2018 Honda CB500X

[Mucksavage]

@richard310 Funny thing about the Givi Crashbars. Ovr here in the V Strom world, many complain about the same thing. Also, I'm digging the Eagles license plate frame!

@DocSalvage Twin cylinder engine really balances out the vibes. Also, Grip puppies work well.

 

[Gallowbraid]

Highly recomend a CyclePump.

"LIFETIME WARRANTY. That’s not a misprint. We mean it. Lifetime. If it breaks, we fix it. If you wear it out, we fix it."

Everyone I've ever met that's bought one of these raves about it. I determined that when the little Slime portable pump I had wore out I'd replace it with one of these. 15+ years later my little Slime pump is still going. I'll buy one eventually I guess....

 

[Mucksavage]

My cheapo Slime pump is still going strong after 5 or 6 years. I even beat it up by using it on the wheelbarrow, lawn tractor & golf cart

 

[richard310]

My little Slime pump got crushed and broken during my trip down to DRV earlier this year. I replaced it with a DynaPlug Micro Inflator unit. It's tiny size and decent quality sold me.

I've used it a few times already and I'm digging it so far.

 

[Greg]

I bought this one five years ago. It was on the GS 1200 and F800 GS when they got totaled. It went to Australia and Idaho for solar rendezvous with me. And numerous bike drops.

I'm going to start carrying it again on the Tacoma. This would be much easier to use to pressurize the WaterPort then dragging out the larger compressor I use to air back up.

 

[richard310]

Since I haven't updated this thread in awhile, we'll do a quickie:

I've been commuting on the bike during this whole COVID-19 madness, and also during these recent protests and rioting. Luckily I don't pass through any hot spot areas in the Southern California area. Since the last trip to DRV, I did a reassessment of camping supplies and a possible swap-out of equipment. The biggest issue were the Rally Raid pannier racks which are more or less unsupported laterally so they do bounce a lot with this current setup with the Mosko Scout bags. I have been looking at an SW Motec rack system which has cross support bars and more properly setup for this configuration, which I do prefer over the hanging Rally Raid system. Also, the rear Rally Raid tail rack has stress cracks from being overloaded and a lot of up and down movement, so that will end up either tossed, or sent out for free to someone who'd want to fix it. With that being said, time and priorities will tell when I make the change for the rack system, but will be an eventuality.

Maintenance was due at about 11k miles, specificially the chain and sprockets. I replaced the OEM setup with a DID 520VX3 chain and OEM sized rear SuperSprox and Vortex front sprocket.

April 2020:

I did have a chance to meet up with a few friends who had just got into the offroad world with Lexus GX470's, so we decided to hit the dirt up in Big Bear, CA along 2N02. It turned out to be a full day's trip but a good one to get the bike on the dirt again. Trip report here: https://americanadventurist.com/forum/threads/a-quick-day-tripper-up-to-big-bear-ca.7381

The OEM suspension re-emphasized its colors being very limited, low to the ground and terribly sprung. The skid plate did it's job once again.

Things still on the to-do list and updates:

My left turn signal is still broken so I've been looking at replacing all the signals with LED units. It should slim up the giant DOT style ambers, but also give out more light.

I need to replace my OEM windscreen with the same Givi one that I broke from closing my garage door on.

Level 2 Rally Raid suspension is still on the radar and so are their wired 19"/17" wheels.

I am looking at getting a better antenna for the Kenwood 2M radio, possibly another Diamond NMO setup, same as my Xterra since HT are typically terrible with reception.

The MotoZ Tractionator GPS and Continental TKC80s have been doing great on commuting duties. Plenty of grip in the dry and even wet, and excellent wear so far on tarmac.


Until next time... hopefully I can squeeze in a Holcomb Valley trail run on the bike soon as I've been planning prior to these protests... and maybe even a quick overnighter in Big Bear at a Yellow Post.

 

[richard310]

I bought this one five years ago. It was on the GS 1200 and F800 GS when they got totaled. It went to Australia and Idaho for solar rendezvous with me. And numerous bike drops.

I'm going to start carrying it again on the Tacoma. This would be much easier to use to pressurize the WaterPort then dragging out the larger compressor I use to air back up.

View attachment 51840

That's a nice looking unit, and well protected with those large bumpers on either end. I'll have to take a gander at that if/when the DynaPlug takes a dump.

