Topic: New member with 1972 cb500

[Grebnaws]

Hi everyone, new guy here. I joined this forum a few weeks ago for advice on a friends bike but now it's personal.

Today I hauled in a 1972 cb500 four. This is my first sohc and my second Honda. I also have a 1982 cb900f and 2004 zrx1200. Two is already more bikes than I can ride but this one spoke to me. I was actually scouting motorcycles for two friends who just received their motorcycle license when I found this an hour away. The asking price was very fair for an original unrestored bike with a title. I know very little about these bikes and am a little intimidated by the old electronics and possible issues. I have done some nuts and bolts on my other bikes but leave the electrical systems alone.

So far I can tell the seat, sissy bar, and handlebars aren't stock. I'm recovering from a back injury and can only ride short distances and still need help unloading the bike and moved into the garage. I will have to be very careful while working on the bike to prevent a relapse but I'm laid off for a few weeks and have the time to get a good start on a project. I'm sure that further inspection will reveal some surprises but at a glance it's a worthwhile endeavor.

Driving down to pick up the bike I was really thinking cb500 cafe racer but in person the bike just wasn't asking to be chopped up. I will repair/replace parts but leave the rest as original as possible. I want it safe, reliable and fun to ride. I can get my speed fix on the zrx and already achieved rat bike status on the 900f, so now I want to ride a survivor. Both Hondas came before my time but the parts availability on these SOHC bikes completely overwhelms anything you can find for the 900f.

So here's what I'm working with.

[dave500]

good score,take it easy on your back,,so,,?youll lose those bars and seat and never post a picture like that again?itll clean up nicley i think.

[thanantos]

Very nice!

I just picked up a similar one although no ape hangers on mine

I've also come to the same conclusion. It's too nice to chop. New bars, a seat and she'll be good.

[Tews19]

Hey buddy, please do not tell me you found that from a guy who sells "these type of bikes all the time" from or near Wisconsin? Did he offer to drive it to you as well? Man I hope you didn't work with him if this is the case....

If you are not sure who I am talking about I made a post on here about this pushy seller who wanted to sell me a 550 f SS... The bike you have in the pic was part of the deal as it has no title and he kept pushing that bike as a cafe conversion....

Nice find though and she does look great..... Hope you enjoy her.

[Stev-o]

First off, welcome Greb!

Looks like a nice solid 500! Isn't it amazing how these old bikes "speak" to you?
Those seats are so ugly but were very popular back then. My K7 came with one, I tossed it in the trash the first day! And found a great condition stock seat from a fellow member for under $100. Seats are out there, start searching.
How many miles and it is in running condition? If running, is your trans shifting properly?
The 500's were prone to tranny issues, hopefully not yours.

Good Luck!

[brooze72]

Yea, welcome Greb. The 500's are pretty durable & Dave500 knows everything about them, so post away when you have questions.  PS the front fender's been trimmed back a bit & missing the stay.  Hmm, after seeing your pic, thinking about cutting a spare I have to look like that.

[mjstone]

Welcome to the forum Grebnaws.  The sissy bar and ape hangers definitely need to go.  The seat, while many think they are ugly, is probably very comfortable and with a bad back it might be needed. You should post your bike in the 500/550 registry thread.

MJ

[Grebnaws]

Yeah, I knew the ape hangers weren't going to be a big hit around here! I'm not into them either but replacing the bars and the seat will be further down the line. All the cables should be replaced and I doubt the stock versions will fit, so it will have to get done eventually. Four months ago I dislocated my sacrum and damaged the sacroiliac joint pretty bad. It's a highway for nerves and the inflammation causes a grab bag of problems. I actually find my zrx to be more comfortable than riding my cb900f. I have done a lot of comfort mods to the zrx and am more comfortable resting on my muscles for support than sitting bolt upright on my spine. The problem is that a 50 mile ride feels like a 500 mile ride used to. My mobility is back up to around 75% after therapy but my core strength is way down about 20%. I'm not a big guy so 20% of my usual strength is pathetic.

