Abandoned 42 years Honda Cx500 only 39 Miles! Will it Run? 

*_This Bike is now up for sale Boys and Girls. Link to the eBay auction is in the description. Happy Bidding._*

I had a brand new 1979 CX 500 standard with an 18 inch rear wheel. I got it set up for touring and road it across Canada then headed south to Southern California before returning home to Calgary, Alberta Canada. We rode two up the whole time. In total we travelled 30,000 Km. A great motorcycle!

This bike was purchased in the state of New York by a US service member . Probably just before he was TDY'ed to England . The US Military then would ship personnel items to your post. I would also tell you he either ran into money trouble and SOLD IT or was told he would have to pay to ship it back. IMO this was one of HONDA's best engines. It would do A Ton on the roads , great gas milage. Plenty of power , simple easy maintenance, water cooled . In the states we called these HONDAguzzies. Loads of motorbike couriers in major cities used this bike because they could run all day in stop and go traffic and not over heat.

I ran my 1978 model for seven years, without trouble, sold it for what I paid for it, (£350) have had sellers remorse ever since. A long, long time!

My dad gave me a CX500 Custom In 1982, I loved that bike, I was in college and those college girls were always wanting me to take them for a ride, Which I was happy to give them. I wish I had the money to buy that bike, so many great memories of me and my CX500, Good times! It was a unique bike and very good looking and ran flawlwssly.

I had a few of these in the early 80s, loved them.

I can't believe they didn't drain the old before they started it. Oil develops an acid in it when it sits for about a year. Pretty nice find. I always thought they were cool bikes.

I bought that exact bike new! Same color tank.mounted silver vetter bags flush with the seat and quick silver fairing short wind shield. It looked and ran spectacular for years! Adjust the valves and chain was it. Daily driver and toured! Loved it!

I had two maggots while couriering in London in the early 80's. Both bulletproof but the first went down the road at some speed on the A40 (as did I!) and the second racked up about 40k in two years through work and touring Europe. It eventually died due to too little maintenance on my part. Cracking bikes.

Passed my test on a Honda Benly cd 200 ( drum rear brake ) and two weeks later was sat on my first big bike , the cx 500 . Happy memories when I heard her start up , still riding many years later , great video, you could smell the fumes 🤪😊👍👍👍

bullet proof engine never let me down rain or snow the thing is just awesome and so nice to ride loved it

Thought it was a yank because of the handle bars, I bought one brand new in 1978 absolutely loved it, very easy to maintain, some of the courier ones did massive mileage running for years after production had stopped. I’d love Honda to make a modern 750/800 version I’d have one in a heartbeat.

Bought one from a friend with 500 miles on it. Put a cruiser faring on it and did significant touring for several years on the weekends. During the week I commuted into and around Washington, DC. It was easy to drive in the city and my clients allowed me to park at their site. Parked it at DOJ, DEA, and DOL HQs as I was a consultant. Also drove it around the DC Beltway as I lived in Southern MD and my corporate offices were in Bethesda and Herndon. My wife made me quit riding motorcycles because a good friend or ours was killed on his motorcycle and she didn't want me to make her a widow with young children.

I bought a new one back in 1980, great bike. Wish I still had it, but we all say that about our past bikes.

A great, informative, humorous and no nonsense video. Thank you. Brought back many happy memories of my CX500A, which I bought from new back in 1981. As well as being my daily commute at the time, I took it on a solo trip from Northern Ireland to the South of France that year and it never missed a beat. Wish I still had it.....although I still have its top box, complete with Nice, Cannes and St. Tropez stickers! I look forward to seeing your next videos. Best wishes for now.

I just picked one up for 500$ 53000 miles and it runs like a timex doesn't miss a beat!! great bike I. am slowly restoring it and riding it at the same time !!!

The etched number is the past owners social security number. There used to be an anti theft program in the states back in the 80's. They had you etch your social security number on items you wanted to protect. Of course 30 seconds with a grinder and it is gone.

