[Jimbo91]

Hey guys, my names Jim. Im going tomorrow to look at, and as long as everything goes right, buy, a 1982 Honda cx500. I don't have a ton of information on the bike, except that the lady I spoke to says it starts right up, runs and drives great. Now, I've never worked on bikes, but I have worked on cars all of my life. I don't know how different or similar the two are, in my mind a combustable engine is a combustable engine, but I guess I'll find out soon enough lol. Anyways is there anything I should look for when I go to get this bike? I heard the fan behind the radiator is made of plastic, and I should check to see if there are any cracks in it. She also mentioned it had 9250 original miles on it. Is there anything else I should look for? anything these things are notorious for?

 

[NateDawg]

Click "forums" Click "General discussion" Click "quick reference" There is a lot there just for you!!!!

 

[Jimbo91]

where is quick reference located?

 

[Jimbo91]

Nevermind I found it loll sorry its pretty late...

 

[Jimbo91]

I found a cool post on buying a new bike and I learned a few things, but my next question is are there any specific things that go wrong with the cx500's, around the '82 era?

 

[NateDawg]

Those of us that have been around, have seen the same 20 questions more than a few times. It's so much easier to point to where it all is. If there is something not covered in there please do not hesitate to ask!!! Just like a car, check for leaks, start it and make sure the charging voltage is 14-14.5volts. The oil isn't sludge or grey, and if you are feeling ambitious check the cam chain. That about covers the engine out repairs. Make sure the the front brake feels solid before you venture out, and slowly let go of the clutch a few times to get used to where it is before you go for a scoot. Kick the tires to

 

[Jimbo91]

Lol thanks and I understand, no use for 20 of the same questions with the same answers. Anyway im pretty pumped, ill be sure to post sometime tomorrow and hopefully if everything goes the way I plan ill have some pics to post to

 

[NateDawg]

I found a cool post on buying a new bike and I learned a few things, but my next question is are there any specific things that go wrong with the cx500's, around the '82 era?

Not really. But it is an old bike. There is probably a million things that could be wrong, so it is hard to be super specific. But as far as the big things to look for, I posted above. These are well made machines. Made to be easily maintained. And a joy to ride. Welcome to our forum

 

[bear351c]

Check in the tyre treads for small cracks. The rubber will perish over time. 9,250 genuine miles from 1982?? Must be kept in a museum. If it truly is that mileage, change every fluid, as well as tyres and brake pads.



You'll love it. Super reliable and goes forever. Get used to hearing " I used to have one of those...."

 

[Shep]

Here's a decent check-list,





http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=72



and quick general info,



http://www.pdsrecording.site90.com/cxgl500/HondaCX500GL500(Shep).htm

 

[Bisbobble]

Jimbo,



I just joined this forum as well. I've been a bike owner on and off for 25 years. Although I enjoy having an older bike, you need to be prepared to spend time with it in the garage. I am learning a lot about motorcycle mechanics and this forum is the main reason. I am also learning that a 30 year old bike needs more attention than a newer one. I probably won't be ridding as much as I would like due to little repairs needed here and there, but I am learning to appreciate older bikes.

 

[cdyoung1985]

One thing that isn't a bad idea, is replacing the cables, they're 30 yrs old, that's an old cable.... I've gone through 3 used speedometer cables last year, 1st year I had the bike, and she was down for 4 days waiting on a clutch cable... CHECK OIL WEEKLY OR MORE, I learned that the hard way, mine never leaked a drop, so I thought it was safe, until I was on the way to work and I hear this really loud knocking sound, and see the temp gauge go through the roof, well, trying to, I shut her down before it quite redlined, and have to decide rebuild engine, or part out the engine... If you need parts, look on the for sale buying thread here, if you need it, we've got 5 people looking to sell it. Some things I'd go new, most things you can't. If you have an issue and don't know what's causing it, 20 people here have had the issue and know what it is. If you can turn a wrench, you can fix about anything on this bike.



The carbs need to be cleaned, she'll run now, but not that well. If you have much common sense, and can follow pictures with instructions, and have a clean workspace, you can clean our carbs with the help of Larry's carb book, he's our local carb guru...



As far as maintenance, yearly flush the radiator, check oil, add if low, change every 3k miles, and ride her until your heart's content... Also every couple years or something like that change the final drive oil.



If you don't have the manual, download it free in the general discussion quick reference, it tells you what to do at what mileage.



These are quite similar to cars, but a million times funner, and easier to work on. Need to drop the motor? Grab a regular jack, and take 3-4 hours, a bit longer if it's your 1st time doing much of it, I learned to strip a CX in about 4 hours total, with the help of my impact driver.



Hopefully you rider her and fall in love like my 1st ride on my CX, was disappointed that she was only a 500 when the guy offered me 2 for $800, but I wanted a bike bad, and that was my price range, so I bought her, put fresh gas in, used a bit of starting fluid, and off we went! So basically, I hope you find a good buy, take it, and fall in love like so many have. They get a lot of responses, from how did you build that motor, to what the hell is that, to I had one of those, I miss her, and a buddy of mine had one, he loved that bike...



Hopefully this super long post had some info that helped you, if not, it helped me remember I have ADD really bad lol