Honda CB500T Build (First time builder)

Hopefully this afternoon I can zip over to the "New Members" section and introduce myself properly. So I'll keep this thread about the bike... I've been wanting to do a brat/cafe project for years, and over the winter I was able to get my hands on this little beauty. ($75 sounded fair to me, I could scrap it for that)




I brought it home, stuck it on my messy pad behind my shed and I (and my son) started ripping it apart (carefully, of course).







Once I had her all torn down, I found a few surprises. The engine is none other than a Honda 500T engine. BUT... It's sitting on a 1973 CB450 frame, and has what appears to be a CL350 front end (forks and wheel). Since I am not taking it back to stock, I just smiled, shrugged and moved on with the build. ;D

Once I got it all taken apart, it was time to hit that frame with a wire wheel... And this is what it looked like once I got done stripping all that old nasty paint.



After that, I detabbed that frame, and got it painted with a very dark metallic gray paint.

When I picked the bike up, one of the spark plugs was missing, so that cylinder had some water sitting in it and was QUITE frozen up! I had to take the engine completely apart, and do a full rebuild. Sadly, I didn't take any pics during the process, so here's the first engine pic I took, which was after it was mostly back together and had been cleaned and painted.



And here's a comparison pic for ya...



And then here are the finished pics (minus the carbs)





I'm just gonna toss this out there... I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT DIME CITY CYCLES!!! They were amazing during this process. Sometimes I may have paid a bit more for some of the products, but their service and helpfulness is worth more than money! So, suffice it to say that I bought a TON of parts from them during this build.

Y'all wanna see that engine mounted in the detabbed frame??? Yep, thought so... 8)





Now, I wanted to hear this engine run... In a BIG way! I had rebuilt it, and although I'm mechanically inclined, I just wanted to make sure... I rebuilt my carbs, and had to completely rework the ignition (see those new coils in the pics above?). So the next thing I did was work on that tank. It had a pretty serious dent in it, so I bumped it out as much as I could and then started my body/bondo work.



And then I fixed up my wheels (new bearings and insides), and put my glorious new tires on them. I rebuilt my forks and put it all together to get a rolling frame. Oh, I got the triple tree, handlebars, cables, handles, and all that good stuff from DCC.







The tank is only primered, so it will get painted by the local paint shop (going with a Honda Blue and pinstripes). Oh, I forgot to mention that I DID crank it up and it runs beautifully! Compression is great in both cylinders as well. ;D ;D ;D

I also decided to try my hand with a sewing machine and a skateboard, to make me a seat. It was my first time on a sweing machine, and all things considered, I thought the project turned out fairly well. I used car seat foam for the padding, and open cell foam to create the humps in the seat. Here's a few pictures...





I have it mounted to the bike now, but haven't got any pics of that yet. I'm hoping to finish the cable and brake work this weekend (July 4,5) as well as put the chain and exhaust on it so I can take it for a very short ride around my driveway. Definitely more pics to come!!! The overall general look that I was going for was:



If you guys have any questions, comments or even criticism (take it easy on me, I'm new), I'd love to hear it.

Looking good. You sure did a fantastic job bringing that motor back to life!

If you want to seriously ride I would however change tyres. Those vintage firestones look cool, but are bloody awful and have no grip!

Thanks for the advice... I got the Firestones for the look, but if I go to carving mountain roads, I'll make sure and swap them out.

Shit, you're almost done already. Nice work. Most builds around here usually take a couple years. Ha!

Ok, did lots of work on it yesterday and today, and felt like I took a step backwards for every step forwards. So I have a few questions that I'm hoping y'all can help me out with...

1. What is the best way to adjust a carb float? I keep finding that I'm barely getting any fuel to my carb, or that I'm getting way too much and it's overflowing. How do I know when the setting is right?

2. What kind of flange gasket do I use for the exhaust? I used the "crush" gaskets that came with the gasket kit, and they aren't big (thick) enough. When I tighten it fully down, the exhaust pipes can still move around freely.

