Intro and 1972 cb500 build

I'm 16 years old and i've been riding forever (only bikes that i got from someone else and rebuilt, I'm not some rich kid). Over the summer I started this project because I needed a bike to ride on the street. The cool thing is this was my dad's first street bike and now its my first street bike. I still have some work to do. After and before picture:

Welcome amigo.
Good to see some young guns around.
You'll need a thick skin and a willingness to listen to those with experience. If you've got that you'll fit right in.

El Diablo333 said:

I'm 16 years old and i've been riding forever (only bikes that i got from someone else and rebuilt, I'm not some rich kid). Over the summer I started this project because I needed a bike to ride on the street. The cool thing is this was my dad's first street bike and now its my first street bike. I still have some work to do. After and before picture:

Click to expand...

I guess it's all relative, but when you say you've been riding "forever" and are 16, remember that you've got tons of folks who've been riding and working on bikes much longer than you've been alive (for me, that's twice as long as you've been alive, for others around here it's sometimes 3-4 times that). I'm not gonna pile on to your other post, others seem to have that covered, but I'll second the advice: read, learn, contribute if you can. Take the criticism of that 500 constructively. And welcome.

I threw my two cents on your other thread, but I'll take this as an opportunity to say welcome. You've got a good start there, and if you address some of the things mentioned in your "how much would you pay" thread, I think you'll have a nice bike to enjoy for many years. Good luck bud.

I just started that thread to prove to my mom i was actually doing something that was worth it. She just doesn't understand and thinks I'm wasting my time.

El Diablo333 said:

I just started that thread to prove to my mom i was actually doing something that was worth it. She just doesn't understand and thinks I'm wasting my time.

Click to expand...

Hope she doesn't read that thread then....
It's not wasting time if you learn from the mistakes.
It is if you push back.

Don't use cop outs like "making it my own" and such.

Don't worry I can take criticism. I know their are some serious flaws but I'm working on them.

El Diablo333 said:

Don't worry I can take criticism. I know their are some serious flaws but I'm working on them.

Click to expand...

What do you think they are?
What are you going to do to fix them?

Did you make them and not know at the time?

Don't even get me started with aesthetic aspects. I made the knee inserts with a ball peen hammer. Some imperfections are still visible despite the massive amount of bondo that was used. The seat looks decent i guess even though I couldn't form the leather to the rear piece of foam where it steps up. Probably should have used glue or something. The rear fender is a mess, I have an idea I might attach a picture. It runs beautifully, I did up jet, but it may be running a bit lean with those straight pipes and pods. I'll do the whole spark plug test later to see if my fuel/air is where it needs to be. The fork seals are shot but that an easy fix. Plus I need to buy dust covers. The front brake sticks like and seems like brake fluid is leaking form the master cylinder but thats just another thing i have to rebuild. I have a new clutch cable that I have to put on cause you can see the one in the picture, the outer housing is completely severed. Those are the things that come to mind but their are definitely more.

I could care less about style mods or going for a look.
More concerned with function. How changes make the bike work better.

Cut off exhaust and pods is a downgrade all the way around.
Removing the front fender is also a downgrade.

I recognized the need for a front fender considering the front of the motor is covered in mud. Who knows what could get stick in a tread and get flung. i still have the slip on mufflers which do a 4-2 system. Even if i invested in a 4-1, i would probably take the baffles out. This would probably still be better than the 4 individuals due to exhaust scavenging. Many people have different opinions on air filter choice. I can see why high flow air filters and an open exhaust are not ideal for a street bike (low end power loss). What do you suggest?

"High flow filters"?
Most are junk, like emgo. They flow less.

Even if they did exist that would only be an upgrade with the air box was the weak link in flowing air through the motor.

It isn't. So zero need to change it.