Author Topic: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE  (Read 2890 times)

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Offline nickyboy.4

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CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« on: August 20, 2014, 04:46:33 am »
Just got myself a CB500/4 project and i can't identify the frame, i'm guessing a Dresda but would like some confirmation before i get in too deep!
Can anyone advise?

Offline Retro Rocket

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2014, 04:52:06 am »
Yes, its a Dresda...  ;)  Good score...

http://www.sohc4.net/cafe-bikes/

Just over half way down the page...
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline nickyboy.4

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2014, 04:53:48 am »
Thanks very much are they rare or are there quite a few of them around?

Offline 01Thomas

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2014, 09:34:58 am »
They are rare... try & find another one on the net and see...
1971 Honda CB750 Four K1 [Engine: CB750E-1113521 / Frame: CB750-1113838]
1977 Seeley Honda CB750F (F1) [Engine: CB750E-2551214 / Frame No: SH7-655F]

'96 Yamaha YZF750SP & '81 Moto Guzzi SP1000 & '80 Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans II & '82 Bimota KB-3 [Frame No 49] & '66 Ducati 50 SL/1 & '53 Miele K-50 & '38 Miele 98

Offline nickyboy.4

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2014, 09:36:15 am »
I've been looking around and i have to agree with you, thanks

Offline FERALWORKS

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2014, 06:37:48 am »
I've got one too!   They do seem to be very rare, much more so than the 750's. There should be a frame number stamped on the right swinging arm frame gusset, under the alloy engine plate. On some it has also been stamped on the engine plate. On that page of pictures mine is the black & gold one in very classic café bodywork. It's currently in bits & (nearly) at the back of a long list of projects.
My frame appears almost identical to yours but has coil mounts on the front downtubes & mounting points for a rear brake master cylinder.
I've had so much trouble sourcing parts for the very non-standard engine that I'm considering fitting a CB650 lump just to get it on the road or a CB750 - if it will fit....

DRESDA 500/4 (590cc)
SIMOTO CBX750
BMW R100CS
KRAUSER MKM 1000
TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD SPORT
MT-01
RICKMAN Z1000

Offline Retro Rocket

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2014, 11:30:14 am »
The 650 should bolt straight in, mods will be needed for a 750 engine to fit, considering the rarity of the frame, I would stick to the 500/550/650 engines...  The 650 is lighter and has similar HP to the 750, its a no brainer.... ;)
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2014, 12:26:20 pm »
The 650 should bolt straight in, mods will be needed for a 750 engine to fit, considering the rarity of the frame, I would stick to the 500/550/650 engines...  The 650 is lighter and has similar HP to the 750, its a no brainer.... ;)

The 650 will bolt in, but (with a stock 500/550 frame) you need to first remove the oil sump and the valve covers, then bolt them back on after you slide in the engine. The Dresda frame looks like it provides greater clearance between the motor and backbone tubes.  This frame looks like it is engineered far superior to the stamped steel of the stock frame and has great bracing (and is made of better materials). 

The 650 offers better performance in a relatively lightweight package.  You can even overbore the 650 to a 674 using stock cylinder sleeves and the Dynoman Performance kit -- with not special milling of the cylinder block. This would be an awesome combination.  The 650/550/500 engine is much lighter than the 750.

Better yet, that frame is crap.  Just send it to me -- I'll take it off your hands! ;)  What a RARE AND COOL FIND!!
« Last Edit: November 17, 2014, 12:32:08 pm by CB750 Cafe Racer Fan »
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline FERALWORKS

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2014, 03:00:55 pm »
I've got an old knackered 650 engine & it fits straight in my Dresda frame once the oil filter housing is removed. The downside of the 650 engine swop is it's not 'period'. Hopefully there's a couple of pics attached & you can see the bike has some fantastic parts - CMA cast wheels, Marzocchi forks, Lockheeds all round. Engine is 590cc (Henry Abe pistons) & Yoshimura race cam.
Talking about it is giving me the urge to move it up the list of projects!
DRESDA 500/4 (590cc)
SIMOTO CBX750
BMW R100CS
KRAUSER MKM 1000
TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD SPORT
MT-01
RICKMAN Z1000

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2014, 03:06:52 pm »
I've got an old knackered 650 engine & it fits straight in my Dresda frame once the oil filter housing is removed. The downside of the 650 engine swop is it's not 'period'. Hopefully there's a couple of pics attached & you can see the bike has some fantastic parts - CMA cast wheels, Marzocchi forks, Lockheeds all round. Engine is 590cc (Henry Abe pistons) & Yoshimura race cam.
Talking about it is giving me the urge to move it up the list of projects!

FERAL has some nice bits on his Dresda.  Those MArzocchi forks are period correct and the AP calipers are a great upgrade, too.  That brake stabilizer/brake caliper carrier is something new to me (to see the part combined like that.  The mag wheels are great, too.
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline FERALWORKS

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2014, 03:18:32 pm »
I've also got an original Dresda 4-1 pipe but have a 500/4 racing 4 into 4 system that I'd love to use (presuming it fits!) but I guess I'd need to sort some baffles for that one!
One of the other 'Projects' is this (See pic)  It's a Honda but has one too many cams for this forum !
DRESDA 500/4 (590cc)
SIMOTO CBX750
BMW R100CS
KRAUSER MKM 1000
TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD SPORT
MT-01
RICKMAN Z1000

Offline FERALWORKS

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #11 on: November 18, 2014, 01:05:04 am »
Incidentally, the guys building the frames at Dresda were none other than Richard Peckett and Peter McNab until they formed their own company, P&M, in 1975 ..  We all (should) know the reputation these frames have!   From what I've managed to ascertain, any frame up to approximately DA400 was one of their builds.
Nickyboy.4 ,  what's your frame number??
DRESDA 500/4 (590cc)
SIMOTO CBX750
BMW R100CS
KRAUSER MKM 1000
TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD SPORT
MT-01
RICKMAN Z1000

Offline Godffery

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Re: CB500/4 WITH UNKNOWN FRAME HELP PLEASE
« Reply #12 on: November 21, 2014, 06:18:14 pm »
« Last Edit: November 21, 2014, 07:24:14 pm by Godffery »

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold