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The passion for my CX500

43K views 158 replies 33 participants last post by  Volaussie 
#1 ·
Hello to all the forum users. Today I decided to share my story about my bike and where's a better place that the whole CX500 community. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. :)

Let me start a bit about myself:
My real name is Rich Lasman and I am a 23 year old guy from this small country in Europe called Latvia. So first of all sorry for my English, couse as you understand this isn't my native language, but I had a B+ in the exam :D . Anyhow, in daily basis I work as a photographer and recently based on what I photograph I have to work on some graphic designs(but mostly I am a photographer). In the last few years as my work has grown the need for my private transportation has also grown. In my teen years my thoughts were that I need to get a small reliable car like vw golf mk1(I like the classics ;D), but that idea quickly changed. At that time my brother had a 250cc super-moto, and I also had a few chances to learn to ride this bike. A time later, when I had learnt to drive a motorcycle, I was able to compare which transportation suits me better - and with no questions asked I choose the motorcycle. And than began the pursuit for a bike that will suit me. I stumbled on some images where I first saw a cafe racer - ou boy when I started to learn this culture even more, there was nothing else what I wanted - this retro minimalistic lightweight sports bike. I knew that I need to go for classic 70's or 80's Japanese bike, with 1 or 2 cylinder 4 stroke engine, mid range cc, probably a CB350 would be perfect. But the problem was that here in Latvia there are basically no retro Japanese bikes to buy. All we have here are some big-ass choppers, old Soviet Union bikes and hard driven modern Bandits. Only later when the cafe racer culture was a bit known for other drivers, some people started to import few bikes from Germany - but they were so pricey(about 2500eu) and all of them were 750cc. A few smaller bikes which came up were in so bad condition and had no paper work so that also is no go for me. I had a strict budget and policy what I want my bike to be. Later I even started searching for 90's bikes who had the right lines and potential to be a cafe racer - but no luck. I was dreaming and searching for my perfect bike about 3 or 4 years. But in this year summer I stumbled on an advertisement for this one bike I have never seen before - a Honda CX500, what the hell is this bike?? I made a quick study on the internet, saw some other builds, started drawing some lines and shapes I could get from this bike. Few days later, I had my mind clear and made a decision - I have to buy this bike, couse I don't wan't to end up in another 4 years in searching for another bike.
And I bought it, I bought my first bike which is Honda CX500 1982. :)
Vehicle Motor vehicle Bicycle Bicycle wheel Bicycle accessory

This is how happy I am the day it first arrived at my home :)

Some info that I learnt about his bike:
Well the bike it self was in great condition - the fact that it has all the papers and a great technical inspection history proves that. And the price I payed for this beauty is a so called bargain - 800eu not to mention he payed for all the paper work, gave me a bunch of great spears(engine and transmission block, rear shocks, fork triple, etc.) and also I was able to sell all 3 travel bags with mount for 100eu. So overall this bike was a great deal for me and is a real budget bike. ;D
Previous owner had stated that originally this bike comes from France and that he has put a lot of work in the past years to make this bike in such a good condition. In technical inspection there is mentioned that this bike has run 95000km - I don't know if this is much for these bikes or is this reading true, couse the engine has a lot of parts changed for new ones. Well also there a few minuses - the cooling liquid and oil sometimes drops a few drops(like literally 3-6 drops and then stops), left front shock has a bad seal, bad battery, rear tire is worn, stator is failing and no fan in radiator. But these are all fixable as I have in plan to do a full inspection and repairment.

