1980 CB650

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Trotter
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:07 am

1980 CB650

Postby Trotter » Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:14 am

Hey everybody,
I saw this bike on my local Craigslist and decided to give the guy a call and see what he would take for it. To my surprise, the voice that answered was a very familiar one (he didn't mention his name in the ad and I'd never called him at home before, so the number I was dialing didn't ring any bells). Long story short, I got a hell of a deal because we are old friends. I didn't even know he rode though. So, clearly not that close. It worked out pretty well. He wanted it to go to someone he knew, for sentimental reasons, and I felt the same way about my $400. Kidding!............ I paid $300 for it :lol:

She was in good working order when I rode her home, but like anything 32 years old, she was not without issues. The choke cable housing was broken up and would not stay engaged, just annoying, but fixed now with carefully molded quik steel. The brake fluid reservoir leaked, but just needed a new diaphragm, easy and relatively cheap fix. There was a nasty hole in the left side pipe that I've since patched with fiberglass tape. And lastly, the throttle housing was (still is) cracked, keeping it from tightening on the bars completely. Ebay seems to have some inexpensive replacements, compared to the $117 Honda wants for one at least. It's currently got a rubber grommet wedged between it and the master cylinder, which is shockingly stable but unquestionably temporary. On a more substantial note, there is a very slow oil leak at the head. I'll eventually do a tear down to get that fixed, likely this winter. Not much else up with it that I can think of at the moment. No smoking and power delivery is pretty smooth all the way to highway speeds, and then some.

One issue that I will bring to the knowledgeable group of individuals in this forum is the problem I am having with the tachometer. It displays only up to 5k RPM's, but it is abundantly clear that the engine revs well past that. It's like it hits a wall, but a slightly bouncy one. I did take the cable apart and inspect for damage. It seemed very well intact and well lubricated. So, this leads me to believe something is amiss either inside the tach or at the head. Not sure where to start on that. Like most, I ride by feel and sound, so mostly have little use for the tach. Getting that part fixed is driven by curiosity and the fun of it.

Anyway, excited to be here and look forward to learning more about this awesome bike! I was pretty excited to see an entire website/forum dedicated to these bikes.

Oh, and if anyone is curious, I'm keeping it as stock as possible (or at least how it is right now, which is pretty close from what I can tell). If I hacked this thing up, I'd have to kick MYSELF in the nuts.
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Volker_P
Posts: 5508
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:53 am
Location: southern Germany

Re: 1980 CB650

Postby Volker_P » Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:47 am

Welcome here! :D

Nice story and good price for a bike like that.

Tachometer might be the needle hitting the glass, have a look for possible slight contact traces. If you want to get into it, this link may be helpful:
http://www.salocal.com/sohc/tech/speedo/spedo1.htm

Fiberglass will probably not be a permanent solution. TIG-welding of stainless steel is a good idea. It may be even poslished to look not that bad at all. :wink:

For an "as stock as possible" look, first thing you urgently need is chromed, circular mirrors. :)
Cosky's great (free) online manual: http://cosky0.tripod.com

forum links to common technical issues

If you really like this site and you would not like to see it vanish soon, have a look there: Urgent: Future of HondaCB650.com Forum

boomhower
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:06 am
Location: Central North Carolina, USA

Re: 1980 CB650

Postby boomhower » Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:26 am

That bike looks a lot like the one I used to ride. Same color too which is surprising because I had it painted. Who knows? It could be. It looks great!
Tim Boomhower
North Carolina, USA
'81 CB650C

cb650
Posts: 2959
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:20 am
Location: Denver CO USA
Contact:

Re: 1980 CB650

Postby cb650 » Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:06 pm

looks good. And like the last one I bought. Too bad the tank on mine was a painted rust ball. :lol:
Did you clean the tank out?!?!?!?!

The_Paragon
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:20 am
Location: Wisconsin

Re: 1980 CB650

Postby The_Paragon » Thu May 10, 2012 10:45 pm

boomhower wrote:That bike looks a lot like the one I used to ride. Same color too which is surprising because I had it painted. Who knows? It could be. It looks great!


Funny coincidence, I have an '81 that's been painted that same color too!

User avatar
Volker_P
Posts: 5508
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:53 am
Location: southern Germany

Re: 1980 CB650

Postby Volker_P » Fri May 11, 2012 1:23 am

Guess the red stripes behind the side cover as well as the black lower fork tubes should be quite unique. :wink:
Cosky's great (free) online manual: http://cosky0.tripod.com

forum links to common technical issues

If you really like this site and you would not like to see it vanish soon, have a look there: Urgent: Future of HondaCB650.com Forum


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