Same exept mine complains when im fixing something exept her car Then its ok but when im fixing mine its the "why are you allways working on your car" Because its therapeutic it keeps my mind from shattering into millions of pieces
CX500 engine was a revelation back in the early 80s. Very popular with medium/long trip motorcycle couriers because fuel consumption, service costs, cruising performance and reliability were top-notch. 🇬🇧
I was going to post up the same as a former UK motorcycle courier during the early 1990's. I bought the Honda VT500 at the time when the old CX500s were phased out and everyone still driving a CX just laughed at it! Actually, the VT was pretty reliable too!
The CX 500 was designed from the beginning to be a turbo charged motorcycle.. it was a variation/improvement over the moto guzzi design. when you are making a motorcycle that is going to be shaft to drive, it is far better to only have the power flow from the engine/transmission change direction one time at 90°, which is at the rear wheel, like moto guzzi, BMW, the Goldwing does it. You lose about 15% of your power to the rear wheel every time you make the power changed directions at 90°… these bikes are water cooled, which is 4000 times more efficient than air cooling. They twisted the cylinders 23° to bring the intake manifolds/carburetors closer together so they could operate the carburetors with one cable on a bell crank and bring the carburetors out of the riders way , so his knees would not have to deal with the carburetors and the intake plumbing from the air cleaner… twisting the cylinders like that also made the exhaust ports miss the radiator, and the frame down tubes. unlike BMW and moto guzzi, Honda spins the crankshaft in the opposite direction of the clutch mass to counteract the torque reaction of the engine when blipping the throttle .. if you ever rode a moto guzzi or a BMW you know what I was talking about, when you blip the throttle when you are stopped at a red light, the bike torques to the right or to the left, depending on which way the crankshaft is spinning, I forget.. these engines were designed from the start to be for the Honda CX 500 turbo which was released in the United States in 1982. I spent many hours riding the CX 500 turbo which had 71 hp and a bit of turbo lag. But they were pretty perfect. In 1983 they came out with a 650 cc turbo charged CX 650 turbo. Both of those machines were fuel injected, and I believe those were the first fuel injected motorcycles Honda ever made for street use. A friend of mine, my best long-term riding buddy since high school bought the only CX 500 turbo the dealership I worked at could get, each dealership got one machine, and I was able to reserve that machine for my buddy. The price was $4995… The early CX 500 I believe were released in the United States in 1978. It was a standard/my favorite design, it had the larger gas tank that came on the deluxe also. The one you have is a custom gas tank. I had a. CX 500 deluxe that I picked up for $500 back around 1997 when I was working part time in a Yamaha/suzuki shop selling motorcycles evenings and Saturdays.. I put the stock seat from a Canadian only model CX 500 on my machine, a set of lower bars, KONI shocks, Progressive brand Fork Springs to match the shock springs and a set of continental blitz tires, which were very rounded profile that I actually helped develop when I was a test writer for continental tires.. I have always had two or three street bikes at the same time sometimes as many as five. I’ve had over 100 motorcycles counting dirt bikes, trails, bikes, road racing machines, street bikes, dual sports, motocross, commuters, and long distance, touring machines, and sport touring machines. .. I can honestly say that that CX 500 I had was my favorite engine. It made the right kind of power for street use and it was so pleasant. It could put along, then it had a Jekyll/hyde personality when you took the revs past 5000. He could actually get out of its own way for a push rod twin. Honda made this a push rod engine that rev to 10,000 RPMs because when you have the cam in the block instead of in the heads, you have the cylinders are very much lower height, the way BMW and moto guzzi and Honda does with the Goldwing, an internal camshaft.. these bikes had one weakness in the first few years, they had capacitor discharge ignition system systems. You can be pushing the start button, and the engine will be cranking over, and not starting. Then when you let go of the start button, the bike will start . That’s because the starter is robbing power from the system, and when you let go of the start button, at that split second the engine is still turning over, the ignition system gets the boost in power that the starter was taking, and the bike will start.. Honda improved to the ignition system by going to a transistor ignition later .. the water pump seal is a real bear to change.. it is at the rear of the engine very close to the frame to get that cover plate off of the water pump impeller. I’ve done it, it can be done, but it’s a little tough. These bikes make 50 hp. there was a guy that rode around the world on a CX 500 with his girlfriend on the back. One of the magazines I think it was motorcyclist. It may have been cycle world did two stories on his travels on this machine. After the first year, he stored the bike in the bilge area of a small sailboat he bought to transport him, his girlfriend and his bike across some large body of water from India to somewhere I forget. But the bike sat in that build water for a year, he got the bike out of the boat and went out and went around the world a second time. I believe the only problem he ever had was a shock mount broke, and he had to have it welded by what he called a jungle mechanic., he said he’d rather have a jungle mechanic help him do repairs than one of those guys in white coveralls that throws their hands up in horror if you bring them a bike with dirt on it.. the CX 500 was one of the favorites of the 10,000 motorcycle couriers in London back in the day. Many of their machines had over 200,000 km on them… the CX 500 was not built to be a quarter mile hooligan bike, not even the turbo was. The problem with the turbo bikes of the early 80s that only lasted for three or four years then they dropped the turbos, the problem was, you could buy 1000 cc or even a 750 cc machine that was faster. The Kawasaki 750 turbo was the fastest of the turbos, but they were filled with problems, this suzuki Turbo that they put on the GS 650 four-cylinder was pretty good, the Yamaha was the worst/least developed. It was a 650 Yamaha with a turbo added just like the Kawasaki and the Suzuki. But the Honda CX 500 was designed to be turbo charged right from the drawing board. The turbo impeller on the CX 500 actually spun at over 100,000 RPMs and it was the size of a dime. It was a very pleasant motorcycle to ride.. those wheels you have on this machine in the video are called comstar wheels they were designed to give the soft ride of a wire wheel that will flex when hitting large bumps slightly, unlike a mag wheel that hits bumps really hard. But they were also designed to be easy to clean, which they are.. I don’t know why Honda discontinued that style of wheel because they were the best of both worlds .. I rode my CX 500 to work one day at the motorcycle shop I worked at. A customer came in and asked if we had any used bikes. We didn’t. He saw my bike sitting on the side of the building and asked about that. I told him that’s my bike . He asked if I would sell it. I thought about it for a while, I had about $800 in it. And I really really liked it. At the time I had an FJ 1200, a moto guzzi SP 1000, and the CX 500… he was an older guy in his late 50s.. I told him about the bike and about the engine design and the improvements I made to the suspension and how I liked the low head profile because it’s a pushrod engine and it makes really nice usable power right when you need it at low RPMs and mid range. I wasn’t trying to sell the bike, I was just passing the time with him..i let him sit on it..He said I’ll give you $1600 for it right now.. now this was in the late 1990s. And I thought about it .. if I didn’t accept his offer, that would be the same as me paying $1600 for it. So I took his offer, and regretted ever since.. to this day, I have never found a machine as well rounded and as pleasant and comfortable to ride as that CX 500.. that guy would stop in the shop every so often to buy oil or something or ask me a question on the bike, he wrote that thing a lot, his daughter moved from here in Western Pennsylvania to Seattle Washington. He being a truck driver rented a truck, they packed up all of his daughters stuff and he drove the rental truck with his motorcycle in the back to Seattle, he came back the long way on the CX 500 by himself. He drove down to San Diego, came across. I think it’s I 10 saw the Grand Canyon, stopped in some famous places along the way, like El Paso, Dallas, New Orleans, he went to Florida, and came up some old road. I think it’s route 17 through the Carolinas and Georgia back to Pittsburgh, he took three weeks to do that. Then he came into the shop to tell me about how wonderful the bike is again..