 

[richard310]

I replaced the Rally Raid Products rear rack as they don't provide enough lateral flex support with the Mosko Scout panniers that I'm running. Loaded up, they flex the racks inboard a bit too much, especially on the trail. So I ended up swapping them out for the Givi 1121 rack system. The system is pretty robust and includes a lateral support to square up and bridge the racks to eliminate heavy panniers flex. It consists of quite a number of small parts but pretty easy to put together for the mechanically inclined. I also installed the 1121FZ unit which allows the addition of a top rack just behind the pillion seat. I haven't gotten around to getting the top plate yet but it'll much more stronger than the RRP top plate since the supports are much beefier. I can reattach my NVG case that I use for storage and it won't flop up and down like on the RRP unit.

Went out for a quick weekend trip with the guys out to Thomas Mountain. It was hot and somewhat unpleasant due to flies and gnats, along with multiple bites at the end of the trip. Dropped the bike once but overall a great ride up and down. We ended up taking a slightly more technical route on FS-6S16 to FS 6S18, from South to North since the gate was blocked. We would've taken the North to South route but traffic was bad and this apparently turned out to be the better route. Anyways, some photos:

Loaded up, ready to go.

Decided to take a nap on a tight turn with some soft sand on the inside line. Took the bad line and the front end decided to catch and put me down. Barkbusters, the Givi crashbars, and RRP skid plate did a great job protecting vital parts on all my spills.

Camp setup:

For future, I'm going to have the bike with the tent offset to fit both underneath the Kelty tarp, but still have the bike far enough in case it decides to timber.

Got another nail... That's 2for2 on rear tires and to make it worse, with good treadlife left. I'm pretty pissed as these tires aren't cheap. Of course there's a risk in plugging a moto tire, but I'd rather not take that risk. Considering where the nail is, even more reason not to. Luckily I just made it home when the bike began to feel squirrely a few miles out, and not on the highway. Replacement tire en route but I decided to go one size smaller: from 170/60 to 150/70. We'll wait and see if I'll feel any difference, on and off road.

 

[richard310]

Finally replacing the turn signals with some el cheapo Amazon bought LED turn signals.

LivTee Super Bright LED Flasher
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07Y8B5PB9?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

These ones have DRL's and a fun sequential turn signal when activated. Of course you need the LED flasher relay since the standard relays don't activate with that much less amperage running through.

CustomLED Flasher Relay
Direct plugNplay.
https://www.customled.com/products/...vwk57S9OBI5zfedzSe6RPh3OJViSWLGAaAvqIEALw_wcB

Install was a bit of a faff considering it is a fairing'd bike. To access for removal and rewiring of the front pair of OEM turn signals, removal of the front fairings, radiator fairing, and partial removal of the fuel tank is required. This involves a few plastic screw plugs, a number of Allen screws and Philips self tapping screws. Fortunately all the Allen's share the same size key, and so do the Philips heads so it made tool variety limited. The only difficult part was the actual removal of the fairings, as to not break off the numerous tabs holding them in place. After carefully nudging the fairings in an up-and-forward motion for proper removal, it was then that I was able to gain access to the hardware and wiring. I did snap one tab on the second go around but fortunately that was the only damage.

The rear was very straight forward and very easily accessible through the back of the tail plastics. Three Allen screws and the wiring is revealed.

Complete chop of OEM wiring was required since there were no connectors to the signals as it was wired directly to the bulb socket. Rewiring the new signals to the OE wiring was easy. For the rear, I did only wire up the turn signal function and left the red brake light feature off for the time being. Wire extension, routing and tapping into the brake light would be required for that bit.

The slight removal of the fuel tank allowed access to the flasher relay, which mine (2016-2018) was located on the right side of the bike. I have seen older versions located on the left side of the bike (2013-2015) so check either side if unsure. I used a 2x4 wood block to hold the tank up a few inches so I can pull the relay out to unplug. Just be weary of the fuel lines as you chock it up. The CustomLED flasher is a direct plugNplay into the OEM harness which makes this conversion a little less faffy. After a quick tug up and out, the OEM relay revealed itself and after removing and reusing the rubber holder onto the new relay, back down it went into its little pocket.

