Topic: 1971 CB500 Shed find. Rust to ridable?

[matt167]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304016829073   These are the carbs I bought

[Mark1976]

   Those are 77-78 550k PD carbs. they're different. just look at the tops.

[matt167]

That is what I was thinking.  I ordered them on mobile and just noticed, so I'll have to send them back when they come in.

I have an idea for getting the floats out of the carbs I have though. I just can't save the floats. I'll have to cut the pins off with a dremel, remove the float and then tank it in the carb dip. At that point the remaining pin should come out and replacement floats come with a pin..   Floats are cheaper than a set of carbs

[Shtonecb500]

i LOVE when build thread pages keep building.

[wesleypaul]

Is 4 into 1 a good site to shop on?  I know I'll need carb kits, points and condensers ect...   

First off welcome.  I had a similar looking bike a few years ago, I named it it "The Patina Bike".

Yes, 4into1 is a good vender, they ship quick. 

Warning: do not buy cheap carb kits, they will cause nightmare tuning.  You most likey can reuse your brass parts [if they are genuine] and just replace gaskets. 

And you will be better off buying Honda parts rather than cheapchinacrap for your Japanese bike.
Cheap condendensers have been known to fail quickly.

Good luck...

This is nice and you would end up with a nice bike


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[rb550four]

   There was a time here when guys who didn't want to buy carb cleaner boiled their carbs in lemon water. I did it once on the BBQ in a pot of water and lemon juice ( not in the kichen), I didn't like that the outside of the carbs come out dark, and I'm not afraid to buy chemical carb cleaner., so they ended up in the Napa carb clean because Berryman's also leave them dark. Boiling them is safe to do as long as you don't forget that they are on the stove and perhaps it will brake those pins free.

[matt167]

I got quite a bit farther with #1 carb... I cut the float free but was sure to leave a lot of the pin on both ends for some grabbing ability.. I removed the needle and seat ( both trash ), removed the mixture screw and then started taking apart the linkage.. I have all linkage removed from the 1-2 carb connections and it's un broken, I just can't seem to get the carb to slide out from the other one so that I can dip it

[rb550four]

Take the 2 phillips carb mount screws out of each carb and set them free, Remove the top caps , take out the 8 mm nut if I remember correctly , set the needle free  and slide the  carbs off ( do not ruin or loose the felt washers or you'll be making new ones) Take pictures of what you do if you aren't sure you can remember the sequence of events. Don't loose the metal spacer/return spring mount on the lower end between the 2 center carbs....did that once. It's all fun and games you know.

[matt167]

where are the felt washers?  I did not pull any of the slide guts out yet, as the slides are seized, but I did pull apart all the caps with the golf tee's and springs, and everything I have indexed into separate containers  If there were felt washers in anything I have taken apart, there isn't any now..  The link pin housings where the golf tee's and springs go, had rubber snubbers on the ball end which I think can be omitted, but I was able to save them

[matt167]

Well, I have #1 in Berrymans and #2 in a pot of water with some lemon juice boiling... Puts a whole new meaning to cooking carbs.  It's not Spaghetti

[matt167]

#2 boiled in lemon juice freed up the slide with about 1hr boil but did nothing for the sludge in the bowl.  Berrymans did not free up the slide, but cleaned the bowl and all surfaces... The solution is each carb gets both treatments

[matt167]

I got all 4 carbs ready to assemble except floats.  The real trick was boiling in a light lemon juice solution. That was what freed the slides and did a lot of the cleaning.. I used Berrymans on every carb as well but finished again with a good boil to get the finish to be the same..   These are the first 2 carbs I did

[matt167]

What size hex is the oil filter bolt?  I have a 15/32" socket which fits it perfectly.  Every 12mm wrench I have, fits loose, and I don't have clearance for a socket due to the highway bars. 12mm sockets seem to fit the same if I could get onto it..  I'm scratching my head as 15/32" converts to exactly 12mm, and I happen to have that socket in a $9.99 Harbor Freight kit that I keep in my truck

[Little_Phil]

It is indeed 12mm, but really needs a six side socket or wrench. Can be tight and metal is soft (and maybe fractionally under 12). Aftermarkets are 17mm, but no not overtighten. That's why Honda used 12mm.

[matt167]

I'll have to find a 6pt wrench

[matt167]

Found a 6pt wrench, and it spun off while it still had a good bite.  Looks like it was spun off in the past.. I had to remove the highway bar and use one of my Irwin extractors which worked..  I need to buy another bolt, but it actually galled up the bolt enough that a 12mm works again.  I'll be able to test run the engine once I get the carbs back on

[matt167]

What is the thought on fuel line?  Do I really need to wait for 5.5mm OEM or is 1/4" plastic lawnmower line acceptable?  I've read of both being used on these forums.. Honda dealer is 1.5 hours away. I have a Suzuki shop closer than that.  I don't think that regular 1/4" fuel line will fit through the holes in the rack

[rb550four]

  I use the plastic fuel line , no problems, can see fuel move through it loads of fun. be sure to clamp the ends. some brands swell.

[seanbarney41]

If you dont mind replacing fuel line every 6 months, use the lawnmower stuff.  If you want it to last, get the Honda stuff.

[matt167]

I put some nice stuff on my lawn tractor last year. I think I got it at Advance Auto as I needed 1/4" line on a Sunday and bought what they had.  It's like surgical tubing instead of normal plastic line. Still as nice as the day I installed it... That is the stuff I was thinking of using

[seanbarney41]

I put some nice stuff on my lawn tractor last year. I think I got it at Advance Auto as I needed 1/4" line on a Sunday and bought what they had.  It's like surgical tubing instead of normal plastic line. Still as nice as the day I installed it... That is the stuff I was thinking of using

ok...now go disconnect it and re-connect it 3 times in one day after running for the equivalent of 3000 miles

[matt167]

I put some nice stuff on my lawn tractor last year. I think I got it at Advance Auto as I needed 1/4" line on a Sunday and bought what they had.  It's like surgical tubing instead of normal plastic line. Still as nice as the day I installed it... That is the stuff I was thinking of using

ok...now go disconnect it and re-connect it 3 times in one day after running for the equivalent of 3000 miles

It's probably not going to last that, BUT also, the bike is getting registered as historical. I likely won't put 3000 miles on it in a year.. I think I put 25 hours on the tractor since I've repaired it.

I might swing by Suzuki to see if they have a better solution.

[rb550four]

  I've used the blue tinted and yellow tinted plastic fuel line that Parts Unlimited sells for snowmobiles and other gasoline powered vehicles. It is a tight fit and will require an initial stretch with a #2 Phillips head screw driver in the line to make the opening a little wider to ease it on , it has memory so you got to work fast getting it on, on the flip side, it won't stay super tight after introduction of fuel , that's why I wrote be sure to put clamps on it . or the ends will expand enough to leak. Otherwise I have had no problems using that stuff, it stays plyable and doesn't leak when you use clamps on every end.

[matt167]

The Suzuki dealership gave me 5.5MM plastic tubing. It's the same type that I used on the mower

[Stev-o]

... is 1/4" plastic lawnmower line acceptable? 

No, it's too large.  I use 3/16" fuel line from the auto parts store when I dont want to wait...