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78 CX 500 1 Month Build

Discussion in 'Motorcycles' started by ntilehman, May 31, 2013.

  1. May 31, 2013 at 5:56 PM
    #1
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    OK guys. I finally got a good candidate for a motorcycle build. I found a 1978 CX 500 Standard. I picked it up for $250. Not sure if it runs yet. The battery needs charged or just replaced and the fuel tank needs cleaned out. That will be enough to see if it fires up. I plan on making it a monoshock rear end and making the paint very nice. I think I'm going with a Gunmetal with black accents theme. It will get all the small stuff like tires, fluids, front brakes, clutch cable, and some wiring clean up. It should move along quickly though. I am going to try and have this done inside 30 days. It may take a little longer though since I'm out of town for a week in June. Since I have access to hydrographics I might stick some half naked zombie chicks on the fenders or something. They blend in well with a dark graphite or gunmetal color. The front fender is going to get chopped down too. I'm sure there will be changes in the plan along the way.

    Here are a few pictures of what happened to day after I picked it up this morning:

    IMAG0817_zps34ffe3f7_568cac214f1505c869d9755c7f0e1c723d31db0e.jpg

    IMAG0816_zpsfd292f31_68ab136b88f114a12d7b37d838c1ca65848c1805.jpg

    IMAG0818_zps01cfc947_fa2c6d3b89280db92ac61b8aabe92bedfbe47ac0.jpg

    IMAG0819_zpse195755c_59841bc984ac9b81a2dcd554ef1ff55c2082cf15.jpg

    IMAG0820_zps5e457f7b_cd2601056b3a08bb09ecc8587d48682045da16b7.jpg


    Suggestions are welcome!!!
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2013
  2. May 31, 2013 at 6:06 PM
    #2
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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  3. May 31, 2013 at 6:16 PM
    #3
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    Yea I have seen that one. I'm going for a more finished look haha. He did do a nice functional job. His seat looks really high too. I'm already 6'1" and long arms. I don't need to be up any higher. The hardest part is going to be finding a nice clean place for all the electrical.
     
  4. Jun 1, 2013 at 4:35 PM
    #4
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    A little update today. Got a few more hours of body work on the tank done. I filled in where the "Honda" badges used to be. I'm going to use a template I found to paint "Honda" on the sides of the tank with an old Norton font. The front wheel assembly came off. Then I came home and decided I was going to go on an ordering frenzy. I ordered an 8 cell Ballistic battery, clutch cable, front brake pads, pod air filters, rear mono shock from a 2008 CBR 600, black drag bars, and a fuse block cover. I hope my ballistic lasts longer than the other build going on here. I'll be pissed if it melts ha.
    The exhaust is getting a price on monday for a MAC 2 into 1 setup in black. Next week after a pay mix up from the VA is fixed I'm going to order up some tires.
    Sorry no pictures today.
     
  5. Jun 2, 2013 at 1:47 PM
    #5
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    OK. So i spent about 4 hours at the shop this morning working on the bike. I got the tank straight, finally. I started to prep some other parts for primer and paint. Some metal parts need to be blasted still.

    Tank before much sanding happened.
    IMAG0821_zpsd7a21322_ee57a81eab7a55dd0523db2e0c9c23cbc06ec06a.jpg

    Some of the parts getting prepped for primer:
    IMAG0823_zps9bd0dc2e_a7c5e52dac85fcc1522bb29f43fde31e13a7b9db.jpg

    Extra stuff that will not be used:
    IMAG0825_zpsa61fde08_12903d0fbc4ddc1a3acba35ac90582ad131d4176.jpg

    Started to think about a way to make a rear hugger:
    IMAG0824_zps2a019a00_d00c68d2942967d332ff754c55b216f66ff907fe.jpg

    IMAG0826_zps8e475485_477c7a9eead1586614242038088ce8172b4ec637.jpg

    IMAG0827_zps5ac65707_c1dbeb205e7f21050fe253a83cfa19fde548e54a.jpg

    Then I remembered that I had an old R6 front fender that will make a great rear hugger after some massaging and fiberglass:
    IMAG0830_zpsfe66e1d1_dd679e65dcf946c0717d16045e5b7c928c18b8b9.jpg

    IMAG0829_zpsceafc46a_adb4af83c368312a93233f76bba5e19decd328d9.jpg

    Got a few things to blast tomorrow before stuff goes to the powder next week.
     
