New to the forum and new to the cb650

[B4]

Hello....my first post!! passed my my test a year ago and have had a GS500, Fazer 600 and a bandit 400 that was written off 2 weeks ago with me on it (courtesy of a white van) Ive got a brken wrist and hand and various other aches and pains...on the mend though!

Ive had to replace the bandit and Ive always liked the older honda 4's but never got one as was concerned about reliability/running costs. anyway after looking around and spending some time browsing this forum I decided that I wanted to own a little bit of history and have fun on a very stylish bike!
Bought this on ebay, a UK cb650z 1980...


It was rebuilt 2 years ago (not professionaly) so its pretty complete, though not a standard ie exhaust and has been repainted but no decals...but its clean. It came with a big box of spares that I may put on ebay or just keep as spares. The bike and spares cost me £300.
Left fork seal was leaking so I replaced those last night, which was not difficult...now just needs a full carb stripdown/rebuild. Its booked in for its MOT in a couple of weeks time and will be riding it everyday right through the year...as soon as my cast is off.
There are some beautiful bikes on here, something to aspire to. This place is a fantastic source of info on these bikes...special thanks to bandwidth69 for dealing with my logon issue.

[Volker_P]

Welcome here!
Your CB looks really great, it is hard to believe that one can get one in this quite impressing state for only £300. It looks like many, many working hours and much effort to get fine parts. Still hard to belive that prize, you certainly made a good profit. Interesting is that rubber front Honda mudgard. I cannot remember to have ever seen one there. I would not give away the parts as long as I have the bike running. They will get harder to get every year.
From your bike history, be aware that the chassis is quite old-fashioned so do not expect too much (and be careful). It will not go round the corners like a Fazer or Bandit!
Best wishes for your recovery and have fun with your CB.

[Ibsen]

Welcome to the forum! That is a nice looking 650Z you have there.
And I hope you will have a fast recoverey and can enjoy your bike soon.

Btw, if you contact Sunrise Graphics in UK I think they can supply the stripes and decals for the 650Z:

http://www.sunrisegraphics.co.uk/

[B4]

Thanks for the welcome.
Yeah...I'll take it easy volker...thanks. Ibsen, I called sunrise 2 mins before reading your reply...they have them...£55 +p+p. Not sure wether to spend some serious money on it as it will be a daily commuter wind/rain/ice/snow. Might get the brakes, engine, electrics right...ride it for a year or 2 then buy another bike to commute and completely strip/restore the cb650z. Any Thoughts??

[Volker_P]

... then buy another bike to commute and completely strip/restore the cb650z. Any Thoughts??

Why do all that polish work again? It is hard to get an engine to that shine after a salt winter.
I would get a cheap, small winter bike now, preferentially a small enduro with many plastic parts (which don't rust ).
Maybe also another CB650 that looks bad but runs makes sense, especially when prices are like that where you are. I would not run this fine one through wet winters with the perspective of spending much work to have it shiny again in two years and place the original decals on it.
If you do not have space or money for another motorcycle, at least you should wax it completely before you use it as an all day bike. Especially the alumina parts will thank it.

[Ibsen]

I have been concidering that decal kit as well. But although the paint work on my bike is pretty good it isn't perfect, so if I buy the kit I will repaint the bike and cover the stripes with a clear coat to protect them. A local firm made the decals on my sidecover btw. I paid £8 for them.

Personally I wouldn't ride a bike like the CB on salty winter roads either. The aluminium and the chrome will suffer badly. Volkers suggestion about an enduro or off road bike would be my chose as well.

[pae]

Hi Welcome, from Sussex. Bad luck on the injury. I'd keep the box of bits if I was you, if you ever need anything out of it it'll save you a lot of trouble (and money) trying to find it again.

Then again, if it includes a seat, or indicators, or a standard 2-1 RH header let me know...

A great buy there for £300, it makes me keep a close eye on how much money I'm putting into rebuilding mine when you see what you can pick up for that little amount. Have a look a the signature for progress on my stripdown.

