The International CBX Owners Association

The IR thermometer is a good tool to identify a cold cylinder (not firing) or hot (lean condition) fast and easy. They are cheap nowadays, just try to test high up on the header pipe, same place on all header pipes. Just because the carbs have been recently rebuilt doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly, stuck floats and clogged jets can still happen.

You’re going to be just fine, have a fun!

I have such a tool, and use it often. That said, I wouldn't pack it on a bike trip. We checked for temperature differences before we had such toys. A little spit on the fingers, and see which pipes sizzle more than others. You can't be prepared for every scenario, so just enjoy the ride, and get to know your machine.

On the 82 I just acquired I tested my pipes for heat after the first few rides. One cylinder is about 10-15 degrees cooler than the others. Is that carb too rich? The other five are around 175-180 degrees about 8” from the head.

Here she is:

They are pretty bikes aren’t they. Post up more pics ‘out in the wild’ and let us know when you get out for a ride. Doesn’t seem to be the ‘thing’ around here so the more the merrier.

I picked the CBX up yesterday, from somewhere in mid Wisconsin. The (former) owner kindly picked me up from Madison - about 1-1/2 hours from the bike. I had never ridden one before I set out, with all my non-riding stuff stowed in those tiny saddlebags. I did about 150 miles that afternoon and have ticked off a bit over 430 miles today. Am now in Southern Missouri, in the Ozarks.

First impressions:

• - She's a heavy old gal. Doesnt feel quite as heavy as my Stelvio, but perhaps that's just due to the lower seat.
• - She tips into slow corners, but is rock-steady at speed. I'm putting this down to typical '70's steering geometry, but it will be interesting to see how different tires affect things. Didnt take long to get used to it though, and I've made more than a few tight slow-speed turns with increasing confidence.
• - Nimble she ain't! She can be leant into corners easily enough and holds her line, but trying a 60mph slalom showed up how slowly she changes direction, and was quite a work-out, requiring a lot of pressure on the 'bars. Bumps or dips in corners lead to a weave/wallow. The air pressure in the forks is low but I think it's mostly the forks and frame flexing.
• - Though this one has a couple fewer teeth on the rear sprocket than stock, anything over 40mph is quite comfortable in top gear. At least two downshifts are required to execute passes with alacrity, at anything less than 60, but a twist of the wrist will do the trick - just a little slower. I've been riding twisties in the Ozarks, with 30mph posted corners, all in top gear.
• - With earplugs in and the wind noise coming over the fairing, i really cant hear the engine at anything over 40mph. I can feel just the slightest vibration in the bars, however, giving feedback that all.is well and she's running smoothly. A duck down behind the screen allows me to hear the engine - something between a purr and a "swish".
• - Fuel mileage is a bit difficult to determine so early into ownership. The first three or four fill ups gave consumption between 33 and 43 mpg, averaging out around 39. Variation may be partly due to how far the bike was leaning when i filled that wide tank. That was mostly cruising quiet back roads at around 55-65, but i did chase a goldwing down the interstate for a few miles at around 85. The bike doesnt seem to care.

Looking back to Illinois, from Louisiana, Missouri

Thanks for posting. As you've observed, there's quite a difference between a CBX and your Stelvio. I have a GRiSO, so can relate.

Try running a bit more air pressure in your tires and see if that sharpens up the handling. Skinny tires need more pressure to carry the load over a smaller contact patch.

Glad to see your trip is going well! The wallow you’re experiencing when the suspension is compressed while the bike is leaned over and you hit a bump or a dip is a condition that all year CBX’s suffer from, like a lot of bikes from that era.

Keep us posted and your impressions coming!

Jeff Bennetts wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2024 12:38 pm Glad to see your trip is going well! The wallow you’re experiencing when the suspension is compressed while the bike is leaned over and you hit a bump or a dip is a condition that all year CBX’s suffer from, like a lot of bikes from that era.

Keep us posted and your impressions coming!

Thanks! I've knocked out another almost 400 miles today, but the heat and humidity is getting tiring. My 85 airhead BMW has a similar wallow, although it was greatly reduced with a new rear shock. This CBX has a Progressive rear shock, in place of the failed air unit. Wish I'd found a bicycle pump to add some air to the forks last night, but I did find some outstanding smooth roads in the Ozarks (parts of AR-9 have just been resurfaced and are billiard-table smooth) and managed to soften up the edges of the tires a bit.

Lots of really nice 20 through 45 posted corners and a few of these:

The CBX fired up instantly with full "choke" this morning. I was able to close it within a few seconds and the bike then idled at around 800 rpm.

When hot, she idles at more like 1700 rpm. Is that just a matter of adjusting the idle speed, or is there something else to pay attention to?

Monitoring engine speed got a bit tougher this afternoon. Is this a common problem? Easy fix? Wish I knew how to make these photos post the right way around.

Gauge needles breaking is a fairly common problem. You can get replacement needles but uncrimping and recrimping the gauge trim ring is a PITA.

Having done this a few times I would recommend sending it out for repair. Mike (80 CBX dude) on this forum has a good reputation for quality and reasonable price.

As far as your idle,it is worth a shot at adjusting it down once it is hot. Easy to do if you have a flat head screwdriver that will reach the adjustment screw.

JoeInTUS wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2024 9:51 pm Gauge needles breaking is a fairly common problem. You can get replacement needles but uncrimping and recrimping the gauge trim ring is a PITA.

Having done this a few times I would recommend sending it out for repair. Mike (80 CBX dude) on this forum has a good reputation for quality and reasonable price.

The gauges are clean and undamaged so I will probably reach out to Mike. Have made repairs of some sort to gauges from quite a few old Hondas, Yamahas and my old BMW, over the years, but I was not as fussy about possibly scratching or distorting the trim on those.

I replaced a broken gauge needle in something, with a length of spray straw from an aerosol can, sanded down so it tapered to a rounded point. If you didn't know, you would never know ...if you know what I mean.

Rick Pope wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2024 10:42 am Thanks for posting. As you've observed, there's quite a difference between a CBX and your Stelvio. I have a GRiSO, so can relate.

Try running a bit more air pressure in your tires and see if that sharpens up the handling. Skinny tires need more pressure to carry the load over a smaller contact patch.

I started out with 38 psi F and 42 psi R. Tires don't look too worn but they are definitely NOT a sports profile and the PO clearly wasn't a corner carver, so they are flattened a bit more. No issue with rain grooves but the bike does not like any kind of step or seams in the road. Even crossing rumble strips when passing cars, elicits a pretty good twitch.