Things To do

I bought some muffler sealant to hopefully seal the joints in the new mufflers. However, I don't want to install the new mufflers until I Paint the new and old hardware to hang them. Also, I need to deal with the rear brake.

I think I mentioned that there is a squeaking in the rear brake. My first inclination was to pull the brake off and take a look. I checked out the honda cx500 technical manual (downloaded through a forum, not bad but not good, it looks like a pdf of an old copy) it shows how to remove the brake, but, the rear wheel needs to be removed. I also checked out some youtube posts on rear brakes. The hardest part is getting the rear wheel off, which must be separated from the shaft drive splines. All in all, it doesn't look like the worst job in the world but I'd rather not do it at this time if I don't have to. However, in the reading, I found that honda in their infinite wisdom put an indicator on the rear brake assembly. By depressing the brake you can tell how much it's worn. I haven't done this yet. I've pulled the K100 into the garage to test a new Mass airflow Sensor that a friend lent me, but that's a different story and blog. Right now the garage is a bit crowded and I can't quite see the indicator and depress the brake by myself.

Don't get me wrong, it's probably a good thing to take a look at both the brake and rear spline. I have a feeling that the PO didn't put as much work into the bike as I thought. That might not be surprising, he was getting a harley after this bike. I think the only reason he got it is because he had one in 82. I think that he probably did rebuild the carbs, but that's about it. I don't think his heart was in the bike. On the other hand, I love this bike, I always wanted one. I've always thought this bike is what a light touring bike should be. I thought that it was a bike that is better suited than the Goldwing. Don't get me wrong I think the BIG WINGS are formidable bikes. Like most large mechanical things they need more care because there is more. More carbs, more rubber, more gas, more everything. 

The LITTLE WING, is smaller, lighter, and more nimble. While the GL500 is a good bike of a good size, the GL650 might be a little better for me, being bigger and heavier. For now it's the GL500.

After the rear brake and possibly the splines. The mufflers need to be take care of. At some point I'll rebuild the front forks. The PO had already bought the new seal kit to fix the air system. I almost forgot. In my reading it's recomended that the crank shaft fan be replaced with an electric cooling fan. 

Then it's on to super detailing. Taking wire brushes both by hand and on a Dremel tool to clean the small bits and pieces on the bike. At some point I'll have to decide if I want to do a complete restore of the bike. That means a complete dis-assembly, soda blast, and paint. I've never done anything like this before, so it'll be an experience.

This is a link to a forum account of a guy who did it:

http://cx500forum.com/forum/general-discussion/2718-my-82-gl500i-restoration.html