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Before Cam asks, yes, the R1 is still in progress. I'm in the process of finishing it off so it's still getting built and no, you can't have
In recent times I've purchased a 1980 CX500D (Deluxe) for an extremely attractive figure; in fact, money did not change hands. It's in fair condition, 99.9% complete and requires very little work to register however the people who know me well enough, know I like to make bikes shiny.
Why a CX500?
Looking on the interwebz, it's apparent that the CB 2xx's are popular to rebuild and rightly so; they do tend to come out looking mint but I wanted something with a little more power. After pouring over the net I found a nice CX500 build and knew I wanted one, however the renditions of the final product has changed more times than I care to count. Besides, how can you pass up a shaft drive V-twin?!
The plan is to take what I've learned from the 98 R1 rebuild and put that knowledge into the CX500 which means rebuilt carburetors, motor, frame, suspension, electrics, paint.. well.. everything really. Danoz Direct: everything must go.
The plan:
The idea is to register the bike before tearing it down and rebuilding it into a monster. I'm not looking for the Cafe look, more of a Steampunk Bobber. The WrenchMonkees did an awesome job and true enough I've used it for inspiration, however they've done a few things I didn't agree with and haven't gone far enough in some respects. The original Radiator is brass top and bottom and implementing a brass theme would go down a treat. I didn't like the instrument cluster setup, exhaust, grips and the overall finish. I'm looking for a polished finish, something a bit more refined or for lack of a better word, shiny
Time frame:
Approximately 1 to 2 years.
I've already started taking bits and peices off, so excuse the photo:
The engine was suprisingly clean but is still going to get a soda blasting and then a respray, which means pulling everything down and either polishing it or painting it.
Purchases made:
After looking over the bike I decided it immediately needed:
- Carburetor rebuild kit (complete with Gaskets, seals and air cut-offs)
- Complete set of motor gaskets, top to bottom
- New oil filter and air filter
- Carburetor manifold rubbers
- Spare set of Carburetors
Thus far:
The Carburetors were off when I picked it up. One of the previous owners had taken them off for a rebuild, split them up and pulled one apart. Suprisingly enough nearly everything was still there; aside from the bar that keeps the Carburetors together, no other pieces were missing. They were also in suprisingly good condition and mechanically wouldn't need much to get them in and running again. I purchased another set of Carburetors off Ebay for $50 delivered so I'll get the missing peices. While pulling apart the other Carburetor I found the choke linkage was bent, so I'll scavenge this off the new set.
It quickly became apparent the reason the Carburetors were pulled off was a leaning problem. Turns out it wasn't the Carbs; the inlet manifold rubbers (post-Carb) had both split. A quick shop on ebay found a set.
I've started polishing the externals and a few internals to bring them up to show condition however I'm still waiting on a rubber polishing kit for my dremel to finish the job off.
Here is the bent linkage:
It doesn't look too bad in this photo, but when it's coupled up to the other Carburetor, it's plain as day.
The varying conditions of parts: (Left: pre-polish, Right: post-polish)
I've also just received a micro drill set so I can start scouring out the Carburetor jets.
Polishing:
Oh yeah, this is gonna take a while. I've been reading up on how to polish metal and to be honest, I was scared shitless to put sand paper onto a surface I wanted shiny but once you get over it and get stuck into it, it's the best thing you could ever do for your bike.
I've grabbed some 320, 600, 800 and 1200 grit. Depending on the condition, I usually start at 600 but there have been times when I've had to go as course as 320. After finishing with the 1200, I'll use five different compounds over four different polishing wheels to bring it up to spec. Like I said before, I still have the rubber polishing kit coming for my dremel, so all those hard to reach places are still second hand, but I'll get there.
CX 500 A, B, C, D, Turbo:
This production line has gone through a few changes. Mine is a CX 500 Deluxe, which went through a few variations especially in the fuel delivery, from what I can ascertain. This model didn't have the accelerator pump whereas some models do, making it interesting when purchasing Carburetor kits. The triple clamps were also different as well as some of the cable locations.
Bringing knowledge from one bike to another:
Final note for this post. I learned a lot from rebuilding the R1. First thing I did after bringing the bike home is went to Bunnings and bought a fuck tonne of miscellaneous containers for $2 to $7 to put parts in. With the R1, it all went in one container which is fine when you remember where all the bits belong. Having a separate container for each Carburetor means parts wont get confused.
I've downloaded the Mechanical and Maintenance Manual for this bike and believe me when I say it was hard to find a copy for this model. Thankfully it's a good copy so I can read the torque settings and part numbers etc.
(Intentional)
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Originally Posted by Barfridge 
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