Putting an oldie back on the road..

[Fumesucker]

I picked up a 1980 Honda CX500 a couple of weeks ago, got it from the original owner with 42,000 miles on it but it hadn't been ridden in quite a few years.

Anyhoo, after putting a battery in it and field stripping and cleaning the gunk out of the carbs I got it fired up and on Monday I got it insured and tagged.

The bike has a brand new Dunlop on the front that's never even been on the road and a Metzeler Marathon on the back that has plenty of tread left. I'm going to have to replace the CDI on it because the ignition is getting weak, a known fault and one of the few these bikes have, it doesn't want to rev past 7,000 right now, I have an Ignitech programmable CDI ordered that should be here in a couple of weeks and it's already set up for this model.

Up to about 6,000 the bike feels strong and handles well, all the mechanicals work except for the speedo which is toasted, I'm using a waterproof marine GPS for a speedo/odometer and have disconnected the speedo cable. If I can find a stock speedo for a decent price I may replace the old one.

With the new CDI and the battery I'll have under $600 in the bike.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. Nice looking bike.

I don't remember the CX500. It looks like a water-cooled Moto-Guzzi with the sideways-mounted v-twin and the shaft-drive. $600 for the bike and the new parts? Sounds like a great deal!

[Fumesucker]

2. Yeah, the CX is quite an odd duck as far as motorcycles go..

It's an 80 degree V twin, where a Guzzi is 90 degrees, it's not even overhead cam, it has pushrods but has four valves per cylinder with forked rocker arms. The heads are twisted so the carbs are closer together to get them out of the way of your knees.

These were a favorite of motorcycle couriers in Europe through the 80's and early 90's because they handle pretty well and are mechanically nearly bulletproof. Basically they are a Honda car on two wheels.

The ergonomics are a bit different than what I'm used to and it's taken me a couple of tanks of gas to adjust but I'm starting to feel comfortable on the little bike.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CX_series

[Ganja Ninja]

3. There was one of these for sale right down the street from where I work.

It sat there for a couple of months but I never stopped to see what they wanted for it. It looked pretty clean, a little faded but in decent shape. It's Honda's attempt to make a Moto Guzzi.

[david13]

4. This bike reminds me of the Shadow 500's and 750 I have had.

And my brother's old CBR750? I think it was CBR.
But I think the ergonomics, from watching your video is much like an old BMW 650 I went to look over for an out of town buyer.
Very upright position. More so than cruiser style. And a short wheel base.
Anyway, keep checking it over good to find any defects that might affect it. Check your steering head over real good, or better yet, have a pro look at it. That is the weakest point of a bike, and the most crucial.
Any rust or cracking in that area should be fixed with some professional welding.
It's a non transverse mounted v twin.
The Shadows were all transverse mounted v twins. I forget my brother's configuration.
Maybe a four?
dc