The flashers themselves were cheap enough for all four. $20 you really can't go wrong, although spending the time to do a full LED conversion is a toss up. Replacing the OEM signals with OEM parts would've been a lot easier, even though you spend just a tad more on just one signal. Overall I'm happy with them. It does change the look of the bike and really stand out vs the OEM signals. Luckily I was able to use the OEM rubber holder for these LED signals too. It's not the cleanest look, I'll be honest, but it works.

I also did a sticker removal on the fairings since I never really was a fan of the tread pattern and red color graphics. Plus they were a little knicked up from the previous falls. I'll eventually rid of the "CB500X" sticker on the mid fairing too, but unfortunately the graphics on the tank are clearcoated on.

On another note, the replacement 150/70 MotoZ Tractionator GPS was mounted, but CycleGear installed the tire in the "Mostly Off-road" direction. Being a little lazy, but moreso interested to see how this direction change would affect commuting mileage, I kept it on and will now see how this tire wears in comparison to the last tire in the 50/50 direction. I averaged the initial 170/60 GPS with about 35% tread left at about 8000 miles.

 

[richard310]

Finally bought a peg lowering kit from MotoWorks.

For on-road manners, the shifter and brake lever are in a decent position, but when off-road, I'm almost pivoted forward on my pegs just to apply the rear brake and awkwardly positioned to shift. My knees are in a semi-relaxed position but with my short stature (5'7" with 30" inseam), I didnt need to alleviate my knee bend like most CB500X riders encounter being over 6'.

OEM peg postion with RRP offroad pegs:

With these lowering links, it brings the pegs to a more manageable position in the offroad positions but will take some time to readjust my onroad foot position when commuting.

The kit is well made and as easy to install as installing new pegs. Being of a solid aluminum construction, this kit also comes with bolt/nuts to attach your pegs to the links, and includes new cotter pins to replace on the peg pins. Also if necessary, in the package is a brake lever lower link plus hardware. I had the lever already adjusted higher so now it's in a level position to the pegs so I didn't use the link.

MotoWorks peg lowering kit:

Sitting on the bike in the garage, it feels different in a good way, but my commute next week will give me a more effective decision.

On another note, the Rally Raid Level 2 suspension kit will be ordered this week so I'll be looking forward a better performing ride. The 19"/17" wheels are a 4-6 week lead time, but those will have to wait until next time.

 

[richard310]

Just throwing up a few pics of the bike after a wash and most likely the last photos of it before it goes under the knife for some suspension upgrades before the end of the year. I finally made the leap and ordered from across the pond, the Rally Raid Level Two 2-inch suspension kit and their Level Two 19"Fr-17"Rr spoked tubeless wheelset in Gold powdercoat (I want to bling just a little), which is an upgrade from the OEM 17"Fr-17"Rr. Luckily, Rally Raid had a slightly blemished wheelset on-hand, so they'll be sending it to BARTubeless to get it converted. Otherwise, for a brand spanking new set, I'd have to wait into early next year; A no-brainer for me. I will be keeping the OEM cast wheels as my daily, and swap the the RRP wheels+ dedicated dirt tire for longer trips.

The RRP suspension kit is designed to be DIY-style and replaces both front and rear suspensions. The rear suspension is upgraded to a longer travel (+50mm[~2-inches]) Tractive rear shock with an external reservoir, which has HS and LS dampening and rebound adjustments. Also included with the rear suspension is a replacement linkage bone and side plates to maintain and compensate for the longer travel. The front fork retains the 41mm stock body, but completely replaces the internals with longer linear Tractive springs and +30mm longer travel dampener rods with built-in shim stack valving using 5W oil. A replacement 20mm billet aluminum top clamp is included with riser blocks to which I'll be using 1-1/8" Pro Taper ADV bars to replace the OEM 7/8' bar. Last but not least is the 35mm longer side stand.

Even with the upgrade in suspension, I feel the wheelset is going to be a much larger factor when on dirt and sand. The front wheel is enhanced with a 19"x2.50" while the rear is replaced with a 17"x3.50. Not only does the increase in diameter help, but also opens the doors to a larger selection of tires with the corresponding size increase. The 17" OEM size availability and performance on the dirt is somewhat limited, especially when on loose terrain. The contact between machine and earth is going to make or break a trip in my opinion so I'm expecting big bounds in improvement on my next trip out. Tire wise, I'll be looking for a dedicated offroad tire like the MotoZ RallZ for these wheels (FR: 110/80-19; RR: 150/70-17).

