Nice bike! I'm in the process of buying one myself and looking to turn it into a cafe racer. Where did you find those handlebars? Do they work with the stock gauges?
@bubbleghead The bars themselves were actually really easy to swap over. I found the hardest part was the throttle sleeve. I ended up breaking a little piece off when I was taking the throttle cable off and had to order in a new one. If you get the right dia. bar (IIRC its is 3/8" but don't quote me) everything just bolts back onto the new cafe bar.
honestly though, when I rebuild this bike again I am going to switch to clip-on style bars. These bars look nice and are a HUGE improvement over stock but at a measly 4" drop or whatever they are they're just not aggressive enough for me. There is another bar similar to this that is called the Z bend I think and it had more drop and still mounts up the same as this bar.
honda made a turbo model of this bike, i tried to get a turbo for my xvs650 but the guys at the honda dealer just laughed at me. unavailable they said
Not that I noticed. You can tell in the video that with the pipes shortened the idle response is slow, so it could use a rejet to make it leaner. But riding in the mountains I actually noticed that there felt like more top end power going up the hills and stuff... I was cruising one day with the pipes short and came up on a corvette, it stayed with the vette VERY easily :)
Well the feeling of the bike is much different, Mine is the Custom so it has those big relaxed bars. Compared to those the cafe bars make it feel a lot more sporty and much more in control especially in hard cornering. In terms of actual handling improvements to the bike, well its basically just rider position improvement.
Oh okay thanks very much, I have a kawasaki zl 600 and it has some more relaxed bars but i'm thinking about throwing some drop bars on it. I actually just put a video of it up if you wanna take a look. I just don't want to put the lower bars on the bike then hate riding it because its uncomfortable or the handling is poor
Cool video and nice bike! Super clean :) The bars that were origianlly on my bike were very similar to the ones on your bike. In terms of putting lower ones on I would see if there are any you can sorta test fit to see how they feel. What style are you going for with your bike? Like a full out cafe racer or just customize it a bit? You might even like a flat bar or a drag bar too.
thanks very much. taking the drop bars on a test run would be nice but the only place i can find them is on the internet :( in terms of style i'm still kind of undecided. I don't think i can pull off a full blown cafe racer just because of the shape of the frame and the shape of the gas tank but i do really like the look of drop bars. i have considered flat bars or european bars but i think i'll either go the whole way with the drop bars or don't change them at all.
Holy crap yours starts clean. I've been starting on one cylinder for so song I forgot they could kick off like that.
Cafe or not, keeping the crash bars around the heads (or making your own slim ones like I saw once) is a good idea to protect your heads and valve covers from something as easy as 'a little slip'.
You could also find another rear wheel and tire and put it on the front to bring the whole thing down. Gives you a wider tire up there as well.
not bad but to make a cx really shift put a 650 engine in the older lighter frame , hold on tight and change the front brake !!!! mine clocked at 125 mph and wheelies like crazy in 2 nd !!
Holy crap that sounds awesome, faster than a bat outta hell! Im definitely going to look for a 650 motor to drop in. Thanks for the tip man! By the way got any videos? I would love to see your CX rip.
sadly it saw off a fireblade then rattled a lot so off road at mo ! when rebuilt will put on you tube ! its not an easy swap you need to alter the carbs , inlets electrics and front cradle part of the frame but so worth it really ! just for the look on the blades owners face !!!!!!! need any tips just ask
im turning my cx500 into a crotch rocket and let me tell you lol the cx500 is a bastard honda model lol and if you have one you know lol i need some drag bars too tell me were you found em
i have a 78 cx500, i love your bike. where did you get the rear fender and dash face? those two things ive never seen on a cx500 it really stands out. also the seat looks great is that stock from a different year? mine looks like crap, lol. any tips would be apreciated.
Thats great man, it sounds mean. I hope the project is coming along. I am working on a cx cafe project as well. I have a 1979 cx500 deluxe. so far I have lowered it about 2 inches, put clubman bars on, K&N drop in filter, mac 2 into 1 exhaust, and it was painted guards red.
Wow thats sounds great. How did you lower your cx? That would be neat to see a picture or even better a movie! I have almost finished my bike since I made this video and I now have the full exhaust back on and air filters etc. Thanks for the comment!
lowering it was easy. I just put the rear shocks in the lowest setting, and the I losened the clamps on my front forks and slid the forks up a bit higher through the triple tree and then tightend the clamps again.
