Good outcome. 8)

I always liked the escort GT. I had a transmission a few years back too. Wouldn't work in my regular escort. Thought about swapping the engine drivetrain into my wagon from the parts car.

That's a great story, Cheesy! :D

Spud :lol:

It was a very fun car. :P

My buddy bought it to replace his Fiat 128 Sports Wagon. Nothing is more fun than a Fiat but we both loved his Escort GT. At the time it had decent power (100 HP I think), a nice 5 Speed with decent linkage. Recall how poor most FWD cars were then with regards to shift linkage. It handled great, had good brakes, and by our standards was very comfortable. Mileage was in the mid to upper 20's which at the time was stellar. I think it was fuel injected.

It rusted thoroughly :cry: . We lived in NJ... :roll: The rear wheel literally fell off 8O . It leaked around the windshield. It had electrical and accessory (A/C, power steering) leaks and issues. It always started and was always fun, but 80,000 and it was cooked. At 100,000 it was dead. :(

In fairness he was NOT easy on his cars and not great about maintenence... :wink:

Yes it was. 127hp from 110ci. I did a foot to the floor acceleration run one day and scared myself. The car was always mellow up to 2500 rpm, but once past there, hold on. Anyway, crept past the redline and upshifted to second and the front tires broke loose. 8O
Bit of an eye opener along with the clenching of the seat with my butt.

Got tags and insurance today.:)








YeeHaa! I'm legal. :D :D :D :D

Congratulations, Cheesy! :D

Spud :)

Grats from me as well, they were a cool bike! I fondly remember picking up my girlfriend on my CX500 Custom and then riding into the city to catch a movie (hour and a half ride), and then freezing our butts off on the way home! :lol:. That's when you really learn to appreciate those sticking out cylinders for warming up your gloved hands!

Awesome! Got some riding season left in your area?

At least until the end of October.:-)

Gassed it up and took it for a short ride this afternoon. Whee! Another CX owner is stopping by tomorrow and we're going to put mine through it's paces. Hope there are no surprises.

Wow, what a hoot to ride. :D 55mph at 4500rpm and still have another 5500 available at the twist of the wrist. 8O

Met a couple of riders from the NE IL chapter of the HTTA* at Chez Fromage this morning for a spin. 50 miles and I'm still stoked. Arms are like lead, though.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...9-03115926.jpg
My CX on the left, David's GL650 in the center, and Rob's GL500 on the right. First commute into work tomorrow.


*Honda Twisted Twin Association. Very loosely knit group. The way I like it.

Now that the CX is finished,:roll: time to move on to the next project. Total rehab of a Toro 26" riding lawn mower from the late 70's. Follow this in the Miscellaneous forum.

I wonder how Mrs cheesy feels about flame thrower exhaust and spider web pin stripes on her riding mower?

Getting some mileage on the CX the past few weeks. Rode into work this morning and the temp was a brisk 45F. Felt alive when I got to the shop.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...9-14070751.jpg

The new lens cover on the camera/phone helps a lot, too. :D

A lens cover on your phone? Please explain.

Those CX bikes look better to me all the time. I might be tempted to go the cafe route with one.

They make awesome and unique Cafe Racers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-...item2c68215d3d

Found out the hard way that the lens cover on my phone and the button on my workshirt pocket meet in the same place. That explains why some of the pics from the past month looked like they were staged by an out of work Penthouse photographer. :lol:

Your CX500 looks great; you did a very nice job, Cheesy. :) I notice you attached a J.C. Whitney Travel Trunk. ;) I love my travel trunk!

Spud :)

Thanks, Spud. It's all I have left from the Hi-Bird. Well, that and the CDI from GIO with the wrong plug on it.

Not to shoot off topic here, but one of my KLR friends asked me for the link to the JC Whitney trunk and I couldn't find it... I wonder if they stopped carrying it? Love mine to pieces as well :D

IIRC, Whitney was out of stock when I was looking for mine. I ended up getting this one off ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTORCYCLE-S...dacdab&vxp=mtr
I only have two minor complaints about it. First is that I can't store my full face helmet in it. Not a big deal because I always take the helmet with me. Stilll..... Second, the key is a close match to the Hondas' key and I occasionally mix them up. If I'd look first it wouldn't even be an issue. On the plus side, it will hold two Country Donuts Bakers Dozen boxes. We gotta have our priorities.

Thank you Cheesy, I'll pass on the link to him :). He really liked the looks of mine and wanted one for his bike. Heck, that's quite a bit less than I paid for mine as well! 8)

That must be a medium size, travel trunk, Cheesy. ;) The large, JC Whitney Travel Trunk will hold a full size helmet. :)

This large travel trunk has a metal mounting plate, and appears to be a good deal at $65, delivered. :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-mo...31f81a&vxp=mtr

Spud :)

The large fit my full face with room to spare.

Good to know. May upgrade to the larger one as Mrs. B now has a helmet, too.

I could fit the helmet and my jacket along with a few other small items. My rain gear stayed in there all the time.