I had just moved to Spokane WA at the beginning of '80. One of the guys was commuting to work on a CX 500. I was in the market when I got moved back to Seattle. Too much rain there for a bike to make commutes. Thanks for your love story about the bike.
It sounds like a Harley if you just pull the mufflers off... Revs much higher though........ but this is only running one one cylinder right now.. I can tell his Right side is good but the left side is not firing at all.... I'm sure he'll make another video about it once he notices.. I bet that's why it's only $200 bucks... The owner knows that one side is dead for some reason.. Hopefully it's just a carb issue.
Nice find! Before changing to bigger mains I would (1) check the inlet manifold for leaks. Start the bike on a steady slightly higher idle and spray brake cleaner on the manifolds. If the revs goes up, you'll know there's a leak. (2) New diaphragms for the accellerator pumps. Just take one step at a time when changing things.
lol no… it is not a good sign to come with a wire schematic. You never disappoint with how throughly you go over everything and explain the whole way! You’re a hell of a teacher dude!
Makes me wonder about the sitting in his basement for years and years…chopping classic Hondas into cafe racers is a hipster trend that’s more recent in times. Their story is possible, but I lean more towards they got in over their head and never finished it off.
I've worked on a couple of those, the carbs are real tricky. Watch the slides when it's running they won't be syncing you have to adjust them till they move together, vacuum lines have to be right, no air leaks.... great work getting it to run so good on the choke that's awesome! Try that speedo it'll be awesome! Keep on wrenching! 💥☠️💥
Hi I have a 1980 cx500 which we call the plastic maggot here in the UK this model is bulletproof hope you have a lot of fun on this love watching you work
I'm glad to see you caught a well-deserved break on that one, after all those side-by-sides with busted cylinders and bad rod bearings! Brought back some memories for me - I always thought a CX would make a cool chopper. I had the 1981 VF750C Magna - only new bike I ever bought. Great video!
Ce qui et bien chez vous c'est que vous appliquer les mêmes plans caméras pour toute vos restauration. Merci beaucoup de nous faire partager ta passion.
Great video - brings back memory's from the early 90's when I owned 2 of these bikes and they were my main transportation at that time , forgot that I owned them lol one was a silverwing and the other a custom as well !!! Great running engines and very smooth , I rebuilt my custom ( top end ) at 30,000 miles and it is quite a complicated engine with ALOT of moving parts !!!! To this day I still see it around town as the paint job my buddy did is still on it !!!! Memory lane with Joe today !!!!
@@mackay820 it´s a matter of style and preference. Besides we are not allowed such drastic changes in Europe due to saftey reasons, so you have to make due with what you got
Lovely smooth quiet bulletproof bike turned into an uncomfortable obnoxious unreliable brat, which got sold for a couple of hundred bucks...so short-sighted...when will people learn?
It was a pretty slow bike at the time it came out …. Whoever butchered it like that frankly made it into a slower bike!! Mind you it looks like its probably got more than $200 of decent EBay bits on it … but then that wouldn’t make a very good video would it !?!? 😂
People are free to do what they like with their bikes.... whether u like it or not but here u are... watching and commenting... adding to the algorithm
Yep That's what a Cafe racer is. Different people like different things. But I'm not do sure about unreliable. What did he do to it to get it running. . .hmm. put in the battery. Cleaned the carbs, and fresh gas. A 40 year old neglected bike that required a new battery and a can of carb cleaner. Less than 100 bucks. Seems like that Ebay fender didn't hurt reliability as much as you might hope it did.
Originally, that was a CX500C Custom, a nice bike and easy to ride too. They are reliable, but age is now starting to tell on the components. Check the stator outputs - if the indicators start to slow down and then stop, beware you charging circuit has failed. The stock CDI's are now getting long in the tooth and if it packs up then the only recourse is to replace it, there are modern parts available. A distinct 'slapping' sound, which disappears as the engine is rev'd indicates a worn cam chain or failed slipper blade(s), in either case replace asap or the chain starts to eat its way out from the inside. If you notice a few drips of coolant under the bike then its giving you a warning that the 'mechanical seal' on the end of the cam shaft, behind the water pump impeller is on its way out - heed the warning, other wise not only will you have to replace it, but probably the main shell bearings too! If you put it back to stock, which in real terms probably won't cost you that much, it would be worth far more than it is as it stands now.
Joe, just like to state that I really enjoy your problem solving. Even though I'm not a mechanic or own a motorcycle, I really enjoy your great attitude and clean channel. I used to be an artist for the MX VS ATV video game. I made digital versions of these bikes. Thank you for the great content.
The CX500 is an absolute legend! In the UK they were (are) used by delivery drivers for their reliability. If at least the oil gets changed they do run awsome. I don´t like the "café" thing, I like em better stock. Nice, light and quiet and comfy, even on long rides. And they like to rev. Honda 4strokes all rev to the moon… Drive em like You stole em! Happy New Year!
Great bike! I picked up 2 of them , 15 years ago to teach my sons how to ride. Your vids are awesome! CX500/650 has a cult following and probably the best online forums for support. Enjoy.
When they were first introduced in the U.K in the 70's there were some issues with rod/crank clearances and some of them seized which put a damper on sales. Once the problem was sorted out at the factory and confidence in the bike was restored they became a decent seller and a favourite with courier companies.
Hi there man - these cv carbs have a diaphragm like the one on the accelerator pump on their side, this needs to be checked for the bike to run right. If they are gone, it will behave like it does here.. Plus there is another jet under this black rubber plug you need to clean. Keep up the good work!
Then you should know... He's only running on one cylinder.. Go back and watch it again; especially when he revs it. (59:35)... It does NOT have that double burble that this thing normally sounds like. I think it's the left side that's dead. He's going to be in for a treat once he sees the other side running too.
Then you should know... He's only running on one cylinder.. Go back and watch it again; especially when he revs it. (59:35)... It does NOT have that double burble that this thing normally sounds like.
