Hello all, I've been a member here since buying my CX500 6 years ago now and am ready to resurrect it, so I figure I should say hi and make sure I am on the right path with my build. So the the bike is a 79' custom? that I got as a rolling frame and engine, not running, because I fell in love with the look of the engine layout and have been slowly gathering up the pieces to make it whole again. I am going for a cross between a cafe and scrambler since 1/2 the roads in Montana are full of gravel most of the year. I have already replaced the radiator(smashed) gauges(missing) controls(missing) deluxe tank(missing) got it running(sort of) new c-racer seat and swapped out the original wheels for the 78' style 19" front 18" rear wheels. Next on the to get list is a Murrays carb kit, h-box eliminators, rectifier, 7volt regulator and a new ignition system (thinking Rae-San?)
79 CX500 basket case
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The tank and wheels are not original. It's a Frankenmaggot.
"Fit" is a loosely held term, someone had previously cut the rear tank/seat mounts off the frame and there was no post for rubbers in the front, just some threaded holes about where they would have been. I made some new post and added a couple of generic bushings and the tank slipped into the front fine but seems to be sitting high in the back, but without a rear bracket for reference it is hard to tell. There is no previous history known on the bike since it was part of a huge lot of vintage project bikes a local shop bought from somewhere. They cherry picked the best to fix up and threw this one out in the scrap pile when I saw it and negotiated a fair price to rescue it.
Looks great, the basket it came in must have been nice! 
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329 Posts
What part of Montana??
The back of the tank doesn't look high to me. As long as the floor of the tank slopes down at the back enough that all of the fuel in it can get to the petcock it should be fine.
Welcome to the forum. Please add your location and your bike's model and model year to your profile so that you don't have to remember to tell us every time and we don't have to keep asking when you forget (see Forum Settings link in my signature).
And welcome to the world of antique vehicle ownership (they own us, not the other way around). Your bike is about 4 decades old and may or may not have had all of the maintenance necessary to keep it safe & reliable so it is highly recommended to download the Factory Shop Manual for your model (available through the CX Wiki - link in my signature) and go through all of the service procedures, regardless of whether your bike has reached the specified mileage.
I also recommend looking on all rubber parts with suspicion because rubber does not age gracefully. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old no matter how good they look & feel (old rubber simply cannot flow around the irregularities in the asphalt well enough to grip, especially if it is cool or wet). If your bike still has the original rubber brake lines (should be replaced every 2 or 3 fluid changes = 5 or 6 years) I recommend shopping for modern stainless braided ones (they last practically forever and double the life of the fluid). And don't forget things like the rad hoses and the boot between the engine and swingarm (they can crack on the bottom where you don't see it).
The best advice anyone can give you about customizing any vehicle is to get it safe & reliable in more or less original condition and use it for a while before you start making any changes that can't be reversed so it can tell you what changes it needs to make it do what you want/need better. That approach almost always results in something you actually want to keep and use but making changes based on style or on what someone else (who may or may not really understand how the changes affect the way it works) has done often results in a piece of expensive yard art that you can't stand sitting on for more than a few minutes and might even be dangerous.
Welcome to the forum. Please add your location and your bike's model and model year to your profile so that you don't have to remember to tell us every time and we don't have to keep asking when you forget (see Forum Settings link in my signature).
And welcome to the world of antique vehicle ownership (they own us, not the other way around). Your bike is about 4 decades old and may or may not have had all of the maintenance necessary to keep it safe & reliable so it is highly recommended to download the Factory Shop Manual for your model (available through the CX Wiki - link in my signature) and go through all of the service procedures, regardless of whether your bike has reached the specified mileage.
I also recommend looking on all rubber parts with suspicion because rubber does not age gracefully. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old no matter how good they look & feel (old rubber simply cannot flow around the irregularities in the asphalt well enough to grip, especially if it is cool or wet). If your bike still has the original rubber brake lines (should be replaced every 2 or 3 fluid changes = 5 or 6 years) I recommend shopping for modern stainless braided ones (they last practically forever and double the life of the fluid). And don't forget things like the rad hoses and the boot between the engine and swingarm (they can crack on the bottom where you don't see it).
The best advice anyone can give you about customizing any vehicle is to get it safe & reliable in more or less original condition and use it for a while before you start making any changes that can't be reversed so it can tell you what changes it needs to make it do what you want/need better. That approach almost always results in something you actually want to keep and use but making changes based on style or on what someone else (who may or may not really understand how the changes affect the way it works) has done often results in a piece of expensive yard art that you can't stand sitting on for more than a few minutes and might even be dangerous.
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