Topic: I'm thinking of buying this bike for my girlfriend

[SOHC4ever]

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/mcy/1345240474.html

Anyone know anything about these machines? Any thoughts? (No fair scooping it if you're in Vancouver!)

[mlinder]

There are some issues with radiator leaks and one other leak. Thing has to be take apart almost completely to fix those issues.
Outside of that, if you can get past their looks, they are good, solid bikes.

[HavocTurbo]

Check the valve clearance at the beginning of EVERY season. For some reason every one (both the 500 and 650) I have seen needed it every year. Turbo included.

This motor was specifically built for the turbo application. (why I'm not sure) But it responded so well to other platforms that Honda put it into spread model production. The best version is the standard version (what you got there) and the worst seemed to be the cruiser model. I suppose in cafe form the closely resemble a moto guzzi and the attraction seems well placed. Just don't expect the performance of one. 

All in all if maintained properly they are as reliable as anything else. Make sure the carbs are clean as a whistle, they have minor issues with neglect also.

[ev0lve]

I suppose in cafe form the closely resemble a moto guzzi and the attraction seems well placed. Just don't expect the performance of one.  

They do look reasonably mean when stripped down.

There's one half-converted I saw down by lake up here (not these). Handsome machine.

[GoatBaSS]

Checkem them fluids in dat shaft drive. Lotsa' lubin.

[kirkn]

That one is the cruiser or "C" version.  Smaller, more sloped tank.  The standard version has the bulkier, more flat-topped tank.  Then there was the "Silver Wing" model, kind of a light-weight GoldWing.  Those came either naked, or with a full fairing and there were several combination options of hard bags and rear top boxes.  The SilverWing, when equipped with the full fairing, also came with dual front disk brakes.  It also came with single-shock ProLink rear end, which, as it happens, was one of the first, if not THE first, street application of single-shock rear suspension for Honda.

IMHO, those were/are great bikes!  I had a C back in the day, and loved it.  Plenty strong, good looking (again, just MHO) and the lightest clutch pull of any bike I've had before or since.  Plus, nice clean shaft-drive!  And, at that time, it was one of the smoooothest, most vibration-free bikes I'd ever ridden.  And even then, a nice thumping V-twin bit of character.

Mine did have a water pump seal spring a leak, but there was a nice tell-tale drain hole to let you know.  If you saw anti-freeze dripping from the weep hole, it meant a seal was going south.  And, it IS true that the whole engine needed to be dropped to replace that seal, but I did it by myself in one Saturday with nothing more than "normal" hand tools.  Once all the accessories were stripped, the motor fell right out, the seal popped out/in, and right back together again.  

I disagree on the "built for turbo" deal.  The CX500 debuted in 1978, along with the CBX.  In those years, Honda was getting a bit of a reputation for building "bland", not-quite-cutting-edge bikes (other than perhaps the GL1000), and the CX and CBX were intended partly to counteract that idea.  They had pulled out of GP racing some 10 years prior, and were cranking out the 750 & 550s by the thousands - nothing that could be cutting-edge by then...

The turbo didn't come out 'till '82 - WELL after the initial design/intro in '78.


So, can you tell I'm still partial to the CX's...  

[Uncle Ernie]

Pretty much- like every other used bike- it depends on who had it before you.
A tad top-heavy, but I thought they had pretty good acceleration.  It's in my top 50 bikes list.

[HavocTurbo]

While it's true it didn't come out until later, the turbo concept was released at the tokyo show in 76. Honda hadn't made that much noise about it and most people overlooked the bike because nothing was blatant about it. It had almost full bodywork covering everything, so not too much was visible anyway.

They released the CX mill in natural aspirated form to get a hold on whether customers would take a liking to the new engine design. I agree Honda wanted something "different". But that mill was originally designed for use of a turbo. They held it back due to up front costs and bad flow design.

After deciding to go with fuel injection instead of carburetion, Honda discovered that the power output could be almost doubled with the new flow options. Combine that with the seriously "unbland" fairing that they stuck on it and the world's first turbocharged production motorcycle was born.

I owned a CX650T a few years ago. I loved it for sport touring, but that was about all it was good for. The regular carburetor version was much easier to tinker with.

I disagree on the "built for turbo" deal.  The CX500 debuted in 1978, along with the CBX.  In those years, Honda was getting a bit of a reputation for building "bland", not-quite-cutting-edge bikes (other than perhaps the GL1000), and the CX and CBX were intended partly to counteract that idea.  They had pulled out of GP racing some 10 years prior, and were cranking out the 750 & 550s by the thousands - nothing that could be cutting-edge by then...