3. Is there anything I need to do with the "oil filter" besides just clean it out and put it back together?

I may have a few more questions later, and I'm going to post a few more pics later as well, since I've put the seat on it.
Thanks in advance!

rauns20 said:

1. What is the best way to adjust a carb float? I keep finding that I'm barely getting any fuel to my carb, or that I'm getting way too much and it's overflowing. How do I know when the setting is right?

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There is a specified float height for each type/model carb, check out the manual for your bike and it will tell you what this height is and how it is measured.

rauns20 said:

2. What kind of flange gasket do I use for the exhaust? I used the "crush" gaskets that came with the gasket kit, and they aren't big (thick) enough. When I tighten it fully down, the exhaust pipes can still move around freely.

Click to expand...

Are you sure you're installing the headers correctly. You should be able to get them tight even without any crush gaskets. Did you put the collars on the right way? That is, lip on the collars facing away from the engine.

HerrDeacon said:

Are you sure you're installing the headers correctly. You should be able to get them tight even without any crush gaskets. Did you put the collars on the right way? That is, lip on the collars facing away from the engine.

Click to expand...

I'm sure I'm putting the header flanges on correctly, but they have half circle pieces that go in between them and the pipe, and I'm not entirely certain that I'm putting them in right. I'll take pics when I'm back at the bike and post them.

Here's a single pic update from my work over the past couple days. Lots of stuff that a pic can't show, but the seat is mounted... The tank needs a bit of adjusting to line up with the frame, but I'll work on that a bit later.

coming along nicely
those shocks wont work though unless you weld them solid,you haven't left any clearance to the seat

xb33bsa said:

coming along nicely
those shocks wont work though unless you weld them solid,you haven't left any clearance to the seat

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I was worried about the same thing... And I guess it might still turn into an issue. But apparently those shocks are HARD! I sat my 200lb frame down on that seat and bounced as hard as I could and couldn't get the seat to touch the tire. (Literally jumped up in the air and landed on the seat!) So I put my 70lb son on there with me, and then when I jumped really hard I could just barely get it to contact. I'm going to have a fender mounted to the bottom of the seat, and I'll keep you posted on how it's working out. If it becomes an issue, I guess it'll become a hardtail.

bouncing on the bike is not like hitting a pothole at speed,it will hit unless you restrict the shock travel
copying a show bike not meant to be ridden has its drawbacks
you really should just do it right,no ?

rauns20 said:

I'm sure I'm putting the header flanges on correctly, but they have half circle pieces that go in between them and the pipe, and I'm not entirely certain that I'm putting them in right. I'll take pics when I'm back at the bike and post them.

Click to expand...

The half circle pieces are the collars I was referring to. They fit in between the header flange and the end of the header, with the side of the collar with the lip touching the flanges and the other side against the lip of the header. I can see if I can get a picture if it would help.

awesome work with the seat, what pattern is on it

Ok, guys... I'm SO sorry that I've left this post die. I've finished my bike (at least for now) and owe all of you pictures. In reply to the last post, the seat pattern is just 1 inch stripes across it. So, I went on a ride up at Blood Mountain in north GA, and took these pictures. Please give me your input as I may be working on it more this winter and am always open to suggestions!!!

It looks great!
I would be worried about crashing when the rear tire stops turning when it hits the fender, but if you're going to somehow avoid that, you've got a sweet bike!

-Sherm

I've gotten a bunch of comments on that rear tire being too close. I have super stiff springs, and haven't had trouble with it at this point. I've put a bit over 500 miles, several of which were mountain riding. But I'll continue to watch out for it. Thanks for the comment!

Rauns-

Then you've got a sweet bike!

-Sherm

OMG, that was "THE" engine rebuild.

I looks really good. Neat and clean.

Cool Bike.

If it doesn't hit, it rides like shit. Or you are a VERY conservative rider. You really should change it because the way it lets you know it's wrong is not a good way.

Be hard headed, but I sure hope you don't ride with passengers. They should not have to suffer from your ignorance.

I've hard tailed it since that point. But thanks for your open (if brash) advise.