My CB500X Adventure

[NevadaWolf]

Not an Ex yet, but working on it. Still love this forum too much to bail on it so going to keep my log here and continue to record my journey.

About a month ago, saw this add pop up for a 2014 Honda CB500X with 8500 miles. Each week, I kept watching as the price dropped and soon, it got too low to ignore any longer.



A meeting was arranged and a test ride taken. While I noted the differences between the Ninja and the CB, nothing stood out that would make me hate the bike. My friend kept asking if I could be friends with it, and the answer is yes. I think this bike and I can work.





I named the bike Byakko, "White Tiger", the Western Guardian in the same legend as Seiryu that I named the Ninja after. Though I am going to nickname the Honda "Yue" (U-ee as in I made way to many damn u-turns over the course of the day when this was bought).





So the few things "wrong" with the bike:
Right turn signal busted off and front fender cracked from original owner hitting a turkey.
Brake pedal bent from second owner dropping it into a low rock wall.
Original front tire dead.
Rear tire low.
Neglected chain and sprockets.

Things I want to add:
Power and mounts for phone and GPS
Power for heated gear
Higher windscreen
Aux lights
Engine guard
Scottoiler.
Plus whatever else I can think of.

After a day of shopping, it was time to fix what I could and prep for the arrival of goodies.



First, remove the fairings to figure out how to replace the turn signal. (Made this way more complicated than needed.)



Then time to clean the chain. Also found it was WAY out of spec and so loose it was hitting the swing arm.





Felt weird using Seiryu to power the pump to fill Byakko's rear tire but it was desperately needed. Swingarm sticker said rear is supposed to be 42psi, my gauge read 26psi.



Farkles start showing up tomorrow so stay turned! This bike is going to be my long distance, motocamping bike so many changes ahead for it.

[tfkrocks]

Yay new bikes are exciting

[MrAtom]

I've never even looked at these before. I kinda want one now

[verboten1]

3 words:


Rally Raid Kit



http://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/the...bik-1703743250



*edit*
Now more than 3 words.

Yep, it's expensive, but it makes that bike fill a gap in the segment. I kind of wish I had one,and the kit

[psych0hans]

Congratulations on the acquisition! Rife safe

[csmith12]

Awesome!

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by verboten1

3 words:


Rally Raid Kit

Yep.

It was the ADVPulse articles that got me interested: http://www.advpulse.com/tag/cb500x/

Jenny's ride report that got me excited: http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...-itch.1061450/

And Juan's videos that sealed the deal: https://m.youtube.com/user/blancolirio

My inseam dictates that I have to get the Level 1/1b kit that keeps the stock height but I am going to upgrade eventually.

[allanoue]

[DEFY]

Guessing that's a converted jet ski trailer?

[NevadaWolf]

I think the person my dad bought it from said it was a boat trailer, though may have started life as a jet ski trailer. All I know is it is the perfect length for a smallbike and so freaking tiny you can't see it at all when it's behind my truck or the Jeep.

[Abu_Mishary]

A friend of mine once owned an ER-6n. Sold it for a Versys. Test rode a CB500X, and straight away sold the Versys for this model. I guess Honda makes better middleweight tourers eh?

BTW, is that your garage?? Me likey!

[NevadaWolf]

I never tried the Versys. My short list was the Tiger 800 or BMW G650GS or the Honda NC700X.

Originally Posted by Abu_Mishary

BTW, is that your garage?? Me likey!

Yes. Thank you.

[Abu_Mishary]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

I never tried the Versys. My short list was the Tiger 800 or BMW G650GS or the Honda NC700X.

Why didn't you go for neither of the models?

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by Abu_Mishary

Why didn't you go for neither of the models?

Felt too top heavy or didn't fit comfortably (short inseam) but in the end $$$. I also really liked the Rally Raid kit that is for this bike.

[NevadaWolf]

Got packages today.





Didn't do much, but did install my BurnsMoto USB ports.



The front cowling removes completely from the bike so installed a quick disconnect if ever I need to pull the nose off. (Well, the front stay is what actually removes, but it was easier to just take the whole front off vs fussing with the plastic.)



Started to install the heated grips but the handguard mounting bolt is stripped. So read through the service manual and figured out how to install/remove the fairings.

[tfkrocks]

We need to go on another ride in the future so I can check out the snazzy new bike. Definitely want to see it after you've sufficiently farkled it out

[Abu_Mishary]

The Rally Raid kit really turned this bike to look like one bad-arse!

[verboten1]

The FZ1 is great. Feed it a switched wire and voila, constant and switched power. Mine is already filled up, I want another lol

[LittleRedNinjette]

[NevadaWolf]

It's been an electrifying weekend.

