CX500 GL500 650 Global

hi, i'm 27 years old, from England and love classic bikes. Ever since i was 9 on holiday i promised myself that chunky bike with the wierd looking engine i saw by the beach, now i have it in my garage, a black '82 CX500B. I love it although i still have to take my test i'm looking forward to a summer of riding it every moment i can. next winter it will come apart to sort it's bad points and a new paintjob. it cost me £600 and has 45000 miles on it.
Good points;
Low mileage for age.
Engine is good.
Gearbox good
Carbs recently sync'ed.
Cam chain recently replaced.
Rear swingarm/shaft tunnel is solid.
Fork seals not leaking.
Electrics all ok.
All bearings good.
Tyres good.
Brakes good, even has original caliper inspection windows!

And now the bad points but isn't that what a project is for?;
Tachometer cable snapped, looks like the radiator has to come off to get to it.
Rear indicator mounting tubes bashed up, make new ones on the lathe and press them in.
Very tiny water leak from rear of engine, hope it is not the water pump mechanical seal!
All paintwork looks tired.
Exhaust downpipes rusty and pitted, it has Motad 2-1 on it, chrome on silencer is great but have to get some heatproof tape on the pipes to cover the rust.
Chromework a bit scabby, rechroming to be done, possibly paint front mudguard
Wheels could do with respraying.
Valve clearances need setting, it taps a bit.
Forks feel really, really soggy. Previous owner refilled them with automatic transmission fluid, feels more like white spirit! if 20WT oil does no better, Hagon progressive springs for them.
Rubber perished on sidepanel lugs, tank mount and probably everywhere there is rubber.
Front brake hoses look suspect, replace with stainless brake lines.
Metal seat base very rotten around the edges, have to fibreglass it to keep the Greater British Rust Worm at bay!

That's about it really, like i said i still love it!
Thanks for reading. From a new CX enthusiast

Welcome.Doesn't sound like there's anything major wrong with the bike.The mech seal is easy,

http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=355

A thorough cleaning and setting up of the carbs will prevent the often repeated myth that these old bikes are hard to start and fire up on one cylinder hence why I gave the carbs a separate section,

http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewforum.php?f=19

Tappets can be tamed,

http://www.sheppola.karoo.net/TwistedTwin/CXGLTappets.htm#CXGLTappets

and change the ATF fluid in the forks for 20w fork oil for a much improved ride.

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http://www.reverbnation.com/pauldouglas

Wow, thank you very much for the reply and info! I get the carb trouble you mentioned when starting from cold, it fires, dies, then needs about 3mm of throttle twist to get it to fire on one then the other pot lights up. i then give it half choke as using the choke from starting soaks the plugs. plugs are quite sooty (better rich than lean i guess) but it only gets run for half hour once a week. Heard if the CX engine is left stood for a while the mech seal sticks, just being cautious. When warm the engine runs and starts like a dream, needs a really good shakedown as soon as i pass my test! Hull? you're not far from me, i live in West Yorkshire!
You can see pics of my beastie at http://www.flickr.com/photos/29867804@N ... 784615642/

once again, thanks.

Wakefield is not too far.Come the better weather might meet up one Sunday at Fridaythorpe Bike Cafe,"Seaways".I often ride around there with a pal.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=wakefield&daddr=fridaythorpe&geocode=FRUjMwMdJyDp_ykxC_tHYF15SDHI2rLUfH1pcQ%3BFdJIOAMdM9j1_ymFSNFFSNJ4SDEbQ0ywfwVI7Q&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=53.795784,-1.175537&sspn=0.752757,1.766052&ie=UTF8&ll=53.836322,-0.510864&spn=1.504086,3.532104&z=8

This is the time of year to get the carbs off and give them a real good cleaning.The most common cause of the bad starting is the float levels,

http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=110

but to do them you have to take the carbs off anyway so you may as well clean them.Although the CV carbs are complicated in internal design they are not complicated in construction.

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http://www.reverbnation.com/pauldouglas

hi matt,and a big welcome from the south of spain.
congrats on your bike.
20cwt will make one hell of a difference,also last week i introduced 20mm spacers,now its great.follow this thread
http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/75184/ShowPost.aspx#75184
whynot join choppercharles,its an american forum for our bikes and a good source of information,compliments sheps excelent site
http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/

good luck with your test.

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uk 1982 gli silverwing
uk,1981 gl troublemaker

when i feel the need,i do it

Try www.cmsnl.com or davidsilverspares.com for New rubber tank mounts, shock rubbers, etc.
Welcome to the CX world, too late...you're hooked.