  6. Jun 12, 2013 at 8:07 AM
    #6
    kingston73

    kingston73 Well-Known Member

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    Just found your thread here. When you get the mechanical parts of your build you should go to the chopper charles site if you have any questions, the guys there know anything and everything there is to know about the cx/gl line of hondas:
    http://cx500forum.com/

    I've got one and love it, I didn't do much customizing other than paint and kinda went with a commuter theme. I have 2 seats right now and don't know which I'm going to stick with, whatever ends up being the most comfortable.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Jun 12, 2013 at 4:57 PM
    #7
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    Yea I am on chopper charles as well. I have the build thread there too.
     
  8. Jun 29, 2013 at 2:39 PM
    #8
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    I have gotten about another 15-20 hours into the bike since my last post. School and vacation(house hunting) have really taken my time away from what I wanted to do. I'm pretty sure the 30 day mark is done. I'm about half way done maybe. There has been a lot of wasted time waiting on parts. People need to get their shipping departments together.

    Powder Coated parts:
    IMAG0839_zpsf8115ea0_bdecf191786400121c4c6743060fc275621724e4.jpg
    IMAG0838_zpsfb3c955a_08742cbcf8a79e0fe8cd0bc69ac54ad7fccb72be.jpg
    IMAG0841_zps8a23130e_d650013c5d16df7f9b42b33d5b44f7ba65ee35af.jpg

    New tires on the wheels too:
    IMAG0865_zps8fd3c574_3512442f36a0a0eb5891d93472d9f6ec0473c658.jpg

    Rough Fiberglass work:
    IMAG0863_zps8f908137_990a789d471ca9bced8ca1a7dfdd2694aa6fcb4a.jpg
    IMAG0868_zps701a5fea_7f76570d013952a2e2e624a321c7623e50d07150.jpg
    IMAG0867_zps8cd3fb6d_636c978dfb02c65d926992c16d052e75b87139b3.jpg

    New Ballistic 8 Cell Battery. It is much smaller and lighter than the original:
    IMAG0848_zpsd37ee668_ab69a38899b03f34351e9c1b3f3931eeba0129de.jpg

    Little battery box:
    IMAG0866_zps6381450a_049dfa219eb2d3dd0eac3586a8d242501cf914ad.jpg

    Cut the back half off the frame:
    IMAG0851_zpsc6c9f810_51cbde111d93310c80fb0cb6d30fd326352b526a.jpg
    IMAG0850_zps11a3a618_5f2395e7141676f557440cbb0b4ecfa0ceb6ebba.jpg

    Stuff in primer. Still needs some sanding and filler in small places:
    IMAG0871_zps18411e38_20f9abf2e0d46600283819e065d06232e95672a9.jpg
    IMAG0872_zpsd32694c9_393f9e25640cd0427cef6650b336546811dd0d69.jpg

    The R6 front fender that I made into a rear hugger:
    IMAG0875_zpsf9e1be79_d1aafe1f2c1bd42cbc510936df31bf9c6663e890.jpg

    Monoshock mounted up and welded tabs:
    IMAG0873_zps16d6b7a1_5e45e715323951a447a8593dd3a8d9930b70cede.jpg

    Capped the frame where it was cut off:
    IMAG0874_zps2438f7cb_f961b95fce56c128a2172e127e9e1efcab36b109.jpg

    Still have some filler in places, finish weld some small stuff, paint is on the way, waiting on some other parts, frame needs cleaned up and painted quick also.
     
  9. Jul 9, 2013 at 12:43 PM
    #9
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    I dipped a few things for the bike. I did it in some CF. I did not want to go overboard with it though.

    IMAG0887_zps99b36825_d9554c31bb46fcd10d8832b6681ddf973048ef41.jpg
    IMAG0888_zps9648879a_d432753d2a7ff1ecb9ee2887ecc73b1a37a8cee8.jpg
    IMAG0889_zpsaa3517a8_d2bd6e69234ac940811f304d9e6707aed5572ac7.jpg
    IMAG0890_zps01d682a5_28a153dc52a9d74c3bc4dd31aa1c9b3b94d1663f.jpg
    IMAG0896_zpse39984c3_ae73ef17bbe2547c493022e384b1c0f09efff44d.jpg

    I am still waiting for some steel to come in so I can bend up the rear seat structure.
     
