What do you know about the CX500?

[VTR1000F_imp]

I have a naked european '79 CX500. It' s heavy and slow, but I like it somehow...

[emptysea]

Nice looking bike, VTR. I guess I'm going to learn more about CX500l in fairly short order. My friend is delivering it Thursday evening. He told me a few things, most of it good: It's a CX500 Deluxe and he couldn't recall the model year (he's out of town at the moment), but he thought it was an 83 or an 81. My cursory search of the internet tells me they stopped the Deluxe in 81. More important than the year is that it cranks. It hasn't started yet, but at it's not seized and he's getting a spark, which is good. It needs tires and probably a bunch of other stuff, too. He has an extra gas tank and a service manual that he's tossing in. I figure that if I never get it started, I should be able to sell it as a donor bike or part it out to get my money back.

Oh..CX500 riders have a forum....it's got a lot of information, but a lousy way of organizing it. Thank you CB1100 Forum for keeping things organized

[Django]

I guess, most problems will occur due to old rotten rubber parts. At least, that's my experience.

[emptysea]

Yep...I think we'll be replacing the ORRPs.

[VTR1000F_imp]

Intake manifold boots will be rotten and a source of idle problems. Had to change mine.

[cbfan_imp]

I just sold 1981 CX500 Custom. It was in great shape. I just felt like it was a time bomb waiting for stator or CDI failures. Per CX forum just about every CX will have this problem sooner or later.

[Papa Weeley_imp]

Aside from the stator problems, they had a great reputation for being bullet-proof. In fact they were used extensively in England as courier bikes.
On the other hand, they were also persecuted for being dead slow, and let's say, not exactly the "prettiest girl at the prom".
They've gotten popular with cafe-racer builders because they're fairly plentiful and still really cheap.
I'd say it'd be a great first bike for somebody, though! Congrats on a good buy!

[pekingduck]

[quote='EmptySea' pid='67980' dateline='1417888937']
Had breakfast this morning with a nice couple with whom we've ridden a few times. Scott made passing reference to an old CX500 he has taking up space in a friend's garage that he's thinking of giving away or selling really cheap. "Free or cheap" are words that perk up my ears.

I've been thinking that it might be a fun to tinker around with an old bike and possibly have it for my son to ride when he's home from school, but I don't know much about this particular model. Scott is going to send me a pic and more details, but I was interested in knowledgable opinions about the bike from this esteemed body of motorcycle enthusiasts.

Thanks in advance for your input.

MTC
In 1979 I traded my '76 BMW R75/6 on a leftover '78 CX500. Hated the Beemer's driveshaft and engine torquing, and the clunky tranny. The CX was much smoother, had no perceptible driveshaft jacking, very little engine torquing when the throttle was blipped. It handled more nimbly, the trans shifted like a Honda, and did nothing weird.
The seat was more comfortable, the engine loved to rev and was smooth and had a nice mellow v-twin thrumm like an SV650. I had no troubles with it, one of the 10 best bikes I ever had. (A leftover CBX made me sell it a couple years later.) It did everything well, not the flashiest bike, kinda like the CB1100.
Good luck with yours.

[emptysea]

Here are my first pictures of my 1981 Honda CX500 Deluxe. It's going to take a little work, but it's not as bad as I thought it might be.

[rboe]

The seat looks like the worst of it. So you have the side covers or do you have to source them?

When I worked on the 350F I bought, I picked up a soda blasting kit from Amazon (you need a small air compressor) and that was a godsend. Some semi-chrome and elbo grease, you are good to go!