I had a 1979 CX500. I loved the sound. I liked it so well That I bought a new 1983 CX650 custom in black. I became really good at riding wheelies and became well known in my town. Back then, riding wheelies on street bikes were not a common practice. Unfortunately, I became a target of law enforcement. Traded it even for a 1973 Z28.
I just came across your site. Don't have time to watch, but I have an '81 GL500. The ONLY thing I don't like is it seems the COG is high with those big cast-in heads. Nearly 50 HP for merging, smooth, quiet, comfortable, inexpensive, simple. Will go home on one cylinder. I have no fairing; just a Spitfire S-06 shield. The 81 GL has transistor ignition, which is good. I use Rotella in all my bikes.
HONDA CX500’s are my favorite Honda engines…. I’ve got one, myself. Very powerful 500’s. They are finicky if the carbs aren’t synced and the air box must be in place.
It's what's left of a 1981 Honda CX500 Custom, the cruiser model of the CX500. I bought a brand new one back in 1981 at age 18. Over 20 years later I bought a well used Honda GL500 Silverwing. The Honda CX/GL 500/650 is one of my all time favorite motorcycle engines.
Am I the only one yelling emulsion tube? 🙂 You'd already removed the pilot jet 😀 Great video nonetheless and looking forward to you looking into the instrumentation 🙂
I have no idea how you keep finding deals like this, but here in the UK, I wouldn't get a complete basket case for that. This thing looked to be in great condition, regardless of the fact it was in parts. This bike has turned out to be a really nice Café Racer and worth a lot more that the $200 😊
I had an 80' CX500.. It was a pretty sweet bike. Engine could scream.. We put so many miles on it.. Then I gave it to by brother and he literally drove it everywhere.. everyday.. for years. Eventually it did spin a rod bearing. IT wasn't all that powerful, but it was a solid bike if you're needing to rely on it everyday... I had a dual seat and put a big sizzy bar on the back, and big leather saddle bags to hold stuff. My brother took that stuff off when he had it... It was clapped out when I gave it to him, and he ran that thing ALL the way into the ground... Just rode it as hard as possible, 24/7. lol.. He ran it without the mufflers; just straight pipes- it sounds mean that way. But somehow, it kept going and going.. much longer than anyone expected............... until it didn't anymore. We tore it all the way down to the crank to see if it was fixable-- but it wasn't-- without getting a new crank. I still have all the parts in my garage, just sitting on shelves.
I bought a 79 cm 400 that had a 2 into 1 but the mufler was crap. Bought that exact same baffled mufler for around $65. Sounded absolutely amazing ! After selling it, I picked up a 2000 intruder 800 that also had crap mufflers. So bought two more,.. and it would have to be the best sounding intruder I've heard.
I bought one of those bike brand new in 82, owned it for 10 years and did 150000km on it, very reliable, however you may find an issue with the ignition pick ups in the stator. The fix is to remove the engine split the cases then have the stator rewound. There was a great technician here in Brisbane that fixed this issue for good.
Hi this bike in the UK makes big bucks. Any thing from easy £1000 to £8000 depending on model and condition. Still parts also on UK Ebay. This was my first brand new bike in 1982.
always interesting and great to learn about fixing dirtbike,s atv,s quads you explain it really well keep it up You're a legend you never let your subscribers down
Needs fenders. I rode one of these east-west coast US in 1980. Had no problems with the bike. These are very good, if you maintain things, last-forever engines. Valves easy to adjust, oil easy to change, etc. One issue is cam chain tensioners need to be watched and there was a mod to improve the situation. If they give up, it is a rebuild. As a cafe, I don’t know. These are mild engines but they create a ridable long distance 500cc bike. I would change/ lift/ pull back the bars, put an old school full fender on the front and call it a “road-scrambler”. Too bad it got trashed but the motor-in-frame is worth using and saving!
Joe, dont forget to sync the carbs with vaccum guages. But put a muffler on the missing side and the air boxes. Syncing the carbs will far advance the power output and balance of the motor.
He does here and there. He mentioned about a subscriber or subscribers comments in another post. And then explained why or about a new tool to get. Like the Milwaukee right angle battery operated 3/8 drive. I bought one
If you cut the top of the top of battery box to the same radius as the frames loop tail & paint it black. Think it would look a lot better. My friend had a stock bike same color and V engine back about in 86. Was more of a lean back cruising bike when stock. Great bike, Great video. Can't wait to see it finished.
I had an ‘83 GL500 which was scaled down version of the Goldwing with a similar front fairing, saddlebags and back case which replaced the passenger seat turning it into a really nice commuting bike. I was living in Takoma Park, MD at the time and commuting into DC. My previous commuting bike in the mid-late 70s was a ‘68 BMW R60/2 so by comparison the GL500 was much easier to maneuver but didn’t have nearly as much low-end torque. 4,000-5,000k was the engine’s power band. Below 4k it didn’t accelerate very well. It was noteworthy at the time for being one of the few shaft drive bikes in that size. If memory serves the reason Honda marketed as a street bike was because that was necessary in order to race a turbo charged version in the 500cc class. There as also turbocharged street version. I was in the Foreign Service and bought it and rode it 1987-90 during a DC assignment and sold it to USIA colleague who shipped it to his posting in Africa. I replaced it in 1999 with a 2000 BMW K1200LT which was like a scaled up version of it 😂
Loved my CX500. Fork rake was really good for around town and tight maneuvering but still out far enough for stability on long cruises. Damn good bike.
Yep. I know FOR A FACT: (59:35)... I know that sound.. You're only running on one cylinder my friend.. You're gonna love it when you get them both firing. It does NOT have that double burble that this thing normally sounds like. It's very gutless when you're only on one side... You should feel the heat on your legs.. One head will feel warm and the other will still be cold. I'm 90% sure your RIGHT side is the good side and your LEFT side is the d3ad side.
Those are great bikes! Carbs needed some extra attention but very reliable. Lots of people had the Windjammers on them and were great long distance bikes
Nice revival on that one. For safety, I would advise cutting a small square out of the corner of the battery box, as the positive terminals right next to ground. could easily short the battery, when your riding over bumpy ground
I’ve owned several of those. They’re great bikes. I’d replace the fan right away if I were you. The hubs are notorious for developing cracks and flying apart.
The turbo CX500 was fuel injected & of course. They scrapped the turbo idea in part, due to the unpredictable turbo boost...But it'd be really cool to do a turbo or a twin turbo CX500. With 2 small turbos under the seat so it has a smoother power range. On a cafe racer build.
You are lucky to find such a clean cx500 for such a small price, I have been waiting for one in my area to do a similar build. Great video joe!, keep up the great content
Brick house builds and the bearded mechnic here on youtube have built these into adventure bikes. Good engines, it was for sure different for the times. It's become popular to turn these into cafe racers.