The turbo didn't come out 'till '82 - WELL after the initial design/intro in '78.

[kirkn]

Hey, thanks for that info.  I didn't know the part about the '76 turbo debut.  I'd never read that anywhere nor made the connection.

Kewl.

I STILL like the CX & GL500 & 650 bikes...  

The one I REALLY like is the normally aspirated CX650 available in non-US markets.  Kind of not-quite-so-aggressive bodywork as the CX650 Turbo, but much nicer than the US-version CX650 cruiser.



Kirk

[750goes]

I ride a CX500 Custom every day- and I cannot fault it for reliability, and comfort over short or long trips.

I give it a hammering and with regular maintenance and oil changes, you won't find another bike this reliable.

As mentioned - water pump seals, stator problems, and internal chain tensioners, are the triple bypass to be performed when you need to take the motor out - which isn't very often, and can be done in a very short time..

Overall a 9/10 bike.. would love to have a sixth gear though..

[cb650]

On the turdo thing.   I read somewhere once that when honda thought of doing a turbo they considered the sohc 650 as it was such a proven design but went with the cx for the water cooling.

[HavocTurbo]

On the turdo thing.   I read somewhere once that when honda thought of doing a turbo they considered the sohc 650 as it was such a proven design but went with the cx for the water cooling.

After Kawasaki let a turbo kit supplier (cannot remember which) tack on a few turbo kits to the Z1... Honda considered using an inline four. There were some articles from company spokespeople about it that my father had saved but I cannot find them at the moment.

Russ Collins had so much success with boosted SOHC4's that they asked him to consider making a "factory" kit for them to use. He turned them down because it wasn't what he wanted to have for his business. All of his employees had wondered why. (my friends included)

The 650 was a nice option as it was probably the most likely to give "liter" class performance in the smaller package.

But the inline fours were a common sight on the street. Honda wanted something different.

Hence the CX mill was born. Designed exclusively for a turbo application, but it yielded so much potential they made it in naturally aspirated forms first to capitalize as much as they could.

Somehow Honda managed to keep the turbo under wraps long enough to start the real horsepower wars. The CX500T was the worlds first production turbocharged motorcycle.

The motorcycle world would never be the same. If a factory could make one... ANYONE could.

[cb650]

If your in the north Denver area Sun honda has a 500 turbo in the vintage collection.   Even more rare is a cx650 turbo.

[Alan F.]

I really dig that tank, I wonder how available they are and how much they hold?

[kirkn]

I think that's the stock Honda CX500 Deluxe (not Custom) tank...

Paint, exhaust, bar and seat/tail appear to be the only non-stock items on that red cafe.  And, even the mufflers appear stock, just repositioned at the extreme angle.

Neat.

[kirkn]

.... and from the "what a small world" department, my Dad just picked up this little beauty for $200.  Needs a little work, so he dropped it off with me.     Needs a bit of carb tweaking, and some sticky brake hydraulics and some cosmetic detailing...  Should be fun.  We unloaded it just yesterday.


Hey, 750goes, you mentioned a 6th gear - what kind of RPMs does yours turn at, say, 50 mph?  This one says its spinning 5500 rpm, which seems way too high.  I'm thinking either the tach is reading too high, or the speedo is reading too low.  I haven't had the opportunity to follow a buddy or someone and check the speedo yet.

Kirk

[750goes]

that sounds about right - will check this morning on the way to work..
..you have to remember these bikes love to rev and redline starts about 10,000 rpm.. so it's not working hard at 5k..

but as I said it would be nice to have an extra gear when cruising on freeways..

also very nice pick up for $200- that would cost $2500 here in OZ or more...

[cb650]

Yes on dads 82 CL always felt like it needed 6th.   Wasnt part of the waterpump leaks from using auto anti freeze that has higher silica's?

[pampadori]

They are about $75-$150 used usually. THey hold about 4.5 gal from memory.  I put this bike together about 2 years ago.  I didn't really care for it.  CB550 is a better bike i think. 
The water pump seal that goes bad can be replaced without taking the engine apart.  Boil the seal so it comes apart from the cup its in, then silicone it back in the old cup that is still in the casing.  Use the Vmax wp seal, its a lot cheaper btw.

I really dig that tank, I wonder how available they are and how much they hold?