Honda CB500 race bike

As always the plan or path that I?m planning on taking changes, this was never the plan but it?s kind of just happened. A friend of mine who races in the pre-injection 1200 class decided to purchase some cb500 road and race bikes with the intention of racing them next year, and thought I should do the same........

So here i have a race spec cb500 ready to go for next season, the package was very reasonable and too tempting, it comes with spare wheels with wets, stands, some spares etc, recent refresh at the start of the season, it?s the drum version and I did have the option of a later disc model which was after he used one in the last race meet of the season (NEMRC - East Fortune) but I had already had it in my mind that I was getting this one. Plus I won?t use the rear brake or will use it very little and the weight difference is negligible, who cares, it?s just for laughs and ***** n gigs, the fun of it and the atmosphere etc. Also this one has a rev gauge with water temp where the other one doesn?t.













The track day I did there on the 6th was meant to be the last but I might use this on the 19th just to see what it?s like, failing that it?ll have to wait until next season, we were considering doing Oulton in November but I?m not up for that. So plan is take the R1 down to him to leave for the winter, dona few things to it for next season and bring the CB back to my bit, then I can decide on the 19th. I don?t need to do anything to it other than put anti-freeze in and that?s it.

I?m now looking at vans, race vans or converted camper vans etc, I?ll see, not 100% decided on that but I think for racing it?s a good idea.

I’ve booked the all day open session on Friday so I can get out on the 500 and see what it’s like. I had no intentions of doing Friday, the 6th was meant to be the last outing on track but after getting this it made sense to see what it was like.

The usual track report to follow

Enjoy - should be a hoot with those wide bars, narrower tyres and less HP/weight.

alex said:

Enjoy - should be a hoot with those wide bars, narrower tyres and less HP/weight.

Click to expand...

+1, looks like lots of fun lies ahead!

Wull, have you heard of Schaaf on Youtube?
If so you?ll be somewhat of his track day counterpart [emoji16]


- Oli

It's good fun I raced a sv650 this year. vastly different bike to the bmw

What a blast.

Day started off as normal, the usual typical fashion, which is why I?ve ended up with a race van. 5am to work, car and trailer loaded and set off at roughly 05:45hrs, nice slow drive there.

Got everything set up and left the warmers switched off until 9am, it was open session 10-5 and the recommendation for the tyres is 1hr on the warmers so thought I?d go with that, plan was 32f 30r off the warmers. Forecast was to be wet from 11 so that would give me a good hour to see what the bike was like and get used to the different position and the straight bars.

First brief outing I was straight down to 64s laps which I was pleased with, my original goal for the day was 65?s and then there were a few red flags, then it started spitting and ultimately that was the dry day finished with. He rain came so it was on with the wets, I think I went out another 2 times before lunch with conditions now full blown proper wet, my first time ever on track in the wet, I was being cautious to begin with gradually bringing the time down. Times stares off 1:18, 1:16, and so on until i got it to 1:13! I knew there was easily faster times than that.

After lunch I got back on it and again gradually got the times down, 1:11 straight off the bat then 69?s, it was still proper wet at this point. It started to dry up a bit, still wet but a line was appearing enough to allow you to push on. Times came down to 66 at this point so I?m fairly confident that if it had stayed dry all day then I?d have maybe got my dry time down from 64 to 62 ish.

Overall its a cracking wee bike and lots of fun on track, next year should be awesome, I can?t wait. I had some good battles with a few bigger bikes which would have made for good viewing but my camera was playing silly buggers, issue with the sd card I believe, not sure exactly when it started playing up as I?ve sill to check the footage.

A few pics

Wets are a experience alright

Just realised I was a bit vague there.

I had organised to go see a race van afterwards so the missus pulled down with after lunch as she wanted to see the van as well. Because I was soaked I got her to bring my other leathers and socks. What a difference with dry leathers on after lunch.

Anyway, we viewed the van and it was cracking so it’s now been purchased, no more arsing about losing the car early doors and loading the bike onto the trailer, I can now do it all the night before and I’m sorted for racing.....magic!

Great to read your track escapades wull, keep up the good work!

Having a van does make everything easier.
Wish I could park one, but alas C. London isn't the best for parking [emoji2957]

- Alex

Damn autocorrect. “ The missus appeared after lunch”.....

parking wont be an issue where I live, the joys of being in the middle of nowhere, cracking roads on my doorstep as well but far away from 99% of the places you want to go.

Trying to keep my mate in sight, he passes on the outlap on the backstraight (675r) until I had to go into reserve.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fNs4rLxg6Jo

Camera gave up the ghost later on so 4 best laps from when I was out. 1:04:60/1:04:80 & the wet times are 1:13:50/1:12:33

As time went on I managed a 1:09 when it was still proper wet and then 1:06 when it was slightly better but still wet. I?m fairly certain with a full dry day and more time my dry time would drop another 2 secs to 1:02

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eA4z77z6JQU

A few of the cb500 race guys from Scotland decided to book this and head down. Initially I wasn’t going to as my last day at Knockhill was meant to be the last of the season but thought “what the heck” and went with it.


Wallace, Ross and I headed down on Thursday in the van as we had booked the Red Lion just along the road from Oulton Park. I think we arrived at 20:00 so grabbed some food and headed to bed.


Up early, all excited, grabbed breakfast then headed along and got set up in garage 13/14 iirc.








Sighting laps done then open session for the rest of the day. Track conditions were damp to begin with but a drying line soon appeared, still damp in some areas especially the ones mentioned during the briefing, this was my first time at Oulton so I don’t know the corner names except for a few but I felt I quickly got to grips with the track and was doing not too bad.


I love the place, what a track, I can imagine how physically demanding it would be on a bigger bike. Knockhill is the only track I’ve ever ridden so you can imagine how much of a difference this was to me, I felt I learnt it quickly though.


My favourite section is Druids, I love that section, it’s all good but that was my favourite. My GoPro gave up the ghost again so no footage, I originally thought the issue was the sd card but after purchasing a new card I’m now convinced it’s the camera that’s goosed.


After lunch the track was perfect, still some damp looking areas but perfectly dry in others, towards the end my brake pads were needing replaced as the feedback from the brake lever was worrying, but we couldn’t get the pin cover out, the flathead screw bit was chewed so that was my day done, I could’ve used Ross’s bike for another outing but tbh I was goosed, it’s hard going in comparison to Knockhill, I was pleased with the track time I got.

The only salvageable footage because of a dying GoPro 3+


This was from before lunch, still learning the track but conditions at this point were pretty decent, still damp but a nice dry line. Times after lunch came down considerably and as per usual some great battles with bigger bikes but no footage to look back on.




https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8TTDHNV4ggY

That looks badass. I always remember the first time sharing a practice session with the CB500 racers. The corner speed they were running around the big corner at Snetterton was immense.

Race number for the 2019 season. The fella who I purchased the bike from has kept his number for this season even though he ain’t racing, well he might do one round on his ER5. So I’ve had to change the numbers.

Thats the front number board fitted along with the number. Decided to go with the flat board which I think looks better.

Not long now, heading to EF for the test/practise weekend in 2 weeks.

Proper sized man cave right there!


- Alex

alex said:

Proper sized man cave right there!


- Alex

Click to expand...

Works workshop.