How long do CB500 engines last.

Hi.......just bought a 1999 CB500S,I am currently the 8th owner.The bike has 62,000 miles.It runs fine with a quiet engine,no rattles,no smoke.The gearbox is so sweet,quick gear changes a dream with little effort.The plastics have suffered, mounting points all need TLC.The saddle is nearly perfect.Chain and sprockets OK.The indicators were original but have been repaired so stopped for smaller LEDs.The bike has had new oil and filter,new battery,air filter.I get 65mpg.
The question I would like answering is do these engines last for over 100,000 miles.
Zorro

As @Beresford said. They're nearly unkillable.

Guy I know - adventurous type - wanted to go from Denmark to Cape town on his first ever ride anywhere. We talked. Now he's in Ghana.
The bike he chose? A cheap old CB500.
By now he's published 12 episodes of his journey on Youtube. Actually quite interesting.
Have a look-see: https://youtu.be/8q9q8bXPunc?si=P7A3d48QtMwUhdWT

There is a study (that i have) in the French magazine Moto Revue of the entire motorcycle with 100-150 and 300.000 km and it was always very good for many more years.
It was the favorite motorcycle of driving schools for a reason......

180.000km
bought it brand new 23 years ago.
no issues , regular maintenance by me, thus simple, and that's it.

use it as its named, CB, no "R" in the name.

65mpg..............amazing, I ride it at ~5.2lt/100Km

enjoy it !

Thanks for recent replies,when buying a bike with 7 previous  owners,it a guess to what has been repaired especially on the engine.This seems fine, but next question how long do water pumps last,would you expect this to fail sooner than the engine?to this end I've ordered an internal pump repair kit,has anyone had experience of installing this?

do you have overheating problems ?

No leeks out of weep hole under the pump or anywhere else.I just thought I would get a repair unit if it does.It could be one thing which would stop the bike being used.So it is a repair item in stock incase it does.

things that could stop you are
the clutch cable
the throttle cable (open)


coils, check in the forum , too interesting topic

Hi...carry spare cables on bike ,puncture repair kit,fuses,array of spanners and other bits.Fortuntely CB500 has relatively large underneath storage bigger than any other bike I've owned. Other critical systems on bike I will purchase if the price is right.

hello !
Fuses...... forget it,
i hade one lamp to replace last year, instruments lamp...there are two of them.
no electrical issues at all.

you need to carry nothing, have two clutch cables, one hanging vertical somewhere, garage, garden, bedroom,  which you can oil when passing by. change it every two years, rotate them.

in short, forget the water pump, enjoy the ride, spend your money on tires and brakes.



every two years change the brake fluid, cooling fluid, and if you want fork oil.

CB will not leave you on the road.

I'll put the two Fireblade coils i have under the seat...

Hi..just fitted LED's to dash panel,and side light to CB500S,Dash panel now is mega bright.This can be done for little cash LED from Ebay.Its probably has original lamps because many had gone grey,this is because over time tungsten is deposited on inside of the glass making the lamp duller.Now I tend to get LED headlamp.

Just a note of caution when replacing Incandescent bulbs with LED's, you should really have something else fitted to the bike to balance the electrical output. 
The more load you take off the bike the more heat the R/R will have to dissipate to get rid of the voltage being generated by the stator! 
It has to go somewhere and if not used by the bike then will heat the R/R up significantly

Hi...In view of what you have said I will check the heat coming from the rectifier with an infrared laser gun after a ride.The bike had heated grips which I use all the time,makes your hands lovely and warm.This provides a bit of balance,and maybe no headlamp LED.

surf in the forum, there are topics on this issue, led, xenon, etc. 
do a search in the forum before starting replacing bulbs with newer technology