1979 Honda CX500 custom review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- A few thoughts on a CX500 I picked up recently, decent bikes are these. Not too pricey, spare parts easy to get hold of, 50 mpg, 90 mph, getting a bit thin on the ground these days, popular among the cafe crowd, some gremlins (alternator, waterpump seal, camchain) but nothing insurmountable or particularly expensive to fix. Nice =2500, good =1500, running pig = 500.
I like how he cursed out that tire 🤣
I had one just like this one in 1982. I loved that bike! Great handling and a lot of power for a 500cc.
Ive had mine since i was 16, rode it through college, it was a great little bike and way peppier than any other 500 or bike of size.
i had the same bike in 82. same color, year and everything. almost bought a deluxe instead but this one was about $100 cheaper. just jump on and push the button and away you go.
Would this bike be manageable for a first time motorcycle rider that's on the larger side? 6ft1 tall and 130kg
Last i rode a bike was during my moped days which is 7 years ago now.
I miss riding a bike so much
Yes, great starter bike for you.
Mine had chocolate camshafts that ran out of adjustable.
Yeah them tyres are rubbish. I had a GS500 with those tyres and now i have a dislocated shoulder from a high-side.
Thanks kenda
Recently got a cx500 custom, 1980 vb25a carb. got it for about 1k with 12k miles, she needs some carb work but runs fantastic. Rubbers not even rubbish on the carb mounts yet.
Ha ha ha. F'n sh*t tires. Thanks for the weak points to watch out for.
I recently picked up a 1983 CX650c Custom with 12,000 miles, clean radiator, no road rash and no leaks from an 18 year old kid. His first bike to learn on and he wanted that old dog Honda to go away somewhere else. A Ninja, speeding tickets, and girls is all he wants. He got $2,000 California dollars out of me, but I got a beautiful classic movie star.
He got it from the original owner, who obviously kept it covered in a garage. Beautiful original no rust condition black with Honda gold pin striping logo & trim. Now I am on a search for the last air filter element on earth for the CX650C. If one does exist.
I just bought the Interstate version and love it!
Everybody complains about the weight but coming from an 02 Goldwing this bike is a featherweight. Not crazy fast but then fast enough and Honda reliability means she will be in my stable for a long time.
That backrest is hideous
I ride it more than 1000 miles long trips on Croatian road-n-non-roads, and besides what you said, I love the position of the footpegs. I can standing up like on Africa Twin, just with different handlebars. Very good on forest paths as well as allow ass to rest on the road. Great daily bike.
I had a kenda rear tyre on a gpz900, I did a burnout and the tarmac melted before the tyre!
Had a red one back in 1981,My biggest regret was selling it.I used to clean it in my mothers kitchen every evening I came home from work without fail.If I could find another in the same colour and the same condition as I kept it in ,I would jump at it.
Don't forget the touring version. GL500 interstate.
I had one of those.
This was the first water cooled bike I rode. I rode about an hour and a half to the beach one day with my apartment mate in college. She had some air cooled Honda 400. We got stuck in traffic. Her bike kept getting hotter and crankier. Air cooled bikes sucked when they got too hot -- the clutch didn't want to fully engage or disengage, the shifter got balky and the engine got to running ragged. The CX500 I was riding just kept turning the cooling fan off and on as needed and kept working perfectly. I really liked the CX500.
Sounds like you live somewhere hot like California or Florida. Here in the UK
it rarely gets warm enough for a bike to overheat.
Beg to differ on length of trip this bike id capable of. I own a 1982 model. Bought it from my brother who rode it across Canada and back with a passenger. I rode it from New Brunswick to New York with my wife. Been parked in my shed for 10 years as "the alternator" died after I purchased a larger cruiser. Might just dig it out and do some wrenching...Nice review !
I get the impression that you don't like kenda tyres 😅
I had an identical bike back in 1979. I bought it brand new at the Honda dealership in Boca Raton Florida. I also bought the same backrest and luggage rack. Unfortunately a pit bull ran out in front of a parked car and I hit it. I had the bike repaired after that. Loved the bike. I was 25 years old at the time. These bikes are getting rare. I wish I still had it. Good luck with yours.
