• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

Honda cx500 DualSport Conversion:

Awesome story! thanks for sharing! I think you passed the audition for my XR4 "battery box"
Scott

It's been quite a while since I posted an update on the DS/CX.

We took another trip to Arkansas in April 2012 (kinda like a semi-annual retreat these past few years). I'll try to plan another one this fall too - :mrgreen:.

Posting pictures of that ride kinda seems like it should be in the Ride Report area "After the Ride", but since there was some drama concerning the CX I decided to post it here. ( not sure yet, maybe I'll post it twice so it will get the attention it should in the RR section).

Anyway, we had originally planned to ride the Arkansas 500 ride planed by Scotty, but son number 3 wanted to go with us (me, son-2, son-3, and 2 other brother-in-laws). Son-3 is still in high school and could not miss a week so we had to go during his spring break which was the week prior to the AR500.

Nuff chit/chat:
Here loaded up and ready.

Loaded the xr400 also so another son could ride.
This one loaded on the back of the travel trailer.

Plan was to drive up Saturday morning, Camping along the way first night in Mena then on to Magizine Mtn for Sunday night.

On the road - shake down test - first time mounting a bike on back of camper So far so good! (I had already tested tandum towing my smaller utility trailer behind the camper, should have done that this trip but I dont want to give away the story on that part just yet).


Now that's a nice rig. this guy has all his bases covered Bikes and Boat!

First night, got to Queen Willhelmina state part around 4pm, setup camp, drove back into Mena for grub and spirits. (Just remembered Mena is in a dry county), oh well, had a few brew stowed in the ice chest back at camp.


Next morning woke up to this:
That's the road leading out of camp ground? :giveup:


The original plan was to meet up with the 2 Brother-in-laws at Magizine mountian. One of them was driving in from western Colorado and would be in AR on Sunday, the other leaving Houston had a business meeting Monday and would catch up to us that night.

Turns out me and Colorado B-I-L would get to Magizine Mtn within a half hour of each other. Good timing: First order of business was unload his KLR and lets take a ride!

Gas

Oh oh, take a break and discovered the KLR dripping some oil!

Seems to be minor as long as we keep an eye on it - dripping from a hose connection.


Son-2 saw a barbed wire fence along the road during the break and decided to do his impression of "Steve McQueen in the fence" sceen from "The Great Escape" :lol2:


So we ride another couple of hours or so and take another break:
Here the cx and xr pose by this really cool lake in the middle of the mtn range just south of

The lake - note we are about 1600' in elevation and this is a natural looking lake that is traped between to ridges. Would be a cool place for a cabin!


Back on the

Then we take the climb up to the top of Peti Jean Mtn (not the one where the State park is, But just south of Magizine Mtn is another mtn named Peti Jean) This is where I notice the CX running hot and loosing power.

More to come on that one.
But for now I need to re-charge the laptop. will post more soon.
 
How in the world I missed this thread.
Awesome idea, great workmanship.
I had a CX650 Cafe Racer and there is an airhead-enduro-bike in my wishlist.
 
This project is now 4 years old, how is it fairing? Honda brought out a 700 and a 500 "dual sport" twins but they don't look like they have the character of this unit.
 
Sorry folks for not posting for so long, wow my last post was 2014.
A lot of water went under the bridge. Actually that's an understatement!!!!! Since I live in ground zero of the Aug 2016 Louisiana floods.
My camper-
d2ee78256bd4daad820f96b4fc7d21fe.jpg

Thankfully the water line stops just 1 inch below the underside of my camper floor.
The house not so lucky:
My house-
14d3bae5a953b271554e36b1f60851e0.jpg


7338d5933af1644c4bbfc290cd9f964f.jpg


The good news is the barn only got about 8-9 inches so all the bikes survived fine!

