The CX500 Turbo Resurrection Thread

[Fred]

I'm fixing up a CX500 Turbo for a friend. It's an interesting bike, so I decided to make a video blog of the work I'm doing on it.

Here's episode 1 and 2.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-4MubWB68o]YouTube - CX500T Resurrection, Day 1[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2HtHyqIwRo]YouTube - CX500T Resurrection, Day 2[/ame]

Fred

 

[Hellgate]

That is in much better shape than what I expected. Looking very good. Goofy bike huh?

 

[afpreppie04]

Very cool! I love restoration projects, and I love old 80s bikes. Whats the story behind this bike?

 

[Fred]

It's owned by a friend who runs a BMW salvage yard. I've had a good arrangement with him for a while. I get parts in exchange for fixing his personal bikes. I got the Paralever rear end for the Black Bike by fixing up his K75. This time I came away with a better front wheel and upgraded brakes, and am going to have a go at this bike, which he's had sitting in the garage gathering dust for years.

I think I've found the problems that put it off the road in the first place. They were nothing major at all, just ignored electrical problems. I'm hoping to have it running within a couple of weeks.

Fred

 

[Fred]

Day 3. Fixing the EFI system.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieZYYlyW4YA]YouTube - CX500T Resurrection, Day 3[/ame]

 

[champion221elite]

Awesome work Fred! Keep the video's coming:rockon:

 

[The Toecutter]

You are doing an excellent job with these videos!!! I was impressed....very good narating you made it interesting... :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[afpreppie04]

Do you take videos while you are diagnosing the problems as well? I am (slowly) restoring an old (well, '86) car and I'm thinking this could be helpful. I've found out when working on my cars before I will think too hard about something and miss the easy answer.

 

[Fred]

I cheat. I spend a lot of time walking around the bike, fiddling with it and mumbling to myself. Then once I find something worth shooting I set up the camera and "find" the problem.

If I showed the whole process, it would be incredibly boring. Thus the edits.

Fred

 

[The Toecutter]

I cheat. I spend a lot of time walking around the bike, fiddling with it and mumbling to myself. Then once I find something worth shooting I set up the camera and "find" the problem.

If I showed the whole process, it would be incredibly boring. Thus the edits.

Fred

That's called good directing!! it is not easy to bring these old bikes back to life....but when you do have a break through nothing feel's better!! that's what give's me the drive to keep doing it same as you and that's what people want to see!!! I am gonna say again that you are doing an excelent job and i'm looking forward to the next video!! :rockon:

 

[alanrim]

I used to have a plastic maggot, the none turbo version though.

Lovely sounding bike with shaft drive.

 

[Circle]

Fred, I stumbled across this thread just before I'm hitting the hay tonight, and listening to you talk motorbike mechanics & electrics I'm sure will fill my dreams with fuel systems, variable resistors, and dirty connectors. (In a good, clean, wholesome way...)
It's like watching episodes of 'Neighbours' for motorcyclists.
Thanks and keep up the good work! I cant wait to hear her running!

 

[Fred]

Day 4. Not much working on the bike this time. I have questions and I'm looking for answers.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4XJMle6CyY]YouTube - CX500T Resurrection, Day 3[/ame]

Fred

 

[n1one]

Fred,

Awesome work!...Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for posting this stuff! I really enjoy these kinds of things. I spend about a year restoring an 82 V45 Magna, in my basement. it was a blast!

Thanks again!:rockon:

 

[Fred]

Day 5. Poking at the turbo with a stick to see if it will bike me. Adding fuel and turning the key.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5eJETdu364]YouTube - CX500T Resurrection, Day 5[/ame]

 

[Hellgate]

I wonder if the reed valve box is supposed to fuction as a mass flow sensor, sort of? the reason I say this is it reminds me of the barn door MFS that Bosch made for for FI systems back in the '70's. It probably helps keep positive pressure between the turbine and the airbox. What do you think? I'm totally going out on a limb here.

Not bad at all! It's got that Japanese whinny bike, 1980's sound to it.

 

[knightrider]

This is really cool! I've been enjoying these videos, it's like I'm part of the discovery and it's sped up through your good editing. Wish I had the brains, bike and space to do such a fun project!

 

[stryken]

Very interesting to watch, thanks for posting it. Going to be hard to let it go once you breathe life into it.

 

[afpreppie04]

As soon as I saw there was a new installment of the Resurrection Series I promptly muted the stereo and grabbed the headphones hooked to the computer to watch it...and soon as I picked them up, they snapped in two Had to make an emergency trip to Walmart to pick up replacements, all while racing the incoming thunderstorm! Thanks a lot Fred, that $20 was supposed to go towards my next FZ6 project!:spank:

Great video as always, how did you plan on getting the turbo out if it had needed rebuilding?

 

[Fred]

Great video as always, how did you plan on getting the turbo out if it had needed rebuilding?

Remove the radiator. Unbolt about 70 pounds of rusty, dirty heat shields. Remove the turbo.

Oh, I found out what the reed valve is for. There's a section in the back of the manual about it. It's a way of dealing with compressor surge. When air flows backwards through the turbo, the reed valves shut and the air instead has to flow through a 1/4" hole and then through a small plastic muffler, thus reducing the noise and the rate of backwards airflow.

It seems overly complex to me, since you can add a BOV and get the cool Pssssh noise instead. Honda dealt with compressor surge not by eliminating it, but instead by making sure you couldn't hear it. I find that less than fabulous.

Fred