'Diamond in the rough'

[NobleHops]

Mike,

You have incredible skills and it was very enjoyable to watch you create this. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

N.

[bikeymikey748]

Some 'stills' I thought you might enjoy. Hell, I'm poping a cold one, pulling up a lawn chair ( yup, one managed to survive), and watching the sun set









I gotta say, its been a few hours since I got in from a , short, ride....I STILL have a BIG silly grin plastered across my face

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

No special attention from the local Gendarmes?

[bikeymikey748]

No special attention from the local Gendarmes?

Interestingly, Steve, as I slipped through traffic, merged onto the highway, I didn't manage to draw any extra attention. Which is suprising, given that you really can't go unnoticed on a six cylinder, open-piped ass-kicker of a bike that just looks like its out there looking to pick a fight
Still, I expect I'll have ample opportunities to have road-side chats with the 'boys in blue', all summer long. Open-piped ass-kickin' bikes just seem to bring out that sort of crowd .

[deadbanana0717]

Wow Mike! Congrats!

Its going to be a long while before i get to the finish line. been out under the radar for family medical emergencies =(
Im glad you were able to finish it this year! and hopefully enjoy it a little for the summer!

[Jeff Bennetts]

Congrats, now go and show it off, bet you won't see many like it out there.

[cbx6ss]

!

[akinz]

That's awesome Mike, glad you are able to enjoy the fruits of your labour. I have one question though, I did follow the build, but maybe I missed it. What did you end up painting the carbs with? And what was your prep procedure?

Looks great. I'm hoping I can get my 550 done this year so I can finally get to the cbx

[SteveG]

Some 'stills' I thought you might enjoy. Hell, I'm poping a cold one, pulling up a lawn chair ( yup, one managed to survive), and watching the sun set on the 'X'............

I gotta say, its been a few hours since I got in from a , short, ride....I STILL have a BIG silly grin plastered across my face

I would venture to say the sun has risen over your CBX!

Excellent work, thank you for the write up and pics.

Steve

[Kool_Biker]

Wow!
A truly excellent piece of work.

Well done Mike, thanks for the excellent photography too!
Aris

[bikeymikey748]

Rats ! I had a feeling I messed up a photo...and my favorite one too.
Here it is again..

What did you end up painting the carbs with? And what was your prep procedure?

Akinz, the paint was BASF Limco ( stats available online). I used both base (clear topcoat required) & clearcoat (one step coat) throughout the bike. The carbs were shot with, a thin coat ( 'just enough') of clearcoat grey. I disassembled & cleaned them with carb cleaner. The surfaces receiving paint were brushed with a coat of etching fluid (from an old Kreem gas tank sealer kit I had lying around). This was left on a few minutes, then the parts were washed with soap & water and dried. Masking was applied and then a thin ( you could see through it) coat of self-etching primer. After that the grey was shot. I used a, basic, hobby airbrush. You can see it in one of the photos, they're inexpensive, and on small(ish) jobs like this, give great coverage/results with little trouble.So far, even given multiple carb surgeries (ARRRGGGHHH) the finish has held up very well.
Hope this helps. Are you going to do something similar? On your 'X' ?....Go Team !!

been out under the radar for family medical emergencies =(

Sorry to hear that, George. Hope it all works out for the best. Are you back at home, or still travelling ?

[delian]

-Terrifying to go off for the first time, on a bike that's had every nut and bolt taken off.

I totally agree here.. :) I recently "restored" a 99 CBR900RR that was in boxes when I got it.. Literally a build from ground up.. Kind gives you sack-shrink the first time you pull it up into the later part of the speedo..

Fantastic job on the 'X! I've got my eyes out for a less pristine example that I feel OK tearing apart and re-making into something a bit lighter and more modern.. Will certainly have your bike in the back of my mind as inspiration..

[bikeymikey748]

**UPDATE**
Ola, babies! Yup, I made a slight mod already!
Seems, sometimes, you get what you pay for. The 'budget' speedo/tach unit I bought is now resting, peacefully, in a local landfill site. The damned speedo would only read 'til 108km./hr. and then skip to double digits (as I increased my speed), before locking at '00'. The clock function? I won't bore you with the,sordid, details.
So....I popped for this ;