I had one of those about 10 years ago, always fancied doing the same to it. Never got 'round to it. If I remember correctly the fork from either a RVF 750 or a ZX will fit right onto one. I always thought it would look like a Norton or something with a flat saddle and clip ons and rear sets.
Thats exactly what i was thinking it would look like too! Thats awesome I didnt know that you could just drop in either of those forks, thanks for the tip!
Nice bike! I'm in the process of buying one myself and looking to turn it into a cafe racer. Where did you find those handlebars? Do they work with the stock gauges?
jeffosho 2 days ago
@jeffosho Hey Jeff. I got the handlebars from the Old Bike Barn. They do work with the stock gauges as well!
fastmatt711 1 day ago
hows that thing run on top end?
zx12ryder 1 year ago
Comment removed
Seanitude 1 year ago
Off to a good start! I'm doing the same thing to my 79 custom (using the ace clubman bars though).
Seanitude 1 year ago
thank you very much.
bubbleghead 1 year ago
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was it dificult to install the cafe bars? and were the bars the only absolutly necessary part that was needed to properly install them?
bubbleghead 1 year ago
was it dificult to install the cafe bars? and were the bars the only absolutly necessary part that was needed to properly install them?
bubbleghead 1 year ago
@bubbleghead The bars themselves were actually really easy to swap over. I found the hardest part was the throttle sleeve. I ended up breaking a little piece off when I was taking the throttle cable off and had to order in a new one. If you get the right dia. bar (IIRC its is 3/8" but don't quote me) everything just bolts back onto the new cafe bar.
fastmatt711 1 year ago
honestly though, when I rebuild this bike again I am going to switch to clip-on style bars. These bars look nice and are a HUGE improvement over stock but at a measly 4" drop or whatever they are they're just not aggressive enough for me. There is another bar similar to this that is called the Z bend I think and it had more drop and still mounts up the same as this bar.
fastmatt711 1 year ago
honda made a turbo model of this bike, i tried to get a turbo for my xvs650 but the guys at the honda dealer just laughed at me. unavailable they said
boobsmaster 2 years ago
I had thought that would be so neat to swap the 650 Turbo engine into mine and keep it as a modernized turbo'd cafe racer with 100 HP!
fastmatt711 2 years ago
i would ride anything with a turbo, i like the idea of an old looking bike with modern power man get er dooone!
boobsmaster 2 years ago
Do you loose any HP in your top end having your pipes cut so short?
666suckerpunch666 2 years ago
Not that I noticed. You can tell in the video that with the pipes shortened the idle response is slow, so it could use a rejet to make it leaner. But riding in the mountains I actually noticed that there felt like more top end power going up the hills and stuff... I was cruising one day with the pipes short and came up on a corvette, it stayed with the vette VERY easily :)
fastmatt711 2 years ago
when you put the cafe racer bars on was there any significant change in the handling of the bike?
mhewson7 2 years ago
Well the feeling of the bike is much different, Mine is the Custom so it has those big relaxed bars. Compared to those the cafe bars make it feel a lot more sporty and much more in control especially in hard cornering. In terms of actual handling improvements to the bike, well its basically just rider position improvement.
fastmatt711 2 years ago
Oh okay thanks very much, I have a kawasaki zl 600 and it has some more relaxed bars but i'm thinking about throwing some drop bars on it. I actually just put a video of it up if you wanna take a look. I just don't want to put the lower bars on the bike then hate riding it because its uncomfortable or the handling is poor
mhewson7 2 years ago
Cool video and nice bike! Super clean :) The bars that were origianlly on my bike were very similar to the ones on your bike. In terms of putting lower ones on I would see if there are any you can sorta test fit to see how they feel. What style are you going for with your bike? Like a full out cafe racer or just customize it a bit? You might even like a flat bar or a drag bar too.
fastmatt711 2 years ago
thanks very much. taking the drop bars on a test run would be nice but the only place i can find them is on the internet :( in terms of style i'm still kind of undecided. I don't think i can pull off a full blown cafe racer just because of the shape of the frame and the shape of the gas tank but i do really like the look of drop bars. i have considered flat bars or european bars but i think i'll either go the whole way with the drop bars or don't change them at all.
mhewson7 2 years ago
where did you get the handle bars?
mhewson7 2 years ago
Those are the cafe racer bars from the old bike barn. They're sweet!
fastmatt711 2 years ago
a shoe melter thats awesome
agskennedy 2 years ago
which handlebars are those? they are sick
aspiredrotary 2 years ago
Nice !!!!!!!
himlers1 2 years ago
Holy crap yours starts clean. I've been starting on one cylinder for so song I forgot they could kick off like that.