Installed the FuzeBlock and wired in the two USBs, the harness for the aux lights, and the heated grips. Honda has two "Option Plugs" that I tapped into for the switched power for the relays of the FuzeBlock and the aux lights.



My dad came out and provided some muscle to one stuck screw (turn signal) and one stripped bolt (fairing). A second stripped bolt is really jammed in there and we weren't able to get it out yet. Unfortunately it is the one holding the hand guard and bar end weight on so only one heated grip installed at the moment.



Ninja day tomorrow!!

[NevadaWolf]

Cool, got my new windscreen in, an MRA Vario Touring screen.

[tfkrocks]

Fancy.

[NevadaWolf]

Finally, the busted turn signal is replaced!

[NevadaWolf]

And new levers!

[NevadaWolf]

Went on my first official ride yesterday! YAY!

Also jump started the bike for the first time! Wait...?

So got the new levers installed and cleaned up my garage, telling myself the ride was a reward for keeping my space clean vs just really really wanting to ride it. However, as I got ready to leave, I pushed the starter and "clicklicklicklicklick". Well, damn. Not sure what drained the battery (left on accessory? short somewhere? dying battery? haven't run it since I got it?) but it was easy enough to jump from my truck. I'm getting way to good at doing that...

Sat in the driveway for awhile, trying to figure out how to comfortably reach the ground. My legs are just long enough I can touch with ballerina toes, but have no stable hold on the ground. Sliding over to one side or the other gets the ball of one foot down enough that I can easily balance. Must practice.

Eased out of the driveway and headed off towards a nicely paved, wide, long, straight stretch of road with almost zero traffic. I call it my "test track" as it's where I go to fiddle with no worries about cars. Got out there, practiced starting out and stopping, a few u-turns, and goofed around with going 0-60 a couple times. I did notice a really bouncy rear end so either my tire is too full, or the suspension is too soft, or something?

The U-turns were really bad, so headed over to the college parking lot to practice some weaves and turns around the painted parking spaces. Circling to the left, I can turn around in the space of two parking spots. Circling to the right, though, takes two and a half, sometimes three parking spots. Need a LOT more practice on that.

Decided I wanted to see how well the accessories worked (they don't, need to figure out what I broke), how well the windscreen deflects air (wonderfully, the "bug line" was just above my eye line on my visor and very little noise in my helmet), and how well the headlight worked (low beam has a nice wide spread with a definite cut off about 2-3 seconds ahead of me - high beam is LIGHT ALL THE THINGS!), I opted to take a cruise down highway 50 towards Virginia City and test out the handling now that I've adjusted the chain and pumped up the tire.

Heading up into the curves, the sun had gone down so I was really focusing in the twilight to see if horses were on the road. I kept telling myself "You know how to ride, just ride!" and tried taking on the road just like in my Ninja. Typically, I can take the uphill leg at about 55mph and be smooth through the corners, while the downhill leg tends to be around 50mph. This time, I noticed I was about 5mph slower going up and unsteady through the curves as I got used to the larger bike. Often felt like I was cutting the corners too close to the double yellow. Downhill, I was 10mph slower but far more stable as I figured out to take curves a bit wider and use the front brake more to adjust my entry speed. Overall, the bike handled great and, while I need to relearn to be smooth and steady on the throttle, it braked smoothly and accelerated quickly as I entered and exited corners. Even got a good lean angle going without dragging hard parts.

Came back down and joined my Dad for dinner before heading home for the night. Tested out my heated gear (jacket works as expected, OMG the heated grip is amazing! That is before it failed along with the other accessories) and got to see how far the high beam lit up down the road. Going 70mph, it was shining about 12-14 seconds ahead of me on the road and I could see reflective markers beyond that.

All in all, the biggest thing I'm noticing it that I'm not noticing anything. Sure, the one pass I did was quicker and I didn't wait to set it up, I just went - but there's nothing standing out begging for my attention. It's just another bike, similar enough to the Ninja for me that I don't feel like I have to get used to it or adjust to anything. Physically, of course the bike is bigger, especially in height. But performance wise I felt very comfortable just treating it the same.

I do love the seating position, everything from my chest down is relaxed and neutral, no odd angles to bend my knees to, no back aches from being bent over, no kinked ankles from the foot peg. Still figuring out how to hold my arms at rest since I'm holding them in position and my biceps really feel it. My spine is straight and I'm able to hold my head upright and my shoulders back, taking a lot of pressure off my core.

I'm really happy I got this bike!

Few more upgrades still coming in but almost done with the first round of toys. Now to get out and play with it.