@MalleusSemperVictor since the previous post the temp dropped to 27 degrees and it started snowing again...I'm just chilling in bed binge watching TV and scrolling around on UA-cam on a tablet 😁
I've never seen a bike that you couldn't diagnose and fix. You absolutely thrive on a good challenge. Looks kinda like what the Gang that rode with the TOE CUTTER on Mad Max would have rode! 😅
Bonjour et bravo Joe, très bon achat... Aujourd'hui pour 200 dollars t'a plus rien... Cette machine fait un super bruit, un peu comme les motos Guzzi 👌!... Bonne année à tous, santé bonheur 💯🎉🍾🥂🎊👌👍😉
Those are lovely little bikes to run, those carbs will need tuning, and the jet sorted ... as for pods, personally still prefer the box, pods take a lot of adjustment and you will need to regulate your mix to make up for having pods and non stock pipes .... make sure you run both or they can be a contributing factor to the running too especially on these models
I remember those bikes, (the flying maggot) Very poor choice for a cafe racer horrible swingarm and steering head bearings for throwing it around in turns The frame is stamped steel and not very strong for throwing it around Throwing a bike around without a upper fork brace is a recipe for disaster Better to get it running good , they are very finicky about carb balance A good indication of carbs being run for a while without balancing is uneven compression, as one cyl was working harder than the other causing uneven wear, which could cause crank bearing wear Stock seating with handle bars just above belly button level makes a nice comfortable ride
Sounds really nice and it suits you , though its a bit on the small size for a guy your size.If you cut 2 black plastic surfaces , you can screw them on the sides and hide the battery.Take care , have a great year.
Awesome Joe ... I'm sure once you get it and put accelerator pumps in the carbs you will get rid of the lean spot . I wish you would of pulled the plugs for us to see after you rode it . But I'm sure it's lean ... Thanks again for a great video . Tell Vinny hey from us . And I hope you your wife and Vinny have a great new years .
Ah yes the Honda CX 500, it's Nickname was the maggot by its owners . I owned and rode one back in the 80's as I was a motorcycle courier and covered the south of England up to Leeds in the north. Then moved on to the Yamaha XJ 650 which also was a shaft drive, a preference to the chain driven bikes, especially when raking up the miles. Both had bulletproof engines, memories can back on watching your video I'm in my 70's now and wheelchair bound, I saw over the years that people were putting the ol maggot engine into 3 wheelers, similar to the Morgan 3 wheeler, as the shaft drive was extended and was suitable for the single rear wheel.
Cool bike if it was chain drive would be better. Shaft drive are alright till it stands straight up coming out of a corner. Good video like watching you put theses back in running order
Loved my old CX 500. Not powerful but it just kept going. One thing I recall being an issue was to listen for a 'tinkle' in the engine, the cam chain can go and grenade the engine.
Don’t forget you put a heap of oil in both cylinders, hence the high compression reading. Also there may not be enough back pressure in those ex pipes for med to high throttle, the carbs may need to be re jetted and an air box added.
The first time I saw one of these bikes and the V-twin engine I thought it was a Moto Guzzi. There definitely are similarities. Glad you got such a great deal and are having fun with your latest new toy.
@2vintage, these are great bikes. They had two variations the 500 and the 650. I had the cx650. In a nutshell it's a water-cooled clone of the air-cooled Moto Guzzi S7 700 😁 .
My wife just doesn’t understand how watching a random guy, for over an hour, fixing a broken Bike, keeps my attention. Women!🙄
Same exept mine complains when im fixing something exept her car
Then its ok but when im fixing mine its the "why are you allways working on your car"
Because its therapeutic it keeps my mind from shattering into millions of pieces
Same here
I’ve learned the proper methodology for determining what’s wrong with bike and quad engines. Very useful info every time!
Same here
I single handedly blame Joe for the ZX6 I have in my garage. I'm just down to the plastics and she's good to rip.
CX500 engine was a revelation back in the early 80s. Very popular with medium/long trip motorcycle couriers because fuel consumption, service costs, cruising performance and reliability were top-notch. 🇬🇧
I was going to post up the same as a former UK motorcycle courier during the early 1990's. I bought the Honda VT500 at the time when the old CX500s were phased out and everyone still driving a CX just laughed at it! Actually, the VT was pretty reliable too!
I know it as a great commuter bike.that wasn't required to give all out performance.
This one looks like a rear suspension mono-shock conversion would not be impossible.
And it was comfortable
@@austenj4539liked my VT good bike for the job
The CX 500 was designed from the beginning to be a turbo charged motorcycle.. it was a variation/improvement over the moto guzzi design.
when you are making a motorcycle that is going to be shaft to drive, it is far better to only have the power flow from the engine/transmission change direction one time at 90°, which is at the rear wheel, like moto guzzi, BMW, the Goldwing does it. You lose about 15% of your power to the rear wheel every time you make the power changed directions at 90°…
these bikes are water cooled, which is 4000 times more efficient than air cooling. They twisted the cylinders 23° to bring the intake manifolds/carburetors closer together so they could operate the carburetors with one cable on a bell crank and bring the carburetors out of the riders way , so his knees would not have to deal with the carburetors and the intake plumbing from the air cleaner… twisting the cylinders like that also made the exhaust ports miss the radiator, and the frame down tubes.
unlike BMW and moto guzzi, Honda spins the crankshaft in the opposite direction of the clutch mass to counteract the torque reaction of the engine when blipping the throttle .. if you ever rode a moto guzzi or a BMW you know what I was talking about, when you blip the throttle when you are stopped at a red light, the bike torques to the right or to the left, depending on which way the crankshaft is spinning, I forget..
these engines were designed from the start to be for the Honda CX 500 turbo which was released in the United States in 1982. I spent many hours riding the CX 500 turbo which had 71 hp and a bit of turbo lag. But they were pretty perfect. In 1983 they came out with a 650 cc turbo charged CX 650 turbo. Both of those machines were fuel injected, and I believe those were the first fuel injected motorcycles Honda ever made for street use. A friend of mine, my best long-term riding buddy since high school bought the only CX 500 turbo the dealership I worked at could get, each dealership got one machine, and I was able to reserve that machine for my buddy. The price was $4995…
The early CX 500 I believe were released in the United States in 1978. It was a standard/my favorite design, it had the larger gas tank that came on the deluxe also. The one you have is a custom gas tank. I had a. CX 500 deluxe that I picked up for $500 back around 1997 when I was working part time in a Yamaha/suzuki shop selling motorcycles evenings and Saturdays.. I put the stock seat from a Canadian only model CX 500 on my machine, a set of lower bars, KONI shocks, Progressive brand Fork Springs to match the shock springs and a set of continental blitz tires, which were very rounded profile that I actually helped develop when I was a test writer for continental tires..
