Anyone into old Honda bikes?

[Broncojunkie]

I know nothing about motorcycles and need some help. A relative has an old Honda cb500 (maybe 550?) stashed away. It needs work, but I can pick it up for a song. The problem is that he doesn't know anything about it either. It was purchased new by a guy who joined the military. Not sure if he passed away or what, but it only has 40 miles on it. Maybe he laid it down and decided bikes weren't his thing? Who knows. Anyway, he'll have to dig out the title to see what year it is. All I have is a pic he took when he recently moved it out of a storage unit. He said he bought it roughly 25 yrs ago.

Can anyone tell me more about this from the pic? Just trying to figure out if it's worth fooling with. I've been thinking about picking up an old project bike and this one fell in my lap.

[MIKE'SVO86]

Looks like a mid 70s Honda CB. Handlebars, seat and exhaust are not stock. If it was all original, it would be worth some $$. They are rising in value.

[Broncojunkie]

Looks like a mid 70s Honda CB. Handlebars, seat and exhaust are not stock. If it was all original, it would be worth some $$. They are rising in value.

I pretty much figured the handlebars and seat weren't stock. Didn't know the exhaust was aftermarket too. Hopefully, I'll find out more about it soon. Won't be able to go see it in person since I'm working out of state. If I end up getting it, I'll probably have my buddy go pick it up for me. Any idea if the stock parts are hard to find? Not a fan of the 70's "upgrades" lol!

[WilliamCapri]

Hi Bronco,

Check out https://classicjapanesemotorcycles.com. (I hope I spelled it right). He’s near Columbus, Oh and should be able to give you an idea about restoration cost. I rode a CL 350 in the late 70’s. It’s the smaller displacement on/off road version. Loved it. But too many oblivious car drivers scared me off of it.

That bike would be gorgeous if restored. Mechanicals should be no problem. Electricals no problem if mice didn’t get to it. The screws that hold covers on to the engine (clutch, timing, etc.) are going to be super tight. Had to invest in a phillips impact driver to get them loose.

Good luck!

[webestang]

I had a 1970 CB350 back in the early 80's. Fun bike. Should have hung on to it as Mike says the prices are getting very high now. Parts back then were everywhere, even bought parts at the Honda bike dealer.
Today I would think parts might be tricky to get but a buddy of mine who owns several vintage bikes including one Honda is a member of the VJMC..... https://vjmc.org/
Might be able to find parts through the club.

[Tigger]

My 11 year old has a 73 Yamaha 80 dirt bike that I am working on. Amazingly enough I am able to find all types of stuff for it still on Ebay. I assume that Honda's of the same era would have the same following by bike enthusiasts.

[Broncojunkie]

Great info, guys! Thanks!

I just spoke to him and he found some more info. It's a 1975 CB550. Looks like handlebars and complete seats are available on ebay.... used seats are a little spendy, but doable. I think I'll jump on this one.

[MIKE'SVO86]

Cool. Yep, mine was a 1976 CB550. great bike. The tank and side covers look to be repainted and the highway pegs are aftermarket. All can be changed. If you can't find the stock tube exhaust, maybe go with a Kerker header. I had that on mine. Bike was relatively fast and sounded great. Kind of miss it now. That was over 30 years ago.

[Broncojunkie]

Cool. Yep, mine was a 1976 CB550. great bike. The tank and side covers look to be repainted and the highway pegs are aftermarket. All can be changed. If you can't find the stock tube exhaust, maybe go with a Kerker header. I had that on mine. Bike was relatively fast and sounded great. Kind of miss it now. That was over 30 years ago.

Looks like someone paint bombed it with some cheap spray paint. I know it's been knocked around a packed storage unit for probably the entire 25 yrs he owned it. He's a house painter by trade and had a couple storage units he worked out of. I can repaint it and all that stuff. I also wouldn't have to put it back to 100% stock. I just prefer more subtle upgrades lol!

Any idea if tuning the carbs is a diy job? Or is that best left to a pro?

[richpet]

Had one of those and a 360T. Fun but small on the road these days as it was so slow.
You should be able to get a lot of stuff for it. They were pretty basic.
Carbs on those are pretty straight forward as long as they aren't totally seized.

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[Broncojunkie]

Had one of those and a 360T. Fun but small on the road these days as it was so slow.
You should be able to get a lot of stuff for it. They were pretty basic.
Carbs on those are pretty straight forward as long as they aren't totally seized.

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I'm perfectly fine with basic and slow! Like I mentioned, I'm not a motorcycle guy. I've never owned one, but I've owned and wrenched on several 4-wheelers. I currently own a 97 Honda 300 Fourtrax and a 2003 Arctic Cat 400. That ol honda never fails to start right up. I've done some repairs to it, but just worn-out suspension and brakes. The Arctic Cat, on the other hand, is a constant battle. It's currently waiting on a new ignition coil to show up. I'm fixing it one last time and then she's going up for sale.

[darkd0r]

Take a motorcycle safety course if you can, wear a helmet, and remember that most drivers will never see you, and pull out right in front of you.

[Broncojunkie]

Take a motorcycle safety course if you can, wear a helmet, and remember that most drivers will never see you, and pull out right in front of you.

That last statement is the only reason I'm 47 yrs old and have never owned a bike.

[darkd0r]

The less traffic you're around, the less stressful it is. I don't think I want to ride near or in a major city. I live in a very rural area, but haven't had the bike out for 20 years. Back has some metal since '14. Have thought about starting again.

