Author Topic: Cb500F What have I gotten myself into?? (Read 21877 times)

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #75 on:** April 15, 2014, 06:50:16 PM »

Went down and talked to the shop about my bike today, compression test showed 1 and 3 were low, but not awful. Should have her up and running by the end of this week. Question, can the starter be replaced with the carbs still in? I recently got a new one from a member here and on my 350 its quite easy to get to, but not so much on the 500.

calj737 · « **Reply #76 on:** April 15, 2014, 06:53:23 PM »

It's pretty crowded under there. It's possible, but not the best way to do it. Save the aggravation and drop the carbs off...

Stev-o · « **Reply #77 on:** April 15, 2014, 08:09:55 PM »

You sure the starter is bad? They rarely go bad. Have you tried jumping the solenoid?

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #78 on:** April 16, 2014, 05:04:30 PM »

Quote from: Stev-o on April 15, 2014, 08:09:55 PM

You sure the starter is bad? They rarely go bad. Have you tried jumping the solenoid?

Yep I have, I thought it was odd to. But the new one was free, so this weekend I will hopefully get her back and try to install the new starter.

grcamna2 · « **Reply #79 on:** April 17, 2014, 08:27:00 PM »

I hope you get it back this weekend also.Bike shops can be kind of crowded in the Spring because they all want their's done 'yesterday'

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #80 on:** April 28, 2014, 09:17:01 PM »

Carbs are back, brakes are working, electric is back, all cylinders firing, bikes running, and its raining

Will have a full report soon with pics and video for you all. I have been super busy these past few weeks!

grcamna2 · « **Reply #81 on:** April 29, 2014, 03:22:02 AM »

what w/ the past Winter,etc. it sure would be nice to see the ground dry up for at least a month.I want to hear what your bike sounds like on the road

We need to have a member here start a thread on 'building a homemade Dyno' so we can enjoy tuning while in the shop.

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #82 on:** April 29, 2014, 06:31:34 PM »

Happy with her running, I went after Stella with a quick wipe down and a little polish. Still lots to do, Going to replace the gauge lights with LED's, Fix the seat latch, take off some of the goofy 70's chopper style accessories, grease and clean the electric connections, and replace the starter. Cant wait till it stops raining so I can get out and ride her! I can't even explain how much I hate that rear tire and rim, looking forward to getting rid of that!! Feels huge though since I have been driving the 350 everywhere recently. I bet thats what you 750 boys feel like all the time.

Still a little greasy under there.

Figured out the electric issue was due to a corroded connection of the fuse. Solders new one in to completely replace it.

Fresh air filter and battery.

In the pictures the tank looks pretty good, but its very sun faded and has gas stains. Any way to polish or buff this until I get it repainted. Remember I only paid 500$ for the bike, now I'm about 700$ in to it, so I like to think I'm still ahead, even though we have a ways to go on her!

grcamna2 · « **Reply #83 on:** April 29, 2014, 06:35:53 PM »

A Nice looking bike

Stev-o · « **Reply #84 on:** April 29, 2014, 06:36:08 PM »

Glad to hear you found the issue. Would like to see shrink wrap rather than electrical tape over the connection.

calj737 · « **Reply #85 on:** April 29, 2014, 07:12:06 PM »

Tyler - you can definitely refresh that tank, and do it cheaply.

Make sure it's absolutely clean (paint) with a wipe down of Denatured Alcohol. Then, wet sand with 1200 grit. Keep your strokes all in a single direction. Be careful, the black paint probably doesn't have clear coat over it.

Once the paint has a consistent haze, switch up to 2000 grit. Repeat the wet sand process, but rotate all strokes 90 degrees. This step removes the scratches you just put in.

Then use a yellow foam pad on a buffer, and some decent Sratch/Swirl remover. Then wax. You'll be amazed at how nicely it will come out.

Go easy with the sanding, your only trying to rough up the clear, not remove it.

grcamna2 · « **Reply #86 on:** April 29, 2014, 07:21:08 PM »

I'm going to save this and try that calj,thanks.