I have always had two or three street bikes at the same time sometimes as many as five. I’ve had over 100 motorcycles counting dirt bikes, trails, bikes, road racing machines, street bikes, dual sports, motocross, commuters, and long distance, touring machines, and sport touring machines. .. I can honestly say that that CX 500 I had was my favorite engine. It made the right kind of power for street use and it was so pleasant. It could put along, then it had a Jekyll/hyde
personality when you took the revs past 5000. He could actually get out of its own way for a push rod twin. Honda made this a push rod engine that rev to 10,000 RPMs because when you have the cam in the block instead of in the heads, you have the cylinders are very much lower height, the way BMW and moto guzzi and Honda does with the Goldwing, an internal camshaft..
these bikes had one weakness in the first few years, they had capacitor discharge ignition system systems. You can be pushing the start button, and the engine will be cranking over, and not starting. Then when you let go of the start button, the bike will start . That’s because the starter is robbing power from the system, and when you let go of the start button, at that split second the engine is still turning over, the ignition system gets the boost in power that the starter was taking, and the bike will start..
Honda improved to the ignition system by going to a transistor ignition later .. the water pump seal is a real bear to change.. it is at the rear of the engine very close to the frame to get that cover plate off of the water pump impeller. I’ve done it, it can be done, but it’s a little tough. These bikes make 50 hp.
there was a guy that rode around the world on a CX 500 with his girlfriend on the back. One of the magazines I think it was motorcyclist. It may have been cycle world did two stories on his travels on this machine. After the first year, he stored the bike in the bilge area of a small sailboat he bought to transport him, his girlfriend and his bike across some large body of water from India to somewhere I forget. But the bike sat in that build water for a year, he got the bike out of the boat and went out and went around the world a second time. I believe the only problem he ever had was a shock mount broke, and he had to have it welded by what he called a jungle mechanic., he said he’d rather have a jungle mechanic help him do repairs than one of those guys in white coveralls that throws their hands up in horror if you bring them a bike with dirt on it.. the CX 500 was one of the favorites of the 10,000 motorcycle couriers in London back in the day. Many of their machines had over 200,000 km on them…
the CX 500 was not built to be a quarter mile hooligan bike, not even the turbo was. The problem with the turbo bikes of the early 80s that only lasted for three or four years then they dropped the turbos, the problem was, you could buy 1000 cc or even a 750 cc machine that was faster. The Kawasaki 750 turbo was the fastest of the turbos, but they were filled with problems, this suzuki Turbo that they put on the GS 650 four-cylinder was pretty good, the Yamaha was the worst/least developed. It was a 650 Yamaha with a turbo added just like the Kawasaki and the Suzuki. But the Honda CX 500 was designed to be turbo charged right from the drawing board. The turbo impeller on the CX 500 actually spun at over 100,000 RPMs and it was the size of a dime. It was a very pleasant motorcycle to ride..
those wheels you have on this machine in the video are called comstar wheels
they were designed to give the soft ride of a wire wheel that will flex when hitting large bumps slightly, unlike a mag wheel that hits bumps really hard. But they were also designed to be easy to clean, which they are..
I don’t know why Honda discontinued that style of wheel because they were the best of both worlds ..
I rode my CX 500 to work one day at the motorcycle shop I worked at. A customer came in and asked if we had any used bikes. We didn’t. He saw my bike sitting on the side of the building and asked about that. I told him that’s my bike . He asked if I would sell it. I thought about it for a while, I had about $800 in it. And I really really liked it. At the time I had an FJ 1200, a moto guzzi SP 1000, and the CX 500… he was an older guy in his late 50s.. I told him about the bike and about the engine design and the improvements I made to the suspension and how I liked the low head profile because it’s a pushrod engine and it makes really nice usable power right when you need it at low RPMs and mid range. I wasn’t trying to sell the bike, I was just passing the time with him..i let him sit on it..He said I’ll give you $1600 for it right now.. now this was in the late 1990s. And I thought about it .. if I didn’t accept his offer, that would be the same as me paying $1600 for it. So I took his offer, and regretted ever since.. to this day, I have never found a machine as well rounded and as pleasant and comfortable to ride as that CX 500..
that guy would stop in the shop every so often to buy oil or something or ask me a question on the bike, he wrote that thing a lot, his daughter moved from here in Western Pennsylvania to Seattle Washington. He being a truck driver rented a truck, they packed up all of his daughters stuff and he drove the rental truck with his motorcycle in the back to Seattle, he came back the long way on the CX 500 by himself. He drove down to San Diego, came across. I think it’s I 10 saw the Grand Canyon, stopped in some famous places along the way, like El Paso, Dallas, New Orleans, he went to Florida, and came up some old road. I think it’s route 17 through the Carolinas and Georgia back to Pittsburgh, he took three weeks to do that. Then he came into the shop to tell me about how wonderful the bike is again..
I had just moved to Spokane WA at the beginning of '80. One of the guys was commuting to work on a CX 500. I was in the market when I got moved back to Seattle. Too much rain there for a bike to make commutes. Thanks for your love story about the bike.
The longest comment on a video I have ever seen ! Well done :)
Man if they still printed motorcycle mags you could write for one
The Tolstoy of commentors
Damn guy....ya just wrote a mini novel
you should glue a magnet onto the back of your compression tester then you can stick it to whatever, then you won’t always have to hastle with it
.... seems like a magnet would screw with the needle readings...
That or a simple metal wire hook....Which I'm gonna do to mine....A hook & magnet 🧲 .
@@johndoe248 very well could, just a thought and maybe be able to gear something up
Or make the wife hold the tester .😂
@@Razzaqabuali It takes her 20 minutes to help me for 2. There is always a better way.
(Girlfriend, mistress, C-clamp) Just kidding.
Surprising how nice that thing sounds!
yeah, and I kinda like the way it looks.
It does sound pretty darn good. A lot of sound from only a 500cc engine.
It sounds like a Harley if you just pull the mufflers off... Revs much higher though........ but this is only running one one cylinder right now.. I can tell his Right side is good but the left side is not firing at all.... I'm sure he'll make another video about it once he notices.. I bet that's why it's only $200 bucks... The owner knows that one side is dead for some reason.. Hopefully it's just a carb issue.
Nice find! Before changing to bigger mains I would (1) check the inlet manifold for leaks. Start the bike on a steady slightly higher idle and spray brake cleaner on the manifolds. If the revs goes up, you'll know there's a leak. (2) New diaphragms for the accellerator pumps. Just take one step at a time when changing things.
I agree you can see cracks in the manifold, he mentions putting gasket sealer on them.
And source an airbox - worth it I think. And spray paint the battery box black.
lol no… it is not a good sign to come with a wire schematic. You never disappoint with how throughly you go over everything and explain the whole way! You’re a hell of a teacher dude!
Ditto, he should be teaching small engine repair to high schoolers and an evening class for adults
Makes me wonder about the sitting in his basement for years and years…chopping classic Hondas into cafe racers is a hipster trend that’s more recent in times. Their story is possible, but I lean more towards they got in over their head and never finished it off.
