What did you do with your CB500 today?

Fitted a 14 tooth front sprocket so hope to get out on the bike tomorrow if I get the timing belt finished on my a4 work hack.

As I'm only a fair weather rider, mild weather up here in the North East this morning, so decided to do the 50 mile round trip to work on the CB instead of the car.

Cover off, checked it would start as it's been sitting for a month (fired first time), geared up, raring to go and...... I could not get my disc lock off.  Bloody thing unlocked but pin would not retract.  After trying desperately for 10 minutes, had to go and change clothes and take the car into work.  Totally disappointed.

Anyway since getting home, had to use my trusty Black and Decker Scorpion with metal cutting blade to cut it in half so at least I've got it off.  Good job it failed at home rather than parked up 25 miles away at work.  

Here's hoping Santa brings me a new disc-lock.  Any recommendations?

Merry Christmas everyone 

Steve

yes spray the pin regularly with wd 40 on the new lock

Jameshambleton wrote:Bike kill switching herself is back... again,  basically kill switching my engine as I'm riding along causing it to cut out and back fire and it did. My bike just spat flames at the car behind me with two massively loud back fires and then cut out. Started it up again and got upto into my street, looks in my mirror and it's only a bloody fully marked up bmw traffic police. OOPS.

I've only noticed that this only happens when the bike is cold, any travel for more than 0.5 of a mile and she's fine. You can stop and just as long as the engine is warm the issue isn't there. Sometimes it's fully pressing up the gear lever to the max when changing gear that causes it, other times it's the clutch position, full out sometimes isn't a problem as other times fully in isn't a problem. Other times it's a combination of them all, other times not a single issue.

Think there is a problem with the left hand gear switch, as tonight when I pulled the clutch switch in the sidelights came on even though I had the right hand switch set to main beam the headlight wasn't on. So there has to be a connection issue with the lefthand switchgear either in current or ground, I'm guessing ground.

This issue is only getting stranger, this issue only occurs when the engine is cold. When the engine is warm this problem doesn't even exist. When I fully press up on the gear lever it kills the engine so possibly the neutral switch causing the issue?

This is the clutch operating the light https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArP4grxhMWOpogdfGYj364vrVQ4Z

Got to take it for a run and the 14 tooth sprocket is a lot quicker......on the down side I had a twinge in my back when rolling the bike out and dropped her damaging the tank 

Jameshambleton wrote:This is the clutch operating the light https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArP4grxhMWOpogdfGYj364vrVQ4Z

Check the block connector in the headlamp that the dip wire goes into as the wire next to it is the clutch wire. The connector could be melted and the two wires joining and causing your stopping issue too. Could be worth checking the diode unit as that could cause strange stuff.

cj haughey wrote:

Jameshambleton wrote:This is the clutch operating the light https://1drv.ms/v/s!ArP4grxhMWOpogdfGYj364vrVQ4Z

Check the block connector in the headlamp that the dip wire goes into as the wire next to it is the clutch wire. The connector could be melted and the two wires joining and causing your stopping issue too. Could be worth checking the diode unit as that could cause strange stuff.

All block connectors are fine and free, all terminals are clean!

Reading Trevor machine's post on knackered bike, I got all worried if mine would start after being put in the shed for two months without a charger on it, all dirty and without carb bowls being drained.
So I took it out in the driveway, found a bucket of soapy water, a garden hose and a brush. Washed it, sprayed the rims with rim cleaner and cleaned those as well. Ran an old towel over the painted parts and made sure the shiny bits were as I want them to be - shiny.
Then I turned the petcock to 'On' and fired it up.
First try. Yay, it's a Honda

While getting the engine up to temp, I couldn't help but thinking about the last two months driving a car and what a contrast this was. Listening to the engine at tickover (needs to be set a little higher, but I simply can't get my hand on to the tiny yellow adjuster screw) images of sleeping predators flickered through my mind.

Blip the throttle. Just a little bit to avoid bothering neighbours. Awwww...
Once more - a tad higher. Yay.
More... Sod the neighbours. Ooohhh!

Now, images of wild animals* were stampeding through my mind.