[Shoegazer GT]

Didn't know I was until last year when my buddy's dad gifted me a '72 CL450. It hadn't run in four years and we started it on fire once, but she runs like a top this year. Looks pretty sharp, too, and I think the apocalyptic tank just adds to the charm.

[Broncojunkie]

Wanna trade seats? Lol!

Very cool looking bike. I still haven't bought the one I was looking at. I would have, but the guy is dragging his feet. I don't think he's having second thoughts about selling it...he just hasn't taken the time to dig out the title and he works nights.

[Shoegazer GT]

Wanna trade seats? Lol!

Very cool looking bike. I still haven't bought the one I was looking at. I would have, but the guy is dragging his feet. I don't think he's having second thoughts about selling it...he just hasn't taken the time to dig out the title and he works nights.

Does your seat tilt to the side? I've been thinking of upgrading, but it's been on the back burner while I baby my new Mustang and am still rebuilding my Royal Enfield.

[NAVYCAT]

I picked up this 1984 VF1000 for $50.00 with clean title so since I have to wait 3 weeks for my new 347 for the capri I started to work on it, was in pieces so that saved me some time lol so I spent all day cleaning every thing and the gas tank was very rusty inside but got some rust stuff so its been soaking for a week and seems to be working. also converting it to single side swing arm and CBR 1000 front forks to bring it into the 2000's technology

[85GT-79FJ40]

That last statement is the only reason I'm 47 yrs old and have never owned a bike.

I started riding again at 43 after a 20 year hiatus. Granted I have ridden almost 40k miles since then but it's definitely a different world now. WAY more distracted drivers than before. You have to be far more careful. I enjoy it immensely though and don't plan on giving it up ever again. But more on topic I really hope to add another classic mid 80's Honda VFR 700 or 750 to my collection. And I have always loved the CT70's but those are stupid money now. For now my V-strom works. And it's paid for. Riding it today to the shop where my notch is so I can work on it this afternoon.

[Broncojunkie]

I know it's been a while since I first posted about this old cb550, but the guy finally found the title. It has been sitting outside in the weather the entire time. Still on the trailer, so he backed his truck up to it, hooked it up, and brought it to the house. It looks a little worse for wear since it's been sitting outside, but it'll give me something to do (like I need another project lol).

I don't think I'll have too much trouble finding parts. I'll need a right side cover, handlebars, exhaust, seat, and whatever mechanicals it'll need to get her running.

It's such a shame this bike was rattle-canned black. The '75 model came in two factory colors... a metallic orange and a metallic green. I can't recall the actual names, but they're both beautiful. My plan, if I can get it running ok, is to restore back to mostly stock form. I may do a few subtle mods, but mainly just using aftermarket parts where the oem stuff is long gone. (Seat, handlebars, exhaust...may do slightly different wheels and fenders).

[richpet]

I'm perfectly fine with basic and slow! Like I mentioned, I'm not a motorcycle guy. I've never owned one, but I've owned and wrenched on several 4-wheelers. I currently own a 97 Honda 300 Fourtrax and a 2003 Arctic Cat 400. That ol honda never fails to start right up. I've done some repairs to it, but just worn-out suspension and brakes. The Arctic Cat, on the other hand, is a constant battle. It's currently waiting on a new ignition coil to show up. I'm fixing it one last time and then she's going up for sale.

Sorry so long a time gap...
No, slow is ok sometimes. My issue then was I was living in Harrisburg and working in Eugene. Holding that CB360T at 60 mph for the trip was not it's comfort zone (about 25 miles each way, mostly rural two lane). I could have gone slower but didn't want to take that long getting to work or be that different in speed from other road users. Too slow and it gets dangerous since so many drivers are idiots.
I'm a Goldwinger at heart. Had 130k on my last one when it got totalled. I've put over 200k on Goldwings alone and have had 4 of them.
Current bike is NOT slow. It's also quite comfy. It replaced the totalled GW. Only new bike I ever bought and I now have about 40k on it.

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[Broncojunkie]

Beautiful bike! I bet that thing will cruise for days!

[richpet]

I, um, play a little, but not a lot. Mixed town and rural two lane. I might get well into the 70's somewhat frequently. My overall mpg average is 48-52. With an almost 7 gallon tank. XM, cruise, BT, ...
Yeah, long trips are no issue. Unlike the Goldwing the cruise can be set at up to 100.
Plus with 135 ish HP, 90 ft/lb, even a 700 ish pound bike will move.

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[Broncojunkie]

I've been scoping out prices on parts for this old bike. For the most part, none of it is too outrageous. There's just a TON of parts I'll need to get it road worthy.

Besides the obvious hideous seat and handlebars, there are several things to address. I'll need to rebuild the brake caliper and master cyl, then replace pads, shoes, brakes lines, etc. I'll need tires, rear shocks, and a front fork rebuild. The carbs, if I can even save them, will need rebuilt and will most likely require several parts (floats, jets, miscellaneous bits and pieces). I'll need a battery and I'll need to address the charging, ignition, and electrical system.

I think it'll be a fun project and give me something to do when I get frustrated wrenching on the cars. I promised the wife I wouldn't spend money on cars or the bike until after the first of the year, though. I'm trying my best to stick to it, but it's not easy. I've come across a few things that I need lol!

[NAVYCAT]

this was the last look at my VF1000 I was building, I sold it to some one who drove down from Seattle with cash in hand...... but still have my GSXR im building into a track bike and after 8 months I finally got my new 347 build and dropping it into my capri