the 550? gearing? Most tests claimed a top speed around 179 km/h for the 500. A top speed of 185 km/h for the 500 is theoretical and can only be reached on the dyno.

[Clasico]

hello clasico (hola clasico)
i am domi with a 400 four-500 four and one 750K (hola soy domi tengo una 400, una 500 y una 750)
i am also living in madrid, if you want, send me a mail (estoy tambien de la zona de madrid, si quieres mandame un mail y quedamos un dia para dar un paseo)
bye (un saludo)

Hi domi, good to hear from you.
I'll send you a PM with my email so we can arrange some routes together. I also would like to see your "Four colection"
Saludos