Bout to rebuild my 98 kx125 using your video from a few months ago. Thanks Joe!
I've worked on a couple of those, the carbs are real tricky. Watch the slides when it's running they won't be syncing you have to adjust them till they move together, vacuum lines have to be right, no air leaks.... great work getting it to run so good on the choke that's awesome! Try that speedo it'll be awesome! Keep on wrenching! 💥☠️💥
A chill ran up my spine, worked on a friend's Honda Valkyrie (think 1999-2000), 6 carbs = painful
Hi I have a 1980 cx500 which we call the plastic maggot here in the UK this model is bulletproof hope you have a lot of fun on this love watching you work
You can fix any bike or side by side anybody gives you your a master my guy I love watching you fix these broken machines
I'm glad to see you caught a well-deserved break on that one, after all those side-by-sides with busted cylinders and bad rod bearings! Brought back some memories for me - I always thought a CX would make a cool chopper. I had the 1981 VF750C Magna - only new bike I ever bought. Great video!
Ce qui et bien chez vous c'est que vous appliquer les mêmes plans caméras pour toute vos restauration.
Merci beaucoup de nous faire partager ta passion.
I’ve learned so much by watching your videos over the past years I remember you and your brother at your house
Great video - brings back memory's from the early 90's when I owned 2 of these bikes and they were my main transportation at that time , forgot that I owned them lol one was a silverwing and the other a custom as well !!! Great running engines and very smooth , I rebuilt my custom ( top end ) at 30,000 miles and it is quite a complicated engine with ALOT of moving parts !!!! To this day I still see it around town as the paint job my buddy did is still on it !!!! Memory lane with Joe today !!!!
I think you got a good deal. Impressed that there’s no smoking and the compression is good.
it was my first bike, blue colour, chopper configuration, 50 HP, love at first side. Sad to see it ruined into cafejunk.
Speak for yourself. I can't stand the 80 chic windshield/cowl and the back swept bars.
@@mackay820 😅😂
You're crazy, it looks way better than stock
@@mackay820 it´s a matter of style and preference. Besides we are not allowed such drastic changes in Europe due to saftey reasons, so you have to make due with what you got
Just try to find bone stock Harleys.
Nice looking bike, you can put some big number plates over the battery areas.
Nice work Joe. That's a pretty cool bike. Maybe give those air mixture screws a half turn out on each carb as well. Thanks for the great content.
Lovely smooth quiet bulletproof bike turned into an uncomfortable obnoxious unreliable brat, which got sold for a couple of hundred bucks...so short-sighted...when will people learn?
Well being honest it’s a 40+ year old bike that sat for years… a few bugs to be worked through is expected.
It was a pretty slow bike at the time it came out …. Whoever butchered it like that frankly made it into a slower bike!! Mind you it looks like its probably got more than $200 of decent EBay bits on it … but then that wouldn’t make a very good video would it !?!? 😂
What I came here to say, they were reasonable bikes at the time but this modification like most modifications made the original bike worse.
People are free to do what they like with their bikes.... whether u like it or not but here u are... watching and commenting... adding to the algorithm
Yep
That's what a Cafe racer is.
Different people like different things.
But I'm not do sure about unreliable. What did he do to it to get it running. . .hmm. put in the battery. Cleaned the carbs, and fresh gas.
A 40 year old neglected bike that required a new battery and a can of carb cleaner. Less than 100 bucks. Seems like that Ebay fender didn't hurt reliability as much as you might hope it did.
That distinct CX500 sound, yep back in the day all the boys had them, I had a CX400...............always a great job Joe, thank you
Originally, that was a CX500C Custom, a nice bike and easy to ride too. They are reliable, but age is now starting to tell on the components. Check the stator outputs - if the indicators start to slow down and then stop, beware you charging circuit has failed. The stock CDI's are now getting long in the tooth and if it packs up then the only recourse is to replace it, there are modern parts available. A distinct 'slapping' sound, which disappears as the engine is rev'd indicates a worn cam chain or failed slipper blade(s), in either case replace asap or the chain starts to eat its way out from the inside. If you notice a few drips of coolant under the bike then its giving you a warning that the 'mechanical seal' on the end of the cam shaft, behind the water pump impeller is on its way out - heed the warning, other wise not only will you have to replace it, but probably the main shell bearings too! If you put it back to stock, which in real terms probably won't cost you that much, it would be worth far more than it is as it stands now.
Joe, just like to state that I really enjoy your problem solving. Even though I'm not a mechanic or own a motorcycle, I really enjoy your great attitude and clean channel. I used to be an artist for the MX VS ATV video game. I made digital versions of these bikes. Thank you for the great content.
The CX500 is an absolute legend! In the UK they were (are) used by delivery drivers for their reliability. If at least the oil gets changed they do run awsome. I don´t like the "café" thing, I like em better stock. Nice, light and quiet and comfy, even on long rides. And they like to rev. Honda 4strokes all rev to the moon… Drive em like You stole em!
Happy New Year!
Great bike! I picked up 2 of them , 15 years ago to teach my sons how to ride.
Your vids are awesome!
CX500/650 has a cult following and probably the best online forums for support. Enjoy.
When they were first introduced in the U.K in the 70's there were some issues with rod/crank clearances and some of them seized which put a damper on sales. Once the problem was sorted out at the factory and confidence in the bike was restored they became a decent seller and a favourite with courier companies.
Not to forget the water pump seal......
"Knock,knock" Who's there ? "CX 500" lol.
That thing is awesome! Those front turn signals are actually bar-end blinkers. They're pretty cool when installed in the ends of the handlebars.
Hi there man - these cv carbs have a diaphragm like the one on the accelerator pump on their side, this needs to be checked for the bike to run right. If they are gone, it will behave like it does here.. Plus there is another jet under this black rubber plug you need to clean. Keep up the good work!
Yes - right on ! the jet under the plug must be drilled and tapped to remove it - 1981 was a press fit jet, 1982 they added screw in jet there
Then you should know... He's only running on one cylinder.. Go back and watch it again; especially when he revs it. (59:35)... It does NOT have that double burble that this thing normally sounds like.
I think it's the left side that's dead. He's going to be in for a treat once he sees the other side running too.
200 BUCKS IS A SUPER DEAL FOR A POSSIBLY STYLISH CAFE RACER! BUT IT NEEDS SOME FENDERS
That's what I thought by the looks of the seat & handle bars.
That's not stylish. That's a classic chopped up and ruined, almost made useless. People who do this belong in a prison.
Opinions may vary.
The first street bike I ever owned was a cx 500, I loved that little bike!!! Mine sounded fantastic, and lots of power!
Then you should know... He's only running on one cylinder.. Go back and watch it again; especially when he revs it. (59:35)... It does NOT have that double burble that this thing normally sounds like.
Back in the day I had a GL400 (same as a CX).
Fun bike and the horizontal V twin sounded good. Rock solid engine in these bikes.
