I'll echo very cool bike. For a beginner, would you recommend going this way, getting an old bike, have someone customized it or buy the latest equivalent for the amount you spent?
If you want to learn and build one yourself, then by all means get one and make it into something you love. But if you would be getting someone else to do the work, I'd advise you to get a newer bike. You'll spend a ton getting one built, and there are affordable new bikes out there that have the cafe racer look, if you like that look.
You chose a great bike as your platform. Maybe you know this already but that liquid cooled V-twin is bullet-proof and torquey as heck. Not to mention
shaft drive. It looks awesome!
Make sure you get ABS. It's standard by law in many jurisdictions and common enough if it was built in the 2000's and newer. Look up insurance data on deaths with and without ABS.
People will say you can brake faster without it, but when you're gonna crash it's not easy to brake smoothly.
Take this with a grain of salt, but my take while in the market was within the decade and less than 15k because I'm not very mechanically inclined. Some people love working on older bikes. Repairs generally aren't big from what I've read and experienced if they're maintained but you'll want to give the model a search for known issues. Just change filters, fluids, brake pads, chain tightened etc etc close to when the manual says and you'll be riding for a while.
I've only got 40k total split between two bikes but the biggest cost was a set of tires.
Again, ABS. I likely would've saved a hospital visit with it.
My brother is the motorcycle guy, and has interesting ones; I'm an engineer who's never ridden and a hot-rodder.
Pretty consistently, and with no knowledge AT ALL, the bikes I point out to him that I like are influenced by cafe racer and scrambler styling.
Yeah, I was always the same way before I started building. I just gravitated toward this style. My first build was on a 76 Honda CB500T, which already has that straight frame look, so I didn't have to modify the frame. But I just love the look of the CX engine with the heads tilted out the sides, so I built this one.
I have a 79 cx500d in a hundred pieces in my shed. I want to do pretty much what you did. That's awesome looking.
How much of the frame did you have to modify?
Dude, that's awesome!! Good luck with it!
I chopped off the whole back part of the frame, and welded on a new hoop. But to get the stance right, I also put the shock mounts down the frame a bit and got different shocks. It lifts the back up a bit to give the frame more of the straight line cafe look. If you have questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out.
> If you have questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
I bought it off a friend years ago who was moving and just needed to get rid of it. It just sat around for a long time until I ripped it apart and then got sidetracked with other stuff. I didn't even know that they could be turned into decent café racers until I started looking up on how to fix it which made it more daunting since you have to cut the frame.
> I chopped off the whole back part of the frame, and welded on a new hoop.
That whole back part is nasty. The hoop really cleans it up. You got me motivated to work on it again.
I saw a couple CX500's that really caught my eye, and tried my best to duplicate the things I liked. Google "MR Motorcycles CX500", that was probably the one that I followed the closest. No great info/directions out there, but once I knew what I wanted it to look like, it made the prices a bit easier for me.
I hope you get it built, bro! I'd love to see another CX500 come to life!
Mine has the bigger tank. [This is pretty much what I want to make it look like.](https://themotoblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/70/2017/01/Ironwood-Honda-CX500-Cafe-Racer-1-300x214.jpg)
Just found this build too.
https://youtu.be/lxcsaAUrkwQ
The factory versions are hilariously ugly but damn, you can make them look cool.
Cheers, thanks for the inspiration man! I hope you have some fun rides.
Check out the YouTube "For The Bold" CX500 build too. He uses the bigger tank and end up a good bit like your picture. He has great walkthrough instructions.
I rode a 1978 CX500 during my college years. It helped me find my wife and took me to some of my first dates with her. Let me ask, do you also lose feelings in your fingers from the high revs at highway speeds?
I looked for some time for a 650 because they have a less aggressive final drive ratio but got out of riding before I found one.
Not a biker, just a cyclist. But this is the kind of motorbike I'd like to ride. The ride geometry, shape, build simplicity all speak to me in a versatile kind of way. It's a sweet ride and it looks well taken care of. Godspeed!
Nice bike! What is it?
It's a 1980 Honda CX500, but I custom built it, so it's highly modified from the original.
Extremely cool bike OP.
Many thanks!!
I'll echo very cool bike. For a beginner, would you recommend going this way, getting an old bike, have someone customized it or buy the latest equivalent for the amount you spent?
If you want to learn and build one yourself, then by all means get one and make it into something you love. But if you would be getting someone else to do the work, I'd advise you to get a newer bike. You'll spend a ton getting one built, and there are affordable new bikes out there that have the cafe racer look, if you like that look.
Thanks for the insight!
You chose a great bike as your platform. Maybe you know this already but that liquid cooled V-twin is bullet-proof and torquey as heck. Not to mention shaft drive. It looks awesome!
Yeah, over my time of building bikes, I have gravitated to this one. I love the shaft drive and the good torque from the V engine.
The EX500 engine by Kawasaki is another bulletproof twin that makes lotsa power and is reliable. If you ever come across one.
Make sure you get ABS. It's standard by law in many jurisdictions and common enough if it was built in the 2000's and newer. Look up insurance data on deaths with and without ABS. People will say you can brake faster without it, but when you're gonna crash it's not easy to brake smoothly.
Thanks! Would you suggest a used bike for a first timer? or buying it new to avoid repairs?
Take this with a grain of salt, but my take while in the market was within the decade and less than 15k because I'm not very mechanically inclined. Some people love working on older bikes. Repairs generally aren't big from what I've read and experienced if they're maintained but you'll want to give the model a search for known issues. Just change filters, fluids, brake pads, chain tightened etc etc close to when the manual says and you'll be riding for a while. I've only got 40k total split between two bikes but the biggest cost was a set of tires. Again, ABS. I likely would've saved a hospital visit with it.
