'81ish Silverwing

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Rednaxs60

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Was out for coffee with some old boys and one fellow mentioned he had an '81ish Silverwing - didn't pay much attention as I'm not needing another project right now, but it was a Silverwing. Would need a place to park it until I could get at it.

Having mentioned this, would be a nice addition down the road, and nice to ride around town. Have seen these for sale, did some research and these bikes are very interesting.

Any thoughts on the Silverwing, availability of parts, manuals - always get the manual if I can, carb issues - like FI but carbs are okay as well. Won't discuss price because I think it was a passing comment at the time, but will keep abreast of the situation.
 
The '81 Silverwing is based on the CX500D. 80-degree V-twin, single camshaft OHV 4-valve per cylinder, 5spd, wet clutch. The CX's initally came out with mechanical cooling fan by virtue of the camshaft coming through the valley, out through the front, to an aluminum hub with a composite fan, no fan clutch. The early CX's had a little issue with the cam chain tensioner which was addressed in manufacture prior to the GL version... and later models nix'd the mechanical fan and went to an electric fan, which resolved not only any remaining cam tensioner wear, it also solved the long-term fatigue of the composite fan.

The CX's rear suspension was twin spring-overs, but later became a centrally-mounted monoshock linkage design. Initial CX FRONT ends were basic springs/oil dampers, but with the GL, air-charged adjustables appeared.

The GL500 Silverwing was more-or-less born as a 'trim package', that evolved a bit... they had a nifty seat setup, where it could be a solo with integrated trunk, or switched to a two-up. Saddlebags were part of it, as was a fairling.

It was successful for those who wanted something that was 'smaller' than a BIG bike. They were nimble and comfortable in most realms, but they were hindered a bit in high speed comfort due to low gears. The V-twin was bulletproof (My '79 CX-D has over 300,000 on it!). With only three chains in the engine, it really didn't have much to go awry... the water pump seal is somewhat of a bugger, and contrary to most reports, it CAN be replaced without pulling the engine. The valves are INCREDIBLY easy to adjust, fuel capacity is substantial, and it is in no way 'cramped' to ride. LOTS of ground-clearance, so you won't worry about dragging pipes, pegs, or banging curbs.
It is torquey... you won't be needing to wrap the throttle and drag the clutch to get around. Crawling up steep driveways, stoplight to stoplight, navigating suburban sprawl, and maneuvering through parking lots is easy... excellent low-speed manners in all respects.

The gears are low. At 55mph, in top gear, you'll be at 5k. At 78mph, it won't buzz you as bad as say... a KZ400D... but it WILL eventually fatigue you. It is also light enough so that being kicked around in the slipstream of freeway traffic will be tiring.

I always thought that an ideal suburban commuter-bike, would be about an 800cc version of the CX/GL500, with a modest fairing, removable lowers, pannier bags and trunk, a little more spread between the ratios with a 6th, and a highway ratio of 4600rpm at 80mph... and mebbie an inch and a half more wheelbase.

As for a collection-add, if it's in good shape, YES.
 
My cousin had a CX-500 and that bike was a blast! It was fast, lots of torque, nimble and bulletproof. It had as much power back then of any 750 I ever road on. Silverwing is bit tamer, but should be just as much fun!
 
one of my friends has a GL500, i've followed him up to port huron, mi. several times, it seems to be pretty good two up too but i can't say for sure cause i've never ridden it. some time ago i was thinking about a GL 650 , maybe i'll start looking again seeing that my nighthawk 450 was totaled
 
I actually have a CX500T (turbo) waiting in the wings. Looking forward to that one. I have done a lot of reading about them, but there's nothing that I can add that Dave hasn't detailed elegantly. Besides, I've only heard it run for 10 seconds. And I have zero seat time on the machine. I have always intensely disliked the design and only bought the T because it was rare and cheap.

But by most accounts, the CX/GL 500/650 line is one of Honda's best efforts. The more I read, the more intrigued I get. They are growing on me.
 
The CX family are certainly 'odd' in many respects... so many snub them.

Just realize that the CX engine and the driveline that goes with it, was the product of Soichiro Iirimajiri.... the same guy who devised several liquid-cooled Honda care engines (for racing and production), and also the experimental flat-six motorcycle, and later the flat four-cylinder production motorcycle engine.

Sharp guy, that Irimajiri. Soichiro Honda was always an Air-Cooled guy. He brought in Irimajiri, and admitted several years later that Irimajiri was right- liquid cools DID do a better job of maintaining dimensional stability, thus less long-term wear.
 
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