So the bike is now at it's new home, I am staring at it and thinking what should I do now - probably do a first test run(while buying the bike my brother was with me and he did the test run there), but all my thoughts were - damn this bike is so big and heavy, I have never in my life ridden a bike so big and the 500cc that's crazy. All I have ridden is my brother 250cc which has like 15hp maybe, and on that I felt a bit wobbly and not so confident. But no matter what I knew that I have to do this and try to ride this bike whatever happens. When I pressed the start button and the engine goes on with it's mean sound I was like "this is how I die", but first gear in, bit of the throttle, release the clutch and the bike starts moving. I was so surprised how easy it is with this bike, it is so steady. Second gear in and damn this bike operates so easy. Third gear, fourth, fifth..I was so stoked how easily this bike goes, can't feel any road bumps, such a majestic maneuverability..I look at the speedo and holy crap 120 already, it felt like 50 at that moment :D one time when I was riding my brothers bike at about 85 it felt like speed of light :D . So at this first test run I realized how great this bike is and how much I started to attach to it. I have never thought that a bike so big could feel so lightweight and comfortable.
Here is a picture of my parents testing the bike on the same day:
Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Motor vehicle Car

My dad after a run told that this bike is like Mercedes of the bikes ;D very very comfortable and easy to ride even with a passenger.

As it was a mid summer, I didn't want to start stripping the bike down, I wanted to enjoy it till the end of the season. My plan was to ride it while I can, and when the season ends start working on it so that it is ready for the new season. So first I did was to take all the bags and mount of, put a clubman style bars on it so that it has a bit racery look and drive through summer.
This is how it looked during the summer:
Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Car Motorcycling




Now the season is over and I have started to work on my bike. I already have put in a new Ignitech unit which fixed my full throttle bogging issue, and have stripped some parts of and started to imagine my custom look for this bike.
Vehicle Motorcycle Motor vehicle Motorcycle accessories Automotive design


My idea about this project:
Well at the start I wanted a lightweight, minimalistic cafe racer. Well for this model somehow lightweight and minimalistic isn't what I imagine. After looking at other people work on this bike, my biggest influence is from mr. Mucci's bike. It looks are all balanced in my viewpoint.
So the main idea is this:
*keep the bikes frame intact. Here in Latvia there is a strict policy about custom bikes and cars. Therefore I can't cut or weld the frame to custom looks. I have to make this build in that way that when I have to do an annual technical inspection I can easily swap my custom parts to original ones. Otherwise there is a pain in the ass paperwork, payments and rules I have to obey to have a permit for custom build.
*this will be my everyday bike. It has to be not only with good looks, but also with great ergonomics.
*i don't have much money to spend on this bike so budged is an issue. Have to work on this bike slowly but smart.

Till the next season my plan is to do all the main cosmetics work. Create the new look for this bike so that it is road legal.
I also have some future plans for it at the technical aspect:
*new modern electric wireing
*new carbs
*(maybe) spoked wheel conversion
*moderns front and rear shocks

Well I have a lot of ideas inspired from you guys. The problem is that I have to choose the right ones so that at the end my bike is the right one for me. Biggest problems will be the small budget I have and the fact that this all is a new thing to me and that I have no previous experience in bikes and fabricating. And my grandpa is the only person who helps me on this bike build. He's the only one who has experience in fabrication and bikes, couse once he owned an 40's or 50's Indian motorcycle. Too bad that he doesn't own it anymore.
But I am willing to learn and do this. Couse the more time I spend with this bike, the happier I am. And I am hoping to receive the needed help from this forum and to be a part of the cx500 family :)

I will keep updating this thread about what have I done, what obstacles I encounter and hopefully we can solve them together. And of course any other adventure I have with this bike :)
If you are interested in some other my every day life you can surely add me as a facebook friend or simply follow me on instagram @richlasman

So we'll see how this build ends :) For now I think this bike is the best decision I have made.
I hope that everyone has the same passion for their bike as I have :)
Cheers
 
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#2 ·
The bike looks great! I had the same experience when I first rode mine, it is such an easy bike to ride especially for its size and weight.
Concerning the budget.....be prepared to go over it lol. I had a set budget for mine too and that only lasted for a couple months. That being said, you can make an amazing bike without breaking the bank too.
It sounds like you have a great idea of where you want this bike to go, and from the looks of your designing skills you should have no problem pulling it off!
As always, this forum is the best place for any information regarding these bikes and everyone is friendly and helpful. Keep us all updated on your progress and remember to post lots of pictures (which should't be a problem for a photographer :p)
 
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#4 ·
Yeah! Great bike! Your enthusiasm is encouraging [emoji1] [emoji106]
I had that feeling when I first bought my Mazda Miata. Sadly I suppressed my enthusiasm when I took my bike back home because my girlfriend didn't approve of me buying it. But it's still here hehe

Have fun with your project and make many safe miles! I'll be following this build.

