Topic: New to the group - 81 CB 650 Restoration

[Stefk88]

Hey all,

Picked up an 81 CB650 and have it completely tore down and getting ready to go back together. This is my second restoration, did a 79 KZ650C that came out really nice. Thought I'd join this group for the communal knowledge. Lots of great info on here. Photo is where I'm at now - getting ready to take the frame and pieces out for powder coat.

[rb550four]

Welcome.
  Do you have any pics of what you started out with? And maybe some pics of that KZ too? Everyone here loves pics.
I'm always happy to see another 650 being worked on, not only because it's a Honda, but because over the years the 650 didn't get the recognition that it deserves. Perhaps things would be different it the model year started in 74 or 75 and it could have been considered a real middle child to the 550 and 750 instead of a redheaded stepchild replacement for the 550.
   I just love a 500/550 but I don't think that Honda did all they could do for that model and saved the upgrades for the 650 instead. Don't get me wrong , I am a big fan of the 650 too but not until the frame upgrade of 1980. Because the style of the 79 was so similar to the 550 I think that most people felt almost cheated by Honda's decision to end production of the 550 without making the frame and seat changes that would have made it a totally new design that would rival or surpass other Japanese models of that time.
   That being said, as a fan of all the above mentioned machines,I am happy to swap the upgrades of the 650 such as the engine , suspension, wiring  to a 500 or 550 because I like the style of the frame and body more. I was never a fan of Comstar wheels though, but I have managed to find a way to not puke everytime I see them. 80 and up also came with a new design for the handlebars. Those bars are the first thing I replace, even on a parts bike that'll be sitting in the corner....I find them repulsive to look at and equally un-pleasurable to ride with, if not boarderline dangerous. Honda should have spent a little more time on those bars. But as for the rest of the 650 from 1980 on I am very pleased with the 650. But can't understand why double front dics brake that came out in 81 wasn't on every machine from that point on, and it wasn't available for the spoke model 650 either.Too bad , that would be the first thing swapped onto any older model Honda like it was standard equipment. We all missed out.
  Well enough of that . So what 's the plans for your 650? Does it run now? What made you get a Honda and not another Kaw?
Just wondering.

[Stefk88]

Well, frankly I'm over fifty now and I love to tinker. I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade. Kids are grown up and I needed a hobby. My first bike when I turned 16 was a Honda CB125S.  I graduated up to a Kawasaki 550 LTD that I bought wrecked and I put put back together - good enough to ride. I had that for many years and sold it when the kids came along. I happened to be at the junkyard one day and the KZ650C was sitting in the weeds and I asked about it and the guy sold it to me for $50 (no title). I decided to do it from the ground up and now I'm bit. I finished it and somewhere along the line I lost the kamikaze gene and determined I enjoyed working on them as much as I enjoyed riding them. Plus I can drink beer while working on them.  I'm definitely a cruiser - go out in the middle of nowhere and just ride - no highways no traffic - just cruise.  So I started looking for another project and decided I wanted to do something other than a Kawasaki and I found this CB650 on craigslist for $250 (with title). Owner was definitely not a mechanic. He told me it had an oil leak and that it ran last season, but when he put the battery in this year it wouldn't crank, so he threw a tarp on it and sold it. When I got it home as I was unloading it, I discovered it wasn't the engine leaking, it was the forks squirting oil back on the engine through the seals.  Unfortunately, he squirted silicone all over the engine everywhere he thought it was leaking. As for it not cranking, when he put the seat back on he left the wire bundle right across the positive terminal of the battery. I repaired the wires and it cranked just fine. It has 45K miles on it.
I know very little about Honda's and this will be my first time on CV carbs. That's why I'm here - trying to figure it out.
Attached are some photos.

[seanbarney41]

Beautiful job on the kz650, one of my favorite bikes.  I have a 77 b1 and used to have a 78sr.  Welcome to the site.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

At least the prior owner had the decency to keep it covered. The bike looks to be in better than average cosmetic condition.