Twes19 - No, the seller didn't mention anything like that at all. I purchased it in IL with a Kentucky "out of state" title. It still has Kentucky plates from '08. He transferred the title to himself in 2007 with 10k on the clock. IIRC the owner kept it near Kentucky lake for vacationing but had a stroke and could no longer ride. Are you sure you have seen this bike before? I will post updated photos when my batteries charge.

It was a race to purchase this bike. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING decent on Craigslist is selling within hours of being posted. I have called within 10 minutes of post time and found myself number 10 on the callback list. I brought cash and loaded the bike while another man was already on his way back with cash and a way to move the bike.

The bike does not run but it does kick over and shift through all gears. The brakes are not locked up and it rolled easily. It has a 5/71 date stamp on the steering head and a 1013xxx VIN with 13,179 on the clock. The title says 1972 even though it's a 1971 on the head stamp. No obvious oil leaks and no evidence of being cleaned before selling. The owner said it ran well and was parked when it started to sputter and quit firing on all cylinders. He took it to a shop that suggested a bad coil and/or wiring somewhere in the ignition system but he did not authorize repairs. That part is up to me. I have always avoided electrical problems on my running bikes but with a dedicated project I should have more patience to sort it out myself. PB blaster is already being applied liberally to all exposed bolts and fasteners.

It's possible the front fender is a replacement. I didn't know the specifics of these bikes when going to look and the fender looked close enough to fool me, although I did see an open bolt hole where the stay would have been attached. Upon further inspection there are two missing bolts on the left side of the front fender where it screws into the forks. There is also a missing screw at the right handlebar control. Ignition wires are ratty and will be replaced along with both coils.

The real bad news is that the far left #1 exhaust stud is broken out! There is a steel bolt hanging loose with some aluminum stuck in the threads so I can HOPE that the stud has already been removed by someone else. If not, at least there is clear access for a repair and I may not have to pull the head unless I want a shop to make the repair.

The brake line setup looks strange to me. I'll have to look at some other bikes to see what the original setup was. I'm prepared to buy carb kits, adjust valve clearances, replace both coils and all ignition wires, and possibly replace the points breaker assembly. Those seem like all the parts worth getting right from the start.

Are there dry cell batteries available for this bike? How about replacement air ducts carb boots and insulators?

[zackblack]

The front fender is chopped.  See the bar on the back that attaches to the forks?  There is supposed to be a bar on the front too.  The seat looks comfortable.  If you are going to get rid of it throw me a pm.  The ape hangers are a tad too big for my tastes (I personally like apes but I like them shorter than yours) and that sissy bar is enormous!  I'd be taking that off ASAP. 

All in all nice find!  Good luck and don't hurt your back wrenching on your new bike! 

[dave500]

thanks for the bouquet brooze theres always new to find out and learn though,you can still get the 500 induction rubber parts,they are important to be in good condition with no cracks and leaks,,i know you have a bad back and hope its well enough to do some bending/stooping and light lifting on this bike,,a quick run down to get this an easy starting well running reliable bike before you even try and start it would be.

empty the fuel tank,clean the filter screen in the little bowl on the tap
remove the carb bowls and remove and clean the jets,with the floats and the float needle removed gently blow compressed air down the fuel lines,with the air screw removed blow gently air into that hole aswell.
replace the air filter,dump the oil and filter aswell.
when the tank is off,undo clean and reconnect every wire connector you can find,look for tampering like black tape and twisted together wires or black burned wires,same behind the left side cover.
dissmantle the points assembly and if the points dont look burned or pitted put it all back together gapped and timed,new spark plugs aswell,you said your not big on electrics so if you have a buddy to help dont take apart what might be confusing to reassemble,after all that you could check it for spark and go from there,good luck.

[Tews19]

Welcome to the forum Grebnaws.  The sissy bar and ape hangers definitely need to go.  The seat, while many think they are ugly, is probably very comfortable and with a bad back it might be needed. You should post your bike in the 500/550 registry thread.

MJ

Man my heart dropped when I read the part about the Kentucky placement of the bike.... That is where the guy originally told he was when he contacted me back... he stated he was on vacation... So i was like ok, and thats when he became super pushy.........

he did mention that the title was not in his name either when I asked him and he hesitated at least 30 seconds before answering me.. He then went on to mention "ohh you are in WI, it doesn't matter if the title doesn't match the year on the frame or engine, as long as one does".....

