New addition to the stable

[Russ]

Before I get started, I know that the unspoken rules dictate pictures, and as soon as I find where my 3 year old hid the memory card for the camera, I'll get some.

 

Last Tuesday night, a co-worker of mine asked if I wanted a free bike. Of course, the proper response to this is "when and where do I need to pick it up?". Turns out a friend of his had a 1983 Honda GL650 Silverwing Interstate that had been sitting in his garage, and if nobody would pick it up, he was going to sell it for scrap!!! A few phone calls (and a bribe of gas money to a friend with a truck) later, I am now the proud owner of that bike! Well, my wife is. I told her to put her name on the title, and once I get it running and teach her to ride, it'll be all hers. Before I picked it up, I started feeling a bit guilty about getting such a find for free, so I called the guy and told him that I'd feel better if he'd at least let me pay him $100 to cover what he would have gotten for scrapping it. Of course, he agreed, but my wife wasn't too thrilled.. until she saw the bike. It's got just about every accessory you could think of, both saddlebags are there, trunk (with trunkrack), chrome rails all over the place, travelcade seat, and Markland backrest.

 

Got it running yesterday, and with a new tire on the front and some cleaning of the carbs, should be road worthy in the next week or so.

 

But of course with a new bike comes the questions, so here's what I got for all the great minds out there:

 

1) Gonna replace front tire. There's cracks and the valve stem leaks (visibly damaged). Anyone know where to get replacement valve stems? Also, I'm looking at Shinko for the front tire. Anyone have any experience with this brand?

 

2) My first bike was a 1981 GL500 Silverwing. It's what I learned to ride on, so the Silverwings have a special place in my heart and I'm therefore biased towards the branding. This bike is bigger than that one, so I'm a little concerned about this being my wife's first bike. She can stand Flat-footed on the bike, and she seemed comfortable with the weight. Should I be concerned anyway? I originally was going to rebuild an old XS750 for her, but many had voiced concerns over that particular bike being her first bike, and it needed WAY more work than I was willing to put into it, so I got rid of it.

 

3) In the off-chance that someone out there has a repair manual for this bike that they don't need anymore, I'd be willing to buy it off ya. would rather put some money in the pockets of my friends here than in the pockets of some faceless company out there.

 

4) Rear tire looks good, no visible cracks, holds air well, etc. what else should I be looking for to determine if I need to replace that tire as well?

 

At any rate, I've gone on longer than I had originally planned, but I promise to get some pics for ya'll as soon as junior divulges his hiding places to me.

 

Update: ok, found the memory card. it was in the fridge, right next to the stereo remote.

Edited May 4, 2009 by Russ

[sofapilot]

Check the tire's sidewall for its manufacturing date. Look on the side for a raised block with four digits; it's usually next to the U.S. DOT tire identification number. The first two indicate the week of its manufacture, and the last two are for the year. For example, 1702 would indicate the tire was manufactured in April, 2002. Prior to 2000, there were only three digits, with the last one indicating the year.

 

Tires are cheep compared to tire failure!

 

You might want to replace both .02

[Hummingbird]

How does 17 in the code compute to April ?

[bryan52577]

How does 17 in the code compute to April ?

 

The 17 stands for the "WEEK" it was made, which turns out to be in April, "if you want to count them all up". At least that is how I came up with it.

 

 

Bryan

[lonestarmedic]

Manuals and the best site for the mini-wing.

 

http://drop.io/CX500_GL500 This site is flakey. Goes up and down.

 

http://choppercharles.com/cs/

 

 

The last link goes to a forum that has more info than you can read in one day. Watch the front of the motor. Water pump leaks to inside of motor. Gets ugly. Do the research and fix now before it's too late. Kinda like our early 1st Gen 2nd gear thing. It is not if but when. I have worked on a few of these. I do have the manuals on digits but they are big files. Oh, if you want to unload it let me know. Been looking for a Silverwing as a commuter bike. Solid little suckers that are a bit underpowered but thrifty on fuel. Fairing on a factory Silverwing is the same as a Goldwing. All parts fit. At least on the Interstate models.

 

JB

Edited May 3, 2009 by lonestarmedic

[dynodon]

Back in my "first" motorcycle life, I wanted a SilverWing bad! the 500 seemed to small, but the 650 was just right IMO. I loved the concept of the e-w v-twin with water cooling and shaft drive. Single seat option with trunk was cool also.

