1tonMJ Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I picked this bike up from a seller on CL, $150, no title, condition unknown. The guy said he bought a bike, and they gave him another one for parts, but the other never broke, so this bike was never touched. There are no disconnected wires, no leaks, nothing that seems missing. I suspect, add a battery and away I go. Almost. It needs a new title, I can get on form the county seat for $70, that just involves time. I need my MC licence, and should take the safety course. I have the gist of how the bike works, but I will need practice. There are a few things I need to address, I need a right hand mirror, a long fuel line, a bettery, and I would like to get a new handle bar, as it looks like it may have been dropped, although not while moving. The right side is just slightly bent. Any way, does anyone have a site for the exact spec, performance reviews, and user reviews? I have looked at http://www.motorcycle.com/forum/honda/, http://www.topix.com/forum/motorcycles/honda real quick, but nothing definitive cam up, just basic maintainence stuff. BTW, this will be my 1st bike. Here's pics: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1tonMJ Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Looks bent: This is why I think 'he' dropped it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1tonMJ Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1tonMJ Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meljr Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I bought one of these, with factory detachable luggage and a full front fairing for $2,000 in about 1982. Honda had warehouses full of unsold bikes and brand new ones that were a couple of model years old could be had very reasonably. While reliable, it was not one of my favorite bikes mostly because of poor handling. They were top heavy and the V twin engine sitting cross ways in the frame coupled with shaft drive created noticeable torque steer. Getting on or off the throttle while turning could unexpectedly stand you up or lean you over off the shoulder or into the oncoming lane.. -meljr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Time to build a cafe bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Congratulations on getting your first bike! :cheers: You've just entered a whole great big new world of fun! :thumbsup: :wrench: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1tonMJ Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Time to build a cafe bike. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ME LIKEY! (Why are they called cafe racers?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jons87mj Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 my nabor had one he said i ould have it when i was 16 :clapping: then he sold it whedn i was 15 :fs1: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Before you spend any money on that thing, make sure the title comes back clear. Would hate to find out it was stolen and loose it after fixing it up. I believe the cafe name comes from groups of city slickers dangerously racing on public streets from coffee shop to coffee shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I believe the cafe name comes from groups of city slickers dangerously racing on public streets from coffee shop to coffee shop. Yes. The idea was to pull up a song on the jukebox, run out to your bike, race to a predetermined spot in town and get back to the cafe before the song ended. Hence why a lot of the "cafe" racers are basically stripped down versions of the bike with a more aggressive handlebar installed for more control. That bike that you got is an excellent starter bike and for $150, that's a damn steal if you can get the thing to run. Hopefully it just needs the carbs cleaned to get it running. Would also be very wise to carefully go over the brakes - new pads, new fluid in the master cylinder, and bleed the front brake. I've seen too many brake pads separate from the metal backing plate when the bike sits to long. If the brake pad comes off, it can wedge itself in funny where it locks the wheel. On a car, you can get away with pulling off to the side of the road, but on a bike, this failure is a bit more catastrophic, as you can imagine. My first bike was an '85 Yamaha Maxim X 700cc water cooler 4-cylinder. Awesome bike with plenty of power, but I got tired of messing with carbs every summer so I got me a fuel injected bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 My first bike did that to me,I hit the rear brake and it locked tight. Scared the crap out of me and left a 40+ foot skid mark,I got lucky and was able to keep the bike upright. I got it home and sure enough one shoe had delaminated and got wedged into the other shoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirteatr717 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 A bent right handlebar, a dent in the tank where your right knee would be and a dangling blinker.... It seems like someone jumped it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 A bent right handlebar, a dent in the tank where your right knee would be and a dangling blinker.... It seems like someone jumped it? Nah, looks like it had a low-speed fall. There is no rash on that side of the bike that I can see. Could have been while the bike was being stored, too. I've heard of all kinds of stories about bikes being damaged while in storage - people drop things on them, use them as a step stool and they fall over or try to move them out of the way and they topple. In fact, the only damage on my Z1000 is from when I had it stowed away in my shop during the winter. I went to bring it out for the spring/summer and I managed to have it topple over on top of me. It hurt, but at least my body took the brunt of the fall and the only thing that was damaged was the mirror and scratched the windscreen. My body healed - a dented or scratched gas tank, fairing, or rear set would not have healed. I think I did the right thing by breaking my bike's fall :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuhaze Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I bought one of these, with factory detachable luggage and a full front fairing for $2,000 in about 1982. Honda had warehouses full of unsold bikes and brand new ones that were a couple of model years old could be had very reasonably. While reliable, it was not one of my favorite bikes mostly because of poor handling. They were top heavy and the V twin engine sitting cross ways in the frame coupled with shaft drive created noticeable torque steer. Getting on or off the throttle while turning could unexpectedly stand you up or lean you over off the shoulder or into the oncoming lane.. -meljr I agree with this - I , too, had one of these, and the transverse positioning of the "v" shaped motor caused the rear end to jerk left or right, depending on whether one was accelerating or slowing. I remember one time very clearly, as if it happened only yesterday: I was exiting the freeway. It was raining. The roads were wet. On the off ramp I downshift. My rear wheel jerks left, and I almost wipe out. WOW! Since then I have owned countless bikes, most Honda, but not a single one the CX .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmJay Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Nice kind of a Moto Guzzi style engine. They also came in a 650CC version that you could actually get a turbo charger on. There were several different models CX500, GL500, CX650, GL650 and sometimes called a Silverwing. Around here they are generally in the $1000 dollar range. If you can get a title it would be worth fixing for the price you paid. I'm guessing the tank and carbs will also need some attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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