so the cb500k2 i bought dad last august for his birthday came with a partially complete, extremely weathered cb500k0. coincidentally, his first bike was a k0 and i always wanted a first year 500 since i acquired my granddads 73 cb350f for my first motorcycle and thus spawned my passion for these old bikes.
i always had the desire to build a first year cb500 with a cb550 engine modified into a ~600cc mildly built streetable engine transplanted onto a somewhat stripped chassis with upgraded electrical and braking systems and suspension from the ground up. i mainly wanted to piece it together. i didn't want to go all out but i did wish to make it more modern without losing the classic cafe look. i work for a large Honda dealer in Virginia and hopefully the dealer connections will help with some of the parts acquisition and budget.
the theme behind it is to be like first year cbr600rr from 40 years ago but still be very streetable and not need to replace the internals (rods, crank, transmission) to keep it from flying apart
my plans include:
performance
- dyna 3ohm
- dyna-s electronic ignition
- keihin CR series carbs (size recomendations?)
- pod filters
- 4-1 exhaust
- oil cooler
- port and polish head__________
- ~600cc pistons \
- 650 cam or webcam \
- +1 mm valves \
- upgraded springs and retainers > (dynoman hot street kit?)
- upgraded clutch /
- better cylinder studs___________/
chassis
- stainless brake line
- new bearings and seals
- new drag bars
- allen head bolt kit for engine and new stainless hardware where needed
- rearsets
- fiberglass seat
- progressive rear shocks (toyed with a monoshock idea)
- steering stabilizer _________________________
- racetech fork springs and cartridge emulators \
- slotted and drilled rotor > may swap the front out entirely
- fork brace _______________________________/
- smooth out the welds, grind tabs and paint the frame
- AM26 roadrider tires
- clear out under seat and relocate electronics under seat hump
im sure i left some things out and i realize that many of ideas may change as i get to them and holes will be filled as they appear but i had to start with a game plan and a chunk of metal
i have checked a few part #'s to see what stuff i can practice doing on the junk motor or have sent off as a core (head, cams, covers). that will let me have some of the work done while not tearing apart a running motor or having it done already. that will also allow me to clean up some of the components and swap parts
prep on frame # cb500-1046253 has already begun and i have filed for a virginia title
so as it is, i have a rolling chassis with a seized 95% complete engine. i'm looking for a cb550f donor bike for parts to transplant (harness, controls, tank, brakes). i have some of the original parts from dad's bike that aren't being used but his 500k2 build is similar to mine. a couple days ago a customer came in with a running complete 77 cb550f in pretty good shape that would be a suitable donor with 30,000 miles. he wanted $1000. ill have to think about it. id be able to sell off the stuff i didn't use and use alot of the stock parts preliminarily and upgrade as i go (rotors, rear susp, forks, etc) and still have a running, usable bike
id like to have 3500 or less in this project but we will see how it goes
