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Messages - s7paul
31
« on: May 11, 2014, 06:29:33 PM »
I'll have to do a proper plug chop when I get the chance; didn't have time today.
The valves were lapped in, with a nice even contact band. Valve clearances are correct, and it hasn't been over-revved. No oil leakage, and starts fine when warm.
It's clearly going to have to come apart, as I'm not happy with such a wide variation in compression. If I can get 170+ on one cylinder, I'd like the other 3 to be just as good. I think I'll just try to optimise it as it is, to get through the best of the weather, then strip it down later in the year.
32
« on: May 11, 2014, 02:07:29 PM »
Like you, I can't find reference to the black colour scheme, however I can confirm that Honda used a black bike for the main photo on the CB500 page in the 1975 UK brochure.
Also, my own bike was originally black, and that was made in August '74 and registered in the UK in early '75.
33
« on: May 11, 2014, 01:41:57 PM »
So, following a bit more investigation, having run the bike with the fuel tap switched off until it stalled (in readiness for a compression test), the plugs look like this:  Having now done a compression test, and wished I'd spent the £20 for a tester some time ago, the results are: 1 178 2 152 3 160 4 140 After a quick squirt of oil down the plugs holes, No. 2 went up to 165, and No. 4 went up to 150. I also double checked the highest & lowest once the engine had cooled down, and No. 1 was still hitting 170, with No. 4 down to 135. I guess the biggest concern is the large variation between cylinders (as I assume anything over about 140 should be good enough). But would this alone be causing my problems? I've also noticed that if the bike has been running one day, it's easier to start the next day, whereas if it's been stood for a couple of weeks, it's a lot harder to start.
34
« on: May 10, 2014, 07:39:23 PM »
Not done a compression test yet as a) I don't have a tester and b) the engine has only done a few thousand since rebore, new pistons and rings. However, I think it's probably time to invest in a tester, just to make sure.
I don't think there are any air leaks, but good point; I'll check.
Carbs are synchronised (using vacuum gauges) and the air filter is new. Haven't checked the plugs in the last few months, so I'll do it tomorrow.
Thanks for the suggestions.
35
« on: May 10, 2014, 06:11:31 PM »
Hi all,
Ever since I got my bike on the road I've never been entirely happy with a couple of things that my original 500 (back in 1979) didn't suffer with.
The first problem is cold starting, where it takes lots of cranking on the starter to stutter into life, and when it does you have to juggle the throttle & choke for a while before it runs cleanly (initially sounds like it's not running on all 4).
The second problem is overall performance, where it feels less powerful than I think it should (it's certainly not as fast as my old one), and feels a bit "woolly" when you snap the throttle open - a bit like if you were to try to accelerate hard while the choke was still partially on.
Once the bike is warmed-up, it starts on the button instantly, and ticks over just fine.
The bike has Dyna coils, and electronic ignition (it's had two different systems fitted, and ran the same with both). The carbs have just been fully stripped, ultrasonically cleaned, and re-assembled using all new jets & seals. Again, this doesn't seem to have made any difference.
The valves clearances are spot-on, as is the timing, and I'm starting to run out of ideas, so any advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
Paul
36
« on: March 13, 2014, 10:37:02 PM »
I bought one of those for my 500 (assuming it's the one with the fibreglass base). It looked great, but never fitted properly. They clearly went to a lot of bother to tool-up and make it, but the problem was that the seat base was the wrong height in relation to the frame tubes, so when you bolt the hinge on (which governs the vertical position of the seat) it sits too high. Also, as you say, the rubber feet are in the wrong place and/or the wrong thickness, so they don't all touch the frame. Consequently the seat tends to rock.
I eventually got fed up with it, sold it, and bought one of the replica seats with a metal base from CMS. It fits much better; the only compromise being that it doesn't have Honda written across the back (because Honda stopped people using their name on reproduction items).
