What did you do with your CB500 today?

Being messing about today (riding), got a puncture and a flat tyre because of farmers hedge cutting. Managed to plug the rear tyre with my temporary repair kit, few photos too!

nice kawasaki @james
i assume youve been on a a2 license up until recently? congrats on passing and the new bike, how does it compare to the 500? ive only ridden a cb650f on my DAS and found it to be really stable, the fuel injection is scary responsive

haybunch wrote:nice kawasaki @james
i assume you've been on a a2 license up until recently? congrats on passing and the new bike, how does it compare to the 500? ive only ridden a cb650f on my DAS and found it to be really stable, the fuel injection is scary responsive

This last wednesday I passed my unrestricted licence so 6 days ago. This bike has shit midrange, the gearing is too close in 2/3 to you're always in the mid spot of the rev range where there is no power - read that as full throttle = +2mph over 4 seconds and you can't correct this through changing the sprockets as the speedo is read from the output shaft of the engine so it'll fuck with the speedo. Great if you want power above 6k rpm but by then in 2nd you're already doing 70 so useless for complex roads which I ride.

The fuel injection is smooth but I get better economy from the cb500 with carbs even when when I'm raggin it compared to when I'm trundling along at 50. The torque is the same as the new cb500x and my old 1993 cb400 (inline 4). Oh and whilst we're talking about fuel.. it's got a 3 and a half gallon tank which is good for 180mile tank range unitl it's completely empty. Fuel level gauge does whatever it likes, it gained 2 bars of fuel over the course of 20 miles, usually annoying me after I pass 100 miles as the odometer starts flashing fuel at me.

The front end is very light and twitchy, almost feels as if it's skimming the surface and isn't planted. It doesn't go where you look. The screen directs the wind off my body which doesn't bother me either way, but it diverts all that wind onto my hands instead- which is great with the added wind chill - even with winter gloves and the heated grips on full. It has 69BHP at the rear wheel which is good for 122mph and no more, on my 51bhp cb500 does 114mph (on a calibrated speedo)

Overall I've done 800 miles on it, there is no personalty to the bike - it is, at best, a tool. I can't wait to sell it on

oww, well at least you get to shop for a replacement?.. didnt know it was a parallel twin as well, have you any interest with the sv650? it's sort of the same spec and ive heard only good things about it. but then again it wont be too dissimilar to the cb,, for my next bike im looking at either a v twin or a big single, maybe a vtr1000 or an enfield

The ER6 was just a flip bike, buy it use it, sell it on. Done my test with it and then using it as transport whilst I don't have my cb500. Sell it when my policy is done on it.
So keeping the er6f until July, alongside my cb500. Can't wait to bring the cb500 back home for some much needed maintenance (strip to frame and rebuild basically).

Hopefully my streetfighter will be done by the end of next July, maybe sooner.
https://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135190

Had a play on a 13reg 675 street triple yesterday for 40 miles in the pissing rain and I enjoyed it a lot, even stuck behind traffic I had a smile on my face. Great gearbox up and down it clutchlessly with no false neutrals. 1st gear super smooth no jerking with it, think of it as the 2nd gear on the cb500. Effortly smooth and well behaved, torque wherever you are in the rev range no matter your speed, unless you're in 6th doing 30mph when you're under sub 2k rpm.  Just don't like the Michelin tyres on it - no feedback at all from the front or rear tyres, they just let go when they feel like it with no warning. This bike will easily get you into trouble once you get higher up in the rev range but the sound is so worth it.

Yesterday took my beautiful flattrack seat unit which has been drilled, screwed to its mounting frame, primed, glossed, clear coated and fitted with its made to measure pad and placed it on a chair while I faffed about with other bits. Without thinking i moved the chair out of the way and looked on in horror as my beautiful seat unit slid off the chair in slow motion and clattered onto the concrete floor. "Flipping heck"I said. Not too bad but more rubbing glossing etc required!

I really have to question if it was just "Flipping heck"you said or a few more stronger words  

Yes, it was "bucking forlocks" or something!