I really hope you didn't deal with the guy... Look up my post about it.. Not sure which one it is in of mine, maybe in the my latest find posting.....

here is one listing on CL he posted.... This one was in Fondulac, he had similar ones in Madison, Milwaukee , Rockford.....
They are being removed fast..

Hopefully wrong guy and hopefully everything will go good with titling.... I am not trying to be a butthole, I personally do not like it when people are taken advantage off.....


Take a look...
http://appleton.craigslist.org/mcy/2458381766.html

[Grebnaws]

Tews19, you have me a little scared. I see some differences between my bike and the one in the link you provided, but my bike has Kentucky plates from '08 and I'm pretty sure the '97 Kentucky state title doesn't match the name of the seller. The title matches the bike in any case. Do you recall the name of the man you think was running a scam? Please PM me the details if you have them.....

The tank has already been cleaned by shaking it heavily with water and steel BBs with an acid rinse to follow. It cleaned up pretty well and should be useable. The petcock was filthy inside and I will order new gaskets and or rings for it even though the rubber seemed serviceable. New fuel line and inline filter will follow.

I learned my lesson about reinstalling carbs with bad rubber boots. Life is too short. I went ahead and ordered the air box to carb boots, but the carb to cylinder head insulators actually look very good. I'll inspect them closer when the carbs are pulled.

I discovered two loose wires under the right crankshaft cover in the points breaker assembly. Not my area of expertise but it sure seems like it could be responsible for losing spark on two cylinders as the previous owner indicated. The coils and ignition wires are hacked and will be replaced once I learn how to do it.

What is the original location of the ignition key switch? Mine is on a bracket at the handlebars. Other than that the wiring looks original and I took off the left engine case to inspect and test the electrical components found there. What a horrible greasy mess. It was so dirty that I lost track of what I was doing and went straight to scraping gunk and soaking parts in degreaser. Tomorrow I will clean and reassemble and hopefully learn how to test all the hardware on that side.

The front fender is more than chopped. It's tweaked and definitely will not sit evenly if bolted in on both sides. Definitely needs replaced. I hope the forks are straight!

I am sure my clutch cable is not stock due to the ape hangers but I am concerned about the hole in the top of the left engine cover that the cable is routed through. My cable has a threaded bottom but it sat in a blind hole sealed with silicon. Very suspicious. Is the clutch cable hole in that case supposed to be threaded?

My biggest concern right now is getting that exhaust stud replaced. Should this be attempted by a novice or is it worth the trouble separating the cylinder head and delivering it to a machine shop?

Also, one of my tailpipes has a different baffle. It looks identical in every other way. Factory replacement?

Is there a dry cell battery available for the cb500?

Does anyone have experience with these cb500 carbs? I plan to buy carb kits and install them myself but they are different than anything else I have seen. Are they known to be difficult or problematic?

[mjstone]

What is the original location of the ignition key switch?

The ignition switch was originally located at the frame just below the gas tank on the left side.  If your bracket is missing you can have mine that I removed since my switch is mounted on my Vetter fairing lower.  There is a tab mounted on the inside of the side frame rail where the bracket should be mounted.  It will not be the same bracket that is on your handlebars.

I am sure my clutch cable is not stock due to the ape hangers but I am concerned about the hole in the top of the left engine cover that the cable is routed through. My cable has a threaded bottom but it sat in a blind hole sealed with silicon. Very suspicious. Is the clutch cable hole in that case supposed to be threaded?

There should be a nut that has a smooth shoulder that fits snugly in that hole.  When you buy a new cable it should come with one, my Motion Pro replacement did.

Does anyone have experience with these cb500 carbs? I plan to buy carb kits and install them myself but they are different than anything else I have seen. Are they known to be difficult or problematic?

They look intimidating to begin with, but take your time, you can do this.  Look in the FAQ section of this forum, there is a wealth of information on Carbs there.  Get a shop manual, again look for this in the FAQ section.  This will help greatly.  Keep things organized and don't mix the carb parts up.  Keep each carb with its parts.  The most common rebuild kit that you will find will be the infamous Keyster brand.  Just use the rubber stuff from the kit, keep and reuse all your original metal parts if possible.

MJ