37
« on: February 22, 2014, 08:56:07 PM »
Anyone wanting to get that thing anywhere near showroom condition is going to have to spend a great deal more than it will be worth. By the time they've thrown away everything that is past saving, I suspect there won't be much left!
38
« on: November 14, 2013, 01:07:04 PM »
Avon SM's were OK for commuter bikes but I'd never put them on a bigger bike. The profile of the rear looks too square to me (so when you lean over you're riding on the corner). I always used Roadrunners on my first 500 back in the late 70s. My current 500 wears Bridgestone BT-45's, and I've been very happy with them.
39
« on: July 23, 2013, 10:17:24 PM »
I fitted the Hagon springs to my 500, along with the grade of oil they recommended, and it's noticeably better than before. I've also got taper roller bearings in the headstock.
40
« on: May 19, 2013, 10:08:48 PM »
Similar story for me - I had one for 2 years (1979-81). Bought it with 12000 on the clock & sold it with 46000. The bikes that followed were faster, stopped quicker & handled better, but the 500 was the only bike that I really regretted selling. They've just got so much character and seem to get under your skin.
I took mine to a bike show today and, as usual, there were people gathering round it asking questions & taking photo's before I even switched the engine off!
41
« on: May 18, 2013, 10:41:41 PM »
It's an odd situation really, because if you look at the price of some of the bikes of that era (especially 2-stroke triples & Z1's) the prices are ridiculously high, yet the 500 Four seems to have been overlooked. This is a great shame since (as we know) it was the first Japanese 4-cylinder middleweight bike, and therefore of greater historical significance than most.
I suspect that most of the riders of today's 500-650cc in-line 4's have no idea that their bikes can trace their ancestry back either to the 500 Four (if they ride a Honda) or to one of the bikes that the other manufacturers were forced to build to compete with it (i.e. GS550, Z500 & XJ550).
I'd like to think that it's day may still come, but if not, I'm still happy that I've got one. Mine's been valued at £4000 for insurance purposes. I may not get that much for it if I sold it (academic, as it's a keeper), but it would undoubtedly cost close to that to build another one like mine.
I guess the only thing that does annoy me a little is when I see bikes that, even when they were new, were regarded as dreadful, yet now they are apparently "classics" and worthy of silly price tags. In that respect there are definite parallels with the classic car world, where rubbish like Allegro's & Marina's are now regarded by some as classics. More fool anyone that buys one!
42
« on: September 27, 2011, 08:53:28 PM »
His 500Four logo is a poor representation of the real thing though.
Maybe Steve, but it's only people like us that would notice, and I couldn't find a better alternative. It's also unfortunate that they only do the shirts in black too; I've already got loads of black ones. Shame you couldn't get your idea off the ground; I'd definitely have had one of those!
43
« on: September 27, 2011, 08:46:43 PM »
I bit the bullet a few months ago and bought a complete exhaust system from David Silver. They are the genuine article, but though they look OK, the finish doesn't bear too much scrutiny. There are scores along the inside of the bends on the header pipes (from the bending process) and there is silver paint on some of the welds (where the little stub for the link pipe is welded to the silencer). I assume this is covering some areas where the plating was poor. Overall, the quality is not as good as I'd hoped it would be.
Also, the reproduction brackets needed significant re-bending & holes slotting before the silencers would sit correctly in relation to each other.
45
« on: September 26, 2011, 09:56:24 PM »
I bought one of the reproduction seats from David Silver. The only thing that really gives the game away is the shiny trim around the base, which looks different to the original. However, the main issue is that the design of the base means that the seat sits about an inch higher than it should, so the lower edge of the seat seat isn't in line with the lower edge of the tank. It may seem trivial, but I find it annoying. The only way to fix it is going to involve major surgery to the seat base.
There is a company in the USA that refurbishes original seats (using the original base). They list their seats on eBay but they're stupidly expensive (and so is the shipping cost).
In my experience good original seats are extremely rare, so SteveD could literally be sitting on a (small) fortune.
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