There's a bit of a lull in the action while I wait (and wait and wait) for a specialized Honda tool for hitting the synch screws on the carbs. They are in miserable locations and the tool is a godsend, I'm told. Although I don't often pay Honda's penalty fee for these things (this on is $75!), in this case it's pretty much a cost of admission. Pretty much just a screwdriver that runs down the center of an 8mm socket on an extension. Simple, but apparently effective. Supposed to be here next Wednesday.


I had the cam cover off to verify valve lash and decided to strip the paint and polish it. Wotta pain this is going to be. Should have left it painted!

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"The older I get, the more I understand. Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen." - Anonymous

Just as an FYI, I communicated with our very own Sunnbobb about polishing this monster valve cover. He confirmed what I was finding out the hard way. It's a beast to polish. But, he offered up an idea I hadn't thought of - vapor blasting. This is a process that, followed with a protectant leaves a nice finish - lots of luster, if not a fully polished look. As luck would have it, there's a fellow in Tucson who specializes in the process - and even better - is a CBX maniac. I'd run across him in my CBX ramblings, but SB's prod made me remember his relatively nearby shop. I spoke with him this morning. I'm gonna drive down next week and he'll do the cover while I wait! Pretty cool guy.

https://www.restocycle.com

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"The older I get, the more I understand. Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen." - Anonymous

Hmmm vapor blasting the whole motor just jumped into my head from this post ....

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thank god and hooch im gone

I've read about vapour blasting. There is a shop just outside Vancouver, BC that does this work. Found it while researching powder coating on the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. The web site shows work on vintage Japanese bike(s) and there is a six cylinder being refurbished.

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"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"

Ernest

Here's a photo Nils (the owner) sent me of an example of a CBX valve cover he blasted. I think I'm going to be happy with the finish - and may consider a couple of other bits as well:

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"The older I get, the more I understand. Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen." - Anonymous

Sheesh those motors always amaze me to look at

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thank god and hooch im gone

Went down and visited Nils yesterday at Restocycle in Tucson.

https://www.restocycle.com/

This guy is the real deal - lifelong cycle enthusiast who left a successful high-tech job in Connecticut to follow his passion - ending up in Tucson. Heckuva nice guy. He and his partner do first rate restoration work - specializing in old Hondas and CBX's in particular. They even had a fairly rare NS400 being freshioned up (V3 two stroke!)

I highly recommend his vapor blasting process. He has a very attractive rate structure including return shipping. Typically a flat rate, you get it to him and he gets it back. Beautifully finished.

Go my cover back on this morning. I am pleased - although I got distracted and sidetracked on this cosmetic detail and need to get back to serious business. Having some trouble getting a bench synch ironed out. Better to get these babies close BEFORE they go back on the bike. Often (or so I'm told), if you do it right, you won't have to touch them after they're back on.

We'll see. I may soon go into hibernation except short tasks in the morning. Getting hot. And I'm a softie who hates sweating on his tools.



A glimpse of CBX's in various stages of construction (and waiting for attention):



In a moment of weakness, he let a needy Z1 in the door to wait its turn on the operating table:

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"The older I get, the more I understand. Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen." - Anonymous

That is a great site. Loved the restorations. Whatever you are giving them should come out sweet.

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I couldn't fix my brakes, so I made the horn louder.

The motor started knocking. Turned up the radio

Jack

Finally got everything buttoned up. So, I ran out of excuses to lay fire to the gas. After its long slumber, I hit the cylinders with a spritz of WD-40 and hit the starter. After about five seconds, she fired off! I'd left the petcock (new Pingel) open for several minutes to fill the bowls. It sounded good for a bit, but then started starving for fuel. The Pingel is not flowing enough fuel. I was really ticked. $146 for the valve and adapter. They're beautifully finished, but something was off. I pulled the tank to investigate, but found PLENTY of flow on the bench. Then I thought of the Valkyrie and how picky it is with fuel line routing under the tank. Sure enough, I had added an inline filter and I hadn't allowed quite enough slope to completely feed the six pack.

This was a momentous moment. The bike had been sitting for 10 years and I hoped the original owner was being honest in saying it was a good runner. I think maybe it is. It has been said in CBX circles that some can get a bench synch so close that not much is needed once they're on the bike. I wish I could say that. Instead of primary chain rattle, the CBX gets clutch chatter. Well, I have chatter. It can be minimized with a good synch, but the real fix is a late model basket. Maybe some other day.

First Fire!
https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21ApdB_NLQ4JSNXOc&id=4A3CE5E0C8B36B08%21103&cid=4A3CE5E0C8B36B08

I was happy to hear it run, rev and idle. As much as I hate to admit it, I may need to pull the six pack again since the idle seems to smooth out slighly with choke applied. Suggests one or two constricted slow jets. Dang, I don't look forward to pulling that rack again.

At least there were no ominous, unexplained noises. So far, so good! As I had hoped, this has proven to be a fairly easy resurrection. Sometimes you get lucky!

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"The older I get, the more I understand. Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen." - Anonymous

Well very cool. You have a running CBX!

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PLEASE! Use your Gallery album for saving pictures instead of using attachments or picture sharing sites, especially technical reference pics. This will make sure your images will ALWAYS be in your post and the discussion thread will make sense!
Go HERE and learn how to use the Gallery.

Click to order CGW Stuff

If you know someone can embroider our 3" patch, let me know!
My photo gallery
How to use the Gallery, Part 1, Part 2

How to add your bike photo to the rotating banner and our Banner Rides Page.

Sounds rather good to me ..nice work ...

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thank god and hooch im gone

No. 5 is ALIVE, oops got 6! Great job. Love it when these older bikes start.

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"When Writing the Story of Your Life, Don’t Let Anyone Else Hold the Pen"

Ernest

I think the carbs are good to go after all. I installed the pods and the idle is smooth without choke now! I was surprised how much difference it made. I guess the open throats run a good bit leaner even than with the pods. I'm guessing the stock airbox would be much more restrictive. Either way, I'm ready to insure this puppy and put some miles on it!

I think this puts an exclamation point on this thread. Thanks for indulging me as I spruced the old girl up.

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"The older I get, the more I understand. Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen." - Anonymous

My CBRs won’t rev above 5000rpm without the air box providing restriction. I have some pods for testing but they don’t provide the same performance as the stock air box and filter.

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Gerry <///><