Newbie

[hi ho sliver]

Hi...just joined this site.....I have just gotten a 2004 CMX Rebel and am looking for an owners manual and or maintenance manual....find every other year, but not for 2004......the Local harley shop has an owners manual for 16 dollars! Not much to it, seems a bit of a rip off? thanks..........also the maint manual at a local shop, appeared to show storage under the seat? is that true and if so, how does it hinge up? thanks again

[GearJammer]

Welcome, hi ho sliver.....A Harley shop had a Rebel Owner's Manual ?

There's no storage under the seat on a Reb as far as I know, but there's a toolbox situated down in that area, accessible from the side of the bike. You could realistically live without an Owner's Manual as they only offer real basic info: "Key goes here, headlight switch is there"......but a Clymer's Service Manual or a Honda OEM Service Manual would be a worthy investment.....definitely.

eBay or your local indie shop should stock the Clymer's for the 250 Reb. The Honda OEM Service Manual could probably be ordered from the dealership (wouldn't be cheap tho'), but if you can wait, eventually a used one should show up on eBay......

[hi ho sliver]

thanks, been watching ebay, nothing for 2004...yep the Harley shop...they also sell rebels and virago's.

[GearJammer]

a-ha.....O.K.....now I'm following ya.....

Have read about a lot of owners not getting either their Owner's Manual or the Tool Kit with their new Rebs & that kinda sux, as those items should be standard issue with a new purchase.

Again, unless you just want the Owner's Manual to have it (nothing wrong with that, lots of people want 'em) you could really live without it, but a Clymer's or the OEM Service Manual are a "must have" item...

[hi ho sliver]

I agree the maint manual would be better ...but the price jumps from 16.00 to 44.00! lol

[GearJammer]

LMAO!!!!!!

Yeah, but it's still worth every penny.....the Owner's Manual would tell ya where things were, but the Service Manual will tell ya how to FIX 'em ;)

[hi ho sliver]

I need some saddlebag supports for a 2004 Cmx if anyone has some for sale cheap :) (also some for a 2005 Harley sportster!)

[GearJammer]

If you're into fabbing your own, you can save some $$$. Below is a copy & paste from an older thread. Somewhere's on the forum, there should be pics as to how these came out, but I can't find 'em.....

********************



As for brackets, they are desirable to keep the bags clear of the frame. Have seen fancy chromed aftermarket brackets for $60, but I'm sure the prices can vary.

I've made 2 sets of saddlebag brackets using flat plate & each set cost me roughly $12 + time invested doing the work.

1" x 1/8" aluminum flat plate (two 3 ft. lengths of flat plate should be enough to do the job if I'm remembering correctly). Measure from top of fender strut above the fender mount bolt to near the bottom of bag & add 1" to that measure to include the "angle-out" for clearance. I use the 2 inner stock fender mounting bolts to mount the s/b brackets.

There's 2 right angle bends that must be made. First bend is 1" down from top of fender strut. That bend extends outwards for 1" for the needed clearance & then another right angle bend going downwards. Then measure the distance for the cross-piece on the bottom between the 2 "down" pieces. (These brackets are 3-piece)(Edit: On the 2 angle bends, just mark the flat plate 1" from the end & another mark on the flat plate 1" again beyond that. These 2 scribe marks are where the angles will be made. For the 1st bend, place the flat plate in a vice with the scribe mark closest to the end of the flat plate clamped even with top of vice jaws. Take your BFH & smack that 1" length down to a right angle. Remove from vice, then line up 2nd scribe mark to top of vice jaws. Now you'll have the 1st bend & actual end of flat plate facing sideways. Using your BFH, gently "smack"....hehehe...the actual end/tip of the flat plate backwards to form the 2nd right angle. Minor use of BFH on flat surface after making the right angle bends may or may not be necessary to get the flat plate bends as close to right angles as possible, tho' it doesn't have to be exactly spot on)

Drill holes at the tops to run the stock fender mount bolts thru.(Edit: On the 250, I remember drilling thru one fender strut hole & the fender itself (one each side needed to be enlarged) to accommodate for the mounting hardware. On the 450, no drilling in this area was needed, but the stock mounting hardware might need to be replaced with stainless hardware just a tad longer due to the addition of the bracket width, maybe 1/4" longer bolts ? The only other thing to watch for is that the new hardware doesn't extend too far inside the fender well to avoid touching the actual tire). For the cross-piece, one hole each end thru cross-piece & "down" piece, 1/4" nut & bolt to secure the cross-piece.

Couple coats of rattle-can & bingo! 6 pieces of flat plate, 12 holes to drill & the aftermarket doesn't get $60, LMAO!

The edges of the cuts can be buffed smooth to eliminate the jagged edges. Tie bottoms of bags to the bottom cross-piece with 2 pieces of leather strip, 2 cable ties or 2 shoestrings, LMAO! (I use leather/suede strips)

Once installed, just check the brackets for clearance of the swingarm & bottom shock mounts. If more clearance is needed, simply grab the bottom cross-piece & gently pull the bracket out a bit to achieve the proper clearance.

IMPORTANT EDIT: Please insure that you've got proper clearance between bags & turn signals. I did this mod WITHOUT turn signals, but have learned that the stock turn signals would have presented some bracket/bag positioning issues. Yo, Snorey! LMAO!
__________________

[hi ho sliver]

Sounds good, wish you knew where the pictures were! thanks

[GearJammer]

hmmmm.......I've looked a couple times now thru the search engine, but haven't found 'em yet, LOL! Remember posting them, possibly when rapping with Snorey about saddlebag brackets quite some time ago.......

If we can't find the pics, I'll just remove the brackets from the 450 & take some more......

Edit: Found it, but the pics are gone. Please see the copy & paste below where it says (alt+p).......maybe I had 'em on an outside picture host & they shut 'em down ? Will try to get some more pics when I can, but it won't be immediately as I've got a busy weekend comin' up.....

***************

GearJammer
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 1,785
My Photos: (2)
Default
Finally figured out some fancy-schmancy computer stuff today, LMAO!

Here's a pic of brackets for slant bags:
(alt+p)
__________________
"Ridin' Ain't A Hobby, It's A Lifestyle"
Edit/Delete Message

[b4v4]

Boy, Silver, I've honestly paid that much for an owner's manual used off of ebay! As far as a clymer book goes, I get all mine off of ebay, and one manual covers most all years, as the 250 Rebel really hasn't changed at all.
I can usually get one used for anywhere from 10-15 dollars from ebay, just be patient and watch. I would opt for the shop manual rather than the owner's manual, just like Gearjammer said. You can do literally anything on your bike with the shop manual, but little more than store your serial number with the owner's manual!