BTW Volker - mine has the same original Honda mudflap on the front.

regards, Phil

[bandwidth69]

Hey. Nice to have you on board. These guys will certainly look after you! Wow, what a machine! Fantastic buy. You must be one happy man! I vaguely remember this one on e-bay. The CB 650 has been very well represented on there recently. I echo what has been said about the spares situation. KEEP THEM! You never know! I'm lucky - I have two CB's - though one is just a rolling chasis now. There are many bargains to be had out there. A lot of the basic stuff you can still probably get from your local motorcycle dealer/repair man (but how!) Its the quirky stuff that's worth a fortune - like some of the chrome for instance! I agree also with what's been said about using the CB in the winter. i use (or did) my CB all year round, but you have to be methodical and thorough with the cleaning. It got so that I spent so much on mine it would be just...careless to take her out in the winter just for the hell of it. So I use a suzuki for the cold months. The CB I have decided is just for the summer. The whole debate on winter/summer riding is as old as the hills. But, I'm happy to use mine all year round, Its just that..well...its a damn fine looking machine and I want her to stay that way for a bit while longer!

The CB's are not racers. Their handling, in certain situations can bee looked on as .... character building. But hey, like me, she's getting towards middle age - still looks good (if you don't look to closely) and can still give the youngsters a run for their money, if she's treated right and have plenty of time to loosen up first before a good run! Keep her well oiled, keep an eye out for that leaky cylinder head gasket and don't worry too much about a rattly top end! These things will go on and on if they are looked after!

No worries about getting you up on here. All I did was pass your message on. Glad youve joined us (even though we'll probably end up bidding against eachother on e-bay at some point!)

Keep the faith. Let us know what you plan to do as regards restoration etc

[nickjtc]

.....and in the very short term leads us to superb looking motorcycles!!!

[B4]

probably agree...common sense would argue that I should get a cheap commuter but dont have the available cash. It looks very clean in the photos, but all that glitters is not gold. Its booked in for an MOT on the 150307. Need some advice...there has obviously been some damage to the 2 front engine mounts and this has been repaired with something like steel putty (the stuff you can drill/tap etc) Will it fail the MOT on this. My idea was to remove the putty, grind back the damaged engine mounts and weld 2 tubes onto the engine case for the mounting bolts to fix onto. Is the engine casing alloy or steel?? Any ideas?? might post some photos later. Replacedthe broken throttle body yesterday...stripped the carbs which thankfully had standard jets and not been messed with, 92 nain jets, set all float heights and mixture screws. Really difficult to get everything back on, no space but I believe thats common. Not impressed with the Haynes manual, all but useless, is the clymer any better or is there a honda workshop/service manual available? Anybody had any experience synchronising these carbs? im used to CV carbs with piston and diaphram...bell cranks are new to me. Hope to fire it up today. Thanks

[Volker_P]

I understand, one can do rebuild the one way or the other. As an extreme, I remember a old Guzzi on a fair for used bikes which just has been sprayed (quite good job) with color on the rust and everything. It looked fine at a first glance, but the frame and the fork was obviously bent and you could imagine what was below the fresh paint...
The engine case is alloy and welding something on it which can stand vibrations requires some experience. A picture may help to get an idea for another solution.
And yes, getting the carbs in and out is an excellent punishment.
Piston carb syncronization is nothing to worry about, but of course first valves and ignition should be checked/adjusted.

Some time ago, Ibsen provided a great link to a online (original) manual at: http://cosky0.tripod.com/
Electrics part at: http://cosky1.tripod.com/

[B4]

Thanks Volker_P...those were exactly what I was looking for. My battery is fully charged now but all im getting from the bike is a click click from the solenoid, nothing else. Ive a friend good at welding so im going to ask his advice about the engine mounts. Thanks again

[Ibsen]

I have all the manuals, and the Haynes is not the best of them. The Clymer manual is very good, but it doesn't cover the details for the European Z model the same way as the Honda manual Volker posted the links to.

[B4]

Cheers Ibsen...the online manual is spot on

[Chris]

Welcome. Sorry I'm late, but I haven't been checking up on the forum lately. Nice bike.