Help! Dilemma! Thinking of selling my CB500

[Nurse Julie]

Joking aside, it would be a shame to sell it really. You are obviously attached to it and I'm sure it would be nice feeling to return from your travels knowing she was there waiting for you.

[Rob.b (Rob Birkett - RIP)]

Charlie,

The fact that you asked the members for their thoughts on the subject is I suspect pretty strong evidence that your heart is telling you to keep it.
Always follow your heart in matters of Motorcycles would be my advice.  Heads are boring and make us do things like buying cars and join the National Trust cos' it has great deals on short bread and whale music (Ho ho).

A couple of years ago I decided that I had to get rid of one of my bikes, the modern one or the CB500.  I decided to sell the CB500, so began to prepare it for sale.  After about 10 minutes working on it I realised that there was no way on earth I was ever going to sell it; not after 31 years.  Nothing else in my life has lasted 31 years and I know every nut and bolt of my bike.  So if you can afford to lay it up  lay it up and have a good trip.

If however you decide you have to sell, let me know and I'll bust it for spares ................................................... JOKE everyone just a JOKE!

Rob

[Trigger]

I run a old bike sanctuary for bikes that their owners no longer want. I can give your bike a good home 

[Rumpelkrankshaft]

From past experience   KEEP IT!

[matthewmosse]

I have a cb500 that I have done many miles on. I had a cb550 before that. I had little compunction about parting the cb550 out for spares, the cb500 however, just so right, lovely bikes, if you have a good one, mothball it, hold onto it, like it is the last thing you will sell. They are great little bikes I never had a go on a cb400/4, but I think I would find it revvy or underpowered as the cb500 is so just right. I had a 50 mile jaunt on a cb750 that wad near mint condition once, it was a bit big and heavy for me. My advice is either mothball it or use it for your travelling. Mine did 6 years or so as my only transport - maybe more, wasn't counting really, in any case I took it round the clock one or 2 times, replaced a fair few bits including the clocks as they wore out. It saw its share of snow and winter commuting but by gosh I loved it all the more as it soldiered on gaining a few blemishes, ok value wise it took a hammering, but as I edge to finishing a budgett rebuild I would never try to erase that wear other than the mechanical repairs. If you sell, you will regret it, travel on the bike, the bond will grow and any wear will carry its own story.  Or carefully mothball it.

[Trigger]

Well Charlie I find myself in total agreement with you. Must be the ex mechanic thing going on. Never really liked the 750, it was ok I suppose but the way it engaged first gear always put me off, huge clunk at the traffic lights and people looking at you like it's your fault. Funnily enough my CB1300 does exactly the same thing and I don't like it for that either but I forgive it as the rest of the bike is just great. As for the 400, never floated my boat either, too small, too revvy but it handled ok but not as good IMO as the 500 which really is like sitting in an armchair and has been described like that for many years. Funnily enough the 550 never really appealed either, maybe it's the 4 into 1 thing that put me off, certain things I liked about it though and I've owned more than a few so they must have something going for them that I like.

As for sell it or keep it, I'm in the same predicament, my heart just won't let me sell mine even though it's been in storage for years, my brain says it will never be put back on the road so might as well get some of the money I spend on it back. My hearts winning at the moment and I suspect yours will to, if you sell it you'll really miss it later, you may buy another when you return but it won't be the same IMO, the labour of love of creating your bike means there is a bond between you that is hard to break, store it carefully and you won't be disappointed when you ride it the first time when your back.

There must be something with the 500 Four and ex Honda staff. I know two ex Honda mechanics in Germany, three in Italy, one in Spain, four in France and three in the UK that all still have there 500 Four. Must be something in the water mate

[RGP750]

As you know Trigger i wasn't Honda staff but as i have said on here before i just loved my 500 back ib the 70's
and when i got the 550 although i traveled Europe on it some how it didn.t have the grab of the 500.
I will get another sooner than later, probably chop the UK K2 750  if the right one comes along.

[AshimotoK0]

I can see where Charlie (are you actually called Charlie?) and Oddjob are  coming from. Evidently my 750K0 was one of two, from the very 1st UK batch of 750's, that were sold from Alan Mountains shop in York on the same day in 1970. He was one of the very 1st Honda dealers in the UK and used to sell shed loads of little Honda's to the factory workers in York, so much so that,  for several years, he won the Honda prize, all expenses paid,  factory visit to Japan, which is probably how he got his mits on two of the first 20 bikes. Anyway the guy who initially bought my K0 ordered it with  full touring gear fitted to it but, after a couple of weeks of ownership, found that it was too big and unwieldy so he traded it back for a smaller machine  and the guy who gave us the info on it bought it a couple of weeks after 1st registration. This is why I like original  UK bikes BTW ..plenty of history if you dig deep enough.

