Topic: Scrappy beginner, hello from Revere MA!

[dagger_72]

Lost villager looking for a village of CB lovers!

Im Ale (“ah-leh”) from Revere MA, grateful for this forum and the people who give it life. Been lurking for a few weeks before deciding it was time to write in a name tag and introduce myself. I get so many ideas and lots of energy from reading your posts. life savers! (And bike savers)

Have been looking out on marketplaces for a handful of years waiting for a vintage CB series at my price point, and was stoked to finally find a buyer who had a bike in working condition that I felt a magnetic pull to. Zero experience with bike/mechanical work, apart from a repairs around the house. I swiftly towed it home and pretty sure I flooded the engine trying to start it up. Humbling to flood a perfectly running bike. But that’s why I’m here to learn!

Lots of mods to this bike so far, plans for the bike are to keep customizing little by little as I learn new skills, going for a grungy brat look, maybe remove gold paint from the gas tank and go for a black, deep green, and gunmetal color palette for the bike. I am planning on taking my time, doing it right/methodically, picking up skills and tools as things come up on this journey. I am working out of an apartment with a basement parking garage. Have the bike nestled between a neighbors car, a wall, a column, and my own car. All repairs are gonna have to be possible in the space of a parking spot haha. Am I doomed?

PO shared that carb 3 floods, and I’ve been struggling with that, and the electrical system. First order of business is getting the bike to start without dumping gas on the garage floor!

Happy to meet you all! Satisfying to read from so many people obsessed with their bikes

[HondaMan]

That's the same color as my old CB500 Four!
These days, overflowing carbs on bikes that sat a long time are common. First things to check will be the fuel petcock's screen, which [tries to] prevents the grit in a long-standing fuel tank from getting into the float valves in the carbs, which makes them stick open. The CB500 has a screen inside the fuel petcock for this purpose: turn off the fuel, unscrew the little filter bowl and pull down the filter to see if it is in good condition (and clean it while you're there). This is the first stop for grit coming from the tank.

If the bike was run a lot during the years of MTBE in our gas (1995-ish to 2008 or so) the float valves in the carbs themselves may be damaged. To find this out you have to pull the carbs out and remove their float bowls to inspect the float valves that are controlled with those floats. As the bowls fill up, they push the tiny valves closed to stop incoming fuel, pretty simple arrangement, but grit in the valve can make the valve stick open, which makes the bowl overflow, which makes the bike piddle gas on your floor! Then it usually also fouls the sparkplug for that cylinder for being too rich. Then the bike won't start very easily.

So, after you've checked out the fuel system, next I'd suggest getting new sparkplugs for it: if your bike still has the tool kit there might be the unique sparkplug wrench Honda made for the bike, which has a small-diameter collar on the top that accepts the screwdriver shafts in that toolkit to turn the sparkplugs in/out.

[denward17]

Nice looking bike and good luck with the projects that come.

Welcome from NC!

[newday777]

Howdy Ale from southern NH

[newday777]

Hey if your tank is good, don't strip it, keep it original as it's worth more original.
I have tank from a 550 that someone beat in knee pockets you can get cheap. It was stripped, polished and clear coated. The inside is really clean too. You can fill the dents to smooth the surfaces and then paint it with the café look you want.

[MD]

Welcome from Lake Superior,

Hardened bowl gaskets can leak and somehow allow gas to pore down the overflow tube.


-MD

[dagger_72]

Hey if your tank is good, don't strip it, keep it original as it's worth more original.
I have tank from a 550 that someone beat in knee pockets you can get cheap. It was stripped, polished and clear coated. The inside is really clean too. You can fill the dents to smooth the surfaces and then paint it with the café look you want.

I actually like the look of the knee pockets. My original tank is damaged from the handlebars on both sides from a drop by PO. One side has a golf ball sized dent and the paint around it is flaking apart. Not sure if that is counts as good. Either way will send you a message once I get past the new forum member post requirement!

[dagger_72]

That's the same color as my old CB500 Four!
These days, overflowing carbs on bikes that sat a long time are common. First things to check will be the fuel petcock's screen, which [tries to] prevents the grit in a long-standing fuel tank from getting into the float valves in the carbs, which makes them stick open. The CB500 has a screen inside the fuel petcock for this purpose: turn off the fuel, unscrew the little filter bowl and pull down the filter to see if it is in good condition (and clean it while you're there). This is the first stop for grit coming from the tank.

If the bike was run a lot during the years of MTBE in our gas (1995-ish to 2008 or so) the float valves in the carbs themselves may be damaged. To find this out you have to pull the carbs out and remove their float bowls to inspect the float valves that are controlled with those floats. As the bowls fill up, they push the tiny valves closed to stop incoming fuel, pretty simple arrangement, but grit in the valve can make the valve stick open, which makes the bowl overflow, which makes the bike piddle gas on your floor! Then it usually also fouls the sparkplug for that cylinder for being too rich. Then the bike won't start very easily.