So here is more current pic of CX for y'all!
No new mods just miles of smiles!

ff1a7e889d8451174c9909ae9f023a0e.jpg

2eab96656c69f28d3c5ac751a1172bc3.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Hey EnduroRdr!! Awesome conversion!! I'm sooo jealous.. Anyhow, I'm in the process of 'adventurizing' my '82 GL 500i - can you elaborate on the engine and radiator guards you've got in place? Also the exhaust???
THANKS!
 
Hey EnduroRdr!! Awesome conversion!! I'm sooo jealous.. Anyhow, I'm in the process of 'adventurizing' my '82 GL 500i - can you elaborate on the engine and radiator guards you've got in place? Also the exhaust???
THANKS!

Thanks, not sure exactly which part of radiator your interested in but here goes:

The scoops are the easy part I think I used 18 gauge stainless Sheetmetal and just played with them until I got them as big as I could to scoop as much air as possible - but not look too big. My cooling issue was the upside down CR forks along with high fender blocked a good portion of air from coming in the center of radiator, so scoops on the sides made a big difference in 95'f texas heat.
I still had overheating issues if I rode under 25 in heavy traffic. So that's why I did the electric fan conversion, over heating fixed. I used a ninja 500 fan, and cut off the end of camshaft at seal then machined a solid aluminum plug to make extra room when removing the mechanical fan. Worked great see the pictures in thread if photobucket still works!

Part 2 maybe you were inquiring about rock protection.
The skid plate under radiator turned out real nice but taxed all my skills learned in sheetmetal class so many years ago. Thankfully I got it right on the first attempt cause it's got several hours invested. It's mostly helpful in keeping rocks from damage to front engine cases and oil filter housing that get kicked up from front tire. At times I hear some big ones bang on the plate and cringe - **** glad I made that.
But it does little to protect the radiator. I installed a stainless steel mesh (1/2" expanded metal - where the diamond shaped holes are about 1/2" wide opening). That was just shaped using a sheetmetal brake to fit the fin section and is held in place by the same screws that hold the scoops.

I hope that helps. Do the electric fan conversion (it's a big improvement over the mechanical one). There are many examples if you search on the cx500 forums where folks are using several different model fans.

Exhaust is stock head pipes, then I used regular 1-1/2" exhaust pipe bent into an S shape by the local Midas shop. I brought him a clothes hanger bent to shape and said bend the pipe sane as that. I think he charged me $20 bucks and gave me an extra 3 feet of straight section so o could make my 2 into 1 joint. I just cut it at an angle then mated it into one of the S bends using a wire feed mig. The muffler is a supertrapp can from an XR650L mounted low using passenger peg bolt location.

Good luck, be sure to post up a few pics back here!
 
Last edited:
THANK YOU!! I was interested in all you replied about. The bash plate is key for me as I've taken to doing some class 6 roads and ATV trails here in NH (got my OHRV sticker). It's totally silly as the GL500i is full dressed still. But nothing like coming up on a handful of kids on dirtbikes while I'm sitting there noodling through granite ledge and wash outs cranking Pink Floyd ;)

Thanks again for the high quality detailed reply! I'm also on the CX500 forum where I've gotten a ton of info on this bike but yours is the first that I've seen of someone actually doing what I want to do! Everyone wants to be a cafe/bobber/scrambler which is fine, but honestly I'm a country-mouse so the woods are my home.. I'll work on getting photos to share as I get going on both the armor and the exhaust mods! :)
 
then mated it into one of the S bends using a wire feed mig.

So wait, there are two s-bends? Shouldn't there just be one to get from the left side to the right side of the bike? and the 2-in-1 couples from an S to a 'straight' before the muffler?
 
Update:
Stupid photobucket has decided to not allow photo hosting of links from other sites, therefore almost all photo links in this thread are broken. It's a shame because there are lots of documented mods covered here.
If you want to see the photos, you will now have to go directly to photobucket site and endure all the pop up adds. I'm sorry for this.

Here is a link to the folder with all the cx500 photos:
http://s524.photobucket.com/user/End...500-DS-Project

There's about 350 plus photos related to the CX project
 
Back
Top