Topic: New guy with 81 CB650

[ckahleer]

First post here. I picked up an 81 CB650 a few weeks ago. 10,000 miles. last ridden in 1993. stored in an attached garage for the past 27 years, with a full tank of gas. I think it's reverting back to crude. A thick coating of tar in the bottom of the tank and a light turpentine smelling liquid on top.
The only other obvious problem is the mufflers rotting out just aft of the pipes.
I sprayed PB blaster on the cams/lifters and in the cylinders and the engine turned when pushed in gear.
Original paint shines like new.
This bike will be my winter project. It may be a keeper.

[Kelly E]

Nice score, I bought a 1980 CB650 new and put 40k miles on it and it was a great bike.

[DaveBarbier]

Nice bike. Yeah get that gas out of there and drop the bowls on the carbs. Likely the OP didn’t run them dry before storing. If there’s varnish on the inside of the carb bowls it would be best to remove them and give them a thorough cleaning. If it’s not totally clean then you’ll have running issues. Also, these bikes are prone to ignition issues. Find the spark units (there’s 2) and check for melting or burning. The 650 motor is really nice.