Considering this is a modest 500cc machine, the contrast to 'household car' is overwhelming. It's predator vs prey.

Now, I'm looking forward to tinkering in the shed, replacing the chain kit as part of maintenance. Old kit's done 60.000 km and has developed a 'tak-tak-tak' I don't like to listen to.

I'm also looking forward to getting out of the car and on to the bike. Prey -> predator.


(*) For this to work best, a non-OE can is recommended. Mine's a Fuel.

and since my traily hadn't been run up for about six weeks I have just been into the man cave to give it a short run , and it started immediately I do use an optimate but its intermittent seems to work when it wants to and another thing I always turn the fuel off when I stop the bike if its not going to be run for a while I know some people just leave the fuel turned on all the time

Just stumbled upon this:
https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?forums/iba-uk.34/

Would it perhaps inspire someone for when the weather gets warmer?

that is certainly something for some of the members of this forum to think about but not quite  for me on the bike I have at the moment (xt 225 serow) but I reckon some of the guys would be up for a bit of long distance

skyrider wrote:...I always turn the fuel off when I stop the bike if its not going to be run for a while I know some people just leave the fuel turned on all the time

In theory, leaving he petcock on will cause no harm, because the vacuum valve will ensure fuel supply is cut off automatically.

In theory. Which is why I agree with you.

However, if the bike is not going to be run for a while, physically emptying the carb bowls is a good idea. Petrol leaves behind a little gooey gunk as its volatile elements evaporate, and this gunk has no place inside a precision-machined component like a carburettor.

So, in addition to setting the petcock to 'off', why not leave the engine idling until it has drained the bowls, stalling from fuel starvation? No tools required

stormbringer wrote:

skyrider wrote:...I always turn the fuel off when I stop the bike if its not going to be run for a while I know some people just leave the fuel turned on all the time

In theory, leaving he petcock on will cause no harm, because the vacuum valve will ensure fuel supply is cut off automatically.

In theory. Which is why I agree with you.

However, if the bike is not going to be run for a while, physically emptying the carb bowls is a good idea. Petrol leaves behind a little gooey gunk as its volatile elements evaporate, and this gunk has no place inside a precision-machined component like a carburettor.

So, in addition to setting the petcock to 'off', why not leave the engine idling until it has drained the bowls, stalling from fuel starvation? No tools required

yes I have done that in the past too

Went for a ride christmas day on some wet/damp roads and the rear tyre ended up looking like this (remember this is now a 150 rear section).


Pretty much also done the same this morning again on wet roads, might go out later once they've dried out and get it fully scrubbed in.

be careful there may be still some half drunk travellers

skyrider wrote:but not quite  for me on the bike I have at the moment (xt 225 serow)

Just to be clear on this: There's no minimum requirement regarding neither bike nor rider.
Funny examples from the official 'Certified Ride Finishers' list:

Anastasiya Vinogradskaya Moscow, RUSSIA 08/03/17  Yamaha YBR-125               1,012
          * * * RUSSIA RIDE on 125cc Yamaha! * * *

James E. Judge    Mooreland, OK         07/15/17  H-D Street Glide FLHX        1,063
            * * * James is 81 years young on this ride! * * *

John Rolling      Hampshire, UK         06/24/17  Suzuki Burgman 400           1,026

Martin Filtenborg Tilst, DENMARK        07/24/16  Honda CB500                  1,168


I know, most of the bikes are big fat HDs, beemers and Gold wings. So what? Lots of people have taken what they had available and made it happen. Sure, there are some certified headcases out there, but on the other side - these people have had a blast doing something 'everyone' said was not possible and proved 'em wrong. A snip from the IBA list entitled "Not right Riders" sums it up nicely:

Smallest Bun Burner Gold motorcycle: Robert Munden 07/28/12 Honda CBR125R 124.8cc!

Craig Harcombe    Lambton,NSW AUSTRALIA  07/15     Honda CBR125R    MELBOURNE>DARWIN
      * * * smallest motorcycle to complete the Australia 50cc * * *
     
David Barwood   Western Australia 1600k 03/17 on a tiny 89cc Honda CT90!