The engine noise took me back. My fave bike was Neddy, rode it miles in 80's 90's. Loved it.

Sure brings back many memories; I had one in the US, the Honda Silverwing as it's known here. Full fairing with hard luggage and top box; an excellent tourer.

Hi. I had six Cx's when I was a Belfast DR, I put 120,000 on one engine without any problems, regular maintenance is the answer.

Feeling nostalgic. ☺️ Be nice if Honda could make it today. I am sure it would sell in the retro market.

Awesome find and startup story. I did a barn find restart on one the same age. Same issue with low speed running on one cyl. Carbs needed an ultrasonic clean which I did not have access to at the time. But otherwise went well. BTW, unbolt inlet manifolds for easier removal and refit of carbs. Had plenty of practice removing and refitting chasing down that low speed issue...

So many videos about CX 500 ,gutted owned 2 back late 80s despatching in London, loved those bikes, earned good money

I like that you are getting these classics back on the road, thank you.

I've just bought a Honda CX500B 1981 with 426 miles. It was parked in a garage since 2013 and the log book claims 2 previous owners. I stripped out everything and rebuilt the carbs 3 times, oil change, new battery, unsiezed the clutch and new brake pistons. It runs and now rides well. The frame is like new but the plastics are scratched and Alloy parts are corroded. parts

Long time ago (1981) when i was 16 my (later) brother in law bought a brand new CX and we were so impressed (he shared his garage with my buddy and me for our 50 ccm bikes), in 1987 i bought a used, red CX too, it was OK but that time i had lots of experience with bigger bikes like the GS 1000 or CBX, and bec i had the big CBX too i sold the CX to my buddy. And this bike still rides on till today.

Hello. Here in Buenos Aires Argentina in San Isidro neigIhborhood, I know the owner of a CX 500 ,1979 and the bike has only 4000km, about 2500 miles. Mr Rodríguez now is 80 years old and every sundays start his bike and goes away. Great job with this old lady.. I love the classic Japanese bikes. Sorry about my english and Greetings from the lands of Tango, football and goog meats..👍👍

First "big" bike I ever rode. It went so fast the wind ripped the peak off my Stadium open-faced helmet on the M67...😅

Incredible find, only 39 miles? WOW!! I bought a used CX500 in the mid 80's. The local dealer who was a great bloke, sold me it cheaper because...... 'Don't use 1st gear, it will pull away in 2nd'. 'Why?' I asked. 'I think there's a tooth missing off 1st gear, but I've ridden it and no problem with the rest of the box'. I agreed to buy it as I trusted him, and he was right. I did try 1st to see what he meant and it lurched and lurched again so I stopped. See what you mean George, I will just ride my 4 speed CX from now on. I really enjoyed the bike....Wish I still had it, should have done a repair on it but never did and I resold it not that long after. Ahh well. 😉

My first bike was '82 CX500, loved it.

Great video and well done gettin the old girl back up and running. For future ref: there is an 17mm inspection cover at the front of the engine under the radiator, remove that and you can use the same socket to turn the engine over via the crank. Much easier than trying to turn it over in 5th gear via the rear wheel.

Great vid. Excellent find. I have a NA 1982 CX500 Custom in my Shed. It took my brother and GF across Canada and back and my wife and myself from Atlantic Canada to New York and back without a hiccup. I parked it in my shed when it blew a second stator 15 years ago. Its sitting next to a 1977 CB360T that hasn't run in 35 years. You guys are welcome to venture across the pond to film an extra special mini series. 😎 Cheers

I'm no motorcyclist, but the numeric electrical etching is to put off potential thieves from stealing parts or the whole bike....I can remember this back in the 80s....🤔😳😳🇬🇧

I'd love it. The sound is exquisite. I remember the engine note.

I rode a Honda 500 Silverwing for a few year back in 1985, it was a very good bike, had lots of fun trips to the mountains and cost.

