Ducati Monster Forum

I needed another motorcycle, something a little smaller that I can let friends ride and not worry.  Something that is a not as quick as my other bikes and more in-line with my younger brother's XS650 so we can ride together.  Something my wife can ride too. So another bike is came home with me in earlier December.  

Here is a short video of the Christmas morning surprise.  

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/E04BAB53-12A3-4254-AABB-AA3AAF190164-2450-00000364B885A730.mp4 (http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/E04BAB53-12A3-4254-AABB-AA3AAF190164-2450-00000364B885A730.mp4)

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/5B4D2EAD-4FC3-4742-A688-6511940EAEF3-2450-000003650CBD2398.jpg)

Nice!
Is that an original seat and color scheme?
I do like the elegant exhaust too. [thumbsup]

Definitely not a stock seat. That is a fiberglass seat and rear end made from a Ducati 1971 450rt fuel tank. The paint is similar to a 1970's silver & blue Ducati 750 SS.

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/558AD57C-834F-408B-ACA2-483F2952D342-3534-000006A11F0336EB.jpg)

Damn, that's sweet!   [thumbsup]   [Dolph]

It's a bewdy, I like the retro "Honda" lettering.

I saw one of those just last week up on the lift at the local Guzzi dealer!

At first, I didn't pay it much attention, as seeing transverse V-twins undergoing major surgery isn't all that unusual there, but something caught my eye ... why the hell is there a clutch basket hanging off the front???  :)

The mechanic and I spent a good long while looking it over while he told me about the bike & how it differed from the Moto Guzzis he knew and loved.

I imagine you're going to have a whole lot of fun with this one, Travman - congratulations on your new addition!

Yes, I'm already having a lot of fun with this one.  I've had the CX500 out for several rides on some of my favorite local back roads. Much more capable than I thought a 497cc bike could be.  Yes, these are very capable and fun. I find it's best to be aggressive with the throttle then the bike is at its best.  You have to be careful with the throttle when you get back on the fast bikes though.  Basically I twist the throttle all the way most of the time while on the CX500.  Then I get on the Guzzi or Ducati and will accidently pull the bars away from my fingers if I give it that much throttle in town.  I never really realized that I only use about a quarter of the throttle on those two bikes while doing legal speeds.  
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/6FE30425-D43D-479D-BB93-117D0C18AEE5-3534-000006A1332A4EAF.jpg)

Nice  [thumbsup]

Blimey that brings back memories, looks like it's had some nice modding.

I had a CX500 when they first came out over here in the UK

Quite a bike at the time, sold it and bought a CB400 four which was a little bit lighter... [thumbsup]

Geoff... [coffee]

That is something I always notice when working on the bike and moving it around in the garage: the shear weight of the thing....
Also remembered when I first saw it in person it was a lot bigger than I expected it to be.

They did a really nice job on the seat, Travman.
It does look stock at first glance, which is a compliment for a well executed mod IMO.

That looks waaaaay better than the factory CX500, which had cruiser styling, Yuck!!!

Now the CX500 turbo did away with the cruiser crap and was much better looking, out of the box.

I received a heated jacket and gloves for Christmas.  I had no problems riding today in 30 degree F weather.

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/54816903-0275-40DC-9073-EA408DFE28B2-4321-000007B3F17E4C52.jpg)
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/E7F942BD-9CE0-44FA-921B-87595C7EBA59-4321-000007B3F6257130.jpg)

Nice looking classic bike!  I bet it is fun too.  I miss my classic bikes (had a Suzuki GS650 and a GS1150ES).  That tail section is really nice also.

JM

Well there were two versions. This bike is the CX500 Deluxe. It was more of a standard style, but it did suffer from terrible period styling. It had the typical stepped seat and headlight mounted way too high.  The CX Custom was the wanna-be cruiser. It had a gas tank shaped like a Harley Sportster and buckhorn handlebars.

NICE - great smile on the wife too - happy wife = happy life!

Life is good.

RIDE SAFE,

Kev

Travman, how are the brakes on your bike? Any good?
We've replaced the master brake cylinder, new stainless hoses, and overhauled the calipers on ours.
Should improve performance but haven't been able to test it yet.

Did you ride your CX and get a chance to use your brakes before tearing your down?

For a vintage bike the brakes are decent on my CX.  The brakes stop the bike well enough.  My only complaint is that you can't use them like my modern bikes and really slam on the brakes if you need to.  If I do the front end will chatter, probably because the skinny little forks are flexing.  

There are two problems with most vintage bike brakes.  The first is that many vintage bikes are not in good shape because of some lack of maintenance issue or glazed brake material from lack of use, or worn out brake lines, or air in the brake fluid, or worn out cables, etc.  It sounds like you have gone through the brakes and replaced what is needed.  I've ridden several older bikes and mentioned how bad the brakes are and then the owner would say, "they are all like that".  The second issue is that vintage brakes are just not as good as new bike brakes.  I've ridden bikes from the early sixties through eighties.  There is a general evolution of better brakes and starting around the late early 80's there are some bikes with what I would consider good brakes especially if they have dual front disks.  I may try to fit a second disk up front if I can the parts from a later CX500/650 or GL650 with duals.  

I ride my friend's 1972 BMW R60/5 with drums front and back.  He has those brakes set up as good as they can get.  This CX feels like it stops a lot quicker than that bike because it has better brake feel, but actually they are pretty close.  That is the problem with drums.  Even when they are working well, they have no feel.  Once your are spoiled by disk brakes you won't want the feel of drums for sporty riding.  

My Darmah has the best brakes of any older bike I've ever ridden.  It has dual Brembos up front and another in the back with iron rotors.  I'm pretty sure these were the best you could get on a street bike at the time.  You have to use a lot of hand strength and the bike is fairly heavy, but the feel is great.  

Sweet bike!
Never seen one around, and never seen such engine from Honda. Or maybe I have a short memory :D

Travman,
Thanks for the very comprehensive disquisition.
I haven't had the chance to ride the CX before we tore it down.
However I was told by Bart, the owner, that the brakes were very poor.
As soon as we took them apart it was apparent why.
The brake lines were like balloons and the slave cylinder was full of corrosion.
We've sanded the pistons with a very delicate grained sandpaper and added new seals.
Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the process to post on my website.
But I will try to write a comparison between the current setup and a modern equivalent.
We'll probably even cross-drill the brake discs at a later stage.
Regards.

Why did you not replace the pistons, rather than just clean them up? Full rebuild kits are available. We are currently doing a full brake system rebuild on a 79 CBX. The master cylinder and calipers were bead blasted and all new seals and pistons.