Marco Almaraz with Itzel Elivier Pozos Gonzalez as pillion, SaddleSore 1000 and
Bun Burner 1500 on a tiny 149cc 2015 Yamaha FZ-S April 16, 2016

Karl Pirchmoser rode a Yamaha FZF R15 149cc across Australia under 50 hours in November 2013

Kurt Worden completed the 2015 Iron Butt Rally on a tiny 249cc Kawasaki Ninja

Mykola Ternovyi   Pavlograd, UKRAINE    07/12/16  SS1000 on a Jianshe 150  

Joseph Crossman   Glen Alpine,NSW AUSTR.05/14/15  SS1600k on a Kinlon RT200

Joaquin Lerner    Miami, FL             06/18/15  SS1000 on a Suzuki TU250X

Terry Taylor     Oklahoma City, OK      06/20/15  Kawasaki KLX250S   1,502
* * * Bun Burner 1500 GOLD RIDE on 250cc single cylinder Kawasaki! * * *

David Stephenson a Lap of IRELAND       09/25/15  on a Honda CG125

Terry Taylor                            06/20/15  Kawasaki KLX250S single Bun Burner Gold - 1,502 miles 24 hours

Jim Brown         Suffolk, UK           05/21/13  Honda C90 Cub!               1,036

Peter Hogan       Australia             01/15/14  Honda CT110!                 1,630K 24 hours

Karl Pirchmoser   Australia             09/06/13  Honda CB125e!                1,032

2nd Annual Wharf Rat Rally SaddleSore 1600K
Peter Horwood     Grand Bay, NB         08/30/12  Honda CBR 125                1,664

Jeff Pond         Redhead,NSW AUSTRALIA 05/04/13  TT-R250 Trail Bike 1,650 NSW-1600k

Frans Van Der Merwe Unanderra, AUSTRALIA05/04/13  Yamaha YZF-R15     1,650 NSW-1600k

Peter Hogan       Dangar, NSW AUSTRALIA 05/04/13  Yamaha YZF-R15     1,650 NSW-1600k
          * * * AUSTRALIA RIDE on 149cc Yamaha! * * *

Peter Hogan       NSW, Australia        11/12/11  Honda SH300i       1,662 NSW-1600k on a Honda scooter!

Patrick Jacobson  Saint Francis, MN    07/20/09  Honda Rebel CMX250C
* * * Smallest motorcycle to finish Great Lakes Gold! * * *

Craig Harcombe 07/28/12 SS1600K on a Yamaha TTR-250 Trail Bike

Matt Penttila 07/19/11  Honda PS250 Big Ruckus on SS1000

Jerald Anderson  Leonardtown, MD         09/09/16  Suzuki GT750     Bun Burner GOLD and a SaddleSore 5000
         * * * A GT750 is a 1974 3 cylinder two stroke * * *
         
ALL Dusty Butt finishers - 1,000 miles on dirt roads in 24 hours!

Kirill Chernenko  Kiev, UKRAINE         09/05/09  Yamaha YBR-125     2,510
         * * * UKRAINE RIDE on 125cc Yamaha! * * *

Melroy Alphonso   Mumbai, INDIA         11/23/09  Yamaha FZ16        1,025
         * * * INDIA RIDE on 153cc Yamaha! * * *

Mark Kiecker      Redondo Beach, CA     10/31/09  Yamaha YZF-R15     1,634
         * * * INDIA RIDE on 149cc Yamaha! * * *

Deepak Vasudeo Dongre INDIA             01/25/09  Bajaj Pulsar 150cc 1,055

Akshay Kaushal    Gujarat, INDIA        10/29/08  Bajaj Pulsar 180!  1,077

Steve Snoen      Surrey, BC             08/13/08  1973 Norton Commando 1,520 BBG!

Robert Munden     Windsor, ON CANADA    07/02/08  Honda NS50F        1,604 49cc!
   * * * smallest motorcycle to complete the Bun Burner 1500 * * *

Micheal Begeman   Dale City, CA         07/12/97  Tomos Targa MOPED! 1,020 49cc!