I'm sure you are aware, ignition key can be made once you get the ignition switch out and carefully take it apart to remove the key cylinder and then manually cut a key to match the wafers. That key will then work other locks on the cycle.

Hope it’s the later version and had the cam chain tensioner mod done. Early maggots were renown for cam chain problems, alternators were also went at about 50 thousand. But still a great bike, I used to have one and loved it.

My favourite bike back in the early 80's. So many dispatch couriers would be riding one of these.

Popular with dispatch riders in the 80's . I worked as one in London, and rode my black CX500 to Denmark and back. They had electrical problems, but a fine "poor mans BNW's".

What a smashing video to come across. Such a recognisable engine sound 😎. My Dad had a 1980 CX500 from new, that he used to commute from Hastings to Andover, year round. He had a full Polaris fairing fitted and wore a tank suit. In bad weather he'd get wetter walking from the garage to our front door than on the 120 mile commute. Happy memories of being sat on the back as a teenager, and I can remember it's registration number to this day. Might be my memory failing me, or wishful thinking, but I thought his speedo went to 100mph.

The plastic maggot. A friend had one back in the late 70s and loved it. My only experience with these was a 650 Eurosport version that an acquaintance asked me to appraise before buying. Turning left it was impressive, turning right not so much. Turned out it had been in some sort of accident and well to put it bluntly I've seen straighter bananas. It was being sold by a car dealer who had blindly taken it in as a part exchange.

Absolutely loved this video. I remember my dad riding a cx500 in the 80s. Would love to buy him another one

Owned two CX500s. Excellent bikes.

Bought a barn find ‘79 Honda CX 500 in 1989. The choke is a finicky bugger on cold days and requires a good warm up before pushing the choke button down. I removed my fuel tank and had it professionally cleaned out and chemically sealed to prevent rust forming inside the tank. Wondered if you fellas replaced the fuel filter? Those old pipes harbour barn mice nests and spiders, so removing the pipes and inspect. I put duck tape over the exhaust pipe holes in fall to winterize the bike. A good flushing of gear oil and coolant would be a good idea. Not sure about fork seals/oil and brake fluid - all part of a good restoration for new buyer. Not the best bike for beginners because the bike is top heavy with a full tank of fuel. ⛽️ Hondas are reliable cheap transportation. Had mine until I bought another used bike - 83 Honda VT 750 Shadow. Eventually graduated to 2005 Honda 1100 Shadow (most comfortable next to a Goldwing).

Those were great small bore bikes. The only bad thing I ever experienced with those was the stator assemblies went bad on a lot of them. It’s not an easy job to remedy. Great little bikes and road trip worthy for sure!

CX 500 was the first bike I bought new it was my pride and joy

Since the bike has a New York inspection sticker on the left fork tube, that means it was imported from the States to the UK. I was wondering about the number etched on the left hand valve cover myself before I saw the NY sticker. That number must be the original owner's Social Security number. The same number is on the front fender and on the frame of the motorcycle under the left edge of the seat (I saw it when you had the seat raised). Engraving your Social Security number on personal items was a thing people did for a time...long before identity theft became popular.

It's simply amazing that you found this bike.

I owned a 1980 CX500 until a few months ago. It had about 20,000 KMs on it when I got rid of it. With the exception of the mufflers, the bike looked like it was only a few years old. It was a fantastic city bike. The new owner has it shined up like new and has mufflers on their way. I'll be sad seeing it go down the road, but am happy that it possibly has another 42 years or so left in it.

Had two of these, both the wife and I rode. Love touring the UK. When we split, she took the bike. She sold it to a courier who used it for years.

The Turbo version was a Hot Rod. That configuration of an Engine was Bulletproof.

