CX 500

Many people have never understood the CX500 and have probably never had the chance to ride one. When the CX500 finally arrived in the UK on June 1978, it had an in-line-crankshaft short-stroke V-Twin cylinder, shaft drive, 5-speed, water-cooled 496cc, which developed 50 brake horsepower. However, making sure you have a Honda CX500 workshop manual before attempting a repair, may prevent you from having a messy situation on your hands.

Honda thought of everything; the cylinder heads tilted inwards by 22 degrees to keep riders' knees from hitting the carburetor. This gave the engine a distinctive inlet-exhaust line. 

It had an overhead valve (OHV, or pushrod-operated) 4-valve-per-cylinder engine. It was an easy rider, reliable, and economical. With the engine's placement, it proved a low center of gravity, making it very agile for its size.

Once the early cam chain problems were fixed, the CX500 quickly became the number one bike chosen for dispatch riders. You could do anything, crash it, neglect it, leave it out in the foulest weather, run it back and forth all day at 80 and it would never throw you for a bid. The bike rapidly acquired a reputation as one of Honda's most reliable and successful bikes. Many CXs still survive, compared to the successful 250 and 400 Superdreams.

In 1980 the CX500A was released. Changes to it were mostly cosmetic, such as the polished aluminum radiator rather than the black plastic one-piece surround of the CX500Z. However, it was mostly the same. It’s important to note that the North American variants usually have a single front disc brake, and as a result, they are distinctly underbraked. However, making sure you have a Honda CX500 service manual may prove useful if you ever find yourself working on one.