Thanks very much all for the nice welcome. lately i have been busy working on the garden as we need a shed for the 8 guinea pigs that share my garage with my CX. Just moved into our new house and my fiancee did'nt want the pigs freezing outside so they live in my garage for now so i can't really work on my bike for fear of gassing the poor 'lil buggers! garage needs some work to turn it into the workshop of my dreams so my CX will be overhauled next winter when i can really get my hands on it. Did a little work on it today as i was outside doing the garden and it fired up and died then battery went when i tried to get it to run. The battery keeps a charge when it's not in use but drains after five attempts to start when it's cold and being a little bitch so i bit the bullet and drove to Sprint in Wakie for a new battery. Battery on, whoosh! Fired straight up! Soaked the bike in GT-85 and WD-40 and it sounds sweeter by the day! As i'm a newbie just one question keeps nagging me, my oil light stays on for three seconds when i kill the engine cold, that's great, bearings are holding pressure but the light comes straight on when shut off hot. In the engine there are oil jets to feed the top ends, one jet that sprays the clutch or gearbox (have to study the manual again) and two holes in the big ends that soak the bores (lots of lovely oil being chucked around, great!) so warm oil will lose pressure through these but is the rapid warm oil pressure loss anything to worry about? Can tell you, the availability of +25 and +50 oversize pistons and this A,B,C, brown, blue, black (would i get funny looks asking for these in an engine refurb shop?) grading of main bushes and big end shells keeps me awake some nights! Seems i'm planning well far ahead on the long term for this bike so yep, Bear351c, i am hooked! Thanks for the good luck with my test, Spanish Bandit. And Sheppola, thanks for the invite, once i pass i will be there at Seaways! I really appreciate the good advice as i really want to stick with the CX, my friends think i'm mad, having such an "ugly" (their quote, not mine) bike but i adore it and last thing i want is a wrecked bike or engine! Can't wait to roll up at a biker cafe or pub and hear "####in' 'ell, a Maggot!"

I'm a little worried about that oil light.So long as it goes out instantly when you start the engine and doesn't come on any other time I hope there's no major problem.There are no under-size big end shells for these bikes so crank re-grinds are hard.
Drop the oil and check for any metal debris.You want NO copper flecks in the oil as that's a sign of terminal crank big-end shell failure.If this was the case and it's caught in time you may get away with a crank polish but the crank and rods MUST be checked at a local engineering company that deals in cranks.In Hull it's Alex Carr.

I've re-built all my engines from the crank up so am fully versed in shell matching to cranks and crank/con-rods and re-fitting and break-in procedures.
It is possible that some of the oil-ways are clogged.The bare minimum I would do is get down to Wilkinsons or ASDA and get a gallon of the cheapest 20w50 oil and some 10w40 and drop and check the oil and put the 20w50 in and run up to running temp and dump it as a an engine flush.Do NOT use any engine flush products on these engines as it can ruin the big-end shells.
Then replace the oil with cheap 10w40 from the above stores if the old oil has no debris.

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http://www.reverbnation.com/pauldouglas

Phew, my oil light goes out as soon as the engine fires up. Even goes out when the engine is turned over on the starter with the ignition off, hot and cold. good to know. I'll do a 20w50 flush as soon as i can, then get the best 10w40 semi synthetic (that's what the previous owner recommended) and a new filter for the old gal. thinking of using 20w50 in the forks, then next year some expensive 20w fork oil for when i strip and rebuild them, would it damage the forks? From what i've gathered the cranks are pretty tough, think it was on Wikipedia where i read "cranks can blow if run low on oil, but are not overly sensitive to this" seems the bearings are supposed to wear faster than the crank, well, copper is a lot softer, hence no undersizes, so all it needs is new bearings and a skim on the crank if you have a big style oil failure. A friend showed me a pic in a Moto Guzzi mag of a total lubrication failure at 7000rpm, the big end shells had melted but the crank needed only a polish. What happens in the worst case scenario? Crank is well scored and a re grind will make it undersize, can new cranks be obtained? Are main and big end bearings plentiful? I'll have to join the CX GL owners club. Read your section on carbs, when it all comes apart for an overhaul i'll have them clean enough to eat my dinner off! Engine won't need to come apart, fingers crossed! You know the saying, if it aint broke, fix it til it is! Thanks again for the advice.

I run Wilkinson's supermarket or ASDA 15w/40 made for diesels mostly.It's cheap and good.As for the forks proper 20w fork oil is pretty cheap,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Motul-Motorcycle-Fork-Oil-Expert-Heavy-20W-1-litre_W0QQitemZ140344950143QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Parts?hash=item20ad35fd7f

Most local motorcycle shops have it.They may call it light/medium and heavy.Get the heavy.Last bottle I got I think was £5.99 for 500 ml.

_________________
My Music
http://www.reverbnation.com/pauldouglas