CX500 GL500 650 Global

I am building this CX500 to be as powerful as possible. I am looking for an extremely reliable, durable, high performance coil set to put on this bike. Does anyone know the specs of the OEM coils? Are the OEM coils good enough for a race bike?
I don't mind fabricating mounts or anything, I'm just looking for a good high performance coil.
Thanks,
NH

Coils will not increase your power so don't waste your money on expensive coils.Maker's that claim all sorts of things are just using hyperbole.There are far too many parameters that affect performance and these bikes/engines were not deigned as sports engines.Some have been modified for racing but at great time and expense.

Things you can do.
Lose weight.I know it sounds simple but if you are carrying extra mass you are reducing the efficiency of the engine.I have deliberately,as I do,lost weight for the season from 13.5 st = 189 lb to 12 st = 168 lb

Take the centre stand off.It weighs loads.You will then need a jack or a motorcycle lift or similar for some bike work and make sure the side stand is in 100% good state.


As this is a CDI ignition bike you might get a few more Bhp by modifying the Advance curve but to do that effectively you need one of the Ignitech ignition units,

http://www.ignitech.cz/english/aindex.htm

but there are better reasons to fit one if you have money to spare and of course get it wrong and you can ruin the engine plus they are 30 year+ old metal.

Head porting.Some people claim they have got better fuel mileage or power from polishing both inlet and exhaust ports.Of course there are counter claims.My take on it is that all racing machines and drag bikes(One of my best pals is a Drag bike racer) use port polishing so there must be something in it.

Pod filters and re-jetting.Again this may increase power at certain rev-bands but of course will lose some at others.

Because these are shaft drive machines it's very hard to try different output ratios at the rear wheel.The smaller 16" wheels on the GLs and Customs I assume must give better acceleration than the 18" wheels but at the cost of economy and overall performance.


Electric Fan conversion.

This has made my CX zippier,

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=209

and of course I don't need that bloody silly mechanical fan and fan guard

That's all I can think of for now.

Excellent, thanks for the info. I will stick with the original coils then, unless they go out or don't test at the right ohms. I have ordered Pod filters, 90/120 jets, carb rebuild kits, clubman bars, and NGK plugs so far. I have taken it down with both heads off of it, and the cylinders and pistons are in great shape. I may take it down, hone it, re-ring and all that. But on the other hand I think it is good for now on the bottom end.
I have definitely knocked some weigh off the bike, it will be as simple as possible when finished. As for that center stand, I couldn't believe the weight of that thing! I did order some of the O-rings that weren't available in Viton. Maybe I'm not looking for power as much as I am looking for resilience. I have been doing hours of research on these bikes and have been following it to a T. Actually, most of the information I have gotten has been from you Shep. It's too bad you weren't an engineer for Honda when these bikes were made, because you are surely one now.
I will be purchasing an Ignitech unit soon, as for the porting and polishing of the heads, I usually do it just because I like to. If that doesn't sound too insane. I just like to bring the heads and intake and exhaust ports back to new specs+. I will be also putting all new performance fuel lines, and all new clutch, throttle and choke cables. I will also be switching out to a CB900 front caliper, and all stainless braided brake lines. I suppose that I am trying to make the bike as mechanically sound as possible. I only paid $100USD for this bike, with 22K miles on it, and it has never been wrecked and was owned by an 80 year old engineer who was a stickler for maintenance and longevity of his vehicles.
But thanks again for the info, you have an excellent forum. I have found 90% of all the technical info I needed here. Also, have you heard of anyone swapping out CX650 valves and grinding them into the CX500 heads to up performance? If so, is it really worth all of the cam grinding and tuning that goes along with it? Like you said it is a 30yr. old bike, I just want to restore it as best as possible, no expense spared. So as I tear it down for inspection, I want to replace everything with the best possible product.
Have a good day,
NH

650 valve swap info.No is the answer r not worth it,

http://australiancx.asn.au/forum/index. ... 42#msg5642

Excellent, I was kind of thinking the same thing. Thanks very much for your insight. You have probably saved me hours of work, trouble and toil, and several hundred dollars. I do appreciate it.
NH

Once an engine is serviced and brought back to a decent condition maintenance is as important as the quality of the build.Regular oil changes and cam-chain adjustment and tappets and keeping an eye on the running temps.
A commonly missed part of the bike is the cooling system.Take the rad off and fully flush it.I recently had to un-block a spare Rad.I did this by leaving it to soak in a concentrated Citrus acid crystals mix(Obtained off Ebay or from home brew suppliers) and leaving it to soak overnight in a sink or you can use white vinegar.Then flushed it with the garden hose.Now all the cores are clear and it's usable and of course re-painted.

Another performance mod you can do to increase power and lose weight is the Mac 2-1 exhaust kit, they are available on Ebay, or at Old Bike Barn, it's cheaper there than Dennis Kirk. I can't guarantee the power adding, but it's what I've heard from the other CX forum I'm on, but I do know the H pipe on our bikes is heavy as hell, and these pipes don't have one, and they have removable baffles so you can test with and without, but you do need to re-jet if you pull the baffles, and I'd suggest it even if you don't...

In the UK we also have the Motad 2 into 1 which do the same,

http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/Honda/CX_500_A/79-80/