CB 500

[skyrider]

Does anyone have any experience of the cb 500 good or bad as im thinking of getting one in the future the model im thinking of is the one they race in the one make series. it would have to be an early one as thats funds would run to

[Pjam]

I've owned one for many years. We're talking about the twin right?

Fantastic bikes. Can't say anymore than that. Brilliant. Used to be raced a lot. I think there was a catagory for them.

[Sw4mpy]

,,you mean the black bomber successor right ? ,,as PJ said, fantastic bike, needlessly slated, you can make 'em go quite quick with a little porting, (easy to do, and you don't need a valve spring compressor, torsion bar valve springs )

[digger06]

only the black bomber had torsion springs?
i think he means this un , anyway

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/biker ... 994--2003/

[Sw4mpy]

only the black bomber had torsion springs?

,,CB500T did indeed have torsion bar valve gear Digger, developed from the 450 bomber, just as fast, but a bit lardy in standard trim,,, but you may be right about him meaning the newer 500 twin

[digger06]

the newer 500,s are a lovely bike,
the gpz 500 is too,
a lot of people like the gs500, not as quick, but a strong motor,
alarmingly though, iv had 4 gs500,s in for test with cracked front engine mounts (the actual alloy on the engine!!)
the gpz,s suffer rear shock seizure , but run v well,
only had 2 hondas in but i can say they are a nice looking bike and they run very well

[Jon]

,,you mean the black bomber successor right ? ,,as PJ said, fantastic bike, needlessly slated, you can make 'em go quite quick with a little porting, (easy to do, and you don't need a valve spring compressor, torsion bar valve springs )

They were horrible! Not only did they have a cam chain longer than a double decker bus which rattled and flailed about like Death's scythe but they had the ground clearance of a 3 piece suite and rear suspension made from Angel Delight. At high speeds the rear end would collapse enough to put them into a death weave and at low speeds they were top heavy and lumpen. The motor had not one discerning characteristic, it started, idled and revved with about as much personality as an empty student flat. It simply gathered speed until it stopped gathering speed... One just like that put me in hospital.

[Sw4mpy]

,,you try to maintain it then GB ?

[Jon]

,,you try to maintain it then GB ?

No...I wasn't confident enough to do it...DOHC motors were a bit intimidating then...(And now actually!) The camchain broke on mine...Cost me 200 squids to have it done...THEN it spat me off at the ton on the Chandlers Ford Bypass...Bizarrely it was barely scratched but I had quite a few extremities requiring hospital attention...

[Capitano]

Does anyone have any experience of the cb 500 good or bad as im thinking of getting one in the future the model im thinking of is the one they race in the one make series. it would have to be an early one as thats funds would run to

Bought my lad one in 2009 after a disastrous experience with a Hyosung 250.

It is a 2001 CB500S and had stood in a garden in London for 2 years at 6000 miles before the owner previous to the lad had rescued it, had a garage get it running, MOT'd it then found out she didn't like gears or 500cc in the Smoke so she ebay'd it.

At the time it was restricted to 33 bhp and spent its first year in that guise. We put the cheapest available chain and sprockets on it (which forums told us would last 8000 miles if looked after (by a STUDENT????!!! ), a pair of Bridgestones, and so began its ritual and persistent thrashing. OK the lad was (is still) young but the CeeBee does really invite a thrashing. For a parallel twin it's quite a revvy motor. The handling was and remains neutral and feels super safe. I'm way past the kind of riding the lad does on it but even I've been tempted into stuffing it up the inside (or indeed outside) of the odd Sportsbike on twisty dual carriageway flyovers etc. ahem.... There is probably good reason why the CB500 race series was popular.

The lad was in his 1st year of his degree course when I bought it for him and hence it has sat outside in all weathers and been his only form of transport for 3 years + and has only ever let him down once...when it was stolen...more on that later. After a quick clean up as it did still look like it was "resting" in that garden it didn't look too bad. It's one of the Italian made ones not the earlier (and reputedly better built) Japanese ones so we were told it would be prone to rot and corrosion. It wasn't too bad. OK it wasn't perfect but we buffed it up as good as we ever expected it to be or indeed stay. We fitted fork gaiters as the fork tubes weren't perfect.




