[shastechy]

Hey, Just joined.
I do have a '81 CX500C


Any suggestions on sources for tires or ignition parts (stator, pulsar, pickups)?

The bike has a nice set of Michelin Commander II that are barely worn, but the date code is well past the 5 year mark.

1981 CX500C

 

[bahn88]

Welcome...enjoy your Cx.

I'll leave it to USA members to suggest local suppliers for day to day items....
Are you sure the bike needs a new stator?

 

[ZXtasy]

Welcome to the forum. I am looking at new 'lectrics from Oz, Rae-San stuff. Ricks Motorsports does lots of good replacements and improvement pieces. Where ya from? Around Mt. Shasta? Your forum picture really speaks to a memory for me, can't quite place it though....

 

[Sidecar Bob]

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. If the date codes say your tires are over 5 years old you should probably replace them 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 line (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).

 

[washoe]

Welcome to the forum... you should get lots of helpful information from CX / GL riders here.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Run them

The truth about tire age - RevZilla

How old is too old for motorcycle tires, and do they really expire after five years? We discuss tire aging and even test some old tires to see what really happens as tires age.

www.revzilla.com

 

[Sidecar Bob]

Note that he tested them on a dry track on what looked like a warm, sunny day. And that the tires he tested were a sticky compound to start with and had been stored properly during the 7 years.

The problem is (& I have said this on the forum before) that we tend to look at tires at the beginning of the season and think "they'll be good for another year" and before you know it they are 7, 8 or even 10 years old and you find yourself sliding around on a damp road.
And that's when you bought them new and know what conditions they have been exposed to. If they came on the bike you have no way of knowing how many times they sat in the sun all day or whether the PO ran a fuel burning heater in the garage every day while the bike was stored for winter.
But it's up to you whether you want to take a chance on leaning old tires with an unknown history into a turn on a cold, wet road.