Good morning from West Berkshire

[kurienp]

Hello all: a long time motorcycling guy, ridden bikes from 110cc, 225cc (hondas), to royal enfields and currently have a BMW 1200 on which I have had the good fortune to be able to do long distance travels (all the way to India). Happy to join this forum.

After having sold my offroad KTM 500, my heart now hankers to add a honda classic to the garage.

Been reading up quite some posts on this forum since I joined yesterday. On the lookout and trying to decide between a 400 or a 500/550 or a 750. Found a few seemingly good ones on eBay. Is there a checklist on what all to look for when buying a /4 as a long term bike? for example, one of the 500's I am looking at does not have a matching frame/engine number. Should I be concerned or is it that the honda's possibly never came with matching numbers?


For the money of some of the old 400/500/550, I can pick up a modern 1100 so wanted to ensure that I am getting a good one and a good deal.

I do the majority of my motorcycle maintenance myself, but currently not a case where I would want to rebuild one or have too much to do to it. It will be more of a regular maintenance and summer/club/DGR rides.

Inputs/Feedback much appreciated and hope to be able to contribute back to the forum once I am an owner.

[Bryanj]

Choice of which four depends mostly on your height and build.
400 is low and light 750 is tall and slightly top heavy, 500/550 is fast enough to get you a ticket.
All have there own quirks and things to look for and engine/frame numbers never match but should be in a range that people on here can verify

[Johnny4428]

Hi and welcome to the forum. You’ve come to a great place for advice and help. Good advice from Bryan there. I have a 550 and a 750. Personally 550 better handling bike but love the extra grunt and power from the 750, but completely different bikes. Very popular on here too is the 400. Good luck in getting the right bike that suits you. And if you’re fortunate enough you can buy more than one classic. 😜😜

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I'm 6ft 2" and have a 400 that I rebuilt during the Covid period.
Great little bike but it's just to not comfortable for me to ride any distance as I have long legs so my hips are uncomfortable.
I've only ridden my 500 a short distance but its much more comfortable for my height.
Can't comment on a 750 - I sold my XJ900 as it was too heavy for me to put on the stand and move about in my garage as I aged.

[kurienp]

Thank you @bryanj, @Johnny, @ted.  (at the risk of making this sound like a partial tinder profile description), medium build, 80kgs at 5,11. If I can handle a BMW GSA decently, makes me want to go for a 750/4. The local garage has one 750/4 for sale, which they have refurbished with a top end rebuild and  some other generic stuff. It was their winter project and they just got it up to scratch. Most of the parts seem original, but then will need to give it a good thorough check. The workshop is a generic shop but I trust the guy to do a decent job on any bike.

As Ted also states, a 400 may be too light and small. Had a yamaha 125 2 stroke long time ago.  Had to be careful not to let it run out from under me 

I am currently looking at a 500 with a spec listed as Frame cb500 1016689 and Engine Cb500e 1017038. Does that match up?

[Nurse Julie]

Welcome to the forum. Until recently I owned a 400/4, which was to small for me in size but great fun. I also own a 500/4 and 550/4, perfect size and plenty fast enough and handle fantastically. I also ride 750/4's, they are big and heavy, powerful for a 1970's bike and are great to ride, but they are now to heavy for me at my age to push around stationary safely.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I found this site handy a link from a member on this forum.

http://cycle-ergo.com/

[kurienp]

I found this site handy a link from a member on this forum.

http://cycle-ergo.com/

Thanks Ted, most helpful.  Am narrowing it down to a 500/4.  Already have three points so better be careful now

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[kurienp]

Would the numbers below matchup?

Frame cb500 1016689 and Engine Cb500e 1017038. Does that match up?

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[Athame57]

Welcome here mate, you're in good company! 

[Nurse Julie]

Would the numbers below matchup?

Frame cb500 1016689 and Engine Cb500e 1017038. Does that match up?

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Yes, they are close enough for a CB500 K0. That doesn't mean the rest of the bike is correct though. Post a link or photos of the bike if you require any info.

[Trigger]

Welcome to the mad world of the SOHC, enjoy 

[Bryanj]

Built round about 6/71 and numbers look ok, probably an import, yes i know all hondas are imports but i suspect this one went originaly to us.
As long as its registered its fine but k0 had a lot of unique bits, pictures help

[philward]

Welcome to the forum. I have both 500 and 750. Both have their own merits - 500 is smoother and easier to flick about (and prettier, in my opinion) - 750 (mine has a std compression 836 big bore kit) is more comfortable in modern traffic (obviously less revvy). I love riding both! I don't scratch about now so I don't reach either bikes handling limits.
Some really knowledgeable members on here who will advise on what to look for (and hear) - for example, the 500 doesn't have a primary chain tensioner and can catch the crankcase near an oil way sometimes. (I did 40,000 on my original 500 without issue, so not always problematic)
Not knowing your riding style, I'd ask the guy at your local dealer for a test ride?
Good luck in your search

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[Oddjob]

You can fit a primary chain tensioner in the engine Phil, IF you wanted to of course.

I think the 500 is a much better designed engine than the 750, they learned a lot when they built it and changed what didn't work very well for stuff that did IMO. Dry sump was a poor choice for instance.

I'm biased of course.