Hi,
My name is Jeremy and I have recently purchased a 1971 CB500 four. I am extremely excited to get this puppy up and going. I trucked her home last Saturday and tinkered a little with it. The guy knocked $100 of the asking price (originally 500!) because it wouldn't start due to an electrical problem. Well, the bike was a runner up until a year ago so I figured it would need the points filed, or there was a bad ground somewhere or something. No big deal. So I charged the battery, gave her a few kicks (the starter is messed up) and she fired and ran decently well, even on year-old gas!
I rode it around for a few minutes and it kept dying on me. I think the battery is junk because it runs okay when hooked up to the charger. Anyway, I guess it needs a new battery, a starter button, I have to rebuild the brake master (it leaks, it's not frozen), and then it should be road ready. It has a "back and forth" shimmy on the road at 35mph or so. Any ideas? Wheel bearings? Spokes? Suspension? The rear springs are really soft. I'll be getting new ones for it because I want to tour with the bike. It's got brand new tires so they should be okay and mounted properly.
It has four into two pipes, a white paint job that I'll redo eventually in green, but otherwise seems all original and well taken care of. One side cover was missing but I have an okay one from a 550 my brother had. And all four carbs were rebuilt and tuned by a shop last September.
This site has been a huge help to me so far. I downloaded and printed the shop manual for the bike, and I've spent hours reading these forums and archived articles. This is a great community and a great resource!
Those in the Northeast, be on the lookout for a white cb500 on the roads soon! My plan is to get it all sorted out for a trip across the country in a year and a half! I absolutely love this bike. The styling is so right and the riding position is excellent. I hope to get it on the road before the weather gets too cold.
Check out my flickr page for pictures of the bike!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47792194@N00/Happy riding,
Jeremy B
