klmartin@watmath.UUCP (K.L. Martin, Hardware) (07/04/85)
My wife has fallen in love with a 500 cc 82 Silver Wing interstate. I need information on performance, parts availability, reliabilility and ease of handling etc....... Before I buy, I want info from the experts on the net who have used these machines or variations thereof. --Kim.
hsc@mtuxo.UUCP (h.cohen) (07/08/85)
My wife has a 1979 CX500 with about 12,000 miles on it. I had one, but sold it with about 22,000 miles to buy a leftover 1983 GL650I which now has about 5,000 miles. The GL500 your wife wants is similar to both models, so our experience may be relevant. We have had exactly zero trouble with our two CX500's and my GL650. They run and handle nicely. They do throw more heat at the rider than some bikes, so try to test-drive on a hot day. Maintainance is minimal: changing engine oil and driveshaft oil are easy operations. Valves are easy, too, but they need adjustment so seldom that you may want to let the shop do it. Spark plugs last forever. Changing fork oil is an annual pain - definitely one to leave to the shop. The CX500/GL500/GL650 line was discontinued after 1983 from lack of mass-market sex appeal. They are excellent machines, and the deals available on leftovers approach outright theft. Enjoy! Harvey S. Cohen AT&T-IS, Lincroft, NJ mtuxo!hsc
champ@ccvaxa.UUCP (07/09/85)
I've owned a 1978 Honda CX500 since the fall of 1979. It had about 4000 miles on it when I brought it home. It just turned over 50,000 miles (Yes! 50,000) last night. I've been to the east coast once and to Denver twice. These were solo trips, but my wife and I ride all over Illinois together on the bike. It has plenty of power and is physically large enough to be comfortable. (I'm 6'6" and my wife is 6'1") As far as problems are concerned, there have been darn few. The worst thing that happened was that the cam chain tensioner broke. This didn't stop the bike from running, but it sure did run noisily. I had to pull the engine out of the frame and replace the cam chain and some gaskets. It only cost me approx. $70 for parts and several evenings of effort. Other than that, there have been no major problems. The bike requires very little maintenance, and it keeps on running strong. Good luck with whatever bike you choose. Mark Champion
rls@ihu1g.UUCP (r.l. schieve) (07/10/85)
> My wife has fallen in love with a 500 cc 82 Silver Wing interstate. > I need information on performance, parts availability, reliabilility > and ease of handling etc....... Before I buy, I want info from the > experts on the net who have used these machines or variations thereof. > --Kim. I don't know about the motorcycle market in Ontario but in the Chicago area last year there was a surplus of 1982 GL500 Silver Wings, brand new still in the box from the local Honda dealers. I don't just mean one or two lying around, one dealer where I know a salesman had a stack of 8 boxes in the corner of his store room. The prices were so low I finially decided to sell my old 1974 XL350 and buy a real street bike. The price was $1800 out the door which included all dealer costs and the 6.25% Illinois sales tax. So the first part of my message is don't pay too much you may still find a deal. Next I would to say that I really like the bike and so do two of my friends that bought identical bikes (not to be cute, the price was too good to pass up). Having had to fool with a dirty chain in the past the shaft drive is wonderful. The front and rear pnematic assisted suspension gives the bike a very smooth ride. The water cooled engine seems to run much more predictably than other bikes I have ridden and always starts with no problem. One trick with starting that fooled me for a while was the vacuum controlled gas line shut off. If the bike sits long enough for the carbs to dry up (10 days or so) don't touch the throttle when trying to start the bike. Openning the throttle plates in the carb effectively kills any engine vacuum so the vacuum fuel shut off never opens and no gas to the engine. With the throttle plates closed it starts with no problem. The only real complaint I have heard is from a GL500 Interstate owner that complained of not enough power on the highway with his wife on the back, the saddle baskets full and all that fairing to slow things down..... What did he expect from 500 ccs and two cylinders?? Rick Schieve ...ihnp4!ihu1g!rls