I recent bought a '79 CX500C, and I love it! The only drawback is that I'm tall (6'8") and the two-tiered seat makes it a bit of a crunch to ride. But I like the two-tiered seat look rather than the flat seat look, so don't want to replace my seat (and the seat is in great condition). Has anyone ever run into a front-seat-only pad that would essentially make the whole seat flat, temporarily when I'm riding it? Thanks!
Too tall for CX500C seat
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I put on an Airhawk seat pad so that long days in the saddle were comfortable.
Additional benefit is it does raise up the seating position about a half to one inch depending on how much you inflate it. It increased my seat height enough so I now see over the Plexifairing properly. Also my knee position is slightly better / comfortable.
But....I am only 5 8, so a foot shorter !
Additional benefit is it does raise up the seating position about a half to one inch depending on how much you inflate it. It increased my seat height enough so I now see over the Plexifairing properly. Also my knee position is slightly better / comfortable.
But....I am only 5 8, so a foot shorter !
6'8" is pretty tall for a Custom but I'm sure someone on the forum must have figured out a way to deal with that over the years.
Perhaps forward foot controls might help some?
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 over 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. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old 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(s) (should be 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).
Perhaps forward foot controls might help some?
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 over 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. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old 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(s) (should be 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).
Thanks Bill S, I just checked out that seat pad. Looks like that will work great.
Thanks Sidecar Bob, I'll update my profile. I had a '81 back in the 80's and loved it. I saw one recently and "wanted my bike back", so I bought this one. Somehow I rode it very comfortably back then and was the same height; maybe I was more flexible back then??? I'll check out forward foot controls.
Thanks for the guidance on maintenance, I will definitely do all of that. I appreciate the welcome!
Nice! Reclining in style.
We were all more flexible when we were younger......
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