The Honda Owners Club

Just bought a '91 CB500S. Only done 14K, and for silly money. Bit of cosmetics to fix, but nothing much. Are there any mechanical weakspots on this model to watch out for?

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/biker ... &R=EPI-315

But incase here is basics

The Honda CB500 is a first big motorcycle you’ll never want to sell. It’s huge fun because it’s so confidence-inspiring, meaning you can take it anywhere and it’ll make you feel you can push your limits. Very competent: commuters and couriers love Honda CB500s for their reliability and all-round, top-notch performance. In all aspects, the Honda CB500's a winner.

The Honda CB500 motor’s incredibly smooth with loads of power across a broad range. Even more fun… There’s an unexpected surge of welly, just after 8000rpm, which makes the Honda CB500 take off. Power delivery’s clean from a responsive throttle. Furthermore, the Honda CB500's very reliable and you can rack up the miles with little care.

Everything is stable and friendly, meaning the rider can hone their skills whilst chucking the Honda CB500 about with wild abandon. It’s comfortable, the suspension’s ok, the gearbox is smooth and both slow and high speed handling are excellent. Very versatile, the Honda CB500 will cruise up to 90mph on the motorway without a fairing.

Nothing too flash (the money went on the Honda CB500's chassis and the engine) just well-thought-out and well built. The Brembo brakes work wonders. The Honda CB500 clocks are large and clear but very basic. A good seat with a decent amount of room for a pillion, too; and there’s a grabrail. Comfort’s good overall on the Honda CB500 but it can be cramped for giant riders.

So good, we almost need a fanfare. Honda CB500 engines go on and on and on, as many a courier will tell you. Weaker points are the easily-rusting downpipes and short-lived exhausts. Otherwise, the Honda CB500 is pretty damned good: far more refined, and with far more longevity, than its rivals (see below).

Excellent. The Honda CB500 is a hugely versatile machine that’ll surprise you with its ability. Competitors, such as the old Kawasaki ER-5 or Suzuki’s GS500E, may be slightly cheaper but don’t have the quality (or the extra horsepower) of the Honda CB500. Be wary of ex-training school/race bikes (the Honda CB500 had its own series!) which have been dropped/crashed a lot. Find Honda CB500 motorcycles for sale.
Model History1994: Honda CB500 launched. It had a drum brake at the rear and Nissin caliper up front. Naked version only available.
1997: The rear brake converts to disc and both brakes get Brembo calipers.
1998: Honda CB500 race series kicks off and a silver version of the bike becomes available to celebrate. A half-faired Honda CB500S version joins the Honda fleet.
2003: Both Honda CB500 models discontinued as they didn’t meet EU emissions laws. Replaced by the Honda CBF500.

Other VersionsCB500S: half faired version of the Honda CB500, introduced in 1998 and discontinued in 2003.

Thanks for that, seems like I got a bargain. Glad to say that the downpipes are perfect. Made the mistake of giving it a handful of throttle on the test run, I can vouch for the acceleration!
I was off bikes for about 10 years, and bought a 125 to get my legs back. So, off the 125, and on to the 500, clutch in, engage gear, open throttle, engage clutch and only then did I feel the need to use brain. Bike goes up road howling, with me on back howling louder. Won't do that again in a hurry, I can tell you.

The worst part was that my 17 year old daughter was watching and gave me verbal aggro. She likes the bike now, though.

Glad to help thats what we are here for