Oh Lord (CB500) - The Leaky Bitch (p. 31)

03rangerxlt

Been Around the Block
"Oh Lord" Thats what I am expecting you guys are thinking everytime one of us newbs pops up now-a-days now that the cafe racer style has been getting some mainstream attention. Well hang with me here for a minute, because I'm one of those newbs that has been aquainted with this through the mainstream.

So, for the past couple years, I have been wanting a motorcycle. I knew I didn't really want a sport bike. Cruisers aren't really my style. I can't afford a Harley. I can't afford a Triumph (but I have always wanted one, not knowing anything about the particular style of bike it was; the cafe racer style). I like bobbers, but I like the racing style of short bars...

Long story short, the cafe racer fits into the slot of the style bike I like, and I probably can do it in my broke-ass public servant budget.

That leads me to posting here today. I have been poking aroung the internets, and I have found a bike for sale that I am interested. But, I have never owned a bike, never built a bike, and never worked on a bike. I have no clue if this is going to be a good base to start a bike project from.

I am looking at a 1972 Honda CB500. My main questions are:

Is this a good bike to use as a base? Are parts available for these bikes? Is the aftermarket friendly to this bike? Is $1600 reasonable for this bike?
Here she be:
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Aivght guys. Thanks for your patience. Hopefully this thread continues as an actual project thread. I appreciate anything you guys can clarify for me!
JB
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

I think that price is a bit high for that bike. It's got no air filters, or doesn't in the pictures, so you'll have to do something about that. Hopefully the carbs are already jetted for pods or something, but his inability to jet the bike may be the reason he's selling it. Also, there don't appear to be any blinkers on the bike, which may or may not be a problem, as some people choose to eliminate them. That chain may be a little loose too. That can be tightened, but makes me wonder about his maintenance habits.

If you do go take a look, look at the rear sprocket (the thing the chain wraps around at the tire) and check to see if all the teeth look good. They should all come to a good point and point straight out, not all curved one direction. If they're worn, the sprocket will need to be replaced. You don't want a new sprocket using a worn chain, so you'd probably want to replace the chain as well. You can see where I'm going with this.

A bike like that is going to take some looking at before riding. At that price, you should be able to find something that's good to go. If you're interested in wrenching and learning the bike, that's one thing, but you don't need to pay $1600 up front for it.

You'll at the very least have to put something over those carbs, even just velocity stacks with screens or some cheap pod filters, and see how it runs. You may have to rejet, which could be a trial and error process that takes a good deal of time. Hope that helps some.

Where are you located? I'm sure people would be happy to peruse Craigslist and send some suggestions your way.

Also, regardless of what bike you buy, there are some things you'll want to do to make sure it's safe and smart to ride (oil change, tire pressure, chain tension, cable adjustments, etc.). Get a bike first.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

trans trans trans!!! ive had a 71 cb500 and for several years now and the motor is more cb550 now than cb500 everything that was wrong with the cb500 was fixed with the cb550 so haveing said that if you havnt bought the above bike dont if you have buy a 550 lump. the bikes look the same and if you are going to use it a 550 is the way to go as far as parts 500 550 parts are bout the some except the motor they run bout the same the handle bout the same but they made them way longer and there are way more parts out there search ebay parts and ass. cb500 8 pages cb550 98 pages just my take it can all be fixed it just a matter of how bad you want it later brad
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

Headlight's cool, but yeah, I think the consensus will be that $1600 is too much for a bike that old that's not running... and not complete. Like Brad said, if you're looking for aftermarket support look for a 550 to which I'd add also a CB350 (which would probably be too small for an everyday bike, but a good learner) or CB750.

Also when you're shopping for an older bike like this, some of the major things to check for would be rust in the gas tank... pop that cap open and take a look and a whiff, if it looks like metal and smells like gas you're in good shape, if it looks like rust and smells like... bad, take a step back and reassess the price and the task. Also if it's not running ask to give the kickstarter a couple pumps to make sure it's not seized. Really though, if you've got more than a grand to spend you should be able to find something that's running good.

IndieSol said:
...You'll at the very least have to put something over those carbs...

you must be seeing something I don't because the bike I'm seeing doesn't have any carbs
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

1600 NO WAY!!! i bought my RUNNING CB500 with decent paint, and complete for $500... i do not spend over $1000 on old CB's unless they are MINT
tell him you will offer him $600 cause that is about what it is worth not running like that... dealer estimate would be about 200
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

IndieSol said:
I think that price is a bit high for that bike. It's got no air filters, or doesn't in the pictures, so you'll have to do something about that.

no air filter? it has no carbs!!!
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

sxecafe said:
Where do you live man?
i livenear atlanta ga. the prices in this area seem to be like this all over this state. there are Honda cb bikes selling for $450 in the area that are in shambles with siezed motors. looks like I'm "back to the drawing board!"

Other bikes I am interested in:
1972 CB450 not charging and needs to be blown totally apart and redone is selling at $1150
3n83ka3m75T65U55P4aage0f7115e25e41cc4.jpg


unknown year CB750K for $1000
3n73mb3l45Y65U05S2aal012c711335d01bc7.jpg


then there is this 1971 CB500 for $600
3p83o03l25W65S55R0aab5f9a47b93a9c1c56.jpg


I love this 1974 CB550 but its a bit out of my reach at $2500.
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So there are the pickings in my area. Kinda lame I guess. The potential is there for a bunch of those, but the prices are now seeming a bit high given what I have been hearing here.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

Yea... I was going to say. In Los Angeles you cant find a runner under $1500. If you do you better drop everything you are doing and get in the car b/c it wont be around for long at the same price. You could probably walk closer to $1000. Throw out a number and see if you can get the price down. Doesnt hurt to ask.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

sxecafe said:
Yea... I was going to say. In Los Angeles you cant find a runner under $1500. If you do you better drop everything you are doing and get in the car b/c it wont be around for long at the same price. You could probably walk closer to $1000. Throw out a number and see if you can get the price down. Doesnt hurt to ask.