I had 3 of these when I was a despatch-rider. Comfortable, easy to service and fairly reliable. My last one went through 3 alternators before I got rid of it for a GT 750. I could change an alternator myself with a trolly jack in about 3 hours, good find.

iv had a few of these bike and i do wish id kept the last one i had,great classic that was just bullet proof,handled realy well for it size,use to throw it about the london streets while dispatching .the rear wheel stearing was so mush fun on the cheap continentals ,took it from london to leeds and never missed a beat,so comfortable you could sit on it all day id swap my ducati 1000ds for it right now

My wife and I rode a cb175 from m/cr to Corsica & back in 2 weeks in 1971! Carrying us plus camping gear cost £100 for everything!

What a beautiful bike looking forward to this one.

There is filiform corrosion between aluminum and clear coat. I bought a 1980 CX500D new, and I still have it. I just serviced it and am riding it.

I had one for 12 years, triple bypass put an ignitech on it, 70,000 miles of pleasure, and it;s still on the road in Whitchurch i believe, it was a 1979 Z

Wives GL500C Silverwing is sitting in the shed been there for nearly 30 years. She stopped riding it when pregnant with our daughter she is now 28.

In America in the 80's it was fairly common for people to scribe their Social Security Number (SSN format = xxx-xx-xxxx) into pricey items when purchased. In case the item was stolen, it could be easy to prove it's yours if found in police custody. My grandfather etched his SSN into all his furniture and vehicles, though not as prominently as this person did to his bike. All I can find on that number is that it was issued to a person in New York in 1976. You would have to be registered as someone with a valid interest to find more information.

Just incredible!..... It goes to show that low mileage gems are out there... Great work gents..... 🇭🇲

Bought a 76 in 02 and ran for a few years. Mine was low mileage also but not that low. Eventually the ehaust failed at the collector underneat so I bought two mufflers off of a Ducati Monster and it worked fine, just a bit louder. Same basic model, not the sport model or silverwing.

Really enjoyed that , I had one in the nineties that was a 79 and had 21 owners! But still good , wished I still had it

New York moto- that may be his driver's license number jitterbugged here there and everywhere. A policeman can run this number in seconds and for the most part, it never changes. Even if you change states and plates, that number is in the system attached to you name. I did the same thing back in the day-tools, bikes etc.

The numbers are social security number. The owner was probably in the United States Air Force when it was purchased. The USAF had a program to help prevent theft by offering free use of an engraving tool to put your SSN on things you owned. My first bike was a used 1978 CX 500 loved that bike.

The VIN etching thing was a popular anti-theft service back in the day.

had one years ago bought it with big end gone and fuel tank missing, got crank ground and bought a tank from the breakers and job done. Paid £ 50 for the bike but that was in the 90's.

It looks like someone has had a go at that ignition switch before now

Awesome Video once again Baz and Connor, Keep em coming 👍👍

The numbers etched on the bike, are for parts identity, if the bike was ever stolen and parted out. It was like a type of insurance, all the numbers were held on file with the insurance company that sold you that insurance package. The numbers on all the major parts, made it difficult to sell stolen parts.

Definitely a special video.

Lol, I had one of those back in the day! Shortly after I got it the cam chain tensioner/guide piled up and made a mess. Wasn't a happy camper! 😂

Etching looked like (couldn't see real well....)a US social security number

I had a 1980 CX. As I remember at low RPM the stator could not keep the motor running and needed to be connected to the battery.

Great video great bike

Yea I have 1973 cx 500 deluxe, I like to see what you can do with it.the Main problem is was owned by a painter, as you know about painter's they paint EVERYTHING!!!!

This was the bike i wanted after the Superdream i owned. Wanted one in red. Being water cooled was bit of a novelty in early 80's.

Had a CX500 custom brilliant bikes just be aware the original cam chain tensioner are prone to snapping with obvious consequences but there is a upgrade available. enjoy I did.

Been looking forward to this video Baz, and it didn’t disappoint! Good effort. Still no shout out though 🙄😂

I loved my CX500 but remember cam chain recall. Also etching each part was to identify when stolen.