I love the consistent methodology to examining each vehicle.
I had a 1979 CX500. I loved the sound. I liked it so well That I bought a new 1983 CX650 custom in black. I became really good at riding wheelies and became well known in my town. Back then, riding wheelies on street bikes were not a common practice. Unfortunately, I became a target of law enforcement. Traded it even for a 1973 Z28.
I am going to look forward to you fixing this bike. It looks like quite the puzzle.
Worst part of acquiring a failed cafe build is the wiring! The CX500 is a pretty cool machine though.
It’s a steal for 200 bucks. Doesn’t look to bad. Great work Joe.
I just came across your site. Don't have time to watch, but I have an '81 GL500. The ONLY thing I don't like is it seems the COG is high with those big cast-in heads. Nearly 50 HP for merging, smooth, quiet, comfortable, inexpensive, simple. Will go home on one cylinder. I have no fairing; just a Spitfire S-06 shield. The 81 GL has transistor ignition, which is good. I use Rotella in all my bikes.
HONDA CX500’s are my favorite Honda engines…. I’ve got one, myself. Very powerful 500’s. They are finicky if the carbs aren’t synced and the air box must be in place.
It's what's left of a 1981 Honda CX500 Custom, the cruiser model of the CX500. I bought a brand new one back in 1981 at age 18. Over 20 years later I bought a well used Honda GL500 Silverwing. The Honda CX/GL 500/650 is one of my all time favorite motorcycle engines.
Am I the only one yelling emulsion tube? 🙂 You'd already removed the pilot jet 😀
Great video nonetheless and looking forward to you looking into the instrumentation 🙂
No I also said it.
This bloke thinks emulsion tubes are what you paint with !
That cafe is awesome, has so much potential. Cant wait to see you get this running perfect & also installing the gauges
Nice to see you bring back a road cycle. Wasn't sure you could. All I see you work on is dirt bikes and 3-4 wheelers.
I have no idea how you keep finding deals like this, but here in the UK, I wouldn't get a complete basket case for that. This thing looked to be in great condition, regardless of the fact it was in parts.
This bike has turned out to be a really nice Café Racer and worth a lot more that the $200 😊
offer only that much auctions and crap laying in yards in the county just asking around all sources
I think American isn’t restricted on earnings like we are,
I had an 80' CX500..
It was a pretty sweet bike. Engine could scream.. We put so many miles on it.. Then I gave it to by brother and he literally drove it everywhere.. everyday.. for years. Eventually it did spin a rod bearing. IT wasn't all that powerful, but it was a solid bike if you're needing to rely on it everyday... I had a dual seat and put a big sizzy bar on the back, and big leather saddle bags to hold stuff. My brother took that stuff off when he had it... It was clapped out when I gave it to him, and he ran that thing ALL the way into the ground... Just rode it as hard as possible, 24/7. lol.. He ran it without the mufflers; just straight pipes- it sounds mean that way. But somehow, it kept going and going.. much longer than anyone expected............... until it didn't anymore. We tore it all the way down to the crank to see if it was fixable-- but it wasn't-- without getting a new crank. I still have all the parts in my garage, just sitting on shelves.
Very good and confident mechanic. From Sarawak,Borneo
I bought a 79 cm 400 that had a 2 into 1 but the mufler was crap. Bought that exact same baffled mufler for around $65. Sounded absolutely amazing !
After selling it, I picked up a 2000 intruder 800 that also had crap mufflers. So bought two more,.. and it would have to be the best sounding intruder I've heard.
I bought one of those bike brand new in 82, owned it for 10 years and did 150000km on it, very reliable, however you may find an issue with the ignition pick ups in the stator. The fix is to remove the engine split the cases then have the stator rewound. There was a great technician here in Brisbane that fixed this issue for good.
You have to pull the driveline to replace clutch . I'm not sure about this bike, but on early goldwings is a nightmare
Thanks for the great videos
looking forward to the new year! keep it up joe
Hi this bike in the UK makes big bucks. Any thing from easy £1000 to £8000 depending on model and condition. Still parts also on UK Ebay. This was my first brand new bike in 1982.
On Ebay sold listings from £ 800 to £1300... You call that big bucks ? lol.
The plus 2k ones have been up for DECADES.
always interesting and great to learn about fixing dirtbike,s atv,s quads you explain it really well keep it up You're a legend you never let your subscribers down
Needs fenders. I rode one of these east-west coast US in 1980. Had no problems with the bike. These are very good, if you maintain things, last-forever engines. Valves easy to adjust, oil easy to change, etc. One issue is cam chain tensioners need to be watched and there was a mod to improve the situation. If they give up, it is a rebuild. As a cafe, I don’t know. These are mild engines but they create a ridable long distance 500cc bike. I would change/ lift/ pull back the bars, put an old school full fender on the front and call it a “road-scrambler”. Too bad it got trashed but the motor-in-frame is worth using and saving!
That is a cool old bike! thanks for the videos. you have been on a winning streak for a while now!
Joe, dont forget to sync the carbs with vaccum guages. But put a muffler on the missing side and the air boxes. Syncing the carbs will far advance the power output and balance of the motor.
Don't you know by now? Joe doesn't read comments or interact with his subscribers what so ever, zero/nada/niets
@@Odder-Beinglach me dood
He does here and there. He mentioned about a subscriber or subscribers comments in another post. And then explained why or about a new tool to get. Like the Milwaukee right angle battery operated 3/8 drive. I bought one
That is a good looking bobber/cafe racer. I sure hope you restore it either as a resto-mod or what Honda produced.
If you cut the top of the top of battery box to the same radius as the frames loop tail & paint it black. Think it would look a lot better. My friend had a stock bike same color and V engine back about in 86. Was more of a lean back cruising bike when stock. Great bike, Great video. Can't wait to see it finished.
That worth the time to complete the build and put the finishing touches on it sounds really good .
I had an ‘83 GL500 which was scaled down version of the Goldwing with a similar front fairing, saddlebags and back case which replaced the passenger seat turning it into a really nice commuting bike. I was living in Takoma Park, MD at the time and commuting into DC. My previous commuting bike in the mid-late 70s was a ‘68 BMW R60/2 so by comparison the GL500 was much easier to maneuver but didn’t have nearly as much low-end torque. 4,000-5,000k was the engine’s power band. Below 4k it didn’t accelerate very well. It was noteworthy at the time for being one of the few shaft drive bikes in that size.
If memory serves the reason Honda marketed as a street bike was because that was necessary in order to race a turbo charged version in the 500cc class. There as also turbocharged street version. I was in the Foreign Service and bought it and rode it 1987-90 during a DC assignment and sold it to USIA colleague who shipped it to his posting in Africa. I replaced it in 1999 with a 2000 BMW K1200LT which was like a scaled up version of it 😂
I want that bike! I had a 1980 CX500 Custom about 20 years ago, it was a great bike that was very reliable. I wish I still had it.