[Abu_Mishary]

Reading your test ride felt as if I am reading a "middle earth" novel. Mind blowing!

[verboten1]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

Sat in the driveway for awhile, trying to figure out how to comfortably reach the ground. My legs are just long enough I can touch with ballerina toes, but have no stable hold on the ground. Sliding over to one side or the other gets the ball of one foot down enough that I can easily balance. Must practice.

You'll get used to it. I have my seat in the low position, but with the new shock, I'm back to tiptoes on my 600 pound beast. No big deal, I can't touch down on the KLR either. Lol




Did you stop at the bucket of blood?

[NevadaWolf]

Yeah, it's just going to take time and experience to build muscle memory. Oh golly gee, I have to ride more.

Nope, didn't stop in VC, just a quick up and back. I rarely stop in town since not to excited about the crowds in those small restaurants. I will stop when someone wants to, but personally, I go elsewhere.

Though a friend just told me about a good breakfast place so might make a visit up there for that.

[NevadaWolf]

Yesterday I ventured out onto dirt!

There's a road that cuts up the east side of the Lahontan Valley along the foot of the Stillwater Range that connects the town of Stillwater to just north of Lovelock. It's a wide, flat, well maintained road (despite the sign saying "Minimal Maintenance") with only a few areas of washouts but those are easily managed.





Perfect for getting the bike dusty without too much drama.

Forecast called for scattered showers, and the radar was showing patches of precipitation, but looking outside showed no rain and clear between me and the mountains around the valley. The only obscured part was to the north, where the dust was blowing alkali off the Carson Sink. I can do this!

On the Ninja, I had no problems going off road, though was always a bit hesitant. The bike felt wobbly, like I really had to focus to keep it in line and I never quite got beyond the nagging thought that I was taking a sport bike off road. I was ok with it, but never quite comfortable. On the Honda, however, whether it was because of the bike or my mental approach that I was taking a dual sport off road, I rolled right into the hard pack dirt and just went for it.

I started out going about 35-40mph, slowing down and turning through the curves vs leaning into them. My brain knows that bike is capable of great things off road, but the rest of me was screaming "I'm going to fall over/slide/crash and DIE!" So, compromise until experience builds enough to know I am not going to burst into a ball of flame. As the miles passed, I slowly increased my speed until I was clipping along at 60.

Not much to report road wise, it was so wide and level it may as well have been paved. But there was enough tire grooves in the surface that, though I didn't see them, I sure felt the front wheel tracking them and moving between them to stay on course. I've read enough here to know to just keep loose on the bars and let the bike do what it needs to do. Initially it felt like the front was breaking through the loose surface of a dry lake bed (for those that know that feeling) and gripping onto the more compact subsurface, but looking behind me didn't show enough dust.

The only hairy moment was my silliness. I was clipping along, watching the helos and jets as they came in and out of the dust cloud over the bombing range, and ahead of me was what appeared to be a path of loose gravel. I slowed down (ish) and squared up to ride straight through it, only to notice at the very last moment a narrow but deep channel (washout? pipe trench?) going across the road. It was too late to adjust anything, so I panicked and held on tight as the bike bounced across the opening. It was only a foot or so wide, but the front tire impacted the other side with enough oomph that I bounced forward in the seat. Kept on rolling though and later checked the alignment by riding without hands for a while to see if it still went straight. All good there.

Did see some cool things along the way. The aforementioned pilots training and a huge herd of mustangs on the road. Wanted to stop and get a real picture beside a screen shot from the helmet cam, but they were so skittish I didn't want to spook them by getting closer. Oh well.



All in all, felt much more stable on the Honda than I ever did on the Ninja. The upright seating position made going through soft spots easier, standing on the pegs was more comfortable with the higher bars, and it felt more planted. Definitely was confidence inspiring and I can't wait to get more dirt in my travels.

Another 150 miles on the clock.

[CaliGrrl]

Glad you had a good time!

[NevadaWolf]

Getting videos cleared out so here is the initial test ride:

Link to original page on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAlhUJc5Wgk

[allanoue]

oh shite

[NevadaWolf]

[NevadaWolf]

And the first two rides.

Link to original page on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWBrxcubcQs


I'll go back to putting my videos over in the video thread, just wanted the initial rides here in this report.

[NevadaWolf]

Industrious weekend!

Rode over to my friend's house to take him up on his offer to do some big things on the bike I'm not capable of doing on my own.

New front tire installed - Shinko 009 Raven.


Forks and preload adjusted so now I can get my toes down on both side. Yay, no more stopping en pointe.


Phone mount crafted and installed.


Left bolt removed with a really neat handheld band saw tool, heated grip installed, then a new insert crafted to hold it all together again.


