Motorcycle·
Honda CB garage essentials buying guide
The first Honda CB tools: a 20 to 100 ft-lb torque wrench, an 8 to 19 mm socket set, and a multimeter. Rounded fasteners and stator guesses start here.
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Classic Honda CB Tools & Garage Essentials
Soft cases and old hardware punish the wrong socket. Buy the torque wrench that matches the manual, the 8 to 19 mm set, and a meter before a stator guess.
First tools
The three tools a classic CB garage is missing.
Fasteners
A torque wrench whose scale matches the manual, 3/8 drive metric sockets, and the rotor bolt number that is not its sibling.
Motorcycle·
Best torque wrench for a classic Honda CB
A 3/8 drive click wrench that starts at 20 ft-lb. Use it when the shop manual spec sits inside 20 to 100. It does not measure a cover screw listed below 20.
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Best metric sockets for a classic Honda CB
A 3/8 drive 6-point set with 8 to 19 mm, shallow and deep, plus a ratchet. The 1/2 drive set in the large sizes is for bigger fasteners, not case screws.
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CB500T rotor bolt is 90014-286-000, not 90015
The alternator rotor bolt on a 1976 CB500T is Honda 90014-286-000. An Amazon listing found under that search showed 90015-286-000. That is the sibling, and it is the wrong bolt.
Read guideElectrical
A meter for charging voltage and grounds, before a new stator.
Motorcycle·
Best multimeter for a classic Honda CB
A manual-ranging meter for battery voltage, continuity, and grounds on a classic Honda CB. Read the shop manual's charging spec before you order a stator.
Read guideStuck screws
A heat gun, a JIS-fitting impact driver, and a ball peen hammer for the screw a Phillips bit would ruin.
Motorcycle·
Freeing stuck screws on a classic Honda CB
Warm the case, fit a JIS impact driver, and strike it with the flat face of a ball peen hammer. A Phillips bit is how a Honda screw gets ruined.
Read guideWhen it will not idle
A 1976 CB500T that screams to 8,000 rpm, and one that dies when the enrichener is shut off.
Motorcycle·
Honda CB500T revs to 8,000 rpm as soon as it starts
A 1976 CB500T that jumps to 8,000 rpm on start had its throttle stop screw held off the idle stop by the cable. Slacking the cable let the spring close it.
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Honda CB500T dies when the choke is turned off
After the throttle cable was fixed, this 1976 CB500T idled, then died with the enrichener off or from about 1,000 rpm. That is a lean slow circuit, not the cable again.
Read guideGetting it to fire
The thumb button that actually cranks it, a starter that whirrs, and a kickstarter that does not catch.
Motorcycle·
How to start a 1976 Honda CB500T
The key on a CB500T turns the lights on. It does not crank the engine. A thumb button under the headlight switch does, with the kill switch on Run and the neutral light green.
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CB500T starter spins and the engine does not
On this 1976 CB500T the starter was heard spinning free, not grinding. The starter clutch still needs a rebuild. The parts had not arrived, and the points-cam check has not been done.
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CB500T kickstarter moves and the engine stays still
On this 1976 CB500T the kickstarter pedal moved and there was no compression thump, like a starter cord that is not catching. The cause was not isolated.
Read guideFuel and spark
Where the two hoses go, a coil pushing white crust, the condenser that will not plug in, the black/white feeds, the fuses, and a tank left unlined.
Motorcycle·
1976 Honda CB500T: where the two fuel hoses go
Each CB500T carb has a fuel inlet and an overflow. The two petcock spigots feed the two carbs separately. There is no crossover hose between the bowls.
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White crust growing out of a Honda CB ignition coil
White foam coming out of a CB500T ignition coil is the coil breaking down. On this 1976 bike the coils were replaced. A 5 ohm pair sold for the CB500T does not use the stock bracket.
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CB500T condenser 30250-369-004 will not take a fork plug
This 1976 CB500T has two condenser cans and bullet connectors. The first replacement had a green wire and a two-prong fork, so it never met the harness. Bolting a new can down did not restore the dead plug wire.
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CB500T coil wires that end on a red-and-green box
On this 1976 CB500T both coils' black/white wires were found joined to a small box with a red wire and a green wire. The bike later ran on the kickstarter. That box was not confirmed as the repair.
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1976 CB500T: coils are in, and now there are no lights
After the ignition coils went on this 1976 CB500T, the key did nothing. Swapping the head fuse and the main fuse brought the lights back. Match the amp printed on the fuse you pulled.
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Leave a clean CB500T gas tank unlined
This 1976 CB500T tank looked decent and then cleaned up. The decision was to leave it unlined. A sealer poured in as prevention is how flakes end up in the carbs.
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