Honda CX500

[Jjr]

I recently came into possession of a Honda CX500 motorcycle. It has never been wrecked, and appears to be in better than average condition for its age. I am not sure of the exact year of manufacture, but it is an early 80's model I guess. Its tags expired July 1987 and it has been sitting in a shop building since or before that date.

The odometer shows 18,560.2 The bike is a twin cylinder, shaft driven bike. The engine (motor) is full of oil. The oil is not new clear and clean oil, but it is not extremely dirty oil either. I have seen much worse, but it does appear due for an oil change. There is no kick starter on the bike, so I have no simple way to estimate compression.

The bike appears to be complete, although I am not a motorcycle person. The windjammer, I believe it is called, fuel tank and seat are off the bike, but all are present & accounted for. The seat is clean & smooth with no tears or cracks. The windshield does have a small triangular crack close to its base. The tires are worn but holding air. They are low and I am sure they are not road worthy after all these years.

The elderly gentleman I purchased the property from owned the bike, or it was his wife's who also had her own bike many years. She has been deceased 25+ years. The gentleman is in extremely poor health now and lives between 500 & 600 miles away in another state, much closer to his son & the son's family which is all the family he has left. He either does not know where the title is or does not want to search for it, as I got nowhere in asking about the title.

If the old gent likes one, all is kosher; but if he doesn't he wouldn't spit on you if your were on fire. He does like me, but I still got no where with the discussion on the title.

He has been gone for right at five years and dozens of people have inquired about purchasing his property. I volunteered to keep it mowed for him and did during that time and when he decided to sell the property he only phoned me. His son brought him up to sign the sale and transfer documents. Afterwards he came back by his old property and looked it over for one last time most likely, he told me, he and Buster (his son) had discussed the contents and decided they did not have enough room to bother with the expense of coming back up and picking up what was left in the house and shop, so he was just giving it all to me. WOW! The property was a very fair price and now this bonus too.

I have not been swift to act on things, but he had a Yamaha Terrapro four wheeler. The Terrapro was only manufactured 2 or 3 years about 88 & 89 +/- a year before or after. The Terrapro came with a live PTO just like a tractor and one could purchase a finish mower, bush hog, tiller and snow blower to operate from the PTO. He also gifted me a Terrapro with a 4 foot Woods rotary mower. He had disconnected all sorts of things from the four wheeler and it was stored in the garage and it certainly does not appear to be anywhere near 15+ years old.

I know the Terrapro has been sitting in the garage for over seven years. The owner worked on it some, disconnected everything under the sun too, then got discourage and went and purchased himself a new four wheeler. I got the Terrapro out of the garage and began working on it late last fall and now have a working, operational, fully functional four wheeler.

The old gentleman was not much of a mechanic, but he was a wizard with a lathe making both wooden objects (bowls, candy dishes, candle holders, electric lamps, etc, etc) and metal objects. Having said all of that regarding the Terrapro four wheeler, he has also disconnected everything having a connection on the Honda CX500, but all said, there may not be much wrong with it just like the four wheeler.

Regardless the Honda CX500 has NO TITLE, but if someone has an old Honda CX500 bike they are restoring and could use a parts bike, make me an offer by private message. I know it is not worth a fortune, especially without a title, and I can always give it to the junk dealers, but it will not be in any condition for parts or restoration, if I do. If you understand my meaning.

[StockdaleDave]

That was a great bike in it's day. If I lived closer I'd definitely come look at it. If you're on speaking terms with the family then a title replacement seems fairly easy. Just a thought.

http://www.dmv.com/la/louisiana/replace-lost-title

[Jjr]

Dave, we are on good terms. The old gen had a dozen or more people wanting his property, but when he made the decision to sell he only phoned me. I send him a card almost every month and phone him occasionally. He wears a hearing aid and is almost deaf, so phone conversations are at times somewhat difficult.

Regardless he is one of those people that either likes you are he don't. If he likes you everything is kosher, but if he doesn't he wouldn't give you the time of day. But there is a thin invisible line with him too, so I try to stay clear and away from that invisible line, not knowing just where it might be. All-in-all he is a real nice fellow, but he definitely walks to the tune of a different drummer. That is not a bad thing, in and of itself, but the tune can change very sudden, if you understand my meaning.

Before he moved away, I tried to check on him at least twice a week, sometimes we could carry on a nice conversation for an hour or more, and other times I knew it was best to leave after 15-20 minutes.

I have ridden bikes just a little, many years ago and if no one want the CX500, I may try my hand at working on it. I worked on vehicles regularly when the kids were still living at home and going to school, and got to be a pretty good mechanic, even if I do so so myself. I have also worked on small engines (ie: lawnmower engines in the 8 - 20 HP range) completely rebuilding both small and automotive engines.

