FEATURE – 1982 Honda CX 500 custom

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: courtesy of Skin by Finn

RETRO REVIEW. This article originally appeared in JUST BIKES No. 339 - June 2017

It’s not unreasonable to say that Honda’s CX 500 was never considered a “looker” back in its day, what with its bulky transverse twin engine, even bulkier seat, spindly forks, odd headlight and indicator set-up, as well as a fuel tank and plastics that just never seemed to look right.

But, with the boom in custom bike building, the rather humble CX has been the basis for a number of attractive conversions in recent years.

Regular JUST BIKES readers may recall the CX 500 produced by ‘Zen’ that  was featured back in issue #301. That build added rearsets, along with custom ‘bars and seat, but retained most of the original factory componentry. What you see here is a much more radical departure from stock, as well as one of the best-looking CX customs you’re ever likely to come across.

Built by Ken Finn of NSW-based Skin by Finn Motorcycle Refinishing, this bike is the result of a desire to build a fun, yet practical custom CX that highlights the middleweight commuter’s distinctive engine. Bringing that desire to fruition meant many evenings and weekends working on the project, as Ken had to juggle the build around customer jobs. Despite that, the seven-month build time is pretty impressive, especially when you dig a bit deeper and realise just how much has been changed.

Odd Spot

“First into the Future!” sounds like something Buzz Lightyear would say, but it was the slogan Honda used when launching the CX 500 in 1978. It’s debatable just how “futuristic” the new arrival was, but it was certainly unlike anything else Honda had produced before, with a transverse v-twin (Honda’s first), water cooling (only Honda’s second after the GL1000 GoldWing and a first for a v-twin), and shaft drive. On their own, these elements weren’t that radical at the time, but in combination on a mid-sized commuter, they were unique.

Different the CX certainly was; so different, in fact, that bike magazines of the day didn’t really know what to make of it. The riding public, used to air-cooled singles, parallel twins and fours, were a bit mystified, too, leading to the “plastic maggot” nickname that was at first derisive, but is now used with affection.

The “oddity” of the CX 500 didn’t stop it being reasonably successful for Honda, though. Sold here in Australia until the mid-1980s, as well as in Europe and the US, the middleweight twin found its greatest market in the UK (where it earned the nickname). The predictable handling and rock-solid reliability of the v-twin engine made it a favourite with motorcycle couriers throughout Britain.

That v-twin carried an 80-degree angle at a time when 90 degrees was considered the optimum spread required for smooth running. Honda narrowed the ‘v’, primarily to reduce the cross-section of the bike, then rotated the cylinders inward 22 degrees to move the carbies clear of the rider’s legs. A pushrod set-up for the valves reduced the cylinder height that a DOHC arrangement would have delivered, while the counter-rotating five-speed transmission sat under the engine to help lower the centre of gravity.

One of the early recipients of Honda’s Comstar alloy wheels, the CX 500 was also the first production bike of any type to run tubeless tyres, so maybe the “future” tag wasn’t that fanciful after all.

The massive tail light and a headlight shell that incorporated spigots for the indicators were other features on the long list of oddities that helped define the CX 500, but for Ken, it was all about the engine.

“It is an awesome, chunky-looking v-twin and I decided the rebuild should focus on the motor - like the bike had been built around it,” Ken explained.

“I had seen other CX builds that appealed, but they were lacking in focus on the motor and either had no flow or seemed to end abruptly at the rear.”

Local Luck

Committed to a CX 500, Ken’s next job was finding one, which proved far easier than thought. Searching online, Ken soon found a solid 1982 model local to his Coffs Harbour base, which proved to be in reasonable overall condition. The seller had the same idea as Ken – a café racer conversion – but lost interest before any work was done.

“The motor was good, but the bike was suffering a little surface rust on the frame and oxidisation of other parts. Nothing you wouldn't expect on a 35-year-old bike, though.”

The key mantra of putting as much of the engine on show as possible meant some radical changes, but with almost 17 years’ experience in this sort of work, it was nothing Ken couldn’t handle.

While he started as a spray painter in 1979, Ken explained that the skills he’s built up in the decades since (which led to him opening Skin by Finn full time in 1999) means he can handle most every part of a custom build. In this instance, the seat upholstery and some custom-cut metal parts were among the very few jobs to be farmed out.

Ken’s teenage son, Declan, also worked on this project and was part of the reason Ken chose the CX - for its LAMS legality.

The father and son team brainstormed ideas for each section of the build, with Ken’s mate Gary Tolhurst also proving to be a great sounding board for ideas, as well as a source of advice.

After purchasing the bike in May, 2016, closer inspection of the engine revealed only a minor refurb was needed, which meant the next focus was on how to show off that v-twin to its best.

Cut Front and Back

The first, and perhaps easiest, job in highlighting the engine was repositioning the tank. The ‘downward’ slope of the CX 500 tank in its factory position was altered simply by raising the trailing edge and modifying its brackets to suit. Now for the trickier stuff. . . .

From the factory, the CX 500 had spindly 33m front forks. Upgraded to 37mm late in the model run, these were better, but not good enough for Ken, so he went with something more substantial in the form of a 41mm fork unit, part of a front end from a 2006-model CBR600.

