What did you do with your CB500 today?

Yeah, at least the delkevic site shows the centrestand on and the little bumper attached to the pipe in the pictures. Haven't purchased yet but will let you know once it's arrived or fitted.

Attacked the perennial problem of cracked side panels. Mine have been getting steadily worse, and yesterday the little stub at the front of the left hand one detatched and stayed put in the frame grommet (why did they make them so flimsy?). Out with the epoxy, tried to glue it back in, too weak and out it came again. Reinforced the join with a 3 mm thick, 20 mm steel washer on the inside surface of the panel slathered with epoxy, let it set, and it worked. Did the same on the right hand panel to prevent that one coming apart. Resprayed in matt black, drying now.

chromedome wrote:Attacked the perennial problem of cracked side panels. Mine have been getting steadily worse, and yesterday the little stub at the front of the left hand one detatched and stayed put in the frame grommet (why did they make them so flimsy?). Out with the epoxy, tried to glue it back in, too weak and out it came again. Reinforced the join with a 3 mm thick, 20 mm steel washer on the inside surface of the panel slathered with epoxy, let it set, and it worked. Did the same on the right hand panel to prevent that one coming apart. Resprayed in matt black, drying now.

That's going to happen to mine one day soon.  You can see the cracking on the outside where it's all coming apart.

Maybe I'll have to try something similar.  Makes me think it would be easier to and reinforce them before they fall apart...  whether I am motivated enough to actually do that, we'll see!

Not quite today (but last weekend) I gave my Givi top-box rack a good sanding and a few coats of paint - I was forced to remove it from the bike when I realised that my new indicators were the wrong thread!  I've got a cunning plan to enable me to fix the indicators to it, so it's going back on the bike soon.

I can heartily recommend the cheap unknown brand spray paint I found in my local B&M store (a cheapo shop in the UK) - it was maybe £4 a can (maybe less) but after 3 thin-ish coats my rack looked 1000 times better and the paint seems to have hardened up well.

I can also recommend getting a small electric sander (one vaguely triangular ones you velcro the sand paper pads onto) for making light work of sanding horribly rusty things like my rack.  You'll want to wear a mask and old clothes as the amount of 'orrible red dust created was quite amazing.

eternally_troubled wrote:
I've got the delkevik pipes on mine and they mate fine with my 'Fuel' brand exhaust - no idea about Motad, but I think the Motad exhausts are designed to mate with the standard system, so you'll probably be OK.  Do you know if the delkevik end can has the centre-stand rest-bracket-thingy on it?  It's quite annoying to have to to find another way of doing it (or to be forced to remove the centre stand!).

The Delkevic end can retains the centre stand, I can confirm.

Today I decided its winter so summer gloves and buffs away, hefty winter gloves and fleecy neck warmers out. Screens are on now and I'll winter prep this week - oil cables, wd40 under tank, balance carbs etc

Also, my farmer mates are thinking about ploughing and generally chucking muck onto fields - essential stuff for the soil, one more reason to be wary for us bikers.

Had my first email ref the Motorcycle Live show at the NEC in December. £19.50 a ticket and I'm not sure this year, none too many bargains around the last couple of visits. I do want a good look at the latest Honda 500 range though...

muttley1

Cleaned and lubed the chain. The gold DID links are gold coloured again.

Took advantage of a bit of afternoon sun and took her out for a blatt, great fun only 20 miles but really good. Dry roads and no salt!!
Reminded me what a lovely little bike these are and handle really well.

I fixed the heated grips on my wife's CB500 by installing a replacement oxford controller - it wasn't too bad, but it did involve me having to cut all the oxford connectors off which (obviously) don't mate with the motrax heated grips. I replaced everything will bullet connectors which then get heat-shrinked and wrapped in copious amounts of tape to keep the weather out.

Took it for ride: warm hands, job done.

So, if your grip controller packs up then you can just buy a new one from oxford...

Just a re-lubrication of the chain today before a ride out to work and thorough clean down tomorrow when the bike should be away for a few weeks.

Bike has been out pretty much every day since my last post, car has been in the garage from that time.
It had a thorough clean down and has been used pretty much daily. A suspect CCT tick started and a blow at the headers developed. Brought forward my schedule to change the oil after winter.
M&P most helpful, free oil filter with 4 litres of oil. New air filter and the little sump washer for £33 - very happy.
All went to plan today and I'm out again on the bike tomorrow as still no sign of the car's return.

cheesepiece1 wrote:

eternally_troubled wrote:
I've got the delkevik pipes on mine and they mate fine with my 'Fuel' brand exhaust - no idea about Motad, but I think the Motad exhausts are designed to mate with the standard system, so you'll probably be OK.  Do you know if the delkevik end can has the centre-stand rest-bracket-thingy on it?  It's quite annoying to have to to find another way of doing it (or to be forced to remove the centre stand!).

