[coffee_brake]

I just brought home the '79 CX500 you folks have been so kind as to help me analyze before I decided on an offer for the seller.

Nice young family, this guy is giving up a running bike because he'd rather have a CB750 basket case project.

This Custom is pretty well complete except the exhaust; but it looks its age. It's kinda ratty, but not ratted out. The wiring harness is blissfully intact and everything looks pretty good at least structurally. Randall in MN has some exhaust components I need and we're working on that. I'm looking forward to getting it streetworthy. Besides the nasty-looking exhaust, it needs a new front tire, battery, neck bearings and various rubber parts and seals. THEN comes the polishing and maybe painting. I do my own painting in my woodshed with a HVLP gun, it ain't no pro job but it generally looks pretty good and holds up to fuel spills.



It came with an extra lump. I don't have high hopes for it, as there was enough cracked corn in each cylinder to be coming out the intakes. Thanks, squirrels. Ya'll look at the pictures; see anything good in the lump I should save?



Now then, what I know is wrong: at low speeds the bike is an absolute dog and I think it's only running on one cylinder at low speeds.

According to the little bit I've learned from this site so far, this could be 1) a low-speed coil, 2) the awful gutted pipes and missing H-box, or 3) carb wrongly jetted or clogged jet.



Any ideas on this?



Anyway, some photos:

 

[[email protected]]

Sweet dude! She looks pretty good from the pix

I have the same model, same year, same paint

(My avatar looks a lot more red than she actually is.)



Good luck and keep posting your story and pix!



p

 

[[email protected]]

Lemmee know if you plan to add Harley 883 Sportster exhaust! I'll be doing that mod next month, and I can share any details / issues as I come across 'em.

 

[ramprat06]

Looks to me like you have a very workable unit there! A lot of the items seem pretty straight and decent. The best thing is it does run, so getting it back on track will be a cake walk with the help here.



Your low end running is surely carbs/exhaust/jetting. It's a CDI bike, so is a perfect candidate for the Ignitech to solve any stator weaknesses. Good looking project that you should be able to get rideable very soon.

*edited to add, having the extra lump will pay BIG dividends for you during the fixup Then what's left will play in for others.*



Joel in the Couve

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

Congratulations, Jenn! I suppose now you'll want expedited shipping on that exhaust.

I'll try to get it sent by this weekend.



First order of business would be a thorough carb cleaning. There are lots of threads on the topic, so I won't go into detail, except to recommend using an ultrasonic cleaner.



Regarding the spare engine, you should have lots of useable parts in there. It appears to have been exposed to weather with the rear cover removed. If it's only surface rust, soaking each piece in EvapoRust will clean them up nicely. It never hurts to have a spare camshaft, etc. on hand. (Be sure to keep the matched followers with it, and label the position of each.)





R

 

[coffee_brake]

Thanks everyone. No rush on the exhaust Randall, there are title issues (bike is titled, but title is lost, PO showed proof of registration). I'm hanging on to the $$$ until it is resolved, with no harshness between buyer and seller. We both understand what needs to happen. He wants his $$$ and I want that title, so until he gets the new re-issued title, I'll just be waiting to actually pay for the bike, and won't ride it till it's really mine. I didn't pay very much anyway. Wife of seller wants it gone anyway. So no stress or hurry for any of us. I was just getting the motor started tonight so I could show my hubby that I'm not a complete idiot, it DOES run.

Besides, my Kawasaki Concours you see in the background is up in our tiny garage for a new front tire and some stiction sorting-out before my long trip next month, and only one bike is allowed to be off-line or in pieces at a time.



I am curious about the carbs. I really think the PO is a well-meaning individual, but I don't think he's very experienced with this kind of thing. Neither am I, but...I am reluctant to go about changing more than one thing at a time. I almost wonder if I shouldn't just mount up the stock exhaust before I start pulling carbs. If the bike still hesitates and wallows after the exhaust is put back to rights, THEN I should pull the carbs...right?

Usually it's the idle that screws up first, and this bike idles fantastic. It's the low speeds that are so bad on it, once I get going faster it really performs well. So I have high hopes...and many wrenches....



Pretty bike, though, the more I look at it the more I like it. The handlebars MUST go, but otherwise it's pretty nice....

 

[StormRider]

I don't know about Georgia but here in Washington if the seller goes with the buyer to transfer in person all you need is the registration and there is no extra charge.

 

[black81silverwing]

I don't know about Georgia but here in Washington if the seller goes with the buyer to transfer in person all you need is the registration and there is no extra charge.

In my experience, ONLY the paper counts.

 

[DaveF]

Congratulations!

...there are title issues (bike is titled, but title is lost, PO showed proof of registration). I'm hanging on to the $$$ until it is resolved, with no harshness between buyer and seller. We both understand what needs to happen. He wants his $$$ and I want that title, so until he gets the new re-issued title, I'll just be waiting to actually pay for the bike, and won't ride it till it's really mine...

A title is not needed in Georgia for a vehicle this old. All you need is liability insurance and a bill of sale from the seller to register the bike. Since he has already registered the bike, there is very little risk that someone else has any claim of ownership.



I've bought and sold several older vehicles with only a bill of sale, and never had any issues. If purchased from out of state, the bill of sale must be notarized. It is not necessary to have it notarized if the sale is within state.

 

[coffee_brake]

Great, all that applies here. Seller is nearby and seller's wife is calling around today to hopefully find out the same thing you folks said. Hopefully we can get this done today even, but I'm not frantic about it in the meantime...the cash is sitting on the counter, ready to hand over.