Iron Butt Rally finishers
2001 Paul Pelland        Ural! (endless repairs)
2001 Kieth Keating       Suzuki GN125 (no repairs - stock!)
2001 Paul Meredith       Cagiva 125 (one engine swap)
2001 Bob Ray             Honda Reflex Scooter (250cc)
1997 Martin Hildebrandt  Zundapp KS175 (Martin is from Germany)
1995 Ed Otto             Honda Helix (250cc single cylinder scooter)


My point here is: It's possible! People are doin' it on Cubs and mopeds. And twenty-two people have finished rides on their CB500

And you can take it from me; it's perfectly possible to combine an IBA certification ride with your average summer vacation. Simply find an interesting destination +1000 miles away, kickstart your vacation by going there in less than 24h and then work your way home in a leisurely fashion, visiting points of interest as you go.
10 days will get you a nice experience, allowing for POI's to be spread evenly while not becoming stressful to reach in a day. And if you use b&b's or airbnb for lodging, it can be done for little money too. Personally, I prefer airbnb and next-day-planning. No risk of ending up without a place to sleep and expenses remain under control! The downside is that your next-day-ride is fixed.
Oh well.

Which opens up for asking a question: How do you plan and execute vacation on your bike? Planning, lodging, what-to-see, risk-management, that sort...

Always interesting to learn what others do.

just shows that it can be done then, well done those guys

Lo and behold:

The IBA European Tour 2018 comes to a city near me - and you...

Hmmm. Talk about inspiration. I was contemplating Norway.

Now, what if...

My limit is somewhere about 450 -500 miles a day, I wouldn't like to do 1k miles in a day

no its too far and it stops becoming enjoyable you haven't time to take time out and have a look around

Jameshambleton wrote:My limit is somewhere about 450 -500 miles a day

Assuming you ride those miles to go somewhere and get something done, the limit is around that number, yes. Going beyond 500 miles leaves little to no room for eg. visiting a point of interest. So from that point of view, it's no good for touring and vacation.

In stead, one would have to work one's way in a more ellipsoidal or circular fashion to avoid retracing the route on the way back.

Assuming a comfortable POI interval is less - say 300 miles - a typical touring day starting at 9AM would leave you with 4 hours to spend at POI closing at 5PM. That will work too. Or you could spend the night close to next day's POI, have more time there and arrive late at the b&b. I prefer that.

James, you brought a tent last year, I seem to recall. Do you have any plans yet for 2018 - and would they include a tent?

I'm asking because I bought one of those contraptions - a tent. Dumb move?

Days 1 - 8 are already planned, can't plan anymore because of closed mountain passes meaning I can't plan the route - Yup the tent's coming, budget can't afford air b&b (I've looked) or hotels. I've planned the charging situation better this time too (putting a couple of USB power ports on my bike. So I can charge up devices as I ride to save battery power for when I need to use my laptop on an evening.

It's just silly things like this that annoy me, as can both see the roads there but it's obviously closed with snow so google won't let me plan that route at the moment.


Also search for kesselberg on youtube - you won't be disappointed

Jameshambleton wrote:Days 1 - 8 are already planned,
- Yup the tent's coming,
putting a couple of USB power ports on my bike.
search for kesselberg on youtube - you won't be disappointed

Serious! Looks good.
Regarding tent: What would you estimate the total volume of all the stuff related to tenting? I mean - it adds up...
USB. You really need one of those, yes. Mine's only 1A, and I'd recommend you get a more powerful one, say 2A.
Kesselberg: Looks nice. Went through the area on my way home this year - I had a POI @ Kehlsteinhaus, a certain austrian dictator's recreational facility in the mountains. It's a good 100 miles east of Kesselberg if you're into historical stuff. Have a look at Dokumentation Obersalzberg. Should you visit, do NOT miss the bus tour to the summit! And yes, there's a bus-tour in stead of public access for a reason. I never thought a full-size bus could do that...

Regarding 'twisties': Are you aware of the website dangerousroads.org? Worth spending ten minutes there

On this site, the term 'Balcony road' caught my attention. Try clicking this link - I think you'll like the photos.

Or how bout going west from Kesselberg to visit Nebelhorn? It's less than 100 miles and the climb is brutal - reportedly up to 45%...