[resident13]

1981 CX500C



I'm pretty short for this bike, but I'm picking one up here in a few months off of my friend once the weather breaks. My first question is... if i put 11 inch shocks on it would it be a comfortable height? (this question is kind of specific to those around my height range.) I don't want to chop the frame yet, tho i will be considering it in the future I'm sure. Also, I was wondering if anyone has pictures of their bike with little modification done to it, I'm taking all plastic off of it, probably replacing the bars with drag bars and the rear fender with a soft tail, but I'd like to get an idea of what it would look like with plastics removed. Any help would be appreciated, I'm new here and havn't owned a bike since I sold my CB125s a few years back... can't wait to get riding!

 

[resident13]

Oh, I found a site that sells 11 inch shocks for around $70... think I can do better than that? I'm assuming ebay would be the place to check, I just don't want to be taken for a ride.

 

[Blindstitch]

How short are you?

 

[resident13]

How short are you?

drivers license says 5'7", but i think i shrunk an inch since then

 

[Blindstitch]

Have you considered shaving the foam of the seat. An easy test would be to just take the seat off and see if you can sit on it just fine.



You can also slide the forks down a bit in the triple tree.

 

[resident13]

Have you considered shaving the foam of the seat. An easy test would be to just take the seat off and see if you can sit on it just fine.



You can also slide the forks down a bit in the triple tree.

I didnt think about this, thats a really good idea! thanks for the help!

 

[resident13]

Does anyone know of a way to install a single seat without welding and still having it look good? would this look bad without the frame chopped?

 

[Trickster]

There is no easy or quick way to install a single seat, but it can be done, looks however are your own taste.



Like Don (Blindstitch) said, redoing the seat height and also as important, the seat width, along with some boots with



a thick sole should solve your reach problem.



Good Luck

 

[Billrod]

I am 5'8" tall and have a naked GL500 and have no problem getting my feet flat on the ground at stop lights. I would think you should ride the bike a bit before you start modifying anything.

 

[Blindstitch]

Good words. But the custom is a hair higher. But still really good words.

 

[tvpierce]

Some folks have used Harley shocks -- which are very cheap on Ebay. Harley owners generally take off the OEMs to favor of shorter ones. So I don't know if you'll find inexpensive 11" shocks, but maybe some that are a little shorter than stock.

 

[resident13]

I did some homework here (since i dont yet have the bike all i can do is plan... this is probably a good thing)



I used to own a 75 cb125s when i was around 14yrs old, the seat height on it was 29.9 inches and that was comfortable... from what i have read, the seat height on the cx is 31.3, so an inch and a half higher, but the added weight... which is double... is probably going to make me want to lower the seat height as much as possible. i was wondering if someone could give me a rough guesstimate on how much foam is actually in the seat, i would assume i would need to leave at least 1/2 an inch to leave a little comfort. after looking at all of the pictures of CXs that are simply "naked" i've decided to keep this one as stock as possible, but im still going to run her until im dead... being a honda i know i will be gone way before she is.



so my plans are:

shave the foam in the seat as much as possible

replace stock bars with drag bars

reposition the forks to make the bar positioning and height more comfortable

and finally replace the exhaust with something a little more throaty....



any input on this would be greatly appreciated! any ideas, tips, concerns, or if anyone wants to point out any rookie mistakes i'd like to thank you in advance!

 

[Billrod]

My Gl500 is the first bike I have ridden in about 40 years. My previously ridden bikes were YR1 350 Yamaha and Triumph 650's both which were about 350 pounds. When I got the Silverwing (500 pounds) I was more than a little nervous as I was used to bikes at least 150 pounds lighter. The Silverwing is also more than a little top heavy but it took me less than a month to get comfortable with the heavier bike. I say again that before you do anything to a perfect bike, ride it for awhile, even if you do it in a large empty parking lot. I think you will find that you will not have any problems and will save your self some money modifying it when it may not be necessary. Just my humble opinion.

 

[willy]

Does anyone know of a way to install a single seat without welding and still having it look good? would this look bad without the frame chopped?

I'm still working on mine. Partly because I'm the opposite (Tall) I lengthened my tank and moved the seat back building a small seat out of bits that still just bolts to the frame. I also got a pair of 11" shocks from ebay[attachment=561:cx project 013s.jpg]

 

[exploring/carolina]

Does anyone know of a way to install a single seat without welding and still having it look good? would this look bad without the frame chopped?

Installed this seat without welding. Used 1/8" X 1 1/2" steel strap. The seat height is about 31" with 13 3/16" HD shocks installed, but it was too high for my 5'3" wife because the front part of this seat is too wide combined with a 31" seat height. Probably could have used a narrow seat to make it work for her combined with a 29 1/2" seat height by using shorter shocks & thinner seat cushion. Know a guy that modifies bike seats and he uses 5 pound memory foam to make thinner, comfortable seat cushions. Lowered her Honda CRF230L, from 31.9" to 29 1/2" seat height and she can flat foot it with BMW riding boots that give her 1/2" extra height. The front portion of the CRF seat is narrow and is just as important as having a lower seat height. In the end she likes the 270lb weight of the CRF compared to the CX500 weight.