artig Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Today I had a bike following close behind me on a 100-km drive in the cage. Somehow I got the impression it wanted to follow me all the way home. It was first registered in 1985, and has 27,000km on the clock. The first owner had it for about 24 years. The second owner had it for about 18 months, when he dropped it in the garage and realized it was too heavy for him. The third owner only did 140km in all, before deciding it was too slow for him. Now I need to get all the fluids replaced, and have it checked by a knowledgeable mechanic. The mufflers are not the originals, and it's had a Ventura rack fitted, but almost everything else should be original. Apparently the GL400 was primarily a Japanese version of the CX500 with a smaller engine, sold new in some countries including Australia and New Zealand. This one should be one of the latest models. Link to comment
Marty Hill Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Hey Arne, Looks like a wonderful motor bike. Enjoy it! Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 oooo......thats pretty cool. Congrats Link to comment
bayoubengal Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Great find! I had a first year CX-500 as a demo from my father's Honda shop when I was a high schooler. I have such fond memories of that bike. It fit like a glove. Have been looking for what you found for over 10 years. My time will come. Enjoy... Link to comment
ltljohn Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 oooo......thats pretty cool. Congrats What he said... Link to comment
upflying Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Check the steering head bearings. Had a couple of Hondas from that vintage with that trouble. Link to comment
milbrua Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 My first street bike was a '79 CX500 Deluxe. It was a reliable little machine, and a lot of fun. Looking at your photo brings back so many memories. Have fun! Link to comment
Little_Brit Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 That looks a peach! I had an early CX500 in 1978 that was brilliant - except it ate cam chain adjusters! It couldn't have been too bad though as I did 33,000 miles on it in three years before a friend offered me an immaculate R600/7 that was too good to pass. 6 months of the Bee-emm just about bored me to death and I jumped at the chance of buying a new CX500B in late 1982 that looked identical to your latest toy. I owned it for 13 years and covered just shy of 70,000 miles on it. CX's got a lot of bad press from the boy racers in the UK but they are now being appreciated for the breakthrough that they were. I really hope that you enjoy your new aquisition. Derek Link to comment
tallman Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 You meet the nicest people... Link to comment
Rich06FJR1300 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 i think when they were new the price was somehting like $3500 bucks out of the dealership and that was expensive back in the day! Link to comment
rad Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 CX500, I loved mine. I had one back in the mid 80's and I cafe'd it, clubmans, etc. That was my first water cooled bike and my first shaft drive bike. Enjoy Link to comment
milbrua Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 i think when they were new the price was somehting like $3500 bucks out of the dealership and that was expensive back in the day! My memory is that I paid about $2400 brand new, in the spring of '79, but I can't say for sure. Link to comment
VinnyR11 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Nice bike! Congrats. Something wonderful about small and simple. Link to comment
artig Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks, everyone. It's currently at the local BMW dealer getting a complete service with all fluids changed, lubricated, and checked for any problems. The mechanic was ready to laugh at it when he heard what I'd bought, but today when I talked to him he was impressed with the condition of the bike, and with how well it now runs. The only comment was that it would need a new air filter before too long. I should have it home again tomorrow, ready for a ride during the weekend. Link to comment
Sweendog Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Very nice find! I always marvel at the low mileage bikes. I can't seem to put less than 8K per year on a bike, and I've always lived where we have pretty substantial winters. (CO, PA, NJ)... I'm sure you'll have that beauty running smooth in no-time! Link to comment
Clive Liddell Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hi Arne, I have been gazing at your pic for quite a few minutes - the CX is in great condition! Like others here I had one of the original (around '79) models. These had single front discs and slightly lower bars. Mine was a "candy" turquoise colour. My late wife and I did 100s of thousands of km on my bike. All I can say is it's a pity BMW didn't copy that wonderfully comfortable seat! Sold it at close to 100000km and have regretted selling ever since... I hope you have a special place to park it!! Link to comment
artig Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 It's now back again, and running sweetly. Getting the carburettors synched has helped idling and low-speed running. Admittedly it's not the world's fastest bike, and overtaking requires more forward planning than on the BMW. But I enjoyed a ride of about 250km on Saturday morning. I'll probably put the registration on hold for the winter months, and only ride it during the summer. Link to comment
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