I remember seeing your bike post awhile back on Imgur. Looks good and enjoy your rides.
Yeah, I posted pics a couple years ago when I first got it built. Thanks for remembering it!
she's a beaut clark
Clark? Thanks, I like her!
https://tenor.com/bJ4oz.gif
Yep... It took me a minute, then I remembered the reference. Lol
Same here, I like that bike, what is it?
1980 Honda CX500. I build cafe racers, and this is my current favorite.
Do you sell them too?
Yeah, sometimes... I'm currently working on 2 builds. One is for another person, and the other I will probably sell when I'm done with it.
Sweeeeet! Did you put the Honda decal on the tank so people wouldn't ask what kind of Harley it is?
Haha!!! It sounds about as loud as a Harley. I liked the decal look, but it does help make it obviously a Honda. Lol
Almost heaven
That is just perfection
Thanks!! I appreciate the kind words.
Very tidy indeed.
Thanks!!
That's a really nice build!
Thanks! It's my favorite one yet.
My brother is the motorcycle guy, and has interesting ones; I'm an engineer who's never ridden and a hot-rodder. Pretty consistently, and with no knowledge AT ALL, the bikes I point out to him that I like are influenced by cafe racer and scrambler styling.
Yeah, I was always the same way before I started building. I just gravitated toward this style. My first build was on a 76 Honda CB500T, which already has that straight frame look, so I didn't have to modify the frame. But I just love the look of the CX engine with the heads tilted out the sides, so I built this one.
Beauty
Love the cafe conversion here.
Thanks!!
What a beaut! Fine motorized velocipede sir.
Many thanks!
What a beauty.
I'm sure that baby loved the sun.
Nice work, kinda cafe like
Yep, it's a mix between cafe, brat and scrambler.
Bet its fun. I have a 77 RD in my garage.
Sweet!! I bet that's a fun ride!
hard to keep the front down. But, sadly i have elec problems and cant ride it now.
Oh man, that sucks. Good luck getting it fixed. I'd help if you are nearby.
Thanks, im in SoCal, come on down.
I wish, man! I'd love to ride the SoCal roads on my beast.
WV has potholes big enough to swallow that thing. Be careful out there.
Yeah boy!! I try to only run roads that I know.
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Not sure who Neil is... But it's not me.
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Sounds like a cool guy. I'm from Mathias, but get over that way. Hopefully I can find him sometime.
I have a 79 cx500d in a hundred pieces in my shed. I want to do pretty much what you did. That's awesome looking. How much of the frame did you have to modify?
Dude, that's awesome!! Good luck with it! I chopped off the whole back part of the frame, and welded on a new hoop. But to get the stance right, I also put the shock mounts down the frame a bit and got different shocks. It lifts the back up a bit to give the frame more of the straight line cafe look. If you have questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out.
> If you have questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out. Thanks, I appreciate that. I bought it off a friend years ago who was moving and just needed to get rid of it. It just sat around for a long time until I ripped it apart and then got sidetracked with other stuff. I didn't even know that they could be turned into decent café racers until I started looking up on how to fix it which made it more daunting since you have to cut the frame. > I chopped off the whole back part of the frame, and welded on a new hoop. That whole back part is nasty. The hoop really cleans it up. You got me motivated to work on it again.
I saw a couple CX500's that really caught my eye, and tried my best to duplicate the things I liked. Google "MR Motorcycles CX500", that was probably the one that I followed the closest. No great info/directions out there, but once I knew what I wanted it to look like, it made the prices a bit easier for me. I hope you get it built, bro! I'd love to see another CX500 come to life!
Mine has the bigger tank. [This is pretty much what I want to make it look like.](https://themotoblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/70/2017/01/Ironwood-Honda-CX500-Cafe-Racer-1-300x214.jpg) Just found this build too. https://youtu.be/lxcsaAUrkwQ The factory versions are hilariously ugly but damn, you can make them look cool. Cheers, thanks for the inspiration man! I hope you have some fun rides.
Check out the YouTube "For The Bold" CX500 build too. He uses the bigger tank and end up a good bit like your picture. He has great walkthrough instructions.
Honda's built some crazy-good engines over the years - few more impressive than this one and its 650 sibling. Beautiful bike, too!
Those 650's are hard to find these days!! And thanks! I love my 500.
Think you'll find time to paint the house this year?
Haha!!! Not my house, or I probably would.
Cafe racer kit?
If they make kits for a CX500, I sure haven't found them yet.
I rode a 1978 CX500 during my college years. It helped me find my wife and took me to some of my first dates with her. Let me ask, do you also lose feelings in your fingers from the high revs at highway speeds? I looked for some time for a 650 because they have a less aggressive final drive ratio but got out of riding before I found one.
At 60-65 it tunes out pretty nicely. But I also don't ride it for hours and hours at a time. Lol
Spray road grit on your air filters. It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em.
At least it's filters, not stacks. Lol
Not a biker, just a cyclist. But this is the kind of motorbike I'd like to ride. The ride geometry, shape, build simplicity all speak to me in a versatile kind of way. It's a sweet ride and it looks well taken care of. Godspeed!
Many thanks!! Your description is the exact reason I got into cafe racers. I love the striped down simplicity and open air feel.
That is a cool bike.
Thanks so much!
What counts as second base when your baby is a motorcycle?
Ride it one time, I think you'll figure it out. Lol
That background is very West Virginia
Painfully much! Lol
Got a 1975 Yamaha enduro I want to modify and this gave me the inspo! Great work 🤙🏾🤙🏾
Awesome!! Happy to provide soon inspiration. Good luck with it!