Sent with Tapatalk
 
#5 ·
Well talking about the budged - I don't have an exact number I wish to spend. I know the parts I want and parts I need will cost much for this build to be perfect. But I will try and look for the best and cheapest deal I could get, therefore I won't buy the first thing I see. There will be lots of studying and searching and decision making for the right parts ;D But already now I have calculated the average number I will be needing to spend just to get the main parts and dang it ain't cheap :D but anyhow I am in no rush and I can wait a bit longer to get to the next part :) how we say here "lēnāk brauksi, tālāk tiksi" or in English "slow but steady wins the race" ;)

Thanks for the thumbs up :)
 
#9 ·
Don't worry. One of my aims for this build is not to damage the frame and original parts. As I mentioned in my country we have a strict policy about custom work on transportation, so I will be needing these parts later to get my technical inspection done. So once in two years I will be doing swap from my custom parts to original ones :D
If in the future I will be wanting to do some modifications for example to the fuel tank, I will be getting an another tank and keep the original one in the safe spot ;)
 
#12 · (Edited)
Your enthusiasm is remarkable, as is your desire. Your bike is a treasure in your part of the world. I would feel bad altering it from stock format. It is beautiful, and should remain so. My opinion.


And who can't love this love......seriously.....


Joel in the Couve
 
#15 · (Edited)
Thanks for the support and thanks for the compliments about the bike - it appreciates them :D

Now for some updates:
As I mentioned before I have already removed some parts(front panel, seat, taillight+fender, inner fender, indicators) of the bike and started imaging the new look for my bike.
By now my imagination is most similar to mr. Mucci bike. So to make things easier I took his bike drawing, added my previously drawn seat and started manipulating with colors.
And this is the result I got:
Land vehicle Motor vehicle Vehicle Toy vehicle Car

So many great color schemes that now I can't decide which is the best for me :D (the second from the top left is how my bike would look with just few parts painted black)
I somehow like the idea of red frame, but ahhh it's hard to know how would it look in real life.. Than I thought - ok, no dillemmas about the color for now until the bike has taken it's new shape, couse for now I am not sure what will be the end look of this bike therefore the color theme has to be the right one to suit the bikes final look.
 
#16 ·
I like the idea of the red frame too. I was actually wondering the other day what it would look like and I think it could be nice when done properly. They all look great though! I kind of like the blue.....and the green....and all of them lol. I know what you mean by how hard it is to choose a color. I have the solution for you though.....buy 20 bikes and paint them all the different colors :D
 
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#18 ·
There are some things I have started doing on the bike. Let me start about the small ones:
The first thing I done is that I looked at the removed parts and searched for thous I can still use in this project without altering or modifying them. The first thing I saw were the speedo and tacho. Removed them from the whole panel and started thinking how to make them look "cool" on the naked front.
I started by finding some sort of shell for them, couse I don't want them to be "naked" + the old plastic isn't that tough to deal with the shocks on its own. So just to see how would they both look on the front I put them in a candy tins which were in perfect diameter, added some quick mounts and voila, this is what I got :D
Speedometer Vehicle Auto part Motorcycle Gauge


Don't worry, thous candy-tin protective cases were just to see how would these original o'meters look and fit. :D
Seeing how they fit, I thought it's not a bad idea to use them + it will be a nice touch for my "budget". First of all I search on the net for some adequate protective cases to put them in, but no luck. I can't believe no one has mass produced some kind of cases for these speedos, tachos. Well than the next thing to do is to build a pair on my own. At the beginning I thought to make them from metal tube, but later I change my mind because metal case would probably be heavy(okey, the truth is at the time I didn't had the angle grinder and didn't know how to use it aaaaaaand I was afraid of it :D). So my next thought was that I wan't them to be lightweight a.k.a. plastic. I took the speedo with me and headed to the local work shop. I started by checking some plastic tubes but there were none to be in the needed diameter. I even tried to fit the speedo in some random furniture I found on the way. And you know what - the one thing I could never think of using that way was a perfect fit - it was a toilet brush holder :D It looked something like this and were sold without the brush for 5eu or 7$:
Brush Toilet brush Bathroom accessory Toothbrush holder Cylinder

