DAILY INSPIRATION: Josh Deardorff's 1982 Honda CX500

1982 Honda CX500

Originally purchased for $350 and assembled from the bones of 9 different donor bikes, this CX500 is a real Phoenix from the ashes... and Josh has the trophy to prove it. This super bird took 1st place at the US Deus Biker Build Off  back in April. His shakedown run was essentially a 1,000 ride from his home town of Portland to Deus' Venice Beach location where the contest was held. Talk about having confidence in your work. I'm glad to see he walked home with some metal because anyone who's familiar with the CX will see the value he's grafted into a platform known for it's weak links. 

The custom bodywork was all done by Josh, who has experience in fabrication however this was his first time applying his skills to a motorcycle. 

GL1000 rear hub, machined and laced to a Harley Dyna rim. In case you're unfamiliar these bikes weren't offered with spoke wheels and that shaft drive rear hub means it's not an easy swap.

CBR600RR caliper grabbing the CBR1000F rotor that's bolted to the GL1000 hub using custom spacers to adapt the bolt pattern.


A  CRF450 master cylinder was used to push the CBR600RR caliper. The linkage was used to keep things tight to the bike and keep the rear area as clean as possible.


CBR600RR front end conversion with an Acewell tach/speedo and some cleanly integrated controls really dial in the front end.