I'm expecting it to arrive and be installed all before Christmas, hopefully just in time for the next trip! Once installed it'll be a learning curve to stop on a 2-inch taller bike... we'll see how that rolls over. I've heard nothing but phenomenal reviews on this upgrade so I'll be able to see first hand. Until it shows up at my doorstep, I now play the waiting game...

As for the remaining things to do, other than a Li-Ion battery swap, a pair of Double-Take Mirrors, and quite possibly a hardmounted 65W 2M setup that I might swap over from the Xterra, I think that'll be it for the little Ox.

 

[Gallowbraid]

Just throwing up a few pics of the bike after a wash and most likely the last photos of it before it goes under the knife for some suspension upgrades before the end of the year. I finally made the leap and ordered from across the pond, the Rally Raid Level Two 2-inch suspension kit and their Level Two 19"Fr-17"Rr spoked tubeless wheelset in Gold powdercoat (I want to bling just a little), which is an upgrade from the OEM 17"Fr-17"Rr. Luckily, Rally Raid had a slightly blemished wheelset on-hand, so they'll be sending it to BARTubeless to get it converted. Otherwise, for a brand spanking new set, I'd have to wait into early next year; A no-brainer for me. I will be keeping the OEM cast wheels as my daily, and swap the the RRP wheels+ dedicated dirt tire for longer trips.

The RRP suspension kit is designed to be DIY-style and replaces both front and rear suspensions. The rear suspension is upgraded to a longer travel (+50mm[~2-inches]) Tractive rear shock with an external reservoir, which has HS and LS dampening and rebound adjustments. Also included with the rear suspension is a replacement linkage bone and side plates to maintain and compensate for the longer travel. The front fork retains the 41mm stock body, but completely replaces the internals with longer linear Tractive springs and +30mm longer travel dampener rods with built-in shim stack valving using 5W oil. A replacement 20mm billet aluminum top clamp is included with riser blocks to which I'll be using 1-1/8" Pro Taper ADV bars to replace the OEM 7/8' bar. Last but not least is the 35mm longer side stand.

Even with the upgrade in suspension, I feel the wheelset is going to be a much larger factor when on dirt and sand. The front wheel is enhanced with a 19"x2.50" while the rear is replaced with a 17"x3.50. Not only does the increase in diameter help, but also opens the doors to a larger selection of tires with the corresponding size increase. The 17" OEM size availability and performance on the dirt is somewhat limited, especially when on loose terrain. The contact between machine and earth is going to make or break a trip in my opinion so I'm expecting big bounds in improvement on my next trip out. Tire wise, I'll be looking for a dedicated offroad tire like the MotoZ RallZ for these wheels (FR: 110/80-19; RR: 150/70-17).

I'm expecting it to arrive and be installed all before Christmas, hopefully just in time for the next trip! Once installed it'll be a learning curve to stop on a 2-inch taller bike... we'll see how that rolls over. I've heard nothing but phenomenal reviews on this upgrade so I'll be able to see first hand. Until it shows up at my doorstep, I now play the waiting game...

As for the remaining things to do, other than a Li-Ion battery swap, a pair of Double-Take Mirrors, and quite possibly a hardmounted 65W 2M setup that I might swap over from the Xterra, I think that'll be it for the little Ox.

View attachment 53856

View attachment 53857

View attachment 53858

Very sharp looking!

 

[richard310]

Very sharp looking!

I think she'll look better with the upgrades come next year!

 

[richard310]

Suspension arrived yesterday along with a few other items. Tool and supply run to follow shortly today and the upgrade begins this weekend. Luckily my workplace is shut down Monday for electrical work so i get three days if i need it.

Wheelset was sent to BARTubeless be converted to and RallyRaid is pushing to get them to me before Christmas. Crossing my fingers!

 

[richard310]

Progress is relaxing. The rear setup was straight forward and easy. Replace the linkage plates, dog bone link and new coil over and reservoir. Preload and all the other adjustments will happen later this week during my commutes. Should be pretty simple to get it squared away.

