Topic: 71 CB500 - this will be work

[cheddarGoblin]

I finally got me a legitimate barn find.



Found it posted on marketplace as "Motorcycle". The seller had inherited land and barn. Two other bikes were newer and had been sold already then this one was found stuffed in a corner.
It had no title and, big sad face, the carbs are missing. But I still took it home for $100. We had agreed on $75 but the seller and I had to use a tow rope and quad to basically drag it to somewhere I could load it on my truck, so I made it an even $100 Right now, the only redeeming qualities are that the engine is NOT seized, it seems to have some compression, there are no visible holes in the tank and it had a key.

Drivers in Virginia will still tailgate you with this in the back of your truck


It was no problem getting out of the truck though. Even though the front brake lever was hanging off the bike, the front brake was seized so it didnt get away from me.

I told myself that I was not going to do anything with it yet. I really hadn't been looking for this big of a project. But in order to even roll it around, some work had to be done.
Had to take the chain guard off and douse the chain to get the back wheel to roll freely.



And I did have to get rid of that backrest. Mostly so that a cover would sit on it better. Plus...it was awful. Looks better already.


Then I loosened the caliper bolts to free the front wheel and covered the open intakes. Then I could roll it in front of its new home for a pic.


It's gonna be here for a bit until I finish some other stuff.


Since all the controls are hanging/missing, I did have to start looking to see what it will take to spin the motor to check for compression...at least I know I will have some electrical issues to track down first...


So...anybody got any carbs?

Or forks?

[HondaMan]

That's a spectacular find for $100!

[Stev-o]

Nice find and good story!  I'd start by putting some [two-stroke] oil down into the bores to lube it up.
Compression numbers wont be good at this point but they have been known to come up after running.

Post a thread for carbs in the wanted section.

[Johnie]

Nice find! Yes, I have seen a lot worse for $100. Are you sure the carbs were not laying around somewhere in that shed?

[Mark1976]

   That's a great find and a great starting point, one thing at a time.

[Shtonecb500]

i love 100 bucks bikes.

[cheddarGoblin]

Nice find and good story!  I'd start by putting some [two-stroke] oil down into the bores to lube it up.
Compression numbers wont be good at this point but they have been known to come up after running.

Post a thread for carbs in the wanted section.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will do.

[cheddarGoblin]

Nice find! Yes, I have seen a lot worse for $100. Are you sure the carbs were not laying around somewhere in that shed?

We did look. I asked the seller if he knew where they were before even making the trip, he just said I was welcome to look. I was sure that I was going to find them in the shed. The seller and I looked for probably 45 minutes but could not find them. It was basically a hoarder's barn. Piles and piles of stuff everywhere. I was bummed because I thought I would find them and they would be expensive to buy but had to eventually give up looking. I ended up showing him a picture of what they look like and he let me know that he would give them to me if he found them. I am not holding my breath for that though.

[HondaMan]

Keep an eye out on eBay for them. I have bought whole sets there for $100 before. While they had Keyster jets inside (which probably got the bike parked and stripped for junk), all I had to do was find enough jets and needles to get them back "up" again. The jets were available at JetsRus.com, and the needles came from a wrecked bike's broken carbs.

[Shtonecb500]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285155930607?epid=1540378726&hash=item42649e31ef:g:7yIAAOSw1-Nj9XP9&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoBu8kDyrkXcQMPdqfeMD76ShYtf1L%2BG3IWGezis2subOFuItoomhDlTPM3uYMXbcqhxz2ZQijD0eHRNzV6GQEbwYyECfG6bGXYTTXyrXPZ%2BQtqWGTyalgl5WN7kQ4mxRjRw3fmZ41FUDJKHCSgBTXrd69BxySOfHEc%2FnXwQ9QqU1qSEUaYJRECDXXVJUBC%2BblV7w7OaqNUbOnyiyAeUjCPc%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-KumvzXYQ

these are $150 obo plus delivery and are in the states.

[cheddarGoblin]

Keep an eye out on eBay for them. I have bought whole sets there for $100 before. While they had Keyster jets inside (which probably got the bike parked and stripped for junk), all I had to do was find enough jets and needles to get them back "up" again. The jets were available at JetsRus.com, and the needles came from a wrecked bike's broken carbs.

I'm watching a few sets, all more than double what I paid for the bike, so just gonna wait and see what turns up at this point.

In the meantime, I've applied some penetrating oil to plugs and fasteners. Gonna let that sit and probably reapply a few times. Then give it a bath and see if I can check compression. If that seems good, will work on getting a title before spending any money on it. If compression doesn't go well...not sure what I will do. But the fact that the main fuse was bypassed suggests that maybe a PO has some electrical demons that could not be tracked down and might be why it was parked. Which gives me hope that the motor is ok and also gives me something to work on that doesn't cost money while working the title process.

At least that is the plan...you know how that goes...

[cheddarGoblin]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285155930607?epid=1540378726&hash=item42649e31ef:g:7yIAAOSw1-Nj9XP9&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoBu8kDyrkXcQMPdqfeMD76ShYtf1L%2BG3IWGezis2subOFuItoomhDlTPM3uYMXbcqhxz2ZQijD0eHRNzV6GQEbwYyECfG6bGXYTTXyrXPZ%2BQtqWGTyalgl5WN7kQ4mxRjRw3fmZ41FUDJKHCSgBTXrd69BxySOfHEc%2FnXwQ9QqU1qSEUaYJRECDXXVJUBC%2BblV7w7OaqNUbOnyiyAeUjCPc%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-KumvzXYQ

these are $150 obo plus delivery and are in the states.