WHAT a difference!!!! The Koso is a quality item. Lots of, usefull, functions. Easy to operate. And my, failing, eyes have little trouble reading the guages/warning lights. I can't use the fuel level or coolant temp settings, other than that, I'm a happy bunny.
It has a provision for oil temp (temp reading as well as a high temp warning lamp) that I may yet hook up. Additionally its a smaller unit that , I think, just looks a bunch better than the previous one. Best part? I'm having issues getting the tach function squared away. Seems the needle sweeps across a range of 3-4 thou as opposed to a steady reading. I bought it on e-Bay.com, its made in the Far East, and the technical support is.....Just down the road ( 1/2-1 hr.) from Stately Common Manor .The rep was kind enough to offer to send a tech to the Manor ( I guess he's not seen the snaps of my, tiny , garage) to sort things out. The tech was leaving for vacation, saw the snap I had forwarded of the 'X', and told the rep to make sure to set up the appointment for when he got back! How great is that?! The rep admitted that they are always looking for new applications for their units, and couldn't recall having seen one on our favorite bike. I'll let you know how it transpires, fingers crossed.
Here's a shot of the underside and the alloy mount I fabbed for it. The, supplied, steel mount wasn't to my liking. I'll be camouflaging the colored wires soon too;


I've got, just over, 2,500km. on the bike so far.
Impressions?
-Man this thing sucks gas!
-No roadside safety checks , so far, but I have been followed by, more than a few, 'Official' vehicles and even managed to talk my way out of a speeding ticket ( On my 3'rd ride no less! Thanks Rick & the lads for pulling it off. In my defence, I was following Mike & Rick, they are just bad influences, I guess.).
-Sure am glad I fabbed the extension for the idle speed adjuster. The motor is reluctant to hold an idle when cold, unless I adjust it a bit higher to compensate.Fifteen minutes later, after exiting the highway, the idle is 'racing'. A quick, easy, adjust with the knob and all is well. It will only get worse as the ambient temps drop in the fall, I can't imagine carrying a long screwdriver around all the time.
-Happy to say that with the exception of a few bits of silicone, my oil pan was 'suprise free' during my first oil change. I splashed in some Mobil1 15/50 and have no clutch issues. I just feel better running full synthetic.
-Man this thing sucks gas.
-I realise this motor is a 'spinner', and lacking a reliable tach reading (soon to be corrected), I can only guess, but that guess is that I could easily gear up this winter. I'll likely drop a few teeth from the rear sprocket, to better my fuel range and tame the motor , slightly at highway speeds.
-Its a LOT smoother than my Duc (748 with an 853 big bore kit), but it sure puts my hands to sleep a whole lot faster (high frequency/low aplitude vs. low frequency/high amplitude, I guess)
-It M O V E S when you accelerate from low/moderate speeds. Lunges is a better description. And then there's that SOUND !!!!!
-I must have done something right, because the handling is suprisingly better than anticipated. Controlled, forgiving,reassuring, competent. I still have WIDE 'chicken strips' on the tires, and have to admit that, for a lot of reasons I am not flogging it in the corners, but.....I'm very satisfied with the handling characteristics. I'm still experimenting with suspension settings, so who knows huh?
-I haven't done any plug chops, but have looked at my spark plugs' general condition. They are on the rich side of acceptable, and I may just try 'jetting down' over the winter.
-Man this thing sucks gas. On an average ride, cruising at 120km/75mph and not really using the accel pumps too much, I can only get 200km/125mi. out of a full tank. Though, the specs put the tank capacity at 22l, and I've never put anything over 19 in it ( there wasn't much left when I had a glance inside the tank). What sort of mileage are some of you folks getting? I realise I won't be the mileage champ with the mods on my bike, but I was hoping for better range than I am getting.
-The Duc 'Monster' seat I'm using is some comfortable, I'll tell ya.
-With just a tank and front fender to worry over, it cleans up real fast (notwithstanding the acres of engine castings...sure glad I kept the polished bits to a minimum.).
-'Bike Nites' are fun....its funny watching folks playing 'count the pipes' when they look at the bike. I've had a few offers, some pretty considerable.....hmmmm. The bike's had its photo taken more times than I can remember, it seems most times I stop anywhere, someone will pull out a camera. Sometimes, I can barely get my helmet back on my, swollen, head ! Huge ego massage.
-Is it just me, or do folks in cars mess with you less when you're on an 'X' ? Sports cars , that would normally provoke the Duc into a grudge match ( no thanks), sheepishly cruise up beside the Honda ,give a friendly wave, and drop back. Honest !
-Turns out , the bike is more fun to ride than I had imagined. I recall mentioning, during the build, that I was uncertain as to how the whole plot would turn out. Happy to say that, sometimes, you do get what you deserve.

[deadbanana0717]

Wow Mike! Thats some fuel economy there... I wish I had my bike together Im glad you are enjoying it this year... so far the weather looks like it has been pretty good to us for riding.
My diamonds still in the rough... lol... when are you going to come to toronto and help me build it

[cbx6ss]

re Idle issues;...Carb sync... There is no close; the sync has to be right on to enjoy the full monty...