+ with a nice "chrome" touch :D

I cut it in the right lenght, drilled some holes and made the mount(the cases were made a while back but the mounts were yesterday, so now I am no longer afraid of the angle grinder ;D)
Auto part Cylinder Metal

The mount is from 3mm metal sheet and has as shocked look on it :D.

These are all the parts I use:
Auto part Rim Cylinder Metal

I also used the original seals.

This is how it looks assembled:
Wood stain Wood Hardwood Measuring instrument Plywood


Fitted thous shocked mounts:
Auto part Vehicle Engine Automotive engine part Radio-controlled toy


And this is how the speedo and tacho sits on the naked front:
Headlamp Automotive lighting Motorcycle accessories Light Vehicle



Buuuuuuut it doesn't end here, couse I will be rebuilding the mounts. I decided to make them as a one peace, not two separate. It will be a lot sturdier and make the o'meters sit simmetrically.
Regardless that I think they will look great to the whole appearance and is a great outcome :)
 
#19 ·
Looks fantastic! Great thinking with the toilet brush holder lol, you use what you can and sometimes it all just works perfectly :p
One tip I would say is to make the gauge mount out of thicker material. Even though you will be making both of them into one unit, you'd be surprised at how much flex you can get from it.
 
#30 ·
Looking forward to your build!

They made so many of these, do what you please and what pleases you.

Am planning on a red frame (second reason I wanted to cafe one of these), though it's a ways off... need to sort out the engine first.

Though I gotta say that first pic was the easiest "where's Waldo" EVER! ;)

Welcome!
 
#32 ·
Am planning on a red frame (second reason I wanted to cafe one of these), though it's a ways off... need to sort out the engine first.
In some way I like the idea about a red frame - it makes the bike look more sportier and desirable, something you would like to race with..

Though I gotta say that first pic was the easiest "where's Waldo" EVER! ;)
Hah, I knew I need to hide in a better place :D


Color was the hardest part of my build. I just could not decide so I rode it in primer for 9 -10 months to see if some color came to mind or I saw one that I would like :D I ended up two tone silver and carbon black pearl. I love it ... Now
Probably for me it will take another season until I will choose the color scheme :D
 
#31 ·
Color was the hardest part of my build. I just could not decide so I rode it in primer for 9 -10 months to see if some color came to mind or I saw one that I would like :D I ended up two tone silver and carbon black pearl. I love it ... Now
 
#33 ·
Today was also a bit productive, couse I made the new mount for gauges:
Electronics Technology Auto part Machine Electrical wiring


For now I haven't added any rubber in between them, but I had an idea to buy a bigger sheet of rubber and cut it out in the same form as the mount, so that it covers all the area and hopefully absorbs all the vibrations. But even now without it it feels very sturdy.
Ou, and that tape you see around the speedo - well it's there because I cracked one shell :/ In the cold garage the plastic becomes fragile and one a bit tighter bold and a new crack is born ;D But no biggie, I will just buy another toilet brush holder :D
 
#34 · (Edited)
Since the day I started working on the bike, I was also creating visualizations how the new seat would look. I have already posted an image in my first post how I imagined it, but just to remind here's the picture:
Vehicle Motorcycle Motor vehicle Motorcycle accessories Automotive design


I knew I don't want to buy some aftermarket seats, couse that is kind of boring ;D I wanted something unique, something I haven't seen on other bikes. + a bit of a challenge to build this seat is to make it good looking on the original frame, and also a comfortable two-seater(well you know, for the ladies :cool:) and also comfortable enough for it to be my daily ride. Also I would like to somehow mach the lines of the bike. I will keep the side panels, therefore the seat has to blend nicely with them. Well you'll get the idea once you see the seat done ;) .
So here is how the new seat-pan was made:

