Early engine

[Woodside]

Looks like my mate Freddie the fat frog
Has one of them there early 500's
If I'm seeing correctly
Wonder what the vin is on it

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CB500-Four-CB-500-K0-1st-Year-1971-BARN-FIND-Ride-or-Restore-Cafe-Racer-/222038315549?hash=item33b283d21d:g:7zkAAOSwFNZW1H5u

[wolfheze]

What's going on with the back wheel? 

[JamesH]

Typical us mod back in the 70's - fit a god awful 16" harley rim to the stock hub...

I would hazzard a guess that this is one for the first ~2500 500 k0's built....

[AshimotoK0]

Yes ..saw that .. its April 71 so probably near the end of the run of those early crankcases. Don't you just hate the 'Freddie' blurb as if every customer is an absolute f'kin moron. Yes, I know you get time wasters on eBay but his attitude actually puts me off buying anything from him any more. ?If he's like that before you buy from him what's he going to be like when you have parted with your reddies?

I didn't pick up a bike I bought from DK once for ages, so applying Freddies storage charges, he would have slapped an 800 quid storage charge onto me for that one !

[deltarider]

Has one of them there early 500's

Yeah, one of the rare that still had 'shaft drive'. Interesting exhaust (4th cylinder).

[florence]

am I out of touch?  2500 for a non runner with no uk paperwork and useless exhaust system full of holes, no grab rail, wrong rear wheel, smashed rev counter and who knows what wrong with the engine?

[AshimotoK0]

am I out of touch?  2500 for a non runner with no uk paperwork and useless exhaust system full of holes, no grab rail, wrong rear wheel, smashed rev counter and who knows what wrong with the engine?

According to the guru on the 500K0 in York who advised James and then me, the early crankcase bikes are another sandcast waiting to happen. Not sure how true it is but once mine is built up I will get it in a magazine... which the guy in York says is the key to 'opening the floodgates'. Maybe b*llocks, hype,  dunno but I am fast becoming the K0 kid. 500K0,750K0, 2 x CB250K0's and a CB400F (0) if that exists    Always wanted a 500 four anyway so an exciting adventure. Freddie's bike, apart from the mudguards  & seat doesn't look much better than the one I got from 'J' Those exhausts are only fit for the skip, as is the rear rim. Crafty marketing to leave the exhaust on though to make it look the part.  The York guy said that because of a gearbox problem, many of them were scrapped early on. Was that attributable to  the poorly lubricated needle bearing Oddjob/ Bryan do you reckon?

[florence]

did those early types come to the UK?

[Trigger]

Nope ! You are safe Florence

[florence]

good cos I chucked out a siezed engine a few months ago and was a bit worried.

I now realise all the junk I've scrapped in the past should have been bolted together and put on ebay as a 'barn find' 

[Bryanj]

I think it was the detent/neutral thing in that bulletin mate. Personal opinion is that the needle bearing is OK till raced

[Trigger]

Not the missing spare fuse holder Ken It only took me 3 years to find one of those, with the original fuses.