Well, the bike is down for a couple of days. Not unexpectedly, though. Been smelling raw fuel and found a small seep from where the tank was patched. While the sealent is curing, I'm doing a couple days of field work. So, nothing gets disturbed and things can set.
Got a pair of aftermarket mufflers to replace my vented ones and going to do an e-fan conversion, too. Going to be abit pro-active before the 33 yo plastic fan becomes a 'Fan-grenade' and does in my radiator.
Let you know how that goes.

Wise move.

I'm pleased you can still get mufflers for that bike.

NOS CX mufflers would probably cost me more than the bike is worth. One of the kids that works for me traded a brand new pair CB750 mufflers, with turned down tips, for the 1966 Schwinn I picked up Saturday.

Hopefully, I won't need to rejet the carbs.

:lol:

Your writing style never fails to entertain.

I do what I can. :wink:

Well, I had my first electrical failure today. :roll: The original, and I mean original, headlight went to headlight heaven. All in all, 33 years ain't too bad for a sealed beam.

Couldn't believe the hoops I had to jump through to get a replacement through NAPA, though :?

First, I ask for a headlight for a 79 Honda CX 500. Lester at NAPA says his book doesn't go back that far. :?

Soooooo, I tell Les to look in the Vintage Book because Harley, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago, always took it out when I walked in. Les says he can't find it. :( It continued to go downhill from there.

Me-Les, just give me a 7" Hi/Low sealed beam headlight.

Les-Oh, they don't make those anymore. 8O

Me-(Now I'm :x ) Hey Soos Aitch Cristo, Les, turn around and bring me that H6024 headlight on the shelf behind you.

Les-Oh, you don't want that, that isn't for a motorcycle.

Me-Sigh, with face palm. LESTER. Call Marty up here. (Marty is his boss)

Marty- Hey, Mike. Working with Les? (Marty chuckles)What do you need?

Me-Headlight. 1979 Honda CX500. 7" Hi/Low sealed Beam.

Marty turns around and grabs the H6024 of the shelf and hands it to me.

Les-That's not for a motorcy.....

Marty and me-LES, SHUT UP. :lol:


For the most part, Les is a pretty good guy but he is couple cans short of a six pack. And I think he keeps those in his coat pocket.

A lot of grief to go through for twelve bucks. And I really miss Harley. He was that NAPA.

If that's your idea of an electrical failure you have a great life! :lol:

I don't mind if people are not bright but they have to try. Similarly I don't like when people are smart but lazy.

If it's electrical and it quits working...... :wink: And, I've experienced Ford's Thin Film Ignition. Dreading the day when I'll have to replace the stator, and I will have to someday. I have learned that the Goldwing stator, flywheel, and reg/rec is the way to go for an upgrade. Along with a Ignitech transistorized ignition. http://www.ignitech.cz/english/aindex.htm


To your second statement, Doc, I have Dave. Dave works for me. Dave never knew his parents. Dave's mother drank heavily while she was pregnant with him. Dave is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Bend over backwards to help you, always on time, will give you the dirty shirt off his back, and sadly, would lose to a box of rocks in a battle of wits. But he tries. And in the eight, or so, years he has worked for me I've learned that I can get better results with encouragement and patience than I can using the accepted management techniques of threats and punishment(Which I do not accept or practice, except as a last resort). I know there are certain things I cannot have him do. There are projects that he excels on. There are times when he has glimmers of brilliance that stop all of us in our tracks. And, sometimes, he causes me to slam my head against a wall, but I keep him on.

Dang lucky he's a Packer fan, too. :D

Egads! 8O I missed a week's posts on this thread. :( My thread notifications get screwed up sometimes. :roll:

I'm glad you got your mufflers and headlight, Cheesy. :) I hope the fuel tank repair works well. ;)

Spud :)

Cheesy, what I'm taking away from all of that is how you deal with Dave. You're a fine gentleman.

Shhh, the fewer who know, the better.

Well, the riding season is ending a few weeks early for cheesy. On the road for work most of the month. Just as well, too. Finally got a dental mirror to get a gook look at the cam chain adjuster and there is nothing left to adjust. Time for new chain. Which means dropping the engine. Which is a good excuse as any to freshen up the engine with some new gaskets, o-rings, and seals. Also the time to do the e-fan conversion and redo the front end. Mrs. B will get chance to recover the seat, too, as it now meets with her approval.

I have an inspection camera* arriving in a week or so, so I can get a good look at the internals before I get surprised.

*might even be able to do my next colonoscopy in the comfort of my own home :lol:

It's a good bike and worthy of the work.

End of the riding season though???

PERISH the thought!

But we all get to watch the continued restoration.

What's with this camera? It smells awful!

I have seen the inspection cameras before; they are very cool. :) How much did this one cost? Can you post a link to a website describing this camera?

How did you employ a dental mirror to examine the cam chain tensioner? I couldn't perform that procedure on any of my motorcycles. Does the CX have an automatic, or manual cam chain tensioner?

Spud :)