
Well, there is already a Red Back build so in the interest of identification I will call this build Red Belly. There is a reason and I will save that for now.

I finally finished (fingers crossed) my CX500 project and will put it up for sale soon. Looks cool I think, but not my thing. Anyway it is time to move on and get some of these skeletons out of the barn. It is really hot down here in South Texas this time of year so I am moving pretty slow. Not bad till about 10 AM but the rest of the day is not suitable for working in the shop. After spending the better part of a couple mornings going through the junk piles I have decided to work on this '83. I have a title! When I picked it up a couple of years ago it looked just like this (and still does) with the engine frozen and heads off, but included. Using a cheater bar on the end of a 19mm socket wrench, along with some oil, carb cleaner, wooden block and heavy hammer, I was eventually able to persuade the pistons to move. After cleaning the cylinders and oiling them good, it now turns over freely with no significant rust pitting or damage to the pistons. I had two sets of cylinder heads and I tried to pick the best ones to clean and lap. After a good bath in gasoline they look like they will be fine.
Today, I power washed the frame and the engine (and myself) with the result that the engine is pretty clean and I am now filthy and wet.
Just a tip for new guys: I have now cleaned quite a few of these old engines. Some worse than others but all bad. I have tried several different things to clean them including gasoline and soda blasting among others. Both of these work well but have there down side, gasoline is relatively cheap as a cleaner and I still use it a lot but it is smelly and risky so if you do use it be careful. Soda blasting is dependent in large on your equipment. Down here in South Texas the humidity seldom falls below 65 percent and is often much higher. This often causes clogging and general frustration.
The thing that works best for me is a pre-spray of a citrus based grease solvent followed by careful power washing. I am using cold water with a medium tip on the wand. As the layers come off, I reapply the solvent and allow it to soak for a couple of minutes before hitting it again with the power washer. You will get wet but for the most part there is very little to clean up on the driveway. Much better than soda or gasoline. Detail cleaning can be speeded up with carb cleaner and brushes. Watch your eyes! Be careful with the power washer around the wires and tubes that are still attached to the engine.