[JTMoney]

Good afternoon everyone.
I’ve got a 81 cx500c that belonged to my uncle. Hasn’t been ridden in over 15 years. 48000 miles. Unfortunately it was stored outside. Got the carbs cleaned at Murray’s. Running a temporary gas tank. Got an old tank being cleaned and lined at the radiator shop. Did an oil change, spark plugs, new coolant, new air filter, and changed the final drive fluid. Bike fired right up. Drove it around the yard for a couple minutes. What other maintenance should be done before I do too much more riding?

 

[D-Fresh]

Download the FSM here: Honda CX and GL Wiki (motovillage.org) and do the prescribed maintenance.

Another good resource: The Honda CX and GL 500 and 650 family of motorcycles (motofaction.org)

Welcome

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

Tires. Don't trust 15+ year old rubber.

 

[JTMoney]

Tires. Don't trust 15+ year old rubber.

Oh yeah

 

[SirFoxx]

you're going to have to rebuild, or at least, pop the piston out of the front caliper and clean the congealed brake fluid, and grease the slide pins. I'm not sure id trust the rubber brake lines either.

 

[DouginEasternWashington]

Plus one on going through the brakes. Be sure to replace the brake line too. You should service the forks too.

 

[Sidecar Bob]

Welcome to the forum. Please add your location 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 aside from deterioration from sitting outside 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 as well as post #2 above) 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. You don't need to check the date codes to know your tires are over 5 years old so 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 that should have been 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).

 

[Fafnir]

Tires. Don't trust 15+ year old rubber.

Yeah, get rid of the "Fred Flintstone" tires. You will be amazing in the change of your ride!