What other bikes do forum members own?

Gillers, although im old enough i hadn't heard of the terrier but your mention of it rang a bell, there's one for sale (1954) in December Classic Bike mag.

For me, there's a story to go with the CB. Actually, it's 'collateral damage' from the initial project which is now my second bike.
The thing is, in 2012 I didn't have a motorbike driving license. I did however own one old and rather scruffy Honda ST50 I used to ride back in highschool. I also had a shed and time on my hands. What to do but combine - restoring the ST50 would be a doddle, having assembled it from cardboard box contents (mate's project gone bad) back in 1983. I thought...
But who wants a moped? Not me. Alas, a motorbike license was planned and executed. Meanwhile I had the ST50 updated (two years in the making) to become a registered motorcycle (now ST70) complete with vintage plates and everything. Only one in the country.
At driving school someone handed me a CB500 for the initial sandbox practice - and the rest is history.
Today, the ST70 sits idle and the CB is doing all the touring. But I still have the ST70 as 'my second bike'. It has history...

Beresford wrote:Stormbringer, I envy you owning an ST70.

Is there any difference in physical size between the 70cc engines and the 125s that the chinese ST copies use ?

Back in the eighties, this little bike represented the pinnacle of what my creativity and combined knowledge could yield. I put an awful lot of thought and love and time into it, and so I simply couldn't part with it as I became an adult. It followed me, living a modest and forgotten life under a tarpaulin in sheds and cellars for nearly a quarter of a century.

I've photo-documented the resurrection of it, partly for personal purposes (rebuild-docs) and partly for others to learn from.

On Google+ there's an extensive log for all to see (link) as well as an attempt at creating a forum/community thing. It never really took off.
On my own webserver there's a blog-thingy that tries to capture the photo and essential info parts. BlogLink for those who find their curiosity has been awakened.

No. The bike is not 'finished'. The colourful paint scheme I gave it back then needs to be reversed. Or done right; I'm a sucker for those juicy saturated yellow flake-paints and having it done up in bling-bling yellow glitter with a black band (wasp!) and the OE Honda logo in silly-big lettering would make it too big for its own shirt. A pocket-sized you-wanna-piece-of-me?-bar-brawler bike. You know; a 4'10 hooligan-lookalike!
And there's something wrong with the 12V charger that came with the CDI.
And-and-and...

But hey. It's fun. Which is what matters to me.


Regarding engines: The Honda Cub 20 degrees inclined single cylinder engine is the globally most produced format of all times. Forget WV Beetle and whathavewe, the Cub engine (I was informed) takes the prize. Probably because the formfactor is consistently drop-in-replacement. Pick and choose from any engine made in the last half century - it fits the frame bolt holes. Engines ranging from early 50cc short-strokes up to 160cc quad-valve models producing nearly 20bhp are readily available for purchase. And the aftermarket is there to cater for your every need regarding hydraulic USD-forks, beefy exhaust systems, disc-brakes and almost anything else imaginable.
I've been told there's a czech guy who took a Monkey - featuring an alcohol-fed 28bhp powerplant - to Bonneville and ran it past the tonne. Here's a link with more info.

I've opted for the OE engine lump, a new top-end (50cc choked-down moped kit just had to go!) and a rebuild. Luckily, the engine has at some point been modded with a 4-speed gearbox and I'm not that much of a purist. It stays. I'm happy with an OEish look, which is also the reason for dispensing with engine paint colour schemes in favor of an extensive and thorough aluminium polish job. This means I get the bling while retaining the OE build quality. And yes, there is such a thing as OE quality. I've made the mistake of replacing the OE clutch (proper fit, bronze bearings) with a Takegawa heavy duty thing - and it was a poor choice I made there. OE's going back in with a new set of plates.

Hmmm... Better stop blabbering about the ST now. Back to the CB. Which is an altogether more boring subject. Very little to say; it just works. I do the routine maintenance and the bike rewards me by giving me no issues. Happy owner here. Confidence in the bike's behaviour then lets me focus on where to go and what to see - which in my humble opinion is what it's all about. Smiles per mile... I've found there's truth in the slogan "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" - even taking in consideration the dual meaning of it.

I am sure my grandmother owned one in about 1980 (possibly), though hers was an 80cc and my grandfather has a more solid looking Honda 80cc that they puttered around on. We (my brother and I) tried them once but didn't quite have the hang of the clutch, brake and foot out thing so kind of fell over when stopping. I was only about 10-11 years old then so can be forgiven - learnt this properly on my Dad's Suzuki 125 a few years later and then got my own nifty 50cc when 13.

I have a 1997 CB500 and a 1998 VTR1000F Firestorm. I've only been riding the VTR for the last few months after I attempted to change the rear tyre on the CB myself and gave up (got both beads off but gave up trying to actually remove it from the wheel - I'll manage it one day). But this weekend I took the wheel to my garage for them to do the tyre, got it MOTed since that expired in April, and it passed with no advisories. 

I'm reminded how great the CB is and how it's such a different bike to ride from the VTR, despite their both being Honda twins. Apart from the handling and simplicity, I think why I love the CB so much (this is a musing I had recently) is because the acceleration is fast enough to be fun but not so fast that it's all over very quickly before entering licence-losing speeds. The feeling of acceleration itself is obviously partly what's great about bikes, and on the VTR that feeling doesn't last very long before you're into triple-digit speeds, whereas on the CB it's somehow at a perfect balance between enough to be good but lacking enough so that the feeling's drawn out a bit... Going to avoid riding the Firestorm a bit until the CB catches up with it on mileage again - currently 89k on the VTR and 'only' 72k on the CB.

