Topic: Sometimes, they find you. 1971 CB500

[Scott S]

  Sometimes they find you.
 Nearly ten years ago, my GF at the time and I were parked outside of a friend's automotive paint store. A guy stopped in and started asking about our CB's. Same story we've all heard a hundred times, and it ends with " I have one of those in the shed". Like always, I reply with "if you ever want to sell it...".
 Fast forward ten years. The paint store is closed, the GF is gone and I don't even own an SOHC4 at the moment. Then, I get a weird phone call from a different friend that manages a paint store. Long story short, the guy tracked me down by going to various paint stores and asking about vintage bikes.
 Two weeks later, this early 1971 CB500 with 12K miles, a title and some wild accessories is in my garage. Great compression, carbs move, small gauges, early seat latch, owners manual, a title and even an odd little tire gauge. Really solid 4-4 pipes with the exception of an eraser size hole at the end on #2.
 I'm not really up for a project at the time, but I might have to hang on to this one. It's an early '71, in green (my favorite Honda color), and my first SOHC4 EVER was an early CB500.

[Scott S]

 More pics.

[seanbarney41]

Hard to say no to that!

[dazemc]

Great looking 500 for sure, I wouldn't change a thing on that.

[grcamna2]

Hard to say no to that!

Exactly 
I appreciate the history on how the seller wanted to sell it to you;you even have the original owners manual ! The bike has been sitting inside with your name on it Scott    I remember reading on the Vetter site that the Vindicator model fairing that's on the bike now has more aerodynamic design/shape than the standard Windjammer;a large fairing that has very good function to cut through the wind blasts and protect the riders and luggage behind it.

[craz1]

Funny I had the same thing happen except with a Z1900. Guy comes out of the Cycle shop I was at and says hey I have one just like that in the garage and it was my dads. So I say if you ever want to sell and gave him my number. Two years later he calls. Turned out he lived only 3 blocks away.

[chiefum]

Nice find and great story!

[ekpent]

  Was the bike an original owner bike ? I've bought those before with all the aftermarket goodies that were available back in the day they put on. Real original owner examples are starting to get few and far between. Good score ! and cool the guy tracked you down.

[Scott S]

 No, not an original owner bike. The guy said he bought a Goldwing years ago and the seller made him take the CB500 in a package deal. He drained the tank, removed the spark plugs, put oil in the cylinders and parked it. Over 20 years ago. He would kick it over from time to time.
 The tank was lined with RedKote, but it's showing some fuzzy rust inside. It'll clean up fine. I've saved way worse.

[HondaMan]

Wow! With a 'Jammer and the Triple A luggage rack with 'backrest', too!
One thing I might suggest: tie the luggage rack, at the back of the rack, to the license plate upper holder slots with some short flat [chrome? aluminum?] straps. This will greatly reduce the headshake that accompanied that luggage rack when loaded.

[Scott S]

 In all honesty, if I keep this one for myself I'll remove all those accessories.

[Gurp]

Wow. That's a great looking bike! A great story too.
Can never resist a Jade green Honda💗💗💗

[drodg33]

What a great story and great looking bike.  I love the Candy Jade Green

[PeWe]

Good looking stock bike.
The shop sticker give it a history. From the original seller or maybe later service.

The fairing look bulky and cover the beauty

[34barab]

Good luck with the bike.  Looks really nice.

[grcamna2]

What is your next move on this bike Scott ? 
The 'eraser size hole at the end of #2 pipe' can be prepped and filled-in with silver solder for cosmetics;how do the baffles look ?

[HondaMan]

In all honesty, if I keep this one for myself I'll remove all those accessories.

As it is now, it reminds me greatly of my brother's bike. We toured more than 30k miles together over the years and his looked just like yours, except his earlier Vetter was black (as were all of them then, from the factory).

[Scott S]

What is your next move on this bike Scott ? 
The 'eraser size hole at the end of #2 pipe' can be prepped and filled-in with silver solder for cosmetics;how do the baffles look ?

 Unknown, at this point. I may just keep it for a later project. I'm not really up for restoring another bike right now. Plus, I have a couple other "surprises " coming soon too.
 The pipes are extremely solid except for that one spot. I might JB Weld it.

[Stev-o]

  I'll remove all those accessories.

Please do!   Will look so much better.  Great story and "find", congrats.

[Gurp]

If you ever decide to get rid of that tank LMK. My chopper project has a had green but no where near the condition of that one.

[Scott S]

 The more I think about it, the more I want to keep this one. Underneath the huge fairing and crash bars is a really nice survivor. Won't take too much to put her back on the road.

[Shtonecb500]

i would keep this puppy.

[grcamna2]

The more I think about it, the more I want to keep this one. Underneath the huge fairing and crash bars is a really nice survivor. Won't take too much to put her back on the road.

Scott,that bike is a nice survivor 

[Scott S]

 Well, I wasn't wanting a project right now, but it looks like I started one. Moving this thread to the Projects section and I'll update it.

 Today, I pulled off the fairing and all the crash bars and stuff. I gave away the Vetter; I'll probably be listing the other stuff for sale eventually.

 But first, I gave it a good bath and degreasing.
 Before:




 And after:

[Scott S]

 Then I pulled off at least 45 lbs. of stuff. Man, that fairing put a TON of weight on the front end. It's so much easier to push around the garage now.



 One good thing about it: It protected the gauges from the sun. They're not faded at all. The red zone is still bright, as are the orange tips on the needles.