I have the kenda challenger on my GL500. They definitely beat the 7 year old dry rot tires the bike came with when i picked it up. What set do you recommend for the CX500? Im looking at the dunlop 404 for my next set
404s last forever, not a great tire in the wet but should be good enough.
Rev counter? We call it a tachometer in America. Love you blokes!
Turn it into a bagger 😄
Nice one Ian. I've got an 82 (I think) standard CX in awesome nick, due to it being a bike my Best Man had back in the day when we were 17ish. Got a few others too, including a GL1000, "75 Wing. Original paint, 9000 miles, and sourced on your side of the pond - as they weren't available here - and I say here meaning UK, as I am in North Africa. Keep punchin' em out pal - but best to avoid plaggy petrol tanks ;-). My heart bled for you mate, and massive kudos for posting it as it was - live. Brill
I would love to buy this bike
OMG is this a real thing. A Vtwin boxer with carbs you can get at? Shaft drive. Looks like you could drop the engine right out of that thing. I want one. I got here from someone who had converted one of these to electric.
I have an 82 CM450. I think I got Kenda Challengers on mine. You can totally neglect those Comstock rims. Fugly but zero maintenance compared to my bloody gorgeous spoked wheels. My tach cable broke while sitting a long time.
community tab for pics
Mine has a weird clicking sound going on like a relay or solenoid clicking, and stuttering lurching going on at that certain low rpm.
Like from a low RPM crossing some level the relay clicks and it lurches. Once you're past that and driving it's fine, it's only at some low range you get this weird relay or solenoid clicking when crossing some rpm threshold. Otherwise it's a swiss watch.
When you said everything is easy to get to, I said... that's exactly what you want in a motorcycle, that they don't do any more.
Compare against my Honda Shadow where everything is crammed in there like sardines in a can so it looks pretty.
Rather have a fugly motorcycle that's easy to work on than a pretty one that is a royal bltc4!
love the video. honest as shit.
I'm a fan of these and had a Silverwing 500. I'd still like to have a CX500 Custom but every time I consider getting one at 452 lb, I don't pull the trigger on one because my Nighthawk 650 is 463 lb, and even my Nighthawk 750 is 474 lb. and I can't justify it, and my Yamaha Radian 600 is at 409 lb. So it's a hard sell for me at the prices being asked for one in Virginia in good condition like yours.
I did a stator on my 81 in 2009 and then it went again just 7500 miles later in 2011... it was an engine out job for me. but the intake noise at high rev is absolutely sublime
Clean bike. Nice. And I did use one as a despatch rider for a few years. Certainly dependable. But weight was the downside. The VT500 was so nimble in comparison. And the Kawasaki GT550 was much smoother. How come they don't make shafties these days?
Just one point, you mentioned the "Deluxe" version which was "Never" shipped over to
the UK. This was a model somewhere between the standard version (Plastic Maggot)
as it was known here. And the US Custom version, which was released here. The "Deluxe"
version fell somewhere in between, having slightly raised bars, and did not have that
aweful Headlight cum instrument cover, as on the (Maggot) and had a much slender
tank and seat, unlike the "Maggot" which was popular, but looked hideous, at least to me.
Haha, Kenda's are a joke, so appealingly cheap. I actualu put Pirelli tires on it now. The water pump seal sidelined it for most of a summer, the entire front of the engine is peeled off, if that's the seal you mean. But, Ive had the bike for nearly 30 years amd.its got about 70k easy well maintained miles. I also started having a heat sink issue with it, so new coils were needed. It is a very petty little bike actually, and shaft drive is nice as i hate oiling chains.
Liked and Suscribed!,.. Thank you,... I enjoyed your honesty and free speech!,.. Greetings from Reno, Nevada, U S A,.. Go Cradley Heathens & Ipswich WITCHES! 3:)
Question. Have you had muck around with the carburetors ever. I have a Deluxe, for their time they are among the best, lol oking qt other bikes that age. Little liquid vtwin. Ive never heard someone curse so much in the kings English, it was refreshing, thanks
Nice
Guys, there are a lot of things to Love about this bike. But handling was NOT one of them ! The CX 500 Custom is too Top Heavy, and felt like riding a Pogo Stick. IT is a great bike for just cruising slowly around town, but DO NOT run this bike fast on twisty Mountain Roads or Canyon Roads. High center of gravity, Lousy Brakes, and Terrible Tires are a KILLER COMBINATION ! Trust me on this one !!! THIS is NOT a bike for First Time or Beginner Riders.
