This was my ex-wife's bike but I rode it quite a lot too. I liked the CX 500, it didn't make a lot of power and the front end bottomed out easily but the twin had a feeling of it's own and you could throw it around. Looking back I think this was an effect of the wide handlebars, I had avoided them generally on my bikes but my experiences with KLR650s has led me to believe they make a bike more fun.
The bike came on a number of the trips over the west and only once gave any problem. A short Sunday ride out into the California Delta put us at a well known steak house by the Sacramento River. Parked outside was a line of Harleys, this was before their resurgence as yuppie bikes in the last 10 years or so. A couple of the riders were outside and some good natured kidding went on about the Jap bikes before we went in. On coming out after eating we discovered that the CX had blown a gasket and dumped most of its oil under the bike right in the middle of the line of oil tight hogs, more kidding was endured I assure you. We got it home by filling up with oil several times along the way.
The bike eventually sat too long outside and gummed and rusted up.