What have I done!? CBX !!

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Darrell I am really pleased for you and I think it is great that you will keep someone else’s dream alive. The quality of the paint is absolutely beautiful even if I am also not a big fan of flames. You will always get the original crowd that will be disgusted by the “desecration” of such an iconic bike but I feel it is just as important to see these modified bikes in all their glory. Sitting with fellow VJMC members on Saturday we were just having this same discussion about how period modified bikes have just as important place in our membership as factory restores.
I am seriously jealous of your good fortune even though you deserve it! :mrgreen:
 
[url=https://forum.classicgoldwings.com/viewtopic.php?p=201382#p201382:9lln1jcg said:
wedoo2 » Sun Mar 18, 2018 5:43 pm[/url]":9lln1jcg]
CBX. The 57 Chevy of motorcycles.

Whoa. I like that one. All I can say is that I can die now. This truly is THE ONE I always wanted. Of course, I might sour if the motor smokes/makes noise/etc.

But, even if I have to overhaul it, I think I'll still be happy. It makes good garage decoration. Folks have been stopping by all day to have a gander at it. Can't get a stinkin' thing done!

Thanks for the comments. Although I was already stoked, it means a lot to hear folks vocalize what I've always thought. Even back "in the day", when they were new, seeing one on the street or parked was always a "Hey Look! CBX!" moment.

:thanks:

:moped:
 
You can't die NOW!,... you still have to get out and RIDE it like your hair is on fire.
Congrats, I'm going to enjoy it vicariously through you, 'cause I like flames, and those are very nice. If its going to BE a hot bike its good to look like a hot bike.
 
Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say this CBX has me hugely distracted from other two wheeled conveyances in the garage. Hard not to. I have had wood for one of these things since they first hit the streets in the fall of 1978. I still can't believe there's one sitting on my operating table.

Speaking of which, it's likely to be there for a while. Although it's in extremely good shape, it has been modified and it has been sitting up for 10 years. As much as I want to fire it off and see how it runs, I'm gonna pull the carb rack and do this right. Turns out this machine is a somewhat familiar face in the CBX world. The owner as I said had four of them over the last four decades. He wasn't exactly low-key.

Anyway, to pull the carb rack the motor must be tilted forward for access. And that's a good time to pull the cam covers and go through the valve lash and install shims as needed. And clean the nooks and crannies that you can't get to with everything in place.

And let's not forget that the Arizona mean season is fast approaching. That means I will not be spending too many hours in the garage when it's at near or over 100° F.

Just for fun I got a wild hair and set the faring from the GL onto this beast. Positioning is not exact - it'll go down an inch and back an inch if it were a permanent fixture. You know what? It doesn't look half bad. Things that make you say, "Hmmm."

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So I may not post very much here on the CBX unless there is some interest, but I'm not going away. Last weekend when folks were streaming through to lay eyes on this thing the "little" GL 1000 with its new Webers ended up being a bit of a star herself. She ain't going anywhere.

Those Weber were and are kicking my butt, and the CBX gave me a welcome break from that beast. I would like to get them tamed before summer and I put her in to suspended animation.

To be continued…
 
Well, OK. I want to do this one right. It might be custom, but nothing has been hacked and it's remarkably unmolested. The harness is pristine.

So, this won't be a quick project and I won't provide every excruciating detail, but since my activity will slow down in a month or so, I might as well add an installment of current activities.

1) Carb kits and carb to manifold isolators on order from Randakk. Mike Nixon's CBX carb book on the way. (Not looking forward to that one).
2) Petcock leaking like a sieve. Rebuild kit on the way. I will probably end up going with a Pingle, though.
3) Replaced gauge pod bezel and broken cluster back. Old fart dropped it in the garage (said he) and did some damage.
4) Will soon be doing swingarm bushings. Factory used PLASTIC! Need to do some detailing back there anyway.
5) The ignition ignitors have puked their potting material. (Common). At first I didn't know what it was until I read some more. Pulled the battery box to address this. Let me tell you that was a PIA. Think of pulling a GL fuel tank and you'll get the general idea.

Here are a few pics that provide a peek in the operating room:
 

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Thanks Ernest. They're ganged together into two connectors, so it's tough to tell what's coming out of each unit. I haven't disassembled them yet. They're OKI units and aren't really broken. I have no compelling reason yet to replace them. I'm trying to be proactive. Just some of the potting has migrated out. Hey, it's Arizona, where concrete melts!
 
I'm thinking of picking up a pair for the "just in case" scenario - price is good. A fellow over on the CX500-650 Turbo forum installed these on his turbo FI bike. These turbo bikes use a four wire instead of a 5 wire hook up as well.
 
[url=https://www.classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=201448#p201448:1ryek2cj said:
desertrefugee » March 22nd, 2018, 4:02 pm[/url]":1ryek2cj]
Thanks Ernest. They're ganged together into two connectors, so it's tough to tell what's coming out of each unit. I haven't disassembled them yet. They're OKI units and aren't really broken. I have no compelling reason yet to replace them. I'm trying to be proactive. Just some of the potting has migrated out. Hey, it's Arizona, where concrete melts!
Found a set of igniters for a CBX on eBay for you. Have to mortgage your first born I think: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/79-80-Honda-CBX ... uL&vxp=mtr

Cheers
 
Yup. Anything that has "CBX" in the title costs an arm and a leg. Restoring one of these puppies is not for the faint of wallet. That's why this custom stays custom. Shoot, I'm already at purchase price plus $500 and I'm just getting it streetable after a 10 year lay-up. The good news on the ignitors is that mine are fine. They just puked some of their encapsulant. I tested them (simple amplifier), they're fine, and repotted them. Common behavior.

Speaking of getting streetable, if you think it's a chore to pull the carbs on a GL, just count your lucky stars. Trust me on that one. I'm taking a break for lunch. Tank off, breathers off, exhaust off, starter, generator and oil pressure sender harness off, motor tilted forward about 15 degrees. So far, the carbs have decided they want to stick on the head a while longer. Blew the breaker on my power distribution using the heat gun and it wouldn't reset.

I'll get 'em, but it'll be a battle. I've heard the horror stories...and they're all true. The carb bank angles inward. Six carbs doing this \\\/// means each side is fighting the other when they come off...

Grrrr....

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Lots of items in a very small space, not for the faint of heart. The good news is we are higher on the food chain and we will prevail, behind you all the way and watching. :music:

Cheers
 
I'll never complain about pulling a carb rack from a GL again. Never. This one was no picnic.
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But, it's out now and time to get busy.
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They weren't as bad as I expected, but a good freshening up never hurts. Borrowing my buddy's ultrasound cleaner. Again.
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