Topic: Will's 1971 CB500 Build

[skyline223]

Well it sure took long enough.. but I went and took my motorcycle rider's skills test last week in the rain... lots of fun   

Today I finally got the time to take the CB500 out for her first real run on public roads...

WHAT A BLAST!!

I could not stop riding... I probably rode about 80 miles today on different backroads around the area. I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. The bike ran great!! Though the speedometer quit working about halfway into the ride... I'll check that tomorrow. But man... I can't wait to go again! I'd like to thank all of you guys here on the forum for helping so much in getting this bike going again! Very much appreciated.

[Stev-o]

It's a great feeling, isn't it?!   Check your speedo cable, maybe it came loose or the insert broke.

[skyline223]

It's a great feeling, isn't it?!   Check your speedo cable, maybe it came loose or the insert broke.

It sure is a great feeling.. makes driving a car feel like sitting in a cubicle. 

And sure enough, the speedo cable was broken. The core severed near the tip.. likely due to a hard angle. I
l'll correct that and order a replacement!

[skyline223]

While I know many of you are purists (as am I with many other things)... I thought I would share my most recent modification to my bike.

I have found that the original headlight is pretty dim at night. On backroads in the woods at night it is hardly sufficient. I decided that I wanted to improve the forward lighting, but did not want to replace the original bulb because of the cool vintage look it gives.

So I looked around and decided to mount two small LED pods to the fork. I wired them in so that they come on when high beam is selected, but off with low beam. That way they are on only when needed.

I removed the round reflectors that were on the fork and utilized the existing threaded hole to mount the lights. I also reused the gasket that was behind the reflectors. For those who would like to check them out, I got them here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HA14OK4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven't gotten to try them out at night yet, but in my garage they make a significant difference.

Low beam - LEDs off


High beam - LEDs on


Here is a detail shot of the mounting


And one more small thing.. I got these cool saddlebags off of amazon as well. This will be great for storing small items when I don't feel like wearing a backpack or have a passenger. To remove them, just lift up the seat and slip it off. For $25 it's hard to beat
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z1239G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[jvandyke]

Looks good.  I have a '72 CB500 and am starting to plan for some "mods".  I have to go back through your thread to see what paint and bars and such you went with.  I had similar saddlebags on mine for the last few seasons.  In order to keep them out of the rear shocks I split some PVC pipe in half lengthwise and used two big hose clamps to clamp them to the shock uppers, letting them extend down do cover the spring coils.  Worked well, I put some self adhesive cushion stickers on them to keep the chrome from getting scratched.  I also moved the stock rear blinkers to the licsence plate bracket (using two right angle brackets fabled from strap metal), had to build some extension wires to add to the harness, routed with the taillight wires but looked pretty good for what it was, have since put it all back to stock, for 2 days before I tore down the whole rear end in prep for some revisions.