[VtypeV4]

My old CX is lovely in its steady eddy Sunday kind of way. I'm not looking to tune or tweak this one as its sweet and original but if I was to look for another, would it be worth looking for a 650 for a bit more go and grunt. Don't get me wrong, if I want to go hard and fast, I'll jump on the FJ..



My next project will almost certainly be another CX but i don't need two of the same bike so a Eurosport model would probably fit the bill nicely..



Any thoughts between the 500 and 650 non-turbo models would be appreciated.



Matt

 

[Blindstitch]

From what I hear a 650 beats the pants off a 500.



http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/honda_cx_500_custom_1979.php

http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/honda_cx_650_c_1983.php



650 with 65hp at 8,000rpms

500 with 50hp at 9,000rpms.



The numbers might not be perfect but it's 30% more horsepower.



Some say a 650 is all you will ever need.

 

[VtypeV4]

30% more go is always welcome..



I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled and see what comes up, thanks.

 

[americanclassic]

I've never ridden one, but the 650 seems to be a good refinement on the 500. They seem to have done a good job at addressing what seemed lacking on the 500. Like higher gearing, which actually gives you better gas mileage at higher speeds.



Not to mention the CX E is in my opinion the sexiest of the cx line.

 

[Trickster]

I've never ridden one, but the 650 seems to be a good refinement on the 500. They seem to have done a good job at addressing what seemed lacking on the 500. Like higher gearing, which actually gives you better gas mileage at higher speeds.



Not to mention the CX E is in my opinion the sexiest of the cx line.

But they seem to be at quite a premium price if you can find a decent one.

 

[VtypeV4]

I rather like those wheels and the little nose fairing..



I saw a tidy and original 650 E in a bike magazine a while back and they wanted £1995 for it. Not a bad deal really as i would have considered it if i had been looking for one at the time (and had the funds of course!) Having said that, I only paid £1000 for my 500 but that was truly a bargain.

 

[timothy_d]

I have owned or ridden everything except a CX500C and CX500E



Here's the thing:

Horsepower/Torque- There is no comparison between a CX500/GL500 and a CX650/GL650 engine.

I regularly shock sport bikes with how fast a CX650E can launch off the line, and the CX650C was even faster because of it's power to weight ratio.

CX500 is simply no match.

That being said, a CX500 has a much smoother feel to the powerplant. Engine doesn't feel like it wants to rattle itself apart, even at idle.



Ergonomics- If you are 5'10 or taller, CX650C's suck. They suck ass. They suck worse than ass. They make your ass wish it was dead. After 50 miles on a 650C, Monkey Butt is the least of your problems. Every time I got off of the 650C, I thought my spinal column had decalcified, and my sciatic nerve had a microscopic blowtorch incinerating it from the inside out. The seat (which was basically brand new) sucked, the rear suspension sucked. Ergonomically, Honda seriously screwed the pooch on that bike.

Every other CX or GL I have ridden was ergonomically fine.

(but God, I loved cracking the throttle on that bike)



Gas mileage. If you love cracking the throttle as much as I do, they are surprisingly even.



Maintenance- the CX500/GL500 engine is basically a fuel and forget motor. Change the Cam Chain, Stator, and Mechanical Seal every 40k-50k miles, that engine will last damned near forever. You can run it lean, you can run it rich, hell you can even run it on one cylinder, or with the high output of the stator fried as long as you don't need to go faster than 50 miles per hour.

CX650- Add Starter Motor and Starter Clutch to the above list. CX650's do not like starters.

I do not have first hand experiences with this, but scuttlebutt is that 650 engines don't like living beyond 80k-100k miles.

Something about the way the engine was designed, the counterbalance is not as synchronized as a CX500 motor. Harder on the piston rings and bottom end shells.

(650T's are exempt from this problem because of heavier duty parts, but they have soft camshaft lobe issues)

 

[VtypeV4]

Many thanks for that..



I think a CX650E will be next on the list. I think the Mrs might like a 650 too. Currently she rides a Bandit 600 but gets sick of revving the conkers off it all the time. She rode my FJ the other night and appreciated the available torque and grunt it offered over the Bandit. She won't ride the CX as the 'vintage braking performance' terrified her! Sounds like a 650 will offer a fair bit more shove and have much better brakes than my 500.. A bike we could both use by the sounds of things..

 

[Johnny Canuck]

Yup....Timothy D hits the nail on the head. Of the most valid differences you'll enjoy will be the lower revs (at speed) and the better mileage. Of course, the power off the line and at passing speed is much more impressive with the 650's also. My experience is limited only to test driving 3 of the 500 cc bikes, but once I drove the 650E, well as they say, "That was all she wrote!". The difference between the two was enough to convince me within the first mile of the test drive. By the way, Timothy is right on (again) with his comment on the 500's being smoother than the 650's. Even though the 650's rev lower, I wished they would rev even lower...by about 400 fewer RPM at 100kmh. The 500's rev too high for me. I do enough urban highway driving to want a bike that can do 120kmh easily just to keep up with the traffic and the 650's are great...with lots of power in reserve. You'll probably like the raw feel of a larger 2 cylinder bike. The longest drive I've taken on my bike (650E) was 3 hours, and I felt fine (stock seat). I didn't buy the bike for longer rides, however I may get serious at looking at a 650i silverwing...should a clean one come available at reasonable cost.

