new (to me) bike

[GrimReaper]

 Yesterday i found a killer deal on CL.1981 honda cx500custom for a $650.I offer the man $500 and now i am the owner.the bike is clean as a whistle.Under 30k miles.
  The plan is to make the bike something like cafe racer/bobber.
Here is what i am after:
  Well the journey starts today  

[Johnster]

My first bike was a CX500 - the Deluxe model.  Great bike, great testament to the things that honda makes.

...except the stator - keep an eye on yours if it hasnt been replaced (or replace it if you have the engine apart).  From what I remember they were a weak point on that engine....they were the ONLY weak point.

Good bike - should be a lot of fun.
-John

[Dave 2]

Well the journey starts today

I for one can't wait to see your progress, I sometimes see a cx500 up for sale and think that it would be a fun next project. The most recent in the local paper had a price of $1600. which I thought was a little high. Good luck and post some photos [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]D2

[GrimReaper]

 I found that the stator is the only week point.Is there any way to find out is the stator has been already replaced?

 dave2,i will try to build the bike almost like this one,but my budget is so low so it will something like this.
 Acoording to the web page the bike is completed stock exept the seat and the clip ons.i dont like like clip ons,so i decided to put low handlebars from honda crf(dirt bike)Looks great and handles great.Rebuilding carbs is next.I will post some photos soon.

[Johnster]

As I recall (kinda fuzzy, this was before children  the stator was part of the crankshaft/bolted onto one end of the crankshaft - this meant removing the engine from the bike and some serious dis-assembly after.  Other than looking for evidence of such (worn bolts, tool marks near screw heads, areas that show 'newer' or 'older' dirt than the rest of the motor, missing parts...) I'm not sure that there is a way to tell.

-John