Honda CX500 Custom 80's Plastic Maggot gets a Cafe facelift

[CUNNINGHAMMER]

Okay got way too busy at the end of March and moved to a new place with a garage, sooooo I now can work on the bike at home! I just hit up the dudes from WTF Fabrication in AJ to see if they can help me out with a new exhaust and my seat pan and ofcourse they said SURE! Since my exhaust is directly in the way of where my footpegs need to be, I'm gonna scrap it and build one that goes under the bike and exits a few inches in front of the rear tire. I bought some small ducati undertail mufflers that I'm going to use and hopefully have this damn thin on the road by the end of APRIL!!!!! haha. Wish me luck!

PS, Dude in Tucson has a 1976 CB750 SS that I nearly traded my truck for.... but I need my truck too much to get rid of it so I'll just be patient and finish the WTF500!

More news to come as things progress.

 

[Frankenfe]

Go Randy!...Go Randy! ...Go Randy!..Go!

Where r the pics?...lol

 

[CUNNINGHAMMER]

Really stoked because I got to ride my CX500 cafe bike around last night for the first time ever. I bought the bike a heap of junk for $300 and have been working on it slowly for 2+ years. It's definitley not done, but I couldn't stand it anymore so I took it for a spin. Below is anoth pic of both CX's in my garage. Going to build the other CX into a laid back bobber.

 

[50gary]

Nothing like the first ride to lift your spirits. Congratulations, keep up the good work.
Cheers, 50gary

 

[Frankenfe]

Nothing like the first ride to lift your spirits. Congratulations, keep up the good work.
Cheers, 50gary

I think its called "motorvation"

Good work Randy, especially considering our weather lately.

Yea I'm a jonesin for a bobber too

 

[CUNNINGHAMMER]

Well, Time and Determination have returned and this bike is going to be on the road! Took some pics this weekend, new CX650 headers (better bends than the cx500 stockers), K&N filters, British Customs lowered gauge bracket for the Bonneville front end.

I chose to go with CX650 headers because I like the bend better that the stock CX's, plus the outlets are lower in order to miss the frame when going back. I hadn't seen these on any other 500, and I didn't have any info, so I blindly found a set at a yard and bought them hoping it would work out and as I suspected the collars are identical to the 500 on the 650s. I simply refuse to pay $350 for an aftermarket 2 into 1 that everyone else has used on their cafe bike.







NEXT...
1. Re-Do Wiring, Relocate Battery
2. Mount Footpegs lower and farther back
3. Afix brake linkage and shift linkage (homemade rearsets)
4. Figure out seat and cowl attachment.
5. Maybe eventually paint. I want it to stay more of a rat rod/street tracker look. Not going for hipster shiek, no rootbeer brown or black and tan on this bike. Honestly thinking of going with a ratfink theme, flat paint and a little striping just for fun. I like nostalgia.

 

[cxman]

i hope you are planning on switching out the back shocks

if you run the bike with the ass end that jacked up it will blow the ujoint very quickly and i suspect quite spectacularly

the ujoint should not run with more then 7 degrees deflection you are way way way way way and a few more over that

 

[CUNNINGHAMMER]

CXMAN, Thanks for the advice, others have said they thought it was too much as well, but no one could ever offer a value, just speculation. I have been on the look out for shocks that are a few inches shorter and will install them before I hit the road with it.

 

[Drey6]

Glad you see you back at it. The fight continues.

 

[CUNNINGHAMMER]

Re: Honda CX500 Custom gets a Cafe facelift

I picked up a pair of 11" Sportster 48 shocks on Friday in order help with the angle in my swingarm/driveshaft. Received a pair of EMGO shorty mufflers, I will be adding the thumbscrew/washer baffles when I install them. Also ordered some pre-bent 1 1/2" pipe from Speedway motors. I ordered two just in case 1 wasn't enough but they were SUPER CHEAP. like $35 shipped...

I realized yesterday that the shorty levers I have are not going to work unless I order the lever assemblies that they went to stock... we shall see, I'm just worried that ridding of the stock throttle and switch assemblies and having huge levers with the clipons is going to look really goofy. I also made my own wiring diagram in order to visualize it a bit better they way that I want it layed out on the bike. I will be using the Triumph keyswitch to turn on the head and taillights. All in all 4 wires that have to run to the front, not too shabby.

Will update with photos soon.