Love ur frank review.
The 650 Turbo was indeed a better bike for various reasons.
I had the 500 Turbo and 2 Deluxe models.
I paid $2500 out the door for my ‘79 CX500 Custom here in the US. Loved that Bike!
Cx,s are a good bike stood the test of time really popular at the moment, not the fastest , a bit top heavy makes a good work hoarse , on 1980 on engine is reliable long lived but you have to SERVICE IT keep on top of cam chain tension, oil , you're bike on the video sounded horrible they don't sound like that, on my cx i've put better shocks on the back, heavier oil and springs in the front and Avon tyres on IT .
I own a 78 cx 500 it's a hard tail chopper
I was a mechanic when these bikes came out. I made boatloads of money doing the cam chain tensioner recall. Honda paid 4 hours for the recall. I did it in 45 minutes. After a couple of years Honda reduced the time to two hours. But by that time I had done most of the cx500s in the twin cities
Is this a problem for the 1982 GL500? Mine is at 42k miles and I want to know what kind of service I should be worried about.
Looking for one now in the UK. I'm not likely to pick one up in that condition over here for 500 bucks
Yeah, got him down 'cos the waterpump seal was shot, don;t find 'em for $500 every day over here either, i think there's one local one for sale today (2/11/23) and the guy wants $1850.
Mine will be out the shop in two days learning how to ride on it
Where did you get that back rest? I've been looking for one for mine!
Sorry don;t know, was on it when i got it
Found one in my area for 2,500, but also have a friend selling their 75' Honda cb125 all factory for 1,500. Any opinions?
Both sound a little on the expensive side, on the other hand prices have gone nuts in the last 18 months so if they are in nice shape and run well buy 'em both.
These bikes are bullet-proof!
I've just bought one of these, picking it up tomorrow. So this was a useful video. Thanks!
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You're welcome, check the waterpump seal, set the valves, you'll be good to go.
My first bike
I put a Mac 2 into 1 pipe on mine with a single Harley Muffler on that and I loved the sound of it
Do a video on it
iam gonna get one, a nice piece of machinery!!!
Красивый байк!
How do you adjust the carbboraters
th-cam.com/video/EruAirhPOis/w-d-xo.html
It's only done 15400 miles ! Really !?
my 82' has only 16000kms...
Do you have this custom style model ? I like it !
@@gerry5134 Yes, CX500C. Have the Hondaline engine guards, rear rack and backrest and the sport fairing for it. only have the engine guards on, as I prefer the cleaner look.
"The Maggot" ! .....I was a London dispatch rider 80-93 . I rode loads of these (not the custom). You get to effing Hate them. I rented them at £63/week actually and owned one myself once. Eventually I started using bikes I liked....some crazy "wrong" bikes for the job. Hehe.
I have stories...lol....i got the neutral between 1 and 2 in the middle of a U turn and fell on my face. Etc etc....I was in my 20s and 30s soooo it was madness.
The main problem was they were very very very reliable and hard to change to a different bike.
What did you hate about it?
Mostly the boredom of too much time on the most average bike on the road. Which is unfair because they were an exceptional work horse. They're a bit heavy, top heavy and underpowered to spend ones youth on! Everything about the bike is perfect for commuting, including super cheap repairs (mishaps!) Except for the alternator. If you get one put crash bars on it, they bolt on like scaffolding around the cylinder heads - I took out an opened car door with one and broke only my pen that was in my pocket when I got catapulted off the bike !!!
Do the rundown on the bike but stop the bombs not appreciated by everyone
Nice review, shame about the swearing.
Wanker
Had a cx deluxe and a 41 year owner of a 500 turbo...Best bike I ever had after 20 bikes. I did head mods on the turbo to bring the hp to close to 95...The 650 visually sucks..
I bought a new 1981 model in 1984. Loved this bike. Ran great!!
Picked up one ..west US. Going monoshock rear,duel disk front single seat