STEPHEN WALTERS HONDA CX500

My first three restorations were mid 80's Yamaha XJ900's, my restoration philosophy is to restore them to to look and perform better than new:

this has followed on to my latest 1981 Honda CX500B Deluxe.

I am writing this article about my very recent completion after a ground up restoration of the subject bike. I owned a black one in 1981, my brother in law (+pillions) and I spent 2 weeks (camping) circumnavigating (on land), Tasmania. At the time I installed front fork and rear air suspension and a bikini fairing. The CX was super comfy and performed faultlessly.

So, when Jeff Smith (Cairns Club) told me about his over supply of complete CX500’s and parts he desperately wanted to be rid of, all in questionable condition, I offered to buy 2 mostly complete bikes and parts with the idea of restoring one while cannibalising the other.

On closer inspection, both bikes were pretty much a nightmare, so I chose the one that looked like it needed the least amount of work and expense, while being acutely aware I was taking a giant and expensive leap into unforeseen stupidity.

You can follow the pictorial presentation, I had already previously restored three eighties Yamaha XJ 900’s and unbeknown to me, snagged a restoration of the year in 2017 with the Cairns club.

However, the Honda was by far the most difficult to complete, pretty much every single system was either broken, worn out, corroded, rusted, vandalised by previous owners, all the above, ridden to failure and abandoned, just waiting for someone with a stupid obsession to take pity on it, yours truly, no self deprecating intended.

What did I learn? Almost all systems were recoverable, except the exhaust, where I designed and had manufactured, bespoke mufflers, such was the extent of my misguided ambitions, but oh, how lovely it sounds. I learnt new skills over and above my current skills in electro mechanical systems, in plastic welding, metal polishing as well as corrosion and frustration control.

The whole project cost me a tad under $8000.00

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