Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

for those of you that have M.B.S. (multiple bike syndrome) and have the "silver wing" models.
as our sponsors also have supplies for those bikes and they are popular with the "wing" crowd.

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landscapeman
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Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

#1

Post by landscapeman »

I am going to take a look at a 81 CX. I wanted to know if there is any issues that may be particular to these bikes? Thanks
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

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Post by Sidecar Bob »

It depends on what you call an "issue". As with all old bikes they are subject to stator failure, water pump leaks, petcock leaks, camchain wear (& camchain guide failure) and all the rest. On the CX forums they refer to replacing the camchain & guides, the water pump seal and the stator as a "triple bypass" because they are all engine out jobs and they reason that they will all need doing eventually (I have heard of bikes with over 100,000 miles and around 20 years not having needed any of them, but at that age...) so while you have it apart anyway you should at least consider doing them all.

I consider the CDI ignition to be an issue. After all those years, failures are fairly common, but they have found a modern Ignitech ignition that can be adapted. Honda changed to a TI ignition in '82 (similar to the GL1100 setup) and they are considered bulletproof.

Personally, I would expect to replace every rubber part on a bike that old, including engine seals. I would also want to replace most of the gaskets if they haven't already been done. The transmission cover (front of the engine, oil filter & clutch cover are bolted to it) gasket can begin to leak in the top right corner. Nobody seems to know why but over time that corner of that gasket can somehow move toward the interior of the engine. If it happens oil will spray out while the bike is moving. I wore rubber boots on my GL500 for a few weeks because of that. But it doesn't happen to all of them.

I wouldn't call an o-ring failure on something that old an issue, but when the ring that seals around the camchain tension adjuster bolt goes it looks like a real mess. Unfortunately, you can't replace the ring without dropping the engine and removing the rear cover so a lot of us have gooped silicone over the bolt until the engine had to be out for something else.

Its not a lot different from having a 'Wing of the same age. You can even get Randakk kits for them.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
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landscapeman
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

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Post by landscapeman »

Thanks Bud, I seen that Randakk had kits for quite a few bikes. I knew of the water pump, but the rest makes sense.
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

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Post by alicerobert »

Thank you ... I like this forum very much because it is very informative ...
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

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Post by Scottinaz »

the camshaft mounted cooling fan can also be an issue. over time, they can break up taking out the radiator with them. Threads in the cam are super soft, and strip easily. the threaded "stud" portion on the camshaft that holds the water pump impeller on can also break off, rendering the cam useless.

Scott
one cx500 and a GL500 in the past

Great bikes, go for crazy money these days, I paid $85 for my silverwing, and now they go for $1500+ go figure
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

#6

Post by sunnbobb »

Great bikes if found in good condition.
I found the end of the internet

---- Bradshaw Bikes custom polishing for your wing. Visit us on facebook!

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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

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Post by Missourimike »

landscapeman wrote:I am going to take a look at a 81 CX. I wanted to know if there is any issues that may be particular to these bikes? Thanks
Well, what was the verdict on getting this bike? While I'm here, FYI the '81 CX500 got a bigger stator than the early ones. Same size used in the 650s. The 500 I consider a "town" bike, a little anemic for the highways, geared to running a thousand RPMs per 10mph! On the other hand, the 650 is a way different machine, torque like a truck, highway speed no problem.
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

#8

Post by Sidecar Bob »

Missourimike wrote:the '81 CX500 got a bigger stator than the early ones. Same size used in the 650s.
Well, sort of. The alternators in early CX500s with Capacitor Discharge Ignition have one set of coils for the charging system and separate coils to power the ignition. The alternators in the later models (500 and 650) with Transistorized Ignition only have coils for the charging system and the ignition is powered by that. So even though the later models' alternators are rated higher, after you deduct what the ignition, lights &c consume it really doesn't give you any more power for accessories.

Oh, and since they made 500s with 252W alternators for 2 years before they made the 650s you really should say that 650s have the same alternator used in the 500s, not the other way around :P
The 500 I consider a "town" bike, a little anemic for the highways, geared to running a thousand RPMs per 10mph! On the other hand, the 650 is a way different machine, torque like a truck, highway speed no problem.
Gee, I wish you had told me that before I used a GL500 to haul a sidecar around for 5 years :-D
The GL500 doesn't have as much torque as the 650 but because it is geared a bit lower it can go pretty much anywhere that the 650 can. In fact, my current 650 outfit tops out at just about the same speed that the 500 outfit did. It just does it at a slightly lower RPM.

And if you just want the lower RPM you can swap in a 650 clutch basket & pinion and a CX500 rear wheel with a 120/90-18 tire. It won't accelerate quite as fast as a 650 but that only matters around town - on the highway once you get up to speed you pretty much stay there and a 500 will do that all day even without the modifications. And it will burn less fuel doing it.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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Re: Any Known Issues with the Twisted V?

#9

Post by Ride the Fire »

landscapeman wrote:I am going to take a look at a 81 CX. I wanted to know if there is any issues that may be particular to these bikes? Thanks
Beware the triple bypass
Shouldn't we be calling these machines we ride enginecycles? After all the motor only starts the engine.....
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