Apart from the CB500Y, which is my daily transport, I have a 1978 Yamaha XS650SE.  The Yam was in poor condition having been used for a short time as a London courier's transport when I got it in 2002 and has been completely rebuilt to as near original as I can get it without spending a fortune.

It hasn't been ridden for several years due to health problems (it is a quite heavy beast) and the cost of road tax and MOT for what would be very few miles of riding.  Hope to get it on the road later this year after I have changed its status to "Heritage".  It has remained as a second bike on the CB's insurance for very little extra money.

'94 Honda CB500 daily rider
'94 Honda CB 500 Project Stripper
70's Honda Nifty Fifty
BMW F650
'96 Royal Enfield 500 Bullet ( bought in India and driven to UK and now in Ireland)

cc1085 wrote:'94 Honda CB500 daily rider
'94 Honda CB 500 Project Stripper
70's Honda Nifty Fifty
BMW F650
'96 Royal Enfield 500 Bullet ( bought in India and driven to UK and now in Ireland)

The royal enfield story is a good one!

cc1085 wrote:'96 Royal Enfield 500 Bullet ( bought in India and driven to UK and now in Ireland)

Wow! Any travel diary material? That must've been one hell of a ride home...

Interesting theme.
I was a humble uncle, and not need “big and serious bike” to look significant for myself - so my favorite bike was honda innova chinese clone.
Original innova / wave was much better! I suppose,but almost x3 price, and last one in city was sold some months before i was ready to buy...
At that time i riding yama pre-diversion xj600 - great motorcycle in a way of fun, much better than cb500, i suppose.
So, after i buy a those moped, after about a year i sell zj600, because i found i use it very rarely.
Moped was light, handling is almost as bicycle - there really was no lean angle after who you cant hold it, or even put it back in vertical position, really.
Unlika an xj600, and cb500.
Fuel consumption is about 2x less, running prices too ( chain cost about 20 euros, yss rear shocks about 70 euros ( and about 200 for cb500!), tyres typically cost about 20 -50 euro, cast wheel assembly about 45 euro...cheap as dirt!
And there was always a priceless option to put your rucksack in niche between knees - any who have problems with its back / spine will appreciate that.
After some time i get a cb500s 1998 as a gift, and try to use it a bit and maintain in good shape, but small moped is anyway more lovely, and regularly made me smile...
http://safedrive.su/images/Tech/Moto/JSD100_13/IMG_5972.JPG

I hope, i made journey to ireland, and scotland too, on him, someday.
The near plan is drive on it to prague, to taste a famous czech beer....maybe this summer, especially that may be a cheap trip ( i suppose , about 100 euro to fuel - for about 4000 km, about 100e for food, and about 100e for hostels, yet mostly i plan to spend night in tent, othervise night spending becomes main expanse, who, i think, is wrong think, cause, no one go to travel for sleep, so, that thing must take a little money, and not a most of...

Btw, one another moment: my first moto was iz-jupiter 2 - old, soviet two cylinder 350cc two-stroker.
It was produced 1967, and have his good and bad, sure, but first of it - it was practical wehicle, transport - disper from cb500s.

Yes, at least two crappy things on cb500 - first, a fender. Who is that pornography instead of front fender on cb500s?
Every time, i ride it, even if there was no rain, but only a wet tarmas - my shoes goes wet, because front wheel splash water on them.

That old motorcycle, and also my small moped jsd100 does not have that problem - their are a practical machines, not show-offers...
And second - footpegs.
Old soviet motorcycle have solid, sturdy footpegs. My moped have the same construction.
If you fall, that footpeg get on shelf all motorcycle weight, and impact energy, trying to protect rider foot.
That was right thing.
Who do cb500?
It have a hing on footpeg!
Once you fell, all moto mass goes to your feet, and moto slides on your feet - just excellent idea, how to make rider lame and one-legged.
It was madness.
Bike must protect rider, not injure by design.
Straighten footpeg, or even change it was much cheaper and faster than heal broken and bruised to bone leg....

All that tendences in modern motorcyclism was very shitty - it was for show-offers like cafe racers and similar miserables as general target, not as travellers, commuters and another practical peoples, sadly....

The IZh is no doubt a remarkable and exciting motorcycle, they are quite often praised on the adv rider forums as capable and reliable machines. 

But I don't think you can compare it to a CB 500, they are motorcycles with different concepts. 

You can not expect a CB 500 to perform like an IZh and vice versa, not only regarding the fenders and the pegs.

hh_12345 wrote:The IZh is no doubt a remarkable and exciting motorcycle, they are quite often praised on the adv rider forums as capable and reliable machines. 

But I don't think you can compare it to a CB 500, they are motorcycles with different concepts. 

You can not expect a CB 500 to perform like an IZh and vice versa, not only regarding the fenders and the pegs.

cant see a reason, why not?
especially, CB500 has defined as a "commuter".
all another things was less or more ok, my general complaints is because of fenders and pegs, yes.
see, how great is Izh fenders:



and honda wave clone was the same beauty:




so, what interferes honda make something similar not only on c90/innova, but also on cb500 "commuter " ?

It had to look like a motorcycle, not like a scooter or Lada Niva on two wheels.