 

I still cruise E-bay once in a while and check for them.

 

GREAT find, and good on you for offering something to the guy. Your wife should be fine with the bike, reviews said they were easy to ride, and I am not sure of the weight, but should be around what? 600#? Not bad at all.

 

I would replace both tires while you are at it. Don't mess around with your wife's safety!

 

Be sure to change ALL the fluids, brakes, coolant, forks, clutch. Along with oil and filter.

 

Send a pic ASAP.

 

[painterman67]

As far as being to big for your wife as a starter bike , that should always be her call. I being the concernd husband myself, was a little upset when my wife put her money down on an 1100 shadow spirit. I thought it was toobig and too strong for her but its what she was comfortable sitting and standing on. Now shes in love with it and you couldn't buy it from her for more than she paid for it.

 

 

As far as you teaching her. We all like to think that we know best and we can do that job best. For some that works ,but I knew that it would only end up in an argument and an unused bike if I tried. best thing I ever did was when I handed her the money for her birthday and told her it was for her motorcyle trainig course at the local college. Had to sav esix months for that and she actually cried when I told her what the money was for. Evidently she was not looking forward to me teaching her. I'm not a good teacher as I think I know more than I do. Now she teaches me what she learned. On the other hand she is a good teacher.

 

 

good luck on the find and do all you can to make her safe.

 

 

David

[RandyR]

great catch. I rode a GL500 Silverwing for several years. Its a great intermediate size touring/commuting bike. I expect the 650 is even better.

 

I may still have the Clymer's manual for it, if I haven't thrown it out. I'll see if I can find it.

[IH Truck Guy]

Before I get started, I know that the unspoken rules dictate pictures, and as soon as I find where my 3 year old hid the memory card for the camera, I'll get some.

 

Last Tuesday night, a co-worker of mine asked if I wanted a free bike. Of course, the proper response to this is "when and where do I need to pick it up?". Turns out a friend of his had a 1983 Honda GL650 Silverwing Interstate that had been sitting in his garage, and if nobody would pick it up, he was going to sell it for scrap!!! A few phone calls (and a bribe of gas money to a friend with a truck) later, I am now the proud owner of that bike! Well, my wife is. I told her to put her name on the title, and once I get it running and teach her to ride, it'll be all hers. Before I picked it up, I started feeling a bit guilty about getting such a find for free, so I called the guy and told him that I'd feel better if he'd at least let me pay him $100 to cover what he would have gotten for scrapping it. Of course, he agreed, but my wife wasn't too thrilled.. until she saw the bike. It's got just about every accessory you could think of, both saddlebags are there, trunk (with trunkrack), chrome rails all over the place, travelcade seat, and Markland backrest.

 

Got it running yesterday, and with a new tire on the front and some cleaning of the carbs, should be road worthy in the next week or so.

 

But of course with a new bike comes the questions, so here's what I got for all the great minds out there:

 

1) Gonna replace front tire. There's cracks and the valve stem leaks (visibly damaged). Anyone know where to get replacement valve stems? Also, I'm looking at Shinko for the front tire. Anyone have any experience with this brand?

 

2) My first bike was a 1981 GL500 Silverwing. It's what I learned to ride on, so the Silverwings have a special place in my heart and I'm therefore biased towards the branding. This bike is bigger than that one, so I'm a little concerned about this being my wife's first bike. She can stand Flat-footed on the bike, and she seemed comfortable with the weight. Should I be concerned anyway? I originally was going to rebuild an old XS750 for her, but many had voiced concerns over that particular bike being her first bike, and it needed WAY more work than I was willing to put into it, so I got rid of it.

 

3) In the off-chance that someone out there has a repair manual for this bike that they don't need anymore, I'd be willing to buy it off ya. would rather put some money in the pockets of my friends here than in the pockets of some faceless company out there.

 

4) Rear tire looks good, no visible cracks, holds air well, etc. what else should I be looking for to determine if I need to replace that tire as well?

 

At any rate, I've gone on longer than I had originally planned, but I promise to get some pics for ya'll as soon as junior divulges his hiding places to me.

 

Russ,I have a old manual laying around for the CX500/Gl650...

It's yours for free...PM me your address and I'll send it out....

 

As far as being to big for your wife as a starter bike , that should always be her call. I being the concernd husband myself, was a little upset when my wife put her money down on an 1100 shadow spirit. I thought it was toobig and too strong for her but its what she was comfortable sitting and standing on. Now shes in love with it and you couldn't buy it from her for more than she paid for it.