 

[Stan in Toronto]

I agree with everything TimD and JC said. I owned a beautiful CX500D till I rode the CX650E.



One ride on the 650 and I knew there was a new love, the old one had to go.

I miss it now and then, but then I go for a ride and feel all better again.

I could change my avatar pic, but I like to look back on when I had a "fleet" as my wife called it.



So be careful CX500 riders, if you really love your bike, don't go for a ride on a CX650(E) or this same thing could happen to you.

Stan

 

[nolavox]

Get out your checkbook... this was sold on fleece bay today.



http://cx500forum.com/index.php?/topic/5721-ebay-650e/

 

[VtypeV4]

Sounds like I could be getting myself into dangerous water here, especially with regards to the bigger twins thing.. I rode my friends Buell Lightning X1 back from the pub the other night and enjoyed it a bit too much. It was very lumpy and agricultural but It handled sweet and went like stink! I would never sell my 500 as it used to be my Dads years ago but I don't need two FJs when I've finished 'sorting' my other one.. Do you see where I'm going here... Taller gearing, better MPG and a bit more go are all good selling points for me!

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Excellent summation From Timothy

Here in the UK the 500s are still common as muck

the 650's more scarce.

I have a pal in Edinburgh with a fudgie

and loves it but nowadays

the price of fuel is taking the shine of it as he reckons

its only giving about 36mpg.

Ouch ! my van does more than that. Lots more.



Trev tells me the 650s are hard on starter related gear due to the timing

so I started to build him a delay box to hold off the sparks until the motor

had gathered some momentum and see if that helps.

Its worked perfectly on the bench with an adjustable delay between 100mS and 1 Sec

I found some real world issues when testing it on a bike though and I'm reworking it.

 

[bandit]

Excellent summation From Timothy

..........................

so I started to build him a delay box to hold off the sparks until the motor

had gathered some momentum and see if that helps.

Its worked perfectly on the bench with an adjustable delay between 100mS and 1 Sec

I found some real world issues when testing it on a bike though and I'm reworking it.

pretty clever Reg,good luck

 

[VtypeV4]

Excellent summation From Timothy

Here in the UK the 500s are still common as muck the 650's more scarce.I have a pal in Edinburgh with a fudgie

and loves it but nowadaysthe price of fuel is taking the shine of it as he reckonsits only giving about 36mpg.Ouch ! my van does more than that. Lots more.Trev tells me the 650s are hard on starter related gear due to the timingso I started to build him a delay box to hold off the sparks until the motorhad gathered some momentum and see if that helps.Its worked perfectly on the bench with an adjustable delay between 100mS and 1 SecI found some real world issues when testing it on a bike though and I'm reworking it.

I've put £40 in my FJ this week since Sunday! Its drinking me out of house and home They do go rather well tho, great for upsetting the power ranger Sunday boys!



I haven't seen many 650s on the road and they don't often appear on Ebay either!



Your spark delay system sounds rather clever and if it can prolong a potential issue arising then hopefully you get it sorted and some out there. I understand the timing is why they're hard on cam chains and associated tensioner issues.

 

[OntarioCX650E]

If someone gave me 3,500 for my 650E with less than 50,000 km on it I would sell it.



Recent work include: Front MC, caliper rebuild, rear MC, caliper rebuild, rad flush.



I would sell it with everything I have left from my parts bike for 4,000. which include: engine (missing water pump cover), frame, cosmetics (missing bikini fairing), rotors/calpers, electrical system, wheels (new rubber), rims, front forks, triple tree, gauge cluster.



I can't believe what these bikes are selling for in the USA and the demand I am hearing for them.



That bike that was being sold on ebay for 3,300 dollars was far from mint and still retained a pretty penny.

 

[VtypeV4]

We just don't ever seem to see them over here.. I'll dare say I've seen more turbo 500s than I have any 650 model.. There used to be a great meet on a Thursday on the A41 at Tern Hill and there was always a chap there who had an immaculate 500 Turbo. Never saw a 650 tho..

 

[richnct]

There is not much history on US titled CX650E sales in the US, and since it is the crazy season for bike sales (soon to be over) I suspect in a month the actual (rare) sale prices would be noticably less. The other catch is that a Canadian E in Canada is not an E titled in the US yet, and there is a cost and value associated with that time, trouble, expense, and uncertainty. US states vary in their ease of registering an imported bike, but registering in an "easy" state like mine (Connecticut) and then transferring it with a title to a difficult state (New Jersey?) adds additional expenses and time. Like most things "old MC", the profit goal will rarely be realized, it's best considered a labor of love from the get go. Just my opinion, but I have imported two, so it's an informed opinion.

 

[Abes_CW]

Excellent summation From Timothy

Another agree. The torque difference is the big thing I appreciate, my 500's all needed to be banging up over 5500 rpm to get any life out of, the 650 lugs hard from 2500. Only downside is you lose the sewing machine smoothness of the beautifully balanced 500.

 

[VtypeV4]

After running round on my friends' Buell the other night, I'm sure a 650 will feel comparitavely smooth..