Honda CX 500 Forum banner

What do I need on the bars?

779 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  Sidecar Bob 
#1 ·
I've got a Honda CX500D with Cafe bars that are 7/8th inch. I bought the bike with the top half of a kill switch, but nothing else on the bars. What do I need to make it functional? My plan is just to make it basic and cheap before I do anything fancy so just cheap parts are kinda my goal. Any recommendations?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
You need the headlight high/low switch, turn signal switch and horn button on the left side and the kill switch and start button on the right.

The turn signal switch turns the running light (the other filament in the turn signal) off when the signal is flashing. The start button kills power to the headlight when the starter motor is running.

If your bike has Capacitor Discharge Ignition (all CX500 up to '81 IIRC) the kill switch shorts the black/white wire to ground. If your bike has Transistor amplifier Ignition ('82 only) the kill switch interrupts power to the ignition circuit.

BTW: Welcome to the forum. Please add your location to your profile and your bike's model and model year (NOT year first registered) to your signature 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 the Previous Owners may or may not have done 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. Get the coloured wiring drawing for your model and the Honda Wire Color Codes chat while you are in the Wiki.
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 because 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).
 
#3 ·
You need the headlight high/low switch, turn signal switch and horn button on the left side and the kill switch and start button on the right.

The turn signal switch turns the running light (the other filament in the turn signal) off when the signal is flashing. The start button kills power to the headlight when the starter motor is running.

If your bike has Capacitor Discharge Ignition (all CX500 up to '81 IIRC) the kill switch shorts the black/white wire to ground. If your bike has Transistor amplifier Ignition ('82 only) the kill switch interrupts power to the ignition circuit.

BTW: Welcome to the forum. Please add your location to your profile and your bike's model and model year (NOT year first registered) to your signature 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 the Previous Owners may or may not have done 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. Get the coloured wiring drawing for your model and the Honda Wire Color Codes chat while you are in the Wiki.
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 because 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).
I know my bike is a 1980 with Capacitor Discharge Ignition. That being said, what sort of switches are best for the job? I've been looking around at universal switches and I love the simplicity of them. Are there any switches that need to be specific to the usage? Do any need to be toggle switches for legal purposes?
 
#4 ·
Ah, if it is an '80 model it will be CDI. So you need the kill switch to be open when in the "run" position and closed on the "off" position (this is the opposite of, say, a light switch.

I am unaware of any requirement for specific types of switches (that doesn't mean there aren't just that I haven't come across them). I believe there is a requirement that you must be able to operate them without removing your hands from the bars (even if there isn't it makes a lot of sense safety-wise).
I do know that Canada and the US require all of the original lighting functions to be retained. Many non-original switches don't work with the turn signal & marker light setup: dual filament bulbs, dim=marker, bright=signal, marker off while signal is flashing (front only - the only amber lights allowed at the rear are flashing signals), which is required because no light within 4" is allowed to be on when the signal is flashing.
If you plan to keep the original signals (or similar) you pretty much need the original type switches.
If you plan to change the signals anyway you can add a couple of small LED marker lights more than 4" away from the signals and just leave them on all the time (that's what I did).

I can't really recommend anything specific that might work for you. When I replaced the switches on my bikes I found a few I thought might do on eBay, then did some research (including downloading the wiring drawings from the models they were made for) to make sure they would do what I needed and when I got them I went through them with an ohmmeter to confirm what each switch did before un-soldering the wires that came on them and soldering the wires from my original ones on (I studied electronics so this stuff comes easy to me).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top