So, after you've checked out the fuel system, next I'd suggest getting new sparkplugs for it: if your bike still has the tool kit there might be the unique sparkplug wrench Honda made for the bike, which has a small-diameter collar on the top that accepts the screwdriver shafts in that toolkit to turn the sparkplugs in/out.

Thanks HM! I will clean out the fuel filter today and check out the spark plugs. I don’t have the tool for it from Honda, so I will be try to be careful.

Some more backstory to this issue: the PO did quite a bit of work on the bike and had it running daily as his commuter bike. It started fine from cold the day I bought it, so I will assume the bike was only sitting in my garage for about two weeks with the fuel switch off before I attempted to start it up. Some work that was recently done on the bike (less than two years ago):

- carb 3 has new float and valve (this was the one that overflowed for PO) this apparently didn’t fix the issue
- carbs synced
- valve lash done
- new piston rings
- new head gasket and full gasket kit (intake, exhaust, etc.)

I may post a more in depth description of the issue I ran into in the questions section. Apart from carb 3 overflowing I think I messed up my electric starter when I short circuited the battery reinstalling it 
 

[newday777]

Hey if your tank is good, don't strip it, keep it original as it's worth more original.
I have tank from a 550 that someone beat in knee pockets you can get cheap. It was stripped, polished and clear coated. The inside is really clean too. You can fill the dents to smooth the surfaces and then paint it with the café look you want.

I actually like the look of the knee pockets. My original tank is damaged from the handlebars on both sides from a drop by PO. One side has a golf ball sized dent and the paint around it is flaking apart. Not sure if that is counts as good. Either way will send you a message once I get past the new forum member post requirement!

I sent you a pm with my number

[newday777]

Hey if your tank is good, don't strip it, keep it original as it's worth more original.
I have tank from a 550 that someone beat in knee pockets you can get cheap. It was stripped, polished and clear coated. The inside is really clean too. You can fill the dents to smooth the surfaces and then paint it with the café look you want.

I actually like the look of the knee pockets. My original tank is damaged from the handlebars on both sides from a drop by PO. One side has a golf ball sized dent and the paint around it is flaking apart. Not sure if that is counts as good. Either way will send you a message once I get past the new forum member post requirement!

I sent you a pm with my number

Post back here if you don't get my pm

[Alan F.]

Welcome Neighbor, I'm about 30 miles north of you. I have no 500/550 experience though.

[dagger_72]

Welcome Neighbor, I'm about 30 miles north of you. I have no 500/550 experience though.

Hello! Been a great weekend here for being outside.

[tool14]

welcome aboard

[newday777]

Welcome Neighbor, I'm about 30 miles north of you. I have no 500/550 experience though.

But you do have a lot of experience around the forum and research well.
And a good riding buddy

[Alan F.]

Thanks Stu, I aim to do more but there is always something. I've given up saying, "someday", too open ended...

[Stev-o]

That's the same color as my old CB500 Four!
These days, overflowing carbs on bikes that sat a long time are common. First things to check will be the fuel petcock's screen, which [tries to] prevents the grit in a long-standing fuel tank from getting into the float valves in the carbs, which makes them stick open. The CB500 has a screen inside the fuel petcock for this purpose: turn off the fuel, unscrew the little filter bowl and pull down the filter to see if it is in good condition (and clean it while you're there). This is the first stop for grit coming from the tank.

If the bike was run a lot during the years of MTBE in our gas (1995-ish to 2008 or so) the float valves in the carbs themselves may be damaged. To find this out you have to pull the carbs out and remove their float bowls to inspect the float valves that are controlled with those floats. As the bowls fill up, they push the tiny valves closed to stop incoming fuel, pretty simple arrangement, but grit in the valve can make the valve stick open, which makes the bowl overflow, which makes the bike piddle gas on your floor! Then it usually also fouls the sparkplug for that cylinder for being too rich. Then the bike won't start very easily.

So, after you've checked out the fuel system, next I'd suggest getting new sparkplugs for it: if your bike still has the tool kit there might be the unique sparkplug wrench Honda made for the bike, which has a small-diameter collar on the top that accepts the screwdriver shafts in that toolkit to turn the sparkplugs in/out.

- carb 3 has new float and valve (this was the one that overflowed for PO) this apparently didn’t fix the issue

It is most likely the PO used aftermaket parts which are known to cause issues.

As far as starting procedure, each bike is a little different but my 550F likes it this way:

- Turn on fuel & ignition
- Turn on full choke
- Push starter button, do NOT rotate throttle grip
- Once she fires, give some throttle and reduce choke to half to keep running.

Good luck.