However, there must be someone on here who bought an early 750 that tells a different tale. I do remember when the 500 was 1st sold in the UK that it was a real match for the 750.
Having stripped both bikes (and several 400/4's) , the 500 seems a lot more advanced engineering wise, with it's Hyvo primary chain and replaceable primary drive dampers. Only real shame is that on the 750 you have replaceable cam tower bearings whereas on the 500/400 fours the cam bears directly on the head/cam cover. Also the 750 has to be an absolute marvel of engineering considering the  timescale  from conception to market, which was about a year I believe.

[AshimotoK0]

As you know Trigger i wasn't Honda staff but as i have said on here before i just loved my 500 back ib the 70's
and when i got the 550 although i traveled Europe on it some how it didn.t have the grab of the 500.
I will get another sooner than later, probably chop the UK K2 750  if the right one comes along.

Shame on you Rich ..turning a beauty of a 750K2 into a chopper 

[toucheturtle]

Depends if you think you might buy another in the future. Prices keep going up and you might be kicking yourself in the future if you've got to pay a lot more than what you'll get for yours now. I'd keep it and lather it in grease.

[royhall]

Your not alone with the  first gear clunk on the CB1300 OddJob, mine does it big time as well (bloody annoying sometimes). Had a look at getting the map off the Power Commander and decided that (unless you really really need it) I will just leave it alone as its all working perfectly and I have no idea what I'm doing with it. My luck with computer things it would crash during the process and wreck everything, and I don't have a backup. Back to subject, KEEP THE 500 YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT!!!!

[Drew400]

Hi Charlie,

If I had room in my garage, which I don't, I would offer to look after it for you so that it had an occasional run out whilst you're travelling. Better than greasing and ignoring in my humble opinion.

Maybe someone on this forum can offer just such a mutually agreeable service to you?

Just a thought,

D.

[masonmart]

Charlie, nobody's had a stab at a price yet but first question is, do you need the money and do you have a suitable space to store the bike long term? My own guess is that at the moment if it was really good I'd pay £5k from a dealer and £4k private but it depends on how long you have to sell? Your engine and frame are mismatched and anoraks would go into hyperventilation mode over that.

If I was going away for an unspecified period I wouldn't even think about keeping it, it isn't likely to appreciate significantly and you'll easily be able to buy one when you return. They aren't quite established classics yet (but they are a much underestimated bike) and there is no shortage to drive the price up so few buyers would pay a premium just now. Unfortunately most buyers who want to buy the bike of their youth tend to look for 750's.

What would I do? Without doubt I'd sell it and either spend the money on your travelling to get full benefit or invest the money in a good ISA. Storing bikes isn't always kind to them but no problem for you as a mechanic of course. My point is, cash in your pocket for you to use or invest as you see fit is probably economically more sensible than a bike under a cover unless you have a strong emotional attachment or unless it is likely to appreciate significantly in your absence which is unlikely.

I'm always on the lookout for that special one (I love them) but I stupidly took on a very difficult restoration of a special with a CB500 engine and am in hold mode until I can finish it.

[Charliecharlcomb]

Some great thoughts, thanks everyone. I took it out for a ride yesterday and of course it was wonderful. Almost all of you have said the same thing but the very last post by masonmart has made me think hard. As I first said, a dilemma!

[Chris400F]

Hmm, a dilemma indeed.
Let's assume that as you have posed the question you have somewhere you could store the bike, and with your mechanicing skills you are well placed to know how best to prepare the bike for storage (although I'm sure folks on here could give tips on what they would do if it came to that).
In your opening post you said that although you had had several 500's your current bike is very special to you as you have owned it since 1991 and it has been rebuilt to a very high standard as well as having had the various mods done to improve reliability. Yes, you could sell it and if you so desire buy another at the end of your travels, but would you a) manage to get what it is worth to you, and b) manage to find anything similar when you came to buy another. It sounds as if you know every nut and bolt on this bike whereas it is likely that any subsequent bike you bought would be something of an unknown quantity and you wouldn't be entirely sure what was inside the engine cases or anywhere else.
I don't envy you having to make the decision but I have seen what the majority vote so far is. Please keep us posted!