OK so in its first year with the lad it got taken to the Touratech Trail event where Simon Pavey, the guy who trained up Ewan and Charlie to offroad, was running an open invitation day of riding. The lad intended to hire a BMW 650GS like his mate's but as he was only 19 they wouldn't wear it and jokingly suggested he do the trail on his own bike ... so he did.




It coped well apparently and he "overtook a few GS's" much to his if not their amusement. I replaced a fork seal for him not long after. Whether the two events are linked I can't speculate! It didn't last long and neither did its replacement. I followed a tip and fitted a Honda genuine part instead of a pattern seal for its third replacement and it's never blown since!

With his first year of Uni done and dusted the lad took what was left of his student loan, loaded up the CeeBee and headed off around Europe for a few weeks.

Nothing much happened to the CeeBee. In that sense it really has been a boring typical Honda. Servicing is a complete doddle plug changing aside. OK the tank has to be removed which is a pain but the real agony is that Honda supply in the toolkit a plug tube spanner that extends down into the depths of hell in the motor where the plugs reside. The lad managed to lose just this item from the bike's toolkit necessitating a convoluted combination of 3 different tube sockets from WEMOTO's shelves!

It goes through a rear Bridgestone BT45 at around 6000 miles and a front at 12000 miles ish. The brake pads last about 5-600 miles a set and the brakes are superb especially the single Brembo up front, and even with the cheapest Kyokp pads from WEMOTO fitted. That chain and sprockets amazingly lasted to 24000 mles, so 18000 miles in total, ie over double what was expected. Amazing again given its maintenance regime that I devised to be compatible with a Uni student's lifestyle. That is, one a week put the bike on its centrestand, spray thechain with WD40 and then wipe it off straight away. I fully expect that it was carried out weekly (yeah right ) so its life span was particularly welcome. Its replacement, a DID heavy duty chain and JT sprockets show no real signs of wear and have not even needed adjustment as the bike prepares to click over 40,000 miles probably this week.

It wasn't looking that bad cosmetically last year....



...right up to when it was stolen!!! Yes if you buy one buyy a big feckoff chain and chain it to something solid as the ignition switch is so easy to hotwire it is a joke. The lad had a bi feckoff chain but got lax and didn't fit it, even in the scummy area he resided whilst studying. It disappeared, and although insured the excess added to his future policies meant it wouldn't be worth claiming. So, we did what any modern aggrieved theft victim does..we put out photos and descriptions and sent it viral on facebook, Twitter and many bike forums. The result was that someone who we didn't know from Adam phoned the police 3 days after the theft when he saw it being pushed along the road. We got got it back but a bit worse for wear.





Relative poverty made us resort to a commonsense refurbishment, most of the parts coming decidedly secondhand via ebay and breakers. It now sports an older lockset, odd indicators and a fibreglass plus gaffa tape repaired fairing. A set of heavy duty clutch plates and springs replaced the ones burnt out by the thieves and the CeeBee was ready to do its 3rd Bulldog Bash and a few more miles.

This year it's been to the TT and round the Mountain course. It was predictably a litte skittish flat out over Snaefell but not that much such that I could register it following it on my weaving, bouncing W800!

Before the TT its exhaust decided to divorce itself from its bracket weld making a nice split and requiring some jubilee clip bodgery for the trip.



Other than that it behaved itself just as it always does and a secondhand complete system arrived via ebay yet again for the princely sum of £35, and with the replacement silencer fitted we now have a decent set of downpipes for if the original ones ever rust through.





As I said it's just about to click over 40000 miles and shows no outward signs of expiring yet despite the use and (let's be honest) abuse it has had. I should mention it has had two clutch cables but again in 34000 miles possession that ain't bad and the last one was following the theft where the thieves burnt out the clutch plates so that maybe played a part.

I'd recommend a gel seat or seat pad at least or always ride in leathers or kevlar arsed jeans as the seat is not the epitome of comfort. It's also not the most economical bike around, probably due to its need to be revved. 45 mpg is the norm on long rides. Less when used for shorter blasts and town work.

It is probably one of the most fun bikes I have ever ridden. I still grab a ride on it whenever the chance arises and will continue to do so as long as it lasts. That may be tomorrow...or another 3 years and 40k maybe We can hope!