The front is a bit more involved considering all the plastics removal and pre work needed before I can swap the fork internals. I do need to pick up a new set of drill bits since my old Dewalt set is about due for a replacement. Wasn't really drilling, more so making smoke and noise than anything else.

Once those pesky bolts are removed and freeing the ignition block from the OEM triple clamp, I can swap the triple clamps, and then begin the actual work of swapping the fork internals. It should only take about another half day to wrap this all up.

 

[richard310]

Sorry for lack of photos but I was focusing on doing this right.

The forks themselves were relatively easy to rebuild with the new components. It did need some attention when building, so components were in the correct orientation and installed in the correct order. It turned out to be a little messy with the fork oil dripping everywhere when pulling parts. I ended up draining the old oil and refilling with 5W Belray fork oil. I also slapped on some Daystar fork boots off of Amazon.

The most difficult and time consuming part was drilling out the ignition barrel security bolts. Luckily with the new bits, it sped up the process. I did have to run out to get some new M8 bolts to reinstall the ignition barrel onto the new triple clamp but not an issue since Home Depot is just around the corner. More of a pain to go out and get things that's annoying.

The wonderfully machined new triple clamp is a beautiful piece but sad that it's hidden by plastics. Thank goodness for 1/2" drive breaker bars for installing that piece.

Reinstalling the front end and plastics were a breeze. After slapping on the included new 2" taller kickstand, fitting new grips to the new ProTaper Evo ADV bar, which I'll add was a PITA because of the propietary throttle tube, she was ready for the shakedown run.

Everything was happy dandy on a 30min ride both on surface streets and the freeway. It's going to be a change in riding style now that im 2" higher off the ground. It was a bit sketch keeping stable at a stop as I barely have the ball of my feet on the ground. Not bad but it'll be interesting on dirt and uneven ground...

Now just waiting on those wheels to come in which will finish up the Ox.

Big props to Rally Raid for creating this kit, but most importantly, make it so damn easy to install in your own garage with basic tools. I only needed a handful of specialty tools that I got from Home Depot but other than that, I was able to install it all using nothing but the tools in my onboard kit. Well done.

 

[richard310]

The wheels are finally ready to be delivered tomorrow back to Rally Raid UK from BARtubeless in Italy but with Brexit and the UK shutdown from COVID, they've been having delays and issues with lead times. Being in contact with them has been a great experience thus far, even during these very interesting times. Patience goes a long ways! I'm crossing my fingers the wheelset arrives before the end of February though, as my tires are getting extremely lonely sitting in the garage...

MotoZ RallZ tires ready to be wrapped on a shiny set of gold wheels and broken in on some dirt.

I did order a set of Double Take adventure mirrors and they were worth their weight in gold during the last trip this past Christmas-New years since I had a few spills. Mirrors were easily adjustable by hand and there were no issues with movement on the highway.

Also newly added was a Diamond K540NMO mount for the 2m radio, and a re-utilization of my Diamond 2m antenna off the Xterra. The mount is made for clamping to tubing so it was easily attached to my Givi rack. Range has been exponentially increased but I've been having trouble with the BT interface so a hardwired earpiece and mic maybe in the future to eliminate the lag and inconsistencies. I'm still trying to figure out if I want to move forward with a hard mounted mobile vs keeping the HT...

Hoping the next post will contain some gold shiny goodness.

 

[Gallowbraid]

I look forward to every update you post here. It's helping to scratch my motorcycle itch and drown out the whispers from stimulus and bonus checks that are quietly chanting "1200GS" in my ear.

Great info and awesome pictures, keep it up.

 

[richard310]

BARTubeless converted gold hoops with machined hubs arrived from across the pond. Super stoked with getting the 19" front, but more importantly having dedicated proper offroad tires for my trips.

New brake discs for this wheelset are en route, so it'll be fast swaps between commuter to adventurer and back. The sprocket hub assembly is one unit that can easily be moved over during the swap, plus it'll keep the chain/sprocket wearing together.

 

[richard310]

Had a bit of a situation with Revzilla last week on getting me the OEM rotors and bolts that I had ordered from them. The misplacement of one rotor and a 3-week delayed shipment was somewhat resolved with some credit. I'm still waiting on the re-ordered front rotor, but the bolts and rear rotor arrived.