Those are more reasonably priced than others I've seen. They look similar but I believe I am looking for 627B carbs for my 500, those look like they are marked 069A. Will those work? I'm new to this style of carbs so not sure of the differences.

[Stev-o]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285155930607?epid=1540378726&hash=item42649e31ef:g:7yIAAOSw1-Nj9XP9&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoBu8kDyrkXcQMPdqfeMD76ShYtf1L%2BG3IWGezis2subOFuItoomhDlTPM3uYMXbcqhxz2ZQijD0eHRNzV6GQEbwYyECfG6bGXYTTXyrXPZ%2BQtqWGTyalgl5WN7kQ4mxRjRw3fmZ41FUDJKHCSgBTXrd69BxySOfHEc%2FnXwQ9QqU1qSEUaYJRECDXXVJUBC%2BblV7w7OaqNUbOnyiyAeUjCPc%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-KumvzXYQ

these are $150 obo plus delivery and are in the states.

Those are more reasonably priced than others I've seen. They look similar but I believe I am looking for 627B carbs for my 500, those look like they are marked 069A. Will those work? I'm new to this style of carbs so not sure of the differences.

069 carbs are for 550F, they would work but are not correct for the 500.

[C317414]

You were lucky that you found the bike at that price.  Maybe you are as lucky with the carbs as I once was:

Many years ago I bought a Ducati single at an estate sale.  It was complete, except for the cylinder head.  The seller and I looked all over the owner's shop, but couldn't find it.

I set the Ducati aside for later, since I was in the process of restoring another bike.  One day I went to the machinist to drop off some barrels that needed boring.  While there, I spotted a Ducati single cylinder head gathering dust on the shelf.  I asked about it and was told it was dropped off for a valve job a couple of years before, but never picked up.  It turned out that the person that dropped it off was the previous owner of the Ducati I had bought.  All I had to do was pay the machinist for his labor, and I had the cylinder head to my Ducati.

[Johnie]

You were lucky that you found the bike at that price.  Maybe you are as lucky with the carbs as I once was:

Many years ago I bought a Ducati single at an estate sale.  It was complete, except for the cylinder head.  The seller and I looked all over the owner's shop, but couldn't find it.

I set the Ducati aside for later, since I was in the process of restoring another bike.  One day I went to the machinist to drop off some barrels that needed boring.  While there, I spotted a Ducati single cylinder head gathering dust on the shelf.  I asked about it and was told it was dropped off for a valve job a couple of years before, but never picked up.  It turned out that the person that dropped it off was the previous owner of the Ducati I had bought.  All I had to do was pay the machinist for his labor, and I had the cylinder head to my Ducati.


That's a great story and unbelievable that you located that head. If the PO and you looked all over the shop he must have really forgot where he took it. Talk about lucky!

[rocket johnny]

good bones for a 100 bucks!    i had to laugh when i saw the chain , fugly !!    just rub some  $100 dollar bills on it  ,  great project

[C317414]

That's a great story and unbelievable that you located that head. If the PO and you looked all over the shop he must have really forgot where he took it. Talk about lucky!

It was an estate sale, so the PO was deceased, and the seller was his brother.  It appears that the PO passed away shortly after leaving the head with the machinist.  That's why it was never picked up.  The amazing thing was that this was in Southern California in the 80s, and there were many machine shops around.  What are the odds of me taking my stuff to the same guy the PO used?

[Shtonecb500]

i dig those handle bars, if you get rid of them ill take them.

[cheddarGoblin]

i dig those handle bars, if you get rid of them ill take them.

Noted. They are a bit higher than stock arent they. I also got an engine guard with highway pegs on it with the bike. It wasnt installed, just laying on the ground. Not sure what to with that at this point as I probably wont use it.

[Johnie]

I hear you...I have a bunch of highway guards laying around. They were the thing back in the day for long rides and protection. I like the low profile ones better, but I don't like them on the show bikes. The left side of the tank paint looks pretty good. Right side paint looks really faded. Is that just the picture and lighting or is that how it really looks? Actually looks like a fun project. Small steps at a time...

[cheddarGoblin]

I hear you...I have a bunch of highway guards laying around. They were the thing back in the day for long rides and protection. I like the low profile ones better, but I don't like them on the show bikes. The left side of the tank paint looks pretty good. Right side paint looks really faded. Is that just the picture and lighting or is that how it really looks? Actually looks like a fun project. Small steps at a time...

That's how it looks. And if the tank ends up being liquid tight, I might just leave it that way.

Based on that and the crumbling rubber, it had some exposure to the sun for a long, long time...

[cheddarGoblin]

I gave it a bath, but its gonna need a few more I think.

Afterwards I blew out crud out from around the plugs with compressed air then removed the plugs.

Out of the 4, there were three different types of plugs, and the two that were the same were 16mm while the others were 17mm.


Initial compression check.

1


2


3 - yikes


4



Added a capful of mystery oil to 3 and tried again and it came up a bit


Seems encouraging enough

[Stev-o]

All things considered, I'd be happy with that.

[Shtonecb500]

ya those numbers are a win.

[newday777]

Congratulations on the find and results of the compression test. Run it some and the numbers should come up once the rings get unstuck from the pistons with heat cycles.