Straightened the bent kickstand peg and brake pedal.


Rear brake fluid topped off.
Magnets under the front fairing to hold my tankbag in place.
Rotated the battery connections.
Handlebar rotated slightly for easier reach.

He's also going to craft me a saddlebag stay to hold my soft bags out and keep them from flopping inward. When he mocked up the idea, I noticed there was some dead space that was large enough to hold my MSR fuel bottles, so YAY going to get a mount built to hold those as well.

I did discover that I'm still having an issue with the heated grips turning off, but once I had my phone mounted in front of me, I saw they both cycled off at the same time. The only thing the two devices share is the power wire coming from the battery to the Fuzeblock, so *hopefully* that's the clue needed to find the problem. I'm liking my grips, I want them to work!

The biggest bonus was making it from Moundhouse to his place near Grass Valley and back to Truckee - 229 miles - and only putting in 3.8 gallons. 59 MPH while spending most of the ride at 75 on the interstate. WOW!

[NevadaWolf]

Ack, been a BUSY week!

First, just shy of 2000 miles ridden so far. I'm stoked this has great gas mileage otherwise, I'd be going broke soon.


65.38 MPG!

Ordered some spiffy Chinese power plugs.


And got those installed and wired up nicely.


Discoved the Rally Raid aux plate is meant to mount on their handlebar clamp. So Greg made up some port mounts and mimicked their plate. I think this looks great!


Also solved (I think?) the heated grip issue by wiring it directly to the battery. Going to have to invest in either a power block or jumper cables in case some jerk can't resist the big red power button and leaves the grips on overnight while I am in a motel sleeping.

As we were lubing the chain, Greg stopped and really looked at it. We knew it was dying, but suddenly he told me flat out he could not let me leave on it. It was dead, too many frozen links. So we went from "Yay done!" to digging tools out again to sacrifice an RK chain. I haven't bought new sprockets yet so this chain is on a short life. Only catch is its not an o-ring chain, so I have to be doubly sure to lube it frequently and I don't have the Scottoiler yet. Joy. That all comes next month.

Also practiced picking the bike up. Still too low for me to do the butt on seat method, but can walk it up by the handlebar.


Next weekend is the first major ride and I am super excited!

[RacinNinja]

For your heated grips, install a relay instead. Use a power wire from the headlight or tail light to activate the relay. It's basically an automatic on/off switch for your grips.

No key on, no power, even if someone pushes the button! This way too you won't forget you left them on and drain your battery....won't take more than 15 minutes to install.

Something like this from O-Reilly's: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...0381&ppt=C0335

Or Napa, but cut off the center pin: http://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/LIT192D/

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by RacinNinja

For your heated grips, install a relay instead. Use a power wire from the headlight or tail light to activate the relay. It's basically an automatic on/off switch for your grips.

It was originally hooked up to the switched power in the FuzeBlock, which has a relay built in that is using a switched wire from the Honda Options Plug. For some reason, if I had the grips on, them and anything else plugged into the FuzeBlock would turn off as if power was lost. 95% of the time, I could turn everything back on instantly, but twice it took over 10 minutes for the power to come back on. But if I left the grips off, nothing else would behave weird. Plugging directly to the battery solved it but didn't identify what was causing the power fluctuations.

I'm hesitant to add another relay back there as I'm running out of room with everything else already in place plus not sure yet if something is in the grips causing the issue.

Kinda sitting at the "It's working, don't muck with it" stage of getting things set up. I'll probably go through and really clean up the rats nest when I get the aux lights installed and trouble shoot the issue then. See if another relay will work/fit in the tail.

[RacinNinja]

After looking at the Fuzeblock, it would definitely depend on how you wired it. However, the relays above basically connect the grips straight to the battery with an automatic switch.

As someone who has done grips without a relay, straight to the battery and left them on, resulting in a dead battery, highly recommended! The relays are small, maybe 1" square.

You can place the relay anywhere. I would recommend somewhere up near the tank area. The only thing that needs to be near the battery is a fuse for the main power line to the relay. Then it's easy to tap a headlight wire or running light wire for the relay trigger.

[Ducati999]

Teri,
My guess would be, after some time the power draw of your heated grips is causing the relay in the fuse box to over heat and disconnect. This would explain the different lengths of time it took for power to return. You have wired it "directly" now so the issue is solved but I would be willing to bet if you only wired the grips or only wired the other accessories to the same output of the fuse block you would be fine. There is most likely not an extra output you could wire the grips to without anything else? The slow but relatively high draw of power from the grips is slowly heating the circuit breaker till it disconnects power and then it has to cool before power returns.

Great bike and I love reading your adventures!