Honda wiring: red to the battery, black is power AFTER the ignition switch, green is earth and black/white is the CDI kill feed. Applies to every Honda I've ever worked on.

Thanks Baz, if i find another timewarp bike ill let you know! just rebuilding my flux capacitor now

This was a sweet bike back in its day!

Mileage does not matter--it is still one of Honda's ugliest, least exciting motorcycles. In 1981 I bought a used 79 CX 500 after I checked with Honda to see if the bike was subject to the recall of the 78 model for breaking cam chains. Honda said no, all taken care of. First oil change I found specks of rubber and aluminum in the filter, sure signs of incipient cchain failure. I pulled the engine (hint: remove the ignition coils for clearance before trying to lift the engine from the frame) and took off the back case, sure enough the chain had one broken link plate digging into the chain guides on each rotation. After fixing it I put a $3 throttle lock on it and rode out of Denver on a road trip to Dinosaur CO and Vernal, Utah. Power was adequate and CV carbs made for a smooth run up to the top of Mt Evans, 14,200 feet (4328 meters). Ride and handling was okay, but I have never ridden a bike more reluctant to deviate from a straight line course and even consider making a turn. On lonesome highways I locked the throttle, slid back to the passenger seat and pegs (hated the seat), and basically snoozed through the straights. It never crossed a white line while I rested. It was reliable transportation, but I was embarrassed to be seen on it. When Kawasaki produced the amazing ZX-11 in 1986, the CX was the trade in for my very own ZX-11 for touring the mountains at super legal speeds. As far as the rescue, you really want to confirm wiring to the connector before you start poking in jumper wires. Use insulated jumpers. Don't troubleshoot a rough engine until after you push the choke in. You correctly went to the carbs after the first attempt, but I did not see you do the first step before going to the jets--drop the floats, check the needle valve tips, and drain a little fuel through the open float valve before putting the needles and floats back in. Do not clamp carburetors in anything, never use anything metal to clean any orifice in a carburetor, particularly the jets, and do not expose carb floats made of plastic to carb cleaner. They will fall apart soon enough.

Watching you struggle to get the carbs out was rather entertaining and amusing. Best to drop the rear fender and remove the air box. That’s not easy either.

Great video guys, I remember back in the early 80s, here in Ireland that’s all our police 👮 drove in blue obviously

I used to occasionally rent one as a courier, i hated them. They were top heavy, fell over, the tank dug into my legs and they gave poor mpg. iirc, they had a lot of camchain tensioner problems and many honda tensioner mods.

I brought a cx500 new in 1981 it cost $1999 they were a great little bike, the one that you have was called a 500 custom here in Australia, what a great project, great video thankyou.

Autoglym SRP Super Resin Polish by hand is like a facial for old paint, good product.

am restoring a 1981 honda cx500 custom this is going to help alot thank u guys

When getting into the carburetor I think it's funny how he fast backed out the screwdrivers uses his fingers on the shaft of it

Enjoying your video watching you struggle with the carbs brings back the nightmare of my Kawasaki zl400 carbs 4 of them in the tightest space you can imagine 😂😂😂😂😜

Great vid , I'd love to know this bikes life story, these were the couriers best friend, my bro had one .

39 mi ! What a gem, dang I’d like to find one with 20k or less I’d be thrilled 🐾✌️🇺🇸

My favourite bike I ever owned:)

Pulling plugs on a transverse V twin...always a treat

The etching is an American social security number put there as an anti theft measure. No one who held a bike legitimately would etch someone else's social security number.

J. I. S screw driver are a must if your going to keep doing this sort of thing. About £15.00 on line

I had one still have fond memories of that time

Takes me back to the sounds of the 80s! Great video and thanks for sharing 👍 😀

Great video again Baz. My wee dog seems to love being around bikes too. Unfortunately my wife won't let me get a Bagster dog carrier to take her on the bike. I never had a CX500, nearest one I had was a VF750SC, another troublesome Honda. My CB360 had the tank and carbs in that condition too.