Mak's step-by-step guide to building an un-original, but still fun, cafe bike

Thanks for explaining the joke! Definitely none of that. I expect to ride this thing, it's going to have decent rubber on it.
 
New headlight, some gussets under the subframe, and I started getting that Civic exhaust installed :D

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Sad when you can buy a whole car exhaust to cut up cheaper than the pieces of bends and pipe. Unless that was a leftover from another project then it's even better. Keep it up. Looking pretty good. May I suggest a set of Murray's carbs and intakes for this. It makes a CX go from fun to Holy shit! this thing's quick. I was going to add a set to mine but ended up selling it. I personally know 3 folks who have the carb's and love them. I will build another CX when I find another for the same deal as my first. I kind of miss mine.
 
This was my first CX500 and that was...oh lord...13 years ago. I was happy with the bike but sold it thinking a little more power would be nice and I really haven't been happy with a bike since lol. I liked my GSXR1000 and I liked my TL1000R but the CX was just more fun. I've wanted to play with another one for really long time.

Murray has a lot of toys I'm interested in :D...I do generally like the pave my own way but that's hard work sometimes, and I'm getting to a point in my life where sometimes I want the easy way.

And yeah the Civic header is about 2 90 degree bends. I might have to buy another one, though, to really have enough to pull it off.
 
I figured. I've had a few civics and know what's out there for stainless exhausts. Funny fact, there are 3-4 parts on the CX and on my 79 GL that cross reference to Civics and buying from the car dealer is cheaper than the bike. one is the Rad cap, I think there is a sensor for temp and something else. you can get OEM from Honda car side for half the price.
 
'oh yeah, on the Murrays Carb's I spent days/weeks re-jetting for K&N filters and getting the bike dialed in. With his kit it's a half hour and you get max HP. My buddy has 2 CX's with the kits and I rode one on a visit to Toronto and I couldn't believe is was just a CX with the kits and the crossover removed, it was sooo much faster than mine which ran pretty good.
 
cbrianroll said:
CX's are fun...I miss mine too. I think I still have a motor and some other stuff somewhere in my garage...
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You think you still have a motor somewhere in your garage? Damn. I need me a better garage.
Looking good man, I love CX500's too. The first bike I almost bought (with a mate) was 4 bins-full of CX500. Really like how yours is shaping up.
 
any plans to do some swingarm bracing? i dont think that noodle of s swingarm will handle the mono shock very well.
 
can look at later model GL500 and GL650 as they came mono shocked. The swingers could be a direct swap.
 
You can work the 650 arm in without a lot of drama but it's longer and no wider...so nothing really to gain. The GL1500 is wider so I could run a bigger tire, but it's super long.

This arm will undergo quite a bit of butchery once all said and done. I will be mounting an R6 wheel with a 180 on it. Somehow.
 
Just seeing how much room I got and what it looks like...

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I really need to get me hands on a spare rear end assembly...
 
Maritime said:
I figured. I've had a few civics and know what's out there for stainless exhausts. Funny fact, there are 3-4 parts on the CX and on my 79 GL that cross reference to Civics and buying from the car dealer is cheaper than the bike. one is the Rad cap, I think there is a sensor for temp and something else. you can get OEM from Honda car side for half the price.
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Antifreeze! For any water-cooled Honda, get it from the car dealer and save big time.
 
Okay so the CBR954RR Showa shock with a 14.6kg/mm was too soft. So I order a shock from a Kawasaki 650 Ninja because they have a 17.4kg/mm spring and I could try that for $30.

The 650 Ninja shock felt even lighter. I had nearly double the sag with that shock.

For kicks, though, I swapped the 17.4kg/mm spring from the Ninja shock onto the Honda shock and...it's perfect and I don't get it. About 30mm sag and feels nice when I jump on it.

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You should just run the calculations on what you need for a spring. You just need to know your motion ratio which is easily measured.
 
I reached out to a couple different outfits for help and they sent me rather large, complicated forms to fill out with dozens if measurements...which i’m working on filling out the one from race tech. But everyone seems to only offer like two or three weights of springs and they all want $100-200 for them. The spring from racetech is going to cost at least $170 for the coil and adapters. And i may go that way...but seems like i’m really, really close to spot on for only $30. In the end if i have to commit to a closer spring from racetech or someone else...well there’s not a lot of difference between $170 and $200. But if this works there sure is a hell of a lot of difference between $30 and $170.
 
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