[Vtcx500]

Hey folks! New member here from Vermont. Just got my first bike, got a stellar deal on a 80 cx500 custom that was sitting in a friend's garage since 2016. Its in beautiful shape, one small dent in the tank. Drained the tank, put in new gas, and plugs, charged the battery, she fired right up. Needs new tires to get on the road, but at least she is running! After seeing some of the custom jobs done, I am going to put some work into it, and make her mine.

Thanks for having a great forum! I can't wait to learn from yall!

 

[purple-rain]

Congrats on your new bike. Enjoy!

 

[nolimitz]

Welcome, We like pics here. Also ride her for a while before you start cutting. Get a feel for what works for you and what doesnt

 

[bahn88]

As per post #3....ride it and get it mechanically right....
Different handlebars and maybe a different seat is often enough to change the riding dynamics... you can fit many seats on the custom without needing a hacksaw/anglegrinder....

Welcome and enjoy the road taken...

 

[Vtcx500]

Welcome, We like pics here. Also ride her for a while before you start cutting. Get a feel for what works for you and what doesnt

I took off the front fairing, and luggage rack because I didn't like the look. I need to put a headlight and turn signals back on her. Here are some pics as she is sitting right now.

 

[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.
You mentioned that you plan to replace the tires' which is recommended if they are over 5 years old (no matter how good they look & feel because old rubber simply cannot flow around the irregularities in the asphalt well enough to grip, especially if it is cool or wet).
It looks like your bike still has the original rubber brake line, which should have been replaced every 2 or 3 fluid changes (= 5 or 6 years) so 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).

To echo what has already been said above, 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 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.