Bankerdanny · « **Reply #87 on:** April 30, 2014, 04:30:11 PM »

I would say at $700 you are way ahead at this point.

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #88 on:** May 02, 2014, 06:38:37 PM »

Well like the title of the thread says, " What have I gotten myself into" !!!! Finally had time to myself today due to high winds at work so I had about 3 hours of daylight left when I got home. Bike has been ready since Monday and I'm just now getting to it. Basically its been all I could think about all week. Got home Fired her up, and that when all Hell Broke Loose! Stay with me here, this is going to be a little long.

1. First kick bike starts, sounds so mean I just wanted to go tear up some Maryland backroads, Clutch in, Down to first, Clutch out.....Grinding. Like the many other 500's of its day, My beauty seems to suffer from Transmission and Clutch Issues. Got the bike to roll back to the shop freely, but no Neutral light. Played and played, still no Neutral light, When I would let the clutch out the bike would bog and shake like she was stuck and trying to go in 4th or 5th gear, to which I assume she was. Got the bike rolling free, but no neutral light. Guessing false neutrals for sure. Went and had a drink as I figured a long day and frustrating night I deserved it....Have to be at work at 4:30 tomorrow......

2. Come back a little more calm and fire her up, By accident my foot slipped off the peg, hits the gear lever and somehow throws her back into what is actually Neutral and the light comes on......Clutch in, Down into first, Clutch out, Off We Go. Like nothing ever happened. Up through second, third, Fourth accelerating up to about 50mph and she slipped back into a false Neutral with no green light and limped back to the house. Couldn't find the green light for the life of me, so I put her away for the night.....

3. The thing is the bike fits me so much better then my 350F does and the engine runs and sounds so good, with the rest of the bike being solid I really don't want to believe this is the end for Stella. Now if the Trans was blown, she wouldn't have gone through all those gears perfectly like she did, and pull up to 50mph with no issues. Remember the bike has 48k Miles on it, and with no signs of having work done to it, could I be in need of a new clutch, but also just seeing signs of a typical 500 Trans with the false neutrals??? How hard is a clutch job?

4. I got a new starter from a member here, but after installation it still won't work, just kinda buzzes. I am thinking something in the electric panel? If I go direct across the solenoid it does the same thing, So I think its more then that. Upon my disassembly of the side cover this is what I find inside,( Pictured Below ) picture half melted butter, thats what this crap was like. Thinking this could have something to do with the clutch issues as well? All in all it was a very disappointing night, Let me know what you guys think, and how much trouble I'm actually in.

dave500 · « **Reply #89 on:** May 02, 2014, 09:02:43 PM »

looking bloody good man!clutch is easy on these,if the cable looks even a bit old and dodgy replace it,sometimes that's half the battle,pull apart that corkscrew mechanism and check it out,also pull the rod out they can be broken,once its fully hot and had another oil change the trans might get slicker,they can be a little stiff and need a positive technique,before you shift up preload the shifter a little and it might shift better,try slightly slower shifting perhaps?

calj737 · « **Reply #90 on:** May 03, 2014, 04:28:00 AM »

As Dave said, but more. First, EVERYTHING under that cover needs to be clean. Including lubing your chain.

The rod is supposed to have a small ball bearing on the end of it, on the outer most end. From the picture, your rod end looks to be ground smooth. The clutch actuator cam in the side cover, that whole assembly needs to removed, cleaned, then properly greased to work. There is a small grease fitting for you to pump more grease into at maintenance intervals.

Check out Stev-o's Patina Bike thread. He has some clean pictures of that whole mess... If your rod is damaged, holler at me. I have a new stainless unit I just turned for my '500 build and do have an extra. It's the rod in front of your chain sprocket if you're at all confused. It's one piece, and traverses the engine laterally.

