Motorcycle Repair: 1972 Honda, honda cb 500, linkage problems

Question
Hey Falcon,

I have the opportunity to give a home to a 1972  Honda :CB 500 Vintage Racer, 17000miles, Medium (500-699 cc) I don't know jack about bikes, but I know when I get that tingly feeling I gotta take the plunge, and the learning experience! It's been described to me as having a problem with transmission linkage, but easily fixable with know how (which I have none)! I have no idea what that problem could mean, as I understand it is ridiculously vauge, so I'm only asking for an impression rather than detailed technical help.

I was wondering if you could describe your thoughts on the difficulty level for a beginner (though a dedicated beginner) to learn, and tackle any problem surrounding a bike's "transmission linkage" problems, and also your thoughts on the possibility (with the later aquiring of a lot more time, $$$, skill, and even more $$$) of switching out the engine completely with something like 700cc+. Realistic cost of doing it myself vs. paying a shop, and your personal opinion/philosophy on whether or not changing engines on a vintage bike affects the quality of it's age - Which is something I happen to love about it, even though I have this inner desire for MORE POWER that's sometimes hard to control:)

Any time you could take to answer this Email to the best of your ability would really be doing me, and this bike a world of good! So for the bike's sake, any idea you could give me about what I'm getting into would be much appreciated!

Thanks a mil,

LadyRed110883@aol.com      OR
LBelli21@student.scad.edu  

Answer
Hi Lindsay.
 You've gotten yourself quite a project if you want to go into the tranny on a bike that old.  Swapping out to a 700 will end up being both cheaper and easier.  You will want the repair manuals for both the 500 and 700 versions.  Sometimes they are the same manual with sections that show the differences between the two bikes.

 Swapping engines to a 700 from a 500 will require replacing the electrical system with one from a 700cc.

 As a beginner, with the repair manual and a mechanically skilled friend, it will prove to be an interesting and educational experience that you can learn from.  After the engine swap, you can take the 500 engine apart at your leasure and tinker (with help from the book) and learn a great deal.  You can always try to rebuild it as a spare engine later or have it bored out to 700cc once it's rebuilt.

 Having a pro do it will take less time, but how much it will cost, versus doing it yourself, will depend on how mechanically inclined you are and how well you can problem solve.  Usually, doing it yourself will save money, but still requires the work to be done by you, while giving it up to a mechanic will tend to be more expensive, but then there is a recourse if the job isn't done right.

As far as swapping the engines and how it affects the quality of the age, well, that becomes more and more a matter of personal opinion.  Purists will say that the engine must be the same year and engine size, while most people don't care as long as it works as promised.

 In the end, it comes down to a matter of "do what you want".  You see, riding and wrenching is purely personal, so whatever you decide to do, wallow in it and enjoy.

Good luck.
FALCON