1981 Honda GL500

1981 Honda GL500 (Silverwing) completely reworked into a modern take on the cafe racer. The suspension has been upgraded to late model ZX9R front forks, wheel and brakes (six pot tokicos), with a custom machined stainless steel steering stem holding it in place. At the rear a VFR1000 shock takes over the suspension duties along with a braced swingarm.The engine remains stock, and runs like a champion. The carbs have been rejetted to handle the freer flowing, exhaust and velocity stacks. The stacks themselves do have filters in them, making this a bit more of a day to day rider. The tank and tail is a custom, one piece unit that began life as a stock GPZ1100 gas tank. The seat is a just a simple pad (very comfortable) made from closed-cell foam and upholstered in vinyl. The subframe has been reworked into a more streamlined and angled unit. The result is a bit more sport-oriented riding position, but not uncomfortable in the least bit. Along with the angled subframe, the shorter forks give the bike a much more sure-footed and responsive riding feel than the stock bike. The battery has been relocated to underneath the bike, which opened up the frame quite a bit. Along with that, the original fuseblock was swapped out for a modern blade style fuse block (there are two extra fuse slots as well). The taillights are all LED and integrated into the aluminum undertray. They're very bright, even in the daylight. The front fairing was made from an old rear fender and houses a superbright LED headlight. Along with the secondary headlight, mounted like an endurance racer, A tremendous amount of light is thrown down the road. The front LED turn signals round out the package. If you're not feeling the look of the front fairing, I've got a standard 7" headlight that will be included in the sale. Currently, the bike is sporting just a tachometer. I do have an all-in-one unit that will be included in the sale as well. It's sure footed, confident ride with just the right amount of feedback. While the engine isn't going to win any races, it does provide torque on-demand, and a smooth ride. For being over 400 lbs, it's surprisingly nimble. A little heavy on the steering at first, which makes sense The paint's a little rough around the edges, see the photos for details. I'd give it about a B to B-minus. Some of the MIG welds are a little ugly, but everything is solid. Since the bike was finished, I've bought a TIG welder, and can re-weld the frame, if the winning bidder wishes. This will add about a week to the pickup date, but will be done at no-additional charge.