The principal is the same, I realize, but I have never worked on a motorcycle, so it would be a new mechanical adventure.

[StockdaleDave]

I'd shoot some oil down the spark plug holes and put in some fresh gas and a battery. You might get lucky if they ran the carbs dry. The CX was a fairly radical design as it was a transverse V twin instead of in line like most manufacturers. The transmission was counter rotated to engine rotation because of the torquey snap the engine would give both on acceleration and deceleration. Water cooled was kinda neat at that time too for a medium size Japanese bike. I'd definitely play with it just to see what it would take to get it back on the road as 18K miles was really nothing to these engines. Have fun.

[Jjr]

Before seeing you post tonight, I did a lot of cleaning in the shop this afternoon. There were three mostly complete small engines and another box of small engine odds and ends, along with two electric winches and a weed eater.

I then took the compressor on the hand trailer around to the shop and topped the motorcycle tires off with air and pushed the CX500 around to the front yard where my small trailer is. The first push skidded the rear tire, and first though was the brakes were locked. I don't know if that is possible with a bike, but I could not find any release for the brakes so I played with the gear shifter and found neutral. The bike was very easy to push around to the front yard from the shop at that time. The transmission obviously works freely, but I realize that is not a determination of its overall condition either. But its better than being froze in one of the gears too.

Then loaded the windjammer, fuel tank, and seat on the hand truck and delivered them around to the trailer also. A guy down home (where I grew up), I know which works on small engines will get everything but the bike and one of the engines which is a totally cast iron engine.

The cast one turns freely and has oil in it which is also a good sign. I may invest in a new plug, points, fresh oil, fuel and muffler to see what the old engine will do before jumping in to rebuild it. If it will run and has fair strength, I will just set it aside for a future project. It not, I will either rebuild it myself, or buy the parts and pay Lynn to rebuild it for me.

For the present, I am going to take the Honda CX500 to Lynn also for his examination and review. Let him see what he can do with it. It he can make it run, I will then try and secure a title to the bike.

[Jjr]

Late last night I located and secured a Honda Shop Manual & Owners Manual for the CX500. Once they are received, I can take them along with the bike to Lynn for his use.

[Jjr]

Well there has been a change in plans for the bikes destination. Talking to a friend who owns an Army Surplus Store, about the Honda CX500. I knew the friend worked at a motorcycle shop once in the past, but didn't think anything of it. He talked to one of the mechanics he worked with while employed there. (My friend worked in the office, not as a mechanic.)

The mechanic is retired, but still does some work on bikes from his home. My friend said the mechanic is ONE OF THE BEST, motorcycle mechanics ever, and he is going to check out the CX500 for me. This is too great an opportunity to let pass by.

Lynn who I was planning on talking the CX500 to, is a pretty fair small engine mechanic, but by his own admission, he has no motorcycle experience, so he won't be disappointed either.

[StockdaleDave]

Now you've got me wanting an old vintage bike. Found a nearby 1974 Honda CB350 with 2000 original miles. I had a CB200 and CL350 when in the military.

[Jjr]

Originally Posted by StockdaleDave

Now you've got me wanting an old vintage bike. Found a nearby 1974 Honda CB350 with 2000 original miles. I had a CB200 and CL350 when in the military.

I did not mean to stir-up any old long smoldering passions, Dave.

But only 2,000 miles is almost a museum quality bike, with regards to mechanical quality.

[Jjr]

Originally Posted by Jjr

Well there has been a change in plans for the bikes destination. Talking to a friend who owns an Army Surplus Store, about the Honda CX500. I knew the friend worked at a motorcycle shop once in the past, but didn't think anything of it. He talked to one of the mechanics he worked with while employed there. (My friend worked in the office, not as a mechanic.)

The mechanic is retired, but still does some work on bikes from his home. My friend said the mechanic is ONE OF THE BEST, motorcycle mechanics ever, and he is going to check out the CX500 for me. This is too great an opportunity to let pass by.

Lynn who I was planning on talking the CX500 to, is a pretty fair small engine mechanic, but by his own admission, he has no motorcycle experience, so he won't be disappointed either.

Well, things did not go as hoped for or anticipated. The mechanic did not want to work on the Honda CX500. He did not refuse, but was discouraging in his conversation. Said his cost would be a minimum of $500 and he could easily see $600 more in parts for a bike only worth Two Grand tops.

Continuing he said the total bill could exceed the worth of the bike, so without any sentimental value at stake, he recommended scrapping the repair.

I'm not sure what the future holds for the Honda CX500 at this point in time, kinda at a crossroads searching for the answers and which way to proceed.