Hello & piccies from andy120t

[andy120t]

Hi all - a quick post to say hello from Hertford and show a few of my previous bikes and current projects. (piccie a the end of the post).

I've recently become the proud owner of a seized CB650 engine and box of bits (thanks Daz!) which I'm planning to put together as a "parts bin special"  I'll run a separate thread on this rebuild so look out for that. It's been great to find this forum and the US one as there is obviously a lot of knowledge out there. I've already learnt a lot from the various manuals and parts fiches hosted here & - hopefully I can ask all my questions her & find the answers if I get stuck.

My first proper 'bike was a 1971 500/4. The purists amongst you may notice one or two changes from the standard spec on this one! A lovely bike, now long since sold.

More recently I've owned a CB350F - again, not totally standard but great fun to ride and always drew admiring comments.

Currently I also have a CB400 frame which is being introduced to an NC23 engine - with a view to making a Street Scrambler style 'bike. This is on hold whilst I develop my welding skills & get the 650 up and running.

Finally on the Honda front, (although not an SOHC but still a CB), I have a little CB-1 400cc which I've generously loaned to my father!  Sadly, he finds it rather nippy having learnt to ride on WD BSA's and the like. His biggest problem is keeping it charged as all his riding is done in top gear and at slow speeds / low revs!

Anyway, piccies shoud appear below - hope you like them!

[pae]

Hi and welcome, check my sig for full story of my 650 rebuild (ongoing). Tons of pics available so if you need help to see how it all goes together give me a shout and I'll see what I can find.

These guys are good to for model specific advice... http://www.hondacb650.com/

regards, Phil

[SteveD CB500K0]

I'm interested in your 500 Andy - got any more pics / info?

Steve

[andy120t]

Hi Steve,

I was a student in Manchester in 1992 and the 500 was my first big bike. I knew nothing about CB's at the time but was about to take my bike test and needed a large capacity bike to avoid the rumoured "large bike test".  It was a toss up between a SOHC CB750 or the CB500 and the insurance costs meant that the 500 won.

I had no idea that it wasn't standard (!). Started to learn about that when I looked for service parts for the forks and brakes, then got a manual and noticed the differences.

Essentially it is a 1974 CB500/4 in a modified CB500/4 frame. Back end has been monoshocked. Seat is a Kawasaki Z650. Front end CX500. Tank from a 550. Modified wiring loom, and I think the clocks / idiot lights are from a larger CB - this always annoyed me as I love the idiot lights incorporated in the handlebar clamps and was never able to track down a set!

Front -

Left (no exhaust) -

Right (no exhaust) -

Rear -


I didn't work out much more about it beyond that, just rode it and enjoyed it - although had endless problems keeping the battery charged so I did a lot of pushing and bump starts too.  On the plus side it was always one of the coolest bikes parked up at the Uni - and years later on a visit back to see friends I met someone who told me they always used to look out for it and wish they owned it!

In 1994 I sold it on to someone from Bradford and that was that - until 2002 when I was idly flicking through an issue of Classic Bike in the newsagents and a numberplate caught my eye. I had actually turned the page and then my brain caught up and recognised plate and the view and gave me a start - yes, my bike in the mag and a full three page article from the guy who originally built it.  

Links to the article below -      
Page 1 -

Page 2 -

Page 3 -


- hope they are clear enough to read. I dropped the guy an email to let him know I had owned it and sold it & filled in a a few gaps for him. Now I'm coming full circle and trying to get an old SOHC back on the road again!

Andy

[SteveD CB500K0]

Great story!

One of the reasons that I asked was because there are very few monoshocked 500/4s around and I thought I'd found evidence of another. But it's the same bike that I remember. As soon as I saw the mag picture with the pipes and the paint job I knew it.

Small world.

I have a fairly radical 500/4 that was built by Frank Cooper in Reading in the 80's.
Home made electronic ignition, instruments (digital speedo/rev counter/battery level), Yam XS400 alloys, Yam XS750 headlamp, homemade seat and home made exhaust fitted to original Motad headers.

Story here

[andy120t]

Thats a nice looking bike - & loive the carb balancers too!

The instruments piece reminds me of a "revcounter made from a digital bicycle speedo". I've been trying to find the link for it as it's an intersting article. Will post it if I can find it.