I had a CX500 and it’s a great bike. Nice power and smooth ride. Same bike they made the Silverwing out of.
Loved my CX500. Fork rake was really good for around town and tight maneuvering but still out far enough for stability on long cruises. Damn good bike.
add original silencers and let it be a quiet cruiser again, they sounded so nice in their day, lovely bikes😊
Yep. I know FOR A FACT: (59:35)...
I know that sound.. You're only running on one cylinder my friend.. You're gonna love it when you get them both firing.
It does NOT have that double burble that this thing normally sounds like. It's very gutless when you're only on one side... You should feel the heat on your legs.. One head will feel warm and the other will still be cold. I'm 90% sure your RIGHT side is the good side and your LEFT side is the d3ad side.
One of the most solid machines Honda ever did. Cool find! Pity it got messed up into a project bike. Just a bit of a tank slapper so be careful.
Ok. I loved that sound.
Can’t wait to hear it when you finish tuning it.
I really hope you have that bike on again after it's running like a beast! That video was such a te!
Those are great bikes! Carbs needed some extra attention but very reliable. Lots of people had the Windjammers on them and were great long distance bikes
I would really like for you to bring this bike back for the upgrades and a real ride after that. I dig the look of this bike. Really cool!
Nice revival on that one.
For safety, I would advise cutting a small square out of the corner of the battery box, as the positive terminals right next to ground. could easily short the battery, when your riding over bumpy ground
I’ve owned several of those. They’re great bikes. I’d replace the fan right away if I were you. The hubs are notorious for developing cracks and flying apart.
My friend had a CX500, a classic bike, but the early models had a camshaft oiling issue. I rode a Suzuki GS850G at the time.
These are my wishlist bikes. This one and the 500 Ascot. Honda’s been doing it for a long time and you can never go wrong with one.
The turbo CX500 was fuel injected & of course. They scrapped the turbo idea in part, due to the unpredictable turbo boost...But it'd be really cool to do a turbo or a twin turbo CX500. With 2 small turbos under the seat so it has a smoother power range. On a cafe racer build.
You are lucky to find such a clean cx500 for such a small price, I have been waiting for one in my area to do a similar build. Great video joe!, keep up the great content
Brick house builds and the bearded mechnic here on youtube have built these into adventure bikes. Good engines, it was for sure different for the times. It's become popular to turn these into cafe racers.
Great find there Joe, for $200..............the tyres alone are worth that - they look new !
I'm sitting in the dark in WV bad ice storm but I got Jo to watch early this morning good day
I'm in southeast KY......same here
Spruce Knob ,WV,lights still on but lots of snow
In CO, nary a flake or a patch of ice on the ground here. Good luck and stay warm.
@MalleusSemperVictor since the previous post the temp dropped to 27 degrees and it started snowing again...I'm just chilling in bed binge watching TV and scrolling around on UA-cam on a tablet 😁
As already mentioned ,balance the carbs with vacuum gauges, great deal you got there.
I had a 1980 CX500 deluxe, loved it. Always wanted to make a café out of a Silver wing standard.
It looks like a great buy, cool look and with the box of parts maybe it's just labour. ❤
Wow, has a great sound for a 550. Good job !! Like the no chain drive.
I've never seen a bike that you couldn't diagnose and fix.
You absolutely thrive on a good challenge. Looks kinda like what the Gang that rode with the TOE CUTTER on Mad Max would have rode! 😅
Bonjour et bravo Joe, très bon achat... Aujourd'hui pour 200 dollars t'a plus rien... Cette machine fait un super bruit, un peu comme les motos Guzzi 👌!... Bonne année à tous, santé bonheur 💯🎉🍾🥂🎊👌👍😉
That thing sounds awesome! That is one bad CX
Man that bike looks so nice. Very cool looking bike. Plus it was only 200 dollars. You did a great job getting it running. LOVE IT!
Those are lovely little bikes to run, those carbs will need tuning, and the jet sorted ... as for pods, personally still prefer the box, pods take a lot of adjustment and you will need to regulate your mix to make up for having pods and non stock pipes .... make sure you run both or they can be a contributing factor to the running too especially on these models
I remember those bikes, (the flying maggot)
Very poor choice for a cafe racer
horrible swingarm and steering head bearings for throwing it around in turns
The frame is stamped steel and not very strong for throwing it around
Throwing a bike around without a upper fork brace is a recipe for disaster
Better to get it running good , they are very finicky about carb balance
A good indication of carbs being run for a while without balancing is uneven compression, as one cyl was working harder than the other causing uneven wear, which could cause crank bearing wear
Stock seating with handle bars just above belly button level makes a nice comfortable ride
Sounds really nice and it suits you , though its a bit on the small size for a guy your size.If you cut 2 black plastic surfaces , you can screw them on the sides and hide the battery.Take care , have a great year.
Awesome Joe ... I'm sure once you get it and put accelerator pumps in the carbs you will get rid of the lean spot . I wish you would of pulled the plugs for us to see after you rode it . But I'm sure it's lean ... Thanks again for a great video . Tell Vinny hey from us . And I hope you your wife and Vinny have a great new years .
Love your work, Joe. You did it again. Genius
Ah yes the Honda CX 500, it's Nickname was the maggot by its owners .
I owned and rode one back in the 80's as I was a motorcycle courier and covered the south of England up to Leeds in the north.
Then moved on to the Yamaha XJ 650 which also was a shaft drive, a preference to the chain driven bikes, especially when raking up the miles.
Both had bulletproof engines, memories can back on watching your video I'm in my 70's now and wheelchair bound, I saw over the years that people were putting the ol maggot engine into 3 wheelers, similar to the Morgan 3 wheeler, as the shaft drive was extended and was suitable for the single rear wheel.
Not fast, odd styling, but probably the most iconic Honda bike to UK riders, bulletproof and refined
Cool bike if it was chain drive would be better. Shaft drive are alright till it stands straight up coming out of a corner. Good video like watching you put theses back in running order
Never get tired of this channel and his Amazing knowledge and tricks of the trade
Loved my old CX 500. Not powerful but it just kept going. One thing I recall being an issue was to listen for a 'tinkle' in the engine, the cam chain can go and grenade the engine.
Don’t forget you put a heap of oil in both cylinders, hence the high compression reading. Also there may not be enough back pressure in those ex pipes for med to high throttle, the carbs may need to be re jetted and an air box added.
29:52 Such a nice feeling when the pilot jet comes free! Keep it up bud!
The first time I saw one of these bikes and the V-twin engine I thought it was a Moto Guzzi. There definitely are similarities. Glad you got such a great deal and are having fun with your latest new toy.
@2vintage, these are great bikes. They had two variations the 500 and the 650. I had the cx650. In a nutshell it's a water-cooled clone of the air-cooled Moto Guzzi S7 700 😁 .