Jameshambleton wrote:
Had a play on a 13reg 675 street triple yesterday for 40 miles in the pissing rain and I enjoyed it a lot, even stuck behind traffic I had a smile on my face. Great gearbox up and down it clutchlessly with no false neutrals. 1st gear super smooth no jerking with it, think of it as the 2nd gear on the cb500. Effortly smooth and well behaved, torque wherever you are in the rev range no matter your speed, unless you're in 6th doing 30mph when you're under sub 2k rpm.  Just don't like the Michelin tyres on it - no feedback at all from the front or rear tyres, they just let go when they feel like it with no warning. This bike will easily get you into trouble once you get higher up in the rev range but the sound is so worth it.

My mate's got one and I've ridden it a few times. DID NOT LIKE. He goes really well on it - but my balls were always against the tank. The ergos just felt awkward and unthought out. I felt like I was perched high up and yet still "in" the bike. A very strange position - and in some ways, the worst of both worlds. The bars seemed needlessly wide. But worst of all was the fuelling. Mid corner snatch / jerk syndrome. Just when you don't want it. I actually get this on the 500 too - no matter how fine my throttle control. There's often a brief on/off moment - but the 500 being what it is, it kind of doesn't matter. I think I could possibly iron some of it out with a new chain (sprox too cos matching set etc.), and may be a cush drive as well. But I think ultimately it's part of that thing you get with so many twins. Character, as they say.

But with the Triple I think it's down to mapping or something. One other thing - I cannot stand the sound those contemporary triumph triples make. A grating combination of whine and whistle. And a rare instance of where the stock can - quiet as it is - doesn't deaden the engine noise enough.

It's strange how you mention the snatching midcorner as I never get that on any carbed bike or the 675, on my old 125 and the er6 I get the snatchyness - though it's also partially down to a chain which is running on the slack side, and not keeping the throttle slightly on whilst you're cornering. Is your mates bike one which originally had the twin cans on it or just the low level one?

I'll agree with you that the nads were against the tank. This has a GPR can on it without a baffle, which can be heard from over half a mile away (I checked the distance on googlemaps

I agree with the not keeping the throttle slightly on. I could do better on that front. As for cans, he has an Arrow on it and it was originally just the low level one (so the more recent one). The Arrow has done fuck all for it afaic, and I'm not sure it has a removable baffle. If it does, his is still in. Absolutely not worth the money imo.

Hey - where did you go today btw? Have you been out and about?

Went out on the pieceofshiti first time I've even wanted to go out on the bike this week, exhaust can fucked off the headers at 70mph 2 miles from home so I spent about an hour walking up and down the road looking for it in the hedge.


Took it home, fitted a t-clamp and not a jubilee clip. Did 25miles round trip, just as miserable and bored out of my skull as I started. Sure, you can chuck it about and be decently quick but doesn't even make me slightly smile this is a 160 tyre btw.


My vfr750 is going for MOT Monday or Tuesday so might be getting rid of this thing sooner than I thought.

Another day another bike, 2002 Hornet 900

Jameshambleton wrote:Another day another bike, 2002 Hornet 900

Can I predict that the Hornet will be more fun than that Kwak?! :)

Only managed 60 miles so far 40 if which were motorway and all of them are in the dark with a shite headlight. Working away too much! Need to get some Osram night lasers for it asap. I'm enjoying it more than the kawasaki but this bike dropps into corners and tracks a good bit, but I'm thinking it's more so about the old tyers that are on it. Need to ride it more but the smile is coming back



Scottish highlands was fun

Beresford wrote:

Jameshambleton wrote:Scottish highlands was fun

As I have already stated - 'Eejit'

I'll remember to keep my helmet of next time!

Motherwell,(Glasgow) Scotland

And here I thought you were going to sort out the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route flyover...........who else would be up to sort out that complete f****p  

Yeah.. decided that working on the cairngorm mountain funicular railway was more fun

used to work at Aviemore myself a few years ago

Jameshambleton wrote:Yeah.. decided that working on the cairngorm mountain funicular railway was more fun

That's a tasteful outfit they've made you wear...