The Delkevic end can retains the centre stand, I can confirm.

yes mine certainly did

Another year, another mot pass. My 1995 japanese bike is holding up better than the 1999 italian one!
No advisory ref slightly blowing exhaust header either so all good.

muttley1

Bought new brake pads - EBC FA226HH (sintered). Hope to have the time to change them during the weekend.

Today (and most of this week) I've been taking the CB500 to work as my normal method of transport is broken (pedal cycle)!

It's nice to be forced to ride a motorcycle

I've been away for a week so checked the bikes over and of course its raining today, so they'll stay inside.

Did go through some accumulated parts and the not-going-to-use-this bench has some tec shocks, a powerbronze venom twin headlight screen with fittings, a puig double bubble screen and some mirrors stacked up on it now.

muttley1

Put new boots on the old girl yesterday, decided to try Conti Go's as the write ups suggested wet weather performance is very good (we shall see). A real change on the way home from the old c. 16 year old Avons that were on it.....
No major issues on the wheels, the rear disk was slightly warped and the front wheel had two small spots of corrosion near the valve. Still get a small pulsing of the front brake tho, any thoughts?

Cleaned and greased the chain.
Thing gets plenty of attention, I think it's my inner magpie wanting the shiny gold DID back on show.

cheesepiece1 wrote:my inner magpie 

  

Honda didn't get any attention lately (except couple days I took it for a ride last week), but my little 125cc did. 

From cafe racer'y look (posted in the water cooler) I made it (somewhat) more scrambler'y.



Why? I did this for my wife who is learning to ride 

I've installed standard bars in place of clip-ons, removed bushings lowering the front and modified shifter lever (it is now shorter and stays lower, as wife has issues with raising her foot in ankle joint too much). Raising the bike resulted in more upright position behind the bars, which is way better for learning (and slow-speed maneuvering). Turned out I needed to extend the kickstand as well because bike was leaned way too much for comfort  So now I have an adjustable stand  

Also headlamp and rear fender/lic. plate brackets got powder coated.

Well today I rode my 1999 CB500S up round the corner to a local guy selling 1995 KLE500.
We're doing a swap, should be doing the actual trade this week. One of his carbs had stuck on the KLE so he's whipped them off to be reconditioned today. Looks like au revoir to my second CB500.
The KLE is of similar mileage but in absolutely top mechanical fettle, the bloke had perhaps eight bikes, all Hondas aside the KLE. 3 Africa Twins, a CG, CBR, all kinds of different displacement but all carburettor-ed.
Each bike was absolutely pristine and a testament to the bloke. He bought the KLE for a bit of greenlaning but the joint at his knees didn't like it. I just fancy a change, but nothing too drastic. The 500 twin may well be the engine for me

Bled through front brake as caliper starting to stick a little, and thought about taking the screen off too as summer is almost here. Decided no, mornings are too cold.
Fitted baffle as house next to my garage has night shift workers renting it.

Btw the kle is a pretty sound bike and having ridden a gpz500, not too dissimilar to the cb5.

Yes muttley, the engine has a similar bulletproof nature but slightly detuned from the CB/GPZ setup. I'm quite happy with the trade as the greenlaner itch has yet to be scratched and I've had the urge for a bike like that for about 15 years. I'd have no hesitation getting another CB when the time comes.

While doing pre-ride checks I found my front brake switch not working. Went to work on two wheels anyway, but every braking involved rear as well to put the stop light on. Safety first  

At work I took the switch off the bike, tried (and failed) to disassemble the thing. Turns out casing is glued/welded together. Thankfully there are holes, so I squirted some WD40 inside, clicked it like a madman for a minute and blew it out with compressed air. Rinse and repeat couple times. Washed some grime out in the process. In the end the click started to sound crispier than before, so I guess all the little metal parts inside are clean now. Gave it tiny squirt of WD40 for good measure and put it back on the bike.

Well the conti's are well and trully bedded in!!
Just came back from a 213 mile round trip through the Yorkshire Dales over to Catterick up and over the A66 and back through the Trough of Bowland.
They felt very planted and did not misbehave once.

Bike ran very well with the exception of the pulsing through the front brake did get noticeably worse towards the end of the ride coupled with a bit of a head shake when letting go of the bars.... not sure what that is all about.