 

 

As far as you teaching her. We all like to think that we know best and we can do that job best. For some that works ,but I knew that it would only end up in an argument and an unused bike if I tried. best thing I ever did was when I handed her the money for her birthday and told her it was for her motorcyle trainig course at the local college. Had to sav esix months for that and she actually cried when I told her what the money was for. Evidently she was not looking forward to me teaching her. I'm not a good teacher as I think I know more than I do. Now she teaches me what she learned. On the other hand she is a good teacher.

 

 

good luck on the find and do all you can to make her safe.

 

 

David

 

Wow David,I couldn't agree more..If I tried to teach the "Cupcake" how to ride,we would end up in divorce court faster then you could say Jerry Springer...:crackup:

Edited May 3, 2009 by IH Truck Guy
tried to multi-quote

[Russ]

Russ,I have a old manual laying around for the CX500/Gl650...

It's yours for free...PM me your address and I'll send it out....

 

PM Sent! Thanks a ton!

 

And yeah, I'm starting to think the riding course is the best option.. She doesn't listen to me as it is, so i doubt she'll listen to me so well when it comes to learning to ride.

Now to see if there's any openings in a class this year, or if I have to make her wait until next year.

 

And thanks everyone for your input on this!

[Russ]

ok, found the memory card and posted pics to the original post. It was in the fridge. Next to my lost stereo remote.

[Moose]

Update: ok, found the memory card. it was in the fridge, right next to the stereo remote.

 

That's the first place I would have looked. It's where I keep mine.:rotfl:

[ddoggma]

IMO The Silverwing is the best wife/SO bike out there. And that looks like a bute.Good luck with it.

[RandyR]

Thats a good looking bike. It deserves to be ridden.

[Cerviperus]

...a co-worker of mine asked if I wanted a free bike.

Man... where do you people find friends like these?!

 

I never have opportunities like those. Congrats on the new ride!

[Guest Saddletramp]

Nice find!! I would replace both tires as they are probably dried out. You never know about old tires.

[cliffno350]

Great find, we have had afew cx500/gl500 havent gotten a 650 but worked on a few, neat bikes and yeah water pump mechanical seals do go out but can be got a honda shop a bit pricey though ($75) just for the seal. do sound different too Just different motor sounds. check coils too I have seen a few crack and fail after 6000 rpm then fail altogether, easy fix though, If you need one let me know I think I have a couple still.

[Guest texasyamahamama]

Congratulations on the Silverwing. My second bike was a 1981 silverwing interstate. I loved that bike. The guy I sold it to still has it in his garage and never rides it. I hope to get it back some day.

 

Jackie

[GeorgeS]

I have been doing the Maintenance on my son's 83 CX-500 since about 1985. The unit has about 58K on it now.

 

Couple of problem points I have found over the years.

 

1. Valve's need to be adjusted about every 3 to 5 K. Push Rod, overhead cam type set up. Valves do not hold adjustment very good.

 

2. The Tachometer drive cable, has been a problem. Be sure to pull out the inner cable, and keep it well lubricated. Same for the Speedo cable. Also, on the Speedo and Tacko, good idea to open them up and lubricate the inner parts. ( I had to replace the Speedo Cable twice, due to the Inner cable twisting off )

 

3. I did have to replace Slipping Clutch plates around 30K. But never slipped after that.

 

4. The Two Carbs, have a Balancing ( Sync ) adjustment, I finally hooked up a set of Mercury Stiks, and got them balanced good. ( The Adjustment Screw to accomplish this is a Rinki Dink set up. I had to Modify this adjustment screw, to get good results on the Syncing proceedure )

 

5. I also found that installing a set of " Free Flowing " Mufflers seemed to make a good improvement in engine performance. ( It also decreased the Valve Clatter, substantially )

 

6. Fuel Filtering, as set up by the factory, is very minimal ( at least on our 83 CX-500 ) I highly reccomend installing some type of after market Fuel Filter !!!!

And due to age, you are most likly have to do some serious work on cleaning out the inside of the fuel tank, due to age.

 

7. I rebuilt the front forks, 2 years ago and installed new seals. This job was very easy to do, ( I also found a bad front wheel bearing )

 

8. If bike has over 50K, a new set of Steering bearings will most likley be needed, Ours has 63K on it now, and its badly in need of new bearings in the Steering head.