“I decided to give it a complete front end swap for handling and, most importantly, braking improvements.”

The CBR shock upgrade meant Ken also got complementary twin ventilated brake discs with Nissin calipers. These certainly provide more braking power and also give a meatier, more aggressive appearance to the front end.

Ken and Dec wanted to retain the retro Comstar wheels, so making this work with the new front end meant that spacers had to be used. Ken designed these in CAD, then had them water-jet cut from 12mm aluminium. The spacers, along with different bearings in the steering head, meant the CBR front end bolted straight in. The back end would prove to be more challenging, though. . . .

“The rear was a chore,” Ken recalled, “as I wanted to complete a twin to mono shock conversion.”

That meant removing the shocks, detabbing the old shock mounts off the swingarm and deleting the rear subframe entirely. The latter was replaced with an all-new handbuilt subframe to take the seat assembly and ducktail, which came from a Ducati Monster S2R. Both items had to be trimmed and modified to suit the build.

“Removing the subframe created a whole kettle of issues, including relocation of the electrics, regulator and such.”

Some clever thinking here saw the battery relocated under the engine, in a box that Ken fabricated himself. The repositioned pipes and silencers mean the battery is effectively masked, while another clever touch is the faux nitrous bottle slung under the seat that’s actually the radiator overflow.

Fitting the monoshock, which came from the same CBR600 as the front end, meant new mounts were needed, which Declan first created a template for, then Ken replicated in CAD to be water-jet cut from 5mm thick steel. Ken concedes that was probably a bit of overkill, but he says it’s unquestionably solid and doesn’t look out of place with the rest of the chassis.

Fitting the bottom mount meant reinforcing the swingarm, while the top mount was deliberately made higher to allow the Ducati seat unit to line up with the repositioned tank. The tank and seat meld together well and certainly achieve the desired aim of showing off more of the engine.

Before fitting the new front and rear suspension, RAD Motorcycle Shocky Repairs in Queensland were given the job of rebuilding the monoshock, while the forks were resealed and reassembled at Coffs Motorcycles and Lawncare after Ken beadblasted them for repainting.

In removing the original subframe, along with that bulky factory seat, rear rack, exhaust system and more, a good portion of the CX 500’s 205kg weight is gone.

“Judging by how heavy the parts were as I carried them, I’d guess I’ve lost 25kg more or less – leaning to the ‘more’ side!” Ken laughed.

The Dark Crystal

Given Ken’s level of expertise when it comes to paint, the finish on the CX was always going to be special, but the ante was upped here with the application of a ‘crystal effects’ base over the prepped tank, ducktail and front mudguard.

“The bike’s painted silver first,” Ken explained, “then a solution is poured on and allowed to crystallize. A layer of white is sprayed over that and lightly sanded to get a uniform crystal effect.”

Following this, the striping and Honda wing logos were masked out – there are no stickers or decals – then a red border was airbrushed onto the wings before the black was applied, topped by clearcoat which was then cut and flowcoated. It’s a time-consuming process, but Ken says it’s worth it. “Absolutely no short cuts were taken with this or the restoration of parts - this is what I do.”

(Ken has posted a video of the paint process on his instagram account – @skinbyfinn – check it out.)

The gloss of the Brilliant Black used for the tank and panels is balanced by satin SEM Hot Rod Black on the engine and frame. That effect continues on the Comstars, with the unpainted faces of the black spokes giving the wheels a machined look.

Details and Dirtbiking

With the heavy lifting done, the final few weeks of the project were devoted to details, and a closer look at these show they’ve been well thought through.

Most of the pieces, like the pod filters, grips, bar-end mirrors and Acewell speedo, were purchased after hours spent searching online to find what would be “right” for the project. Those cool torpedo silencers came from @purposebuiltmoto on eBay and the neat Shinko whitewalls were supplied by Motorcycle Tyre Warehouse.

The seat is an interesting touch, done by Coffs-based trimmers, C&R Upholstery: “No crocs were harmed in the making of this bike,” Ken laughed. “It’s a marine-grade replica.”

Take a closer look at this build and you may notice something’s missing. Spotted it yet? Yep, there are no indicators - how is this so? Both the head and tail light have integrated flashers.

Since completing the build in November, 2016, Ken said he and Declan have taken the bike on a few test rides to iron out the bugs, but they haven’t shared it with a wider audience until now.

“I have yet to enter it in any shows due to time constraints - we’ve been too busy dirtbiking on the weekends!”

Ken concedes this bike isn’t quick, as the motor’s barely been touched and would have more poke if a CX650 Turbo was the base, but making a road rocket wasn’t what this project was about. It’ll still hit triple-digit top speeds, but is more of a cool set of wheels for fun rides and fun times.

As much as he enjoyed creating this bike with his son, Ken has a number of others he’d like to complete - including a custom Honda CB 900 Bol d’Or and the resto of a rarer 1100 Bol d’Or – so the CX  was put on the market. If you’re interested in Ken building up a cool custom for you, or if your ride needs restoration or repair work and you’re in the Coffs Harbour area, contact Skin By Finn through instagram or facebook.