  10. Jul 15, 2013 at 5:17 PM
    #10
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    I got some painting on the bike done today. There is still some small paint work that needs done but it will be with some Transtar Satin Black out of a spray can.

    20130715_161748_zpsa116affc_c6585a13f9e54201fb012eafe34df2184f1e5eb0.jpg

    I got the font from another thread on here. Thanks for that. It came out great. I had my vinyl guy cut out some stencil vinyl so that I could paint on the "Honda" before it was cleared.
    20130715_161755_zpsfb863fe4_34c19489252c2f9a8fa2bac40578cf06140034f8.jpg

    I left the face of the gauge panel in CF. The bottom area and the trim is painted the Cyber Grey Metallic.
    20130715_161813_zpsb3784109_7f45b230a00473c147eb20cda3b8b7c4b501fb0e.jpg

    Rear Hugger (made from an R6 front fender):
    20130715_161833_zps21e68fbd_6cd0ba8768720d9bf1627b299bcf34cd5c43cde7.jpg
    20130715_161844_zpse5e76d52_d94724c239cae4ee46064ea983dfd8ea47926ec2.jpg

    The tank came out pretty awesome. The Honda logo looks excellent.
    20130715_161822_zps30a6bc4b_1e361a341e2391fd29d2cb8383521db1d649b8b6.jpg
    20130715_161828_zpsb8a955b5_5460817fa2596f08ed8cfe7533677e25c721848b.jpg

    I love how the color turned out. I think the satin black accents will do nicely against this primary paint color. All of these pictures were taken just a few minutes after spraying the clear. There wasn't any flow time really. I'm sure they will be a little smoother when I go back to the shop tomorrow. Plus, they are going to be sanded and buffed anyway.

    Close up of the color:
    20130715_161926_zpsb0baa3eb_78d34ae2a91076a4c72dd6a473fb6d50446f95f7.jpg
     
  11. Aug 19, 2013 at 6:13 PM
    #11
    2wheelnut

    2wheelnut Well-Known Member

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    I like how the Honda logos came out, reminds me of an old British bike logo.
     
  12. Aug 19, 2013 at 7:09 PM
    #12
    kingston73

    kingston73 Well-Known Member

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    How/what did you do to get that carbon fiber?? Looks wicked!
     
  13. Aug 20, 2013 at 7:39 AM
    #13
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings

    That is what I do for a living. It is called water transfer printing. It can be applied to anything that can be painted and submerged into water for a short time. Click the logo in my sig to see our website.
     
  14. Aug 20, 2013 at 7:43 AM
    #14
    Maticuno

    Maticuno Resident Pine Swine

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    Excellent work so far! Can't wait to see the finished product.
     
  15. Aug 20, 2013 at 7:47 AM
    #15
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    If I ever get a chance to finish it. The house and shop move has more than monopolized my life for the time being.
     
  16. Aug 20, 2013 at 7:50 AM
    #16
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I guess I had some more pictures that I had not posted yet. There has been a little more done to it than this now too.

    20130724_171833_zps785a5316_5f1c2503514aea4c0394185cb1792efaeeb622fe.jpg
    20130724_171841_zps56d8fe13_0135f3d744ee3549840f1bf064bc7400b97ccaf2.jpg
    20130724_171849_zps7276a9a4_2369a4f53dfbbe75d4d10a1c8d2cb456efb96963.jpg
     
  17. Aug 20, 2013 at 7:50 AM
    #17
    NwiTACO

    NwiTACO Big tars, little/no bed.

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    Just saw this. Laughed at the title after seeing your post dates, :p
     
  18. Aug 20, 2013 at 8:06 AM
    #18
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Yea blew the 30 day mark out of the water haha. So much stuff got in the way of finishing this thing. I need to have a mod change the title to 30 month build.
     
  19. Oct 8, 2013 at 6:20 PM
    #19
    MiniBike

    MiniBike Well-Known Member

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    Just keep it coming. As a former CX500 owner, I'm impressed and intrigued by what you're doing.
     
  20. Jun 21, 2014 at 4:18 AM
    #20
    ntilehman

    ntilehman [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Rock Sliders Front Light Bar +1.5" Front Arms with Ext. Kings
    I am still working on this thing. Unfortunately, customers pay better than I do myself so I have stayed very busy doing their stuff haha. I am hoping to get some stuff done on it soon though. After vacation for the 4th I am going to at least finish up the frame and get the engine back in and wired.
     

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