New Member

Hi all! 
 Finally got around to joining this lovely group. I apologise in advance for the essay but figured it'd be good to introduce myself

 Little about myself:
24 years old.
 Living in Northern Ireland.
 Worker by day - tinkerer by night.
 Grew up learning from motorcycles from my uncle who was a mechanic for 40 years.

Been on the bikes 6+ years. Cg125 died due to a Hyundai getz wanting to play dodgems lol. Shadow VT125 for the rest of the time for commuting and mini touring with the missus around northern Ireland - put 60k+ on the Shadow before jumping on the CB500.
Thanks to living in the country I had riding experience on the Vmax, ST1100, Virago 535, diversion 600 and a 600 katana. (My dad swapped bikes quite a lot - luckily from this I wasn't as green horned when it came to the CB)

 My Cb500:
2001
46k mileage when I bought it (2 previous owners with full service history who were very meticulous with caring for the bike) engine still very tight and responsive compared to other cb500s I've tried. 
Owned it since March 2017. 
 Remus end can - original header pipes
Small Givi screen.
Backrack (unknown origin from breakers)
Radiator guard - due to radiator having seen much better days).
New fan with bypass to a switch (as it doesnt turn on until it gets very hot) no problems since the mod.
Bullet indicators for the rear due to saddle bags bending previous back indicators.
Bt45 tyres at the moment - love them. (Thinking of moving to Avon am26 as all we have in regular circulation here ATM)

Always loved the cb500s. Started out on a CG125 because it looked like the little brother to the CB500. Got my full license but from my experience the CB500 is really all I need plenty of power and excellent fuel economy. 

 Bike is everything I dreamed of and more. Wonderful low end torque and that powerband at around 7-9.5k rpm. 

 The missus and I are taking on the rest of Ireland (full loop) for about 2 weeks with this machine. Loading up the camping gear and soft luggage (packing light) and just seeing the sights

 Looking forward to getting to know you all and learning from your wisdom! 

-Jay

Welcome Jay, glad to have you here!
The CB5 is great for touring and copes with two up ok, my wife and I used to do a lot of rallies before the children came along

Welcome here!

It's my first "real" bike and I'm loving it too.

If you have any pic of you and your miss with all the gear on the bike, I'd be interested to see that since I've always dreamed of taking my GF on long-ish camping trip around this big rock we call 'Earth'.

Saddle bags are not annoying for the passenger's legs?

Valentin.

Teamster - that's great to know the cb500 is 2 up worthy in most circles we're actually at a rally up in Scotland the first week of August

ZekeVal: That's what we're wanting to do too we're putting this ireland tour of 2 weeks as the trial run for the bike and both of us and if that works out - planning a tour of Europe for about 1-2 months.
 The saddle bags, just thrown over the back seat, push against the back of her legs whenever we're both on it. What I did was move it back a bit so 2 straps are on the seat and one just under the backrack which is essentially just behind the grabrail (oxford first saddle bags) ...so far nope she hasn't complained and we've done our month's shopping with that full, the tank bag packed out along with the backrack. I was a bit concerned myself about it but it seems to be fine if you move it back a bit so it doesn't hit the back of the leg - just gotta make sure there's enough clearance for the indicators to be seen too

 We set off this Sunday so i'll post up a few pictures of us and the bike and some nice backgrounds

Nice looking bike and a great intro. Welcome to the forum.

Looking forward to seeing your pictures. I was in Irelamd a few weeks back. The ring of Kerry and the cliffs at Mohar are definitely worth a look.

Be good to see your photos from the trip - have fun.

Vulcan88 wrote:Teamster - that's great to know the cb500 is 2 up worthy in most circles we're actually at a rally up in Scotland the first week of August

ZekeVal: That's what we're wanting to do too we're putting this ireland tour of 2 weeks as the trial run for the bike and both of us and if that works out - planning a tour of Europe for about 1-2 months.
 The saddle bags, just thrown over the back seat, push against the back of her legs whenever we're both on it. What I did was move it back a bit so 2 straps are on the seat and one just under the backrack which is essentially just behind the grabrail (oxford first saddle bags) ...so far nope she hasn't complained and we've done our month's shopping with that full, the tank bag packed out along with the backrack. I was a bit concerned myself about it but it seems to be fine if you move it back a bit so it doesn't hit the back of the leg - just gotta make sure there's enough clearance for the indicators to be seen too

 We set off this Sunday so i'll post up a few pictures of us and the bike and some nice backgrounds

Thanks for the info, that sounds lovely! Enjoy the trip, and yes bring back pictures and stories !

Welcome.

Welcome to the forum, jay

Vulcan88 wrote:Teamster - that's great to know the cb500 is 2 up worthy in most circles :D we're actually at a rally up in Scotland the first week of August :)

ZekeVal: That's what we're wanting to do too :D we're putting this ireland tour of 2 weeks as the trial run for the bike and both of us and if that works out - planning a tour of Europe for about 1-2 months.
 The saddle bags, just thrown over the back seat, push against the back of her legs whenever we're both on it. What I did was move it back a bit so 2 straps are on the seat and one just under the backrack which is essentially just behind the grabrail (oxford first saddle bags) ...so far nope she hasn't complained and we've done our month's shopping with that full, the tank bag packed out along with the backrack. I was a bit concerned myself about it but it seems to be fine if you move it back a bit so it doesn't hit the back of the leg - just gotta make sure there's enough clearance for the indicators to be seen too :)

Yeah, it's all about testing the setup out before-hand. Also, what is comfortable for some people won't be for others, so it is always worth going out for a day for a day of experimentation before the main event!

Vulcan88 wrote:
 We set off this Sunday so i'll post up a few pictures of us and the bike and some nice backgrounds :)

Ace! Can't wait to see the pictures...

Setting off

Welcome and great to have you here. That's an excellent and neat looking luggage arrangement. I've been on quite a few trips with the lady on the back and Oxford saddlebags, and a few solo camping trips, but so far never a trip with lady + camping gear. Good to see it can be done - I may have to examine your photo in detail for how you've done it and what's gone where. 

Happy riding : )

Welcome to the sandpit. If you are anywhere convenient, can I interest you in this happy gathering?
https://www.facebook.com/NImotorcycleactiongroup/

There ya go folks day 2 so far, up in Wicklow mountains. 180 miles messing about the mountains until we got to Wexford some great roads, some that should be classed as off road lol! Sally's gap was gorgeous, some scenes you have to witness yourself, very forested in parts

 Just a note for anyone that was wondering how we organised the luggage - it was messy lol but 3 bungie cords and 1 cargo net and some cable ties the cb500 was doing 100 with both of us on and we only lost a little water bottle in the process just make sure everything is tensioned! It was too hot for the riding trousers so that's them tied at the top of the throne xD 

 Keep you posted as we go.
Night chaps!

Yeah - yesterday was hot, throw in riding gear as well and it gets oppressive once the bike stops moving.

Nice set-up!
Enjoy your trip