Yeah, I was going to see if he would deal of course. NEVER PAY THE ASKING PRICE! LOL
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

03rangerxlt said:
Yeah, I was going to see if he would deal of course. NEVER PAY THE ASKING PRICE! LOL

Ha! I gave it a quick glance and saw the air in there, but didn't look close enough to see that the carbs were missing too. That's another thing to multiply by four.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

IndieSol said:
Ha! I gave it a quick glance and saw the air in there, but didn't look close enough to see that the carbs were missing too. That's another thing to multiply by four.

I talked to the guy on the phone just now. He said he has the carbs for that motor, that he simply took off and put on the shelf for now. He also said he has 2 other bikes he purchased for spare parts that have carbs, and he is would be willing to throw in whatever parts I could fit in my truck if I show up to purchase the bike.

He also said that the top end has been gone through and rebuilt, the exhaust is new, it comes with another tank, both tanks have no rust inside or out, and he has a can of british racing green paint for the bike that is included.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

So this thread gets to turn into a build thread pretty soon. On monday, I get to go pick my first bike. I am ending up with the CB500 I posted initially. I was able to negotiate the price down, but I think you guys will still think I am paying too much ($1300 for the bike (plus extra motors, two sets of carbs, brakes, battery, and whatever parts I can fit in my truck). I can't explain why I went with this bike. But for some reason, I decided I had to have this bike. It really spoke to me.

The scary thing is, my dumb ass has no clue what I am in for. I have never owned a bike. I have never worked on a bike. And I have only ridden once. And that was ugly. I burnt my leg on the exhaust and dumped it.

Anyways, fast forward to now. On Monday, I am driving an hour and a half to go pick this bike up and tote it back to where I live. I was originally going to build it in my apartment, but a co-worker who lives less than a mile away is going to let me use his garage (and tools!).

Plans are a BCR Dolphin tank and seat, relocate the battery to under the seat, and go with a white and black theme. This is kind of my inspiration:
mines-nissan-gtr-spec-v-1024.jpg

I am thinking a gloss white tank and seat pan with a simple black honda wing logo, a gloss black frame and wheels, and a flat back motor.

I can't wait to start tearing into this thing. Sorry guys, but with my lack of experience, expect a billion stupid questions from me.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

I'm in Birmingham. I'd be glad to help out where I can. I think the fellas on here can pretty well help you with anything you might run into. First things first, get it running. This can be a simple or a monumental task, but you don't want that task when you have sunk money into a BCR tank and all of that kind of stuff. once you polish that last cover and bolt in that last screw, you're gonna want to ride it, and nothing is worse than chasing the gremlins that you should have killed from the get go.

Get a manual. Clymer is alright, but Honda service manuals are the best. Get a compression gauge and check the compression. The manual will tell you what you should read there. Then put a battery in it and see if your electrics are working. If the headlight is on, that's a good thing. Judging from the fact that the carbs were on the shelf, I would clean the snot out of them before trying them.

All of this will sound foreign to you now, but we all started somewhere. Just don't get frustrated and give up, because in the grand scheme of things, these ol girls are pretty simple. It's a love hate relationship. We'll be here to help you, so just ask what you need and I'm sure it can be figured out.

In the same breath, congrats, and I'm sorry.....you have no idea the journey you just walked into! ;)
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

03rangerxlt said:
So this thread gets to turn into a build thread pretty soon. On monday, I get to go pick my first bike. I am ending up with the CB500 I posted initially. I was able to negotiate the price down, but I think you guys will still think I am paying too much ($1300 for the bike (plus extra motors, two sets of carbs, brakes, battery, and whatever parts I can fit in my truck). I can't explain why I went with this bike. But for some reason, I decided I had to have this bike. It really spoke to me.

Too late Mike.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

Picked up the bike today. My god, my truck was dragging ass after we loaded all the boxes of parts and extras into it. Gonna start digging into it next week.

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Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

hey guys,

man, i think that the 500 was a good choice.
i have a 73 cb500 and got it not running, with good compression though. i put a carb kit, electronic ignition, i ended up getting a parts bike and used the harness, and other prts from it. any way, i rode it all this season, loved it. i had a two into two with open pipes, with slight baffles in it, nice note but after awhile loud. my prts bike had a 4-1, so i through it on and found a night and day in performance, with out any jetting.
now i am into my second phase of the build, and the last i hope. full out cafe build, i tore right down to the frame and the engine down to the internals out of it.
adding a 555 big bore kit, trying to get a cb650 cam ( which will fit right it with no screwing around, just use the cb500 cam chain gear), when doing all this i am changing the cam chain and the guides.
there is lots more, but i will be starting my own thread for this build soon.
glad to see another cb500 here, any questions just ask man, lots of good people and builders here, info out the yig yag.
keep us posted,
later.
 
Re: Oh Lord... (CB500)

I'm looking forward to wednesday! chili dogs, beer, and we are gonna start tearing down the bike!
 
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