It all started by just cutting and putting some pieces of cardboard just to see how it would look.
Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Car Motorcycle


And by putting more cardboard I started to realize that there is one obstacle which will make the seat the way I don't wan't it to be.
Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Motorcycle Fuel tank


As you see I had to cut of the original seat mount and weld in a new one. My plan for not modifying the frame didn't work out. But hopefully that is a small mod for the frame and easy to restore, therefore when I have to do the technical inspection I will just weld the original mount back.
Suspension Auto part Suspension part Coil spring Vehicle

(I will later grind all the tail and paint it black to look nice and clean)

With that done, I did measurements around the frame and drew this blueprint to cut out the seat-pans model.
Atmospheric phenomenon Light Sky Text Atmosphere


A bit of cutting to get a nice fit and the model was ready. Time for the real deal and cut it out of the metal.
Vehicle Automotive exterior Fender Scooter Auto part


Here's the first fitment right after cutting it out and bending the sides.
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Motorcycle


And here's it all welded up.
Motor vehicle Vehicle Auto part Automotive tire Car


And here it is grinded and smoothed out. After talking with some craftsmen, they told me that there should be no sharp edges, so the nice, tight and sharp edge by the tank had to be grinded of(it can be seen in previous pictures).
Motor vehicle Vehicle Auto part Car Motorcycle


And here it is painted with protective, anti rust metal paint. Fits the way it should be :)
Motor vehicle Vehicle Fuel tank Motorcycle Automotive tire


Bonus image of how the underside of it looks. I welded that metal piece as a support for the seat and so that it nicely sits on the frame. Also a little hook for the bench to hold under the tanks mount(just like the original seat). And of course a pair of bolts to screw the bench to the mount.
Wood Table


So there it is, the seat pan is ready and soon to be given to a seat-maker. I will probably go for some brownish tone, I will discuss that with the seat-maker to know what would be the best option, not just in color, but also in material and form to shape, so that it looks perfect for this bike.
I think it will look nicely the fact that I had to adapt it to the frame without modifying it(well almost not modifying). Till then I will have time to do some other stuff on the bike. :)
Floor Flooring
 
#36 ·
Thanks :) and also thanks for remind me about the clearance ;D just measured it and it is about 3.3 inches, so I will be redoing that mount and put it a bit higher - there is still some free space between the mount at the seat(about 0.7 inches) so I will just weld it a bit higher. Or I could order a pair of new rear shocks which gives more clearance..??
 
#37 ·
I posted my shock story on another thread here
http://cx500forum.com/forum/cx-cust...th-africa-first-timer-build-3.html#post329678
The RFY shocks have less travel but if you consider to buy them then I would stay with the 320mm eye to eye (same as OEM) because the 340mm are most likely too stiff unless you weigh 100KG. I sent the shocks to Chris Livengood to be rebuilt before installation as the Chinese shocks are generally good quality components but sometimes the assembly is faulty. Chris rebuilt them, changed the oil to known good quality oil and when charging the canisters with nitrogen discovered a faulty schreader valve. So it was well worth the $75 for this service...oh, he also changed the top out spring for me for less harshness on the rebound.
So with less travel you will not need to modify what you have done already.
Hope this helps...
=Greg=
 
#39 ·
I was also thinking about these shocks, and checked the Chris website. Noticed that there are some already(I suppose rebuilt) shocks with a decent pricing, but I don't know if he ships them to Europe and how much would that cost. Couse I don't ha a lot of money to spend right now and there are alot of other stuff that I need to buy for my bike.
Is the 8.5cm clearance between the wheel and the mount a big issue? Couse I really like the handling of the original shocks ;D


Nice work looks like you'll be done soon going like you are! :)
Well there is still lots of work to do - when I will be done with most of the visual work(besides the paintwork), I will check and fix most of mechanical aspects of the bike. So hopefully it will be done by the spring :)
 
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