Clutch is not a difficult job, aside from having to drain some engine oil. Adjusting the clutch cable is more difficult. Takes a bit of skull-dug grey, but you should clean everything completely first. Then lubricate the cable, adjust properly (sounds like yours might be fine) then worry about replacement.

Diagnosis steps:
1. Clean beneath that cover
2. Disassemble and clean the clutch actuator cam in the side cover
3. Inspect clutch lifter rod
4. Locate or replace ball bearing and re-install
5. Assemble and test

Let us know how it goes-

dave500 · « **Reply #91 on:** May 03, 2014, 05:06:52 AM »

just to be clear that ball isn't on the rod per say,its not a part of it but a loose ball,its placed between the rod and inside the depth of the recess within the corkscrew,its often missing or over looked amounst all the old grease!be sure its present or not lost during cleaning!

calj737 · « **Reply #92 on:** May 03, 2014, 05:10:35 AM »

Completely agree. Does look like his rod end is buggered though from the picture?

dave500 · « **Reply #93 on:** May 03, 2014, 05:23:32 AM »

too dirty for me to see?clean it up and ill have a look,these rod ends never wear out,they might snap but ive never seen a worn out one?this cranky corkscrew system was a Honda mainstay for years.

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #94 on:** May 03, 2014, 07:26:47 PM »

I plan to clean everything under the left side, and buy a new clutch cable. Oil was just changed. The bike is not rideable but starts and sounds so good I don't want to try scrap the bike because of this. And I really love the bike. Im pretty sure when I let the clutchmout the bike is really in 4th or 5th and stalls. Any other advice? Feeling really down about all this.

grcamna2 · « **Reply #95 on:** May 03, 2014, 07:31:58 PM »

Quote from: 2strokeTRush on May 03, 2014, 07:26:47 PM

I plan to clean everything under the left side, and buy a new clutch cable. Oil was just changed. The bike is not rideable but starts and sounds so good I don't want to try scrap the bike because of this. And I really love the bike. Im pretty sure when I let the clutchmout the bike is really in 4th or 5th and stalls. Any other advice? Feeling really down about all this.

Tyler,
I know now why you chose that title "What have I gotten myself into"

We'll get you through this man

calj737 · « **Reply #96 on:** May 03, 2014, 07:42:47 PM »

Tranquilo, Muchacho- this is probably a very simple remedy that is just going to require some cleaning and adjustments. It's awfully difficult to get a transmission down to first or neutral when the clutch isn't operating properly.

Clean it up, look for that ball bearing, and reassemble. Then test it out. Step by step...

thirsty 1 · « **Reply #97 on:** May 03, 2014, 08:42:09 PM »

Looks fantastic! Keep going!!!!

dave500 · « **Reply #98 on:** May 03, 2014, 11:50:45 PM »

rock the bike back and forth without using the clutch and tap the shifter down down down as you rock it till it stops selecting,then a little upward click should find neutral?

2strokeTrush · « **Reply #99 on:** May 04, 2014, 02:17:23 PM »

Quote from: dave500 on May 03, 2014, 11:50:45 PM

rock the bike back and forth without using the clutch and tap the shifter down down down as you rock it till it stops selecting,then a little upward click should find neutral?

Mother of God your my savior!^^ Got her into Neutral using this method and like I thought the bike was stuck up in a high gear. Started on the first kick again, and started off on a ride to diagnose a few things. Actually got to ride her about 5miles to where I keep my 350f. Throughout the ride I got her up to about 40mph in 2nd and on my way into 3rd she would pop out into a false Neutral. I would kick back down into 2nd and go from there.

After trying a few times I was able to get her into 3rd by shifting on the very top hard part of my shoe. The gears seem fine to me, so my assumption is clutch like you all have said. Starting off from 1st is pretty hard having to slowly let out the clutch for a while, this points to clutch again. Still need to clean the left cover area, and replace the clutch cable. Riding the little 350f home was so much fun after being on the 500, such a fun light agile bike.

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Author Topic: Cb500F What have I gotten myself into?? (Read 21877 times)