“NICE BIKE MATE…”

Name: Pinky

From: Loughborough

Occupation: Works at Anson Classic Restorations (www.ansonclassic.co.uk)

Owned bike for: Eight months

Tell us about it: I bought this at the Festival of 1000 bikes back in July 2014. It had done about 25,000 miles, and been owned by a little old boy who’d kept it really tidy. He’d taken it to the show to sell, and told his wife he wouldn’t take it back home, so dropped the price to £895, including delivery. I bought it purely to ride on track, so I won’t bother taking it off the SORN that he had it under. I’ve bought a single-seat unit and belly-pan for it, so I need to rub those down before getting it sprayed. I just want to get out and ride it though! I’ve had no problems with it, and I expect they’re pretty indestructible. I think it’ll suit me fine for the track, and if I can get my knee down and overtake a few people it’ll be great! I want to get more hands-on with this bike than my usual basic maintenance, so it’s going to be great to learn to do more of my own servicing. I wanted a Honda as I really like them – I’ve had a 2000 CBR600 before this, and my first bike after I passed my test 11 years ago was a CG125. I think I know what I’m getting with a Honda – they’re so smooth. I’ve also had a GPX-750, a ZZR-600 and now have a KTM 690 for the road.

Engine: 499cc, liquid-cooled parallel-twin

Power: 57bhp (43kW) Torque: 35lb-ft (48Nm)

Weight: 173kg Seat height: 775mm

Current value: A similar bike now would likely fetch around £750 as a private sale, or about £350 if you traded it in at a dealer.

1998 Honda CB500

Data supplied by The vehicle check and valuation experts.