Help...... Honda CX500/GL500?????

Hi all,

I've been looking about for a suitable base bike for my first Cafe build and I've sorta fell for the Honda CX500, with its Guzzi style V-Twin engine and shaft drive, it would look the nuts when its finished in my opinion.

But heres my problem, living in Northern Ireland I dont have the same sellection of bikes to choose from that there would be if I lived on the mainland, so I was going to broaden my search to include GL500's aswell, but could anyone tell me if there is a difference in the frames between the CX500 and the GL500, I know the tank and fairings are different but I wont be using them so thats not a problem.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help.

Please don't take this as gosple, but I always understood the CX500 was the 'naked' i.e. un-faired version of the GL500. They share a common spares catalogue and the Haynes workshop manual covers both the CX and GL.

If I remember correctly the GL was marketed as the 'Silverwing', the baby brother to the Goldwing and was basically a CX with lots of plastic and dress-ups.

Either way they are both pretty cheap to buy, and unless you have the engine from one and the frame from the other I can't see what difference the frame shape makes.

Thanks Paulie, thats what I was hoping.

The reason I was asking about the frame was that its hard to tell from photos if the headstock on the GL is higher than the CX because the fairing is in the way. The bars are higher which doesnt matter as they will be heading to the bin anyway, but I was hoping the frame was the same between both bikes.

The only other difference I can see is that the CX has twin rear shocks and the GL has a monoshock.

"The only other difference I can see is that the CX has twin rear shocks and the GL has a monoshock."

O.C.D.
I would count that as a bonus. It would allow you to narrow the subframe without comprimising the the shock position or strength of the subframe as it only needs to be strong enough to hold you with it being monoshock.
Slimmer seat rails & a nice wee seat unit would slim the bike down nicely emphasising the V of the engine.

Be cool that

Col.

Cheers Col, I can see what you mean. But I have to say I am partial to the twin shocks, you only have to look at your own avatar to see why, lol

Yeh,
I know what you mean even though I had a twinshock with the XJ then made it a monoshock
The avatar is my Suzuki T20 that I used to race.. I wouldn't have monoshocked that. No way!!!

Col.

colbb66 wrote:

Yeh,
I know what you mean even though I had a twinshock with the XJ then made it a monoshock
The avatar is my Suzuki T20 that I used to race.. I wouldn't have monoshocked that. No way!!!

Col.

I have both bikes done up as Cafe's, sort of......the first one is a GL500 done up as a cafe, and complete, the other is a CX650E also being built at present....both of these have the mono shock,no big deal. I think actually for a start cafe project I would use the CX500....standard model....I will be looking for a CX500 next.......and yes , they usually are fair cheap to purchase

-Hello
-That's a good one for a project. But what year/s are you looking for. That can have a lot bearing on what you want and what you want to do. I believe.
-Here is a URL: of a 1982 CX 500 that someone turned into a Cafe. Very nice. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pampadori/2452440424/
-I don't know too much about Honda's but it could be that one is more of a chopper style/package and the other is a sport /style/package
-My project is a 78 Kawasaki K/D/SR 650. The bike was created to be sold in America stylized more as a chopper version of the B/C 650 models.