Description
Please Note: We just auctioned off this CX500 at the beginning of this month, however the buyer’s wife does not approve of a one-seater so he needs to sell this and get something that can carry two! The CX is currently at our facility in Santa Monica, California. We’ve added some additional photos to the album but the listing is otherwise the same as before. Do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions!
Additional photos of this custom Honda CX500 are available here for your perusal. We also have a separate album of photos of the build process here.
Named “Obersten Regal” (German for “Top Shelf”), this CX500 project was built by Chris Kent from Smith Brothers Classic Cycles & Customs out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“Top Shelf” refers to the incredible list of components, starting with a full motor rebuild which included new pistons, rings, and rod bearings sourced from CMS in the Netherlands. The cylinders were bored out .025 over and it has upgraded heads and a complete Athena gasket kit.
Outside of the motor, this Honda has:
Rebuilt front end from a 2012 Yamaha R6 with Suzuki GSX-R rotors and Warp 9 custom wheels. BikeMaster LED headlight.
Custom Penske Racing 8975 in-line double adjustable shock, Speedmoto carbs, CNC’d velocity stacks, K&N pod intake filters.
Street tracker bars, Tomaselli grips, Rizoma brake fluid reservoir, and ASV levers. There’s also a full Motogadget electronic system with a Speedhut GPS-drive speedometer.
Paint by Scott Takes.
The new motor is claimed to put out 20 more horsepower than stock so the clutch plates and springs were replaced as well. For more information on the build, check out this story on Pipeburn or The Bullitt. The cost of the donor bike, parts, and paint is $25,070, and the seller provides an itemized list here.
Abhi had the pleasure of seeing this bike up close and personal at the 2018 Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin, Texas, where it was one of the invited bikes.
The seller acquired it approximately 2 years ago from the builder, and has covered approximately 300 miles with it since. Total mileage since the build is less than 500, and the bike has a total of 4,105 since new.
The seller bought it as “my first bike was a 1979 CX500 and I wanted to relive those early days with a custom version of that bike. I’ve had my fun with it – countless comments and kudos on bike nights – time to let someone else have fun with this one of a kind bike.”
The seller notes two minor cosmetic flaws, both on the tank. One is some discoloration, the other is a bubble in the paint.
There are no mechanical issues, though the seller notes that CX500s are cold-blooded “so while it starts on first crank, it does take a bit of choke manipulation until she warms up a bit before she will not stall at idle as it is a carbureted bike.” It just received a new antigravity lithium battery.
The CX platform has become an incredibly popular platform for customization in the last few years – this is definitely one of the standouts.
