Time for you 500/4 guys to pass on your wisdom !

[AshimotoK0]

Trying to gen myself up on the '71 model CB500F K0.

Downloaded the K0 Genuine parts list and bunged on my dropbox link and i had already loaded the Shop manual.

Obviously no Yamiya help on this one other than common ---300--- parts and noticed some gearbox cogs etc are good old CB250/350 ---286--- part numbers. Understand there was a bit of a weakness with the early gearboxes .. can a 500 guru expand on this for me?

If anyone on here has any decent cycle parts stashed, particularly mudguards  fenders (US )  then let me know. Even ones that can be rechromed are acceptable as I have finally become comfortable with a couple or re-chroming companies and really pleased with the results I have been getting.

I am working on the assumption that by the time this  old slowcoach kid gets round to needing exhausts then either DS or CMSNL or others may have cracked decent repro HM323 pipes at around a grand a set, which I would be comfortable with.  Or is that a 'pipedream'     I will email DS for an update and report back.

Found a couple of seat covers,one being in Japan. Any advice or an alternative decent source?

http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g162257473

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-CB500-K0-K1-K2-1971-1973-SEAT-COVER-WITH-dyed-SILVER-LOGO-NEW-/181908509184?hash=item2a5a979200:g:wVoAAOSwQJ5URm2X&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CB500-FOUR-K0-CB-500-4-K0-MOTORCYCLE-SEAT-COVER-new-superb-quality-/281660695185?hash=item4194492291:g:g84AAOSwpDdVKpGchttp://

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CB500-FOUR-K0-KI-K2-1971-TO-1973-MODEL-REPLACEMENT-SEAT-COVER-/191596892187?hash=item2c9c10901b:m:m2eMOw-9iirVKeN0zyAAhsw

Going to email  'Shimpei' at Yamiya and ask if he is ever going to start selling 500/550F parts but I think I already know what the answer is going to be to that one.

What's the Achilles heel of the 500F? I have heard stories on here about cracked rear hub liners, tacho take off and unsure on the camchain tensioning arrangement. Which parts are common on the 550?

Hoping the Christmas break is going to see some good progress on my other bikes..made quite a bit of headway recently .. Ralph would be proud of me .. bless him!!

[SteveD CB500K0]

What's the Achilles heel of the 500F? I have heard stories on here about cracked rear hub liners, tacho take off and unsure on the camchain tensioning arrangement. Which parts are common on the 550?

1. Cracked rear hub
2. Clutch actuating mechanism and pushrod (fixed on the 550)
3. Carbs that piss fuel (oh... they all do that )

Steve

[matthewmosse]

An awful lot of parts fit from 550 to 500s, even ( some ) gearbox parts. Will fit is not the same as will convince the experts and I would be none the wiser. Rear hubs, not even that big a deal, costs less to sort than chrome. Pretty tough bikes overall. K0 has a few differnt parts but I have yet to tackle mine. Seat and forks are different.

[Menno]

I stole this from the Dutch Honda cb four forum.
I'm sure they don't mind...

[Bryanj]

Ash, all you got to do is ring when I'm at work mate,

Faults i know of

Centre selector--NLA but same as another bike
Clutch slips but never seems to wear out
Pushrod breaks if chain loose
rear drum
Early K0 have different switches, looms and block connectors
Oil pump cover "O" rings can leak
Swing arm bushes wear as fast as 750
Early cam cover rocker spindle covers can wear excessively
Primary chains can carve the oil galleries

Every thing else is one will break somewhere sometime type of fault.

At some time i will get all the SB and SL letters done and you can read them

[deltarider]

I stole this from the Dutch Honda cb four forum.
I'm sure they don't mind...

How could they ever? Here is where they got it from:
(scroll down a bit)
http://www.honda4fun.com/home/faq/generali/111-cb500-differenze-k0-k1-k2
The Dutch Honda CB Four forum is the only one that I know that is reserved for their members only. So they pick worldwide whatever they can get. In return the world gets nothing. Isn't the expression Dutch treat?

[Trigger]

What do you need to know Ash ?

[AshimotoK0]

What do you need to know Ash ?

