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General Category >> The Cafe >> Hey! That Isn't a Savage
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Message started by bobert_FSO on 11/05/15 at 20:06:24

Title: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by bobert_FSO on 11/05/15 at 20:06:24

Picked up another bike to mess with. It's a 1978 Honda CX500. I always thought these were cool looking. Transverse V-twin with big ol' engine case. It runs well, but is pretty weathered. The question is whether to do something custom with it or leave it mostly stock. I'm thinking mostly stock, since it has a distinctive look of its own. It does have a MAC 2 into 1 exhaust system.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u541/bsa75ph/IMG_0711_zpsnpryd9a6.jpg

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by Art Webb on 11/05/15 at 20:13:15

I'd see if I could source the fairing and bags and put them on
then I'd ride it forever

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by bobert_FSO on 11/05/15 at 20:28:25

The model with the fairing and bags is the GL-500 Siverwing (baby Goldwing). The CX's are naked. There are basically two models of CX. One is the Standard or Deluxe. This one is a Standard. They are basically a standard style bike. The other is the Custom, which is more cruiser-looking with a smaller tank and lower seat.

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by Art Webb on 11/05/15 at 20:40:26

Odd, I had one that was dressed and it was a CX
Maybe the parts interchange with a bit of fiddling (I was not the 1st owner) a tourer, back in those days, was just a dressed standard, like the XS1100 becoming the Venture, first came the XS 1100, then the Venturer package, then they were all venturers, then just ventures
you are right though, while the bike was a CX, the farings were marked silverwing
Guess it was a frankenbike ;D

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by DesertRat on 11/05/15 at 20:53:32

PipeBurn has a few CX500 builds:

http://www.pipeburn.com/index.php?s=cx500

My fave is this one, she is beautiful:

http://www.pipeburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20_04_2014_honda_cx_02.jpg

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by Steve H on 11/06/15 at 04:14:46

Nice bike. Like someone else said, source a fairing and bags and ride the heck out of it.

But, be aware that many parts are no longer available for them. There are several rubber seals that you can't get anymore and don't cross-reference.

I started to buy one a while back but decided against it after checking parts availability. But, it leaked, needed a new timing chain and a couple other things.

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by gizzo on 11/07/15 at 00:00:57

I had no idea CX could be made into a great looking bike until they started showing up on Pipeburn and BikeEXIF but there they are. Fantastic. If you keep yours stock it might become more unusual and rarer than all those hipster cafe racer builds. Good luck!!! 8-)

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by WD on 11/07/15 at 22:54:08

They eat water pumps... and thermostats... and alternators... It is an age/abuse thing, not a design flaw. If you got a low mileage one, it should last a good long time.

Any real automotive parts store (NAPA, CarQuest, Federated) can match up the obsolete seals. Look in an agricultural or industrial catalog. That's where we would get them back in 05-07, my friend Mike built several CX500 hotrods. I vaguely remember something about pump motors.

Title: Re: Hey! That Isn't a Savage
Post by old.indian on 11/08/15 at 11:59:00

One of the locals recently rebuilt a turbo charged version of this.