Cafe or not, keeping the crash bars around the heads (or making your own slim ones like I saw once) is a good idea to protect your heads and valve covers from something as easy as 'a little slip'.
You could also find another rear wheel and tire and put it on the front to bring the whole thing down. Gives you a wider tire up there as well.
Ranzear 2 years ago
Cool thanks for the tip!
fastmatt711 2 years ago
im gonna put 04 busa pipes on my 81 cx500 because i have nothing else and its gonne be free!!!
onlyhillbomber 2 years ago
not bad but to make a cx really shift put a 650 engine in the older lighter frame , hold on tight and change the front brake !!!! mine clocked at 125 mph and wheelies like crazy in 2 nd !!
kramdent42 2 years ago
Holy crap that sounds awesome, faster than a bat outta hell! Im definitely going to look for a 650 motor to drop in. Thanks for the tip man! By the way got any videos? I would love to see your CX rip.
fastmatt711 2 years ago
sadly it saw off a fireblade then rattled a lot so off road at mo ! when rebuilt will put on you tube ! its not an easy swap you need to alter the carbs , inlets electrics and front cradle part of the frame but so worth it really ! just for the look on the blades owners face !!!!!!! need any tips just ask
kramdent42 2 years ago
sounds great man......did u have to rejet the carbs?
shsmustangs 2 years ago
sounds absolutley B E A UTIFUL!!
shsmustangs 3 years ago
well none of your neighbors took a shot at u thats good...and loud. Is that seay of of a early 80's Nighthawk ?
linoleumcarving 3 years ago
im turning my cx500 into a crotch rocket and let me tell you lol the cx500 is a bastard honda model lol and if you have one you know lol i need some drag bars too tell me were you found em
juggalotus20 3 years ago
HERMOSA
siefenix22 3 years ago
i have a 78 cx500, i love your bike. where did you get the rear fender and dash face? those two things ive never seen on a cx500 it really stands out. also the seat looks great is that stock from a different year? mine looks like crap, lol. any tips would be apreciated.
ryan
goputdownthefork 3 years ago
fetzt wie sau
WilhelmStrese 3 years ago
Wow,take off custom bars,fit ace bars,cafe racer,lol.
rcbasher666 4 years ago
I have a 79' cx 500 myself. I'm looking at doing the same to, but I'm going to do some heavy modifications. This bike sounds and looks awsome!!!
pheewhee 4 years ago
Hahah, I didn't know CX can run sooooo damn good :D
tapir750 4 years ago
Thats great man, it sounds mean. I hope the project is coming along. I am working on a cx cafe project as well. I have a 1979 cx500 deluxe. so far I have lowered it about 2 inches, put clubman bars on, K&N drop in filter, mac 2 into 1 exhaust, and it was painted guards red.
buildabuick 4 years ago
Wow thats sounds great. How did you lower your cx? That would be neat to see a picture or even better a movie! I have almost finished my bike since I made this video and I now have the full exhaust back on and air filters etc. Thanks for the comment!
fastmatt711 4 years ago
lowering it was easy. I just put the rear shocks in the lowest setting, and the I losened the clamps on my front forks and slid the forks up a bit higher through the triple tree and then tightend the clamps again.
buildabuick 4 years ago
I had one of those about 10 years ago, always fancied doing the same to it. Never got 'round to it. If I remember correctly the fork from either a RVF 750 or a ZX will fit right onto one. I always thought it would look like a Norton or something with a flat saddle and clip ons and rear sets.
daveslev 3 years ago
Thats exactly what i was thinking it would look like too! Thats awesome I didnt know that you could just drop in either of those forks, thanks for the tip!
fastmatt711 3 years ago
i like this video because have a pipes open
unbuencuadro 4 years ago