Really just soaking up the knowledge so that I don't have to make all of the mistakes I did with my 750K0 ... like instantly buying 'superceded' parts that I then had to sell and replace to get original look ( e.g. chain adjusters, DID scripted rims, front mudguard etc). Also if anybody has any decent 'rainy day' parts stashed away then you all know that I am not a cheapskate and I will pay decent money for the right bits.  Also what I like to with bikes is get my head around the parts book and look for items from earlier bikes that are common or slightly modified that are almost identical. e.g I just bought an immaculate 2LS brake plate with all the chrome linkages from a US style CB360T that had drum brakes (not sold here in the UK) and the plate had a non-CB250/350 PN.. It cost me next to nothing and even the clear coat is perfect. The only difference to my 250/350 K1/K0's is the addition of a wear indicator add on, taht I just took off and it looks perfect.

Cheers for all the advice BTW.

[Trigger]

The only parts I found hard to lay my hand on was the exhausts, tank trim, seat cover and trim (bob does the seat trim now) All the over parts I got from the states, were there seems to be lots available. I even got a whole top end of a 6,000 mile KO for under a ton. The SOHC.net boys were very helpful.

[AshimotoK0]

I still have quite a few NOS parts for the 500, if your looking for a part drop me a PM and I can have a look.

I've sold all my major NOS stuff now, seats, tanks, side panels etc. No front guards as I never liked them anyway and would always adapt a CB900 one to fit, I have quite a lot of NOS gearbox stuff, know where there are a few NOS centre selectors and some very hard to source parts.

Nice one ... not even got the bike here yet but sounds good  when I strip the engine... Would they be good old QPM old stock Oddjob?

[AshimotoK0]

Nobody has mentioned these little B******ds   yet     Are they short lived?

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB500K0-FOUR-1971-USA/part_218524/

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB500K0-FOUR-1971-USA/part_218911/

[matthewmosse]

I have had one cb500 usa inport engine that destryed 2 of the tensioners at 500 miles a piece before I pulled it out of the bike in favour of a 550. Never have got around to pulling down the bottom end to see why. Very stange as it all looked to be correctly installed and it ran ok for most of that milage, plusby then I had been running 500's and 550s for an awful lot of miles and nothing seemed untoward up til when it failed. Tacho caps, they go if you overtighten them, knock them when manhandling the engine when out of the bike or indeed the use of an impact driver to remove the screw retaining it - the only phillipz screw on the engine I can think of where I would not choose an impact driver as the first resort to disassembly. They seem to be hard to get hold of now, but having broke a couple over the years I think I overcompensated as I found a few knocking around - obviously ebay buys back when they seemed fairly common.

[Trigger]

Nobody has mentioned these little B******ds   yet     Are they short lived?

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB500K0-FOUR-1971-USA/part_218524/

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB500K0-FOUR-1971-USA/part_218911/

Can not understand why you think they are short lived parts. Never had a problem from the tensioner and have picked them up cheap on German ebay. I think the tensioner and tacho caps have problems from heavy handed owners.

[AshimotoK0]

Nobody has mentioned these little B******ds   yet     Are they short lived?

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB500K0-FOUR-1971-USA/part_218524/

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB500K0-FOUR-1971-USA/part_218911/

Can not understand why you think they are short lived parts. Never had a problem from the tensioner and have picked them up cheap on German ebay. I think the tensioner and tacho caps have problems from heavy handed owners.

Think Matt explained it above ..  as i say i am a newbie on the 500F 

[matthewmosse]

The funny thing is the original engine for my 500 ran for at least 180 000 with no attention at all other than oil changes and checking of clearences and tensioning of camchain, not bad at all considering I bought it with a weeping head gaskett, kick start leaver that slipped on it's splines and a starter that sometimes just slipped - and oil that was like tar and 60k on the clock. Like I say tough little cookies setup and treated right. On mine the starter cluch slipping was resolved by a couple of oil changes - the progressive inprovement as it had its 1000mile oil changes convinced me not to pull the engine to bits, the kickstarter leaver was resolved by changing just that and not the shaft even though a new one came with the bike. After that it started jumping out of 1st gear then second. The Usa inport that ate tensioners was attempt 1 at an easy fix. After that I found 550 lumps cheaper and easier to source.