New Member in Maryland

[Wheels24]

Just checking in to say hello. As background, I grew up outside Philadelphia, PA riding and racing dirt bikes in the early/mid 1970s, and then transitioned to street bikes in the late '70s. A few friends of mine and I roadraced during the 1980s, including WERA, AMA/CCS and AHRMA. I raced a 1981 Honda CB900F for a season - the Freddy Spencer lookalike bike - and it was also my street bike. A good friend had a 1979 CBX, and I loved hearing the sound of it on our many local rides and long weekend trips through the mountains of PA. I decided that I wanted a CBX someday. Then in 1986, I finally stumbled on a used 1981 CBX - complete with optional altimeter, of all things - that a local college kid was selling for $900, so I bought it. I enjoyed it, but not as much as my sport/race bikes. Sport touring wasn't really my thing, but I loved the engine! What I really wanted was a bare-bones '79 or '80.

After moving to Albuquerque, NM in 1990, I ended up selling the '81 CBX to a professional off-road racer from Colorado named Don Adams for $1400 in about 1991 so I could by a Norton Commando I'd found for sale in Albuquerque. The CBX-related regrets started shortly after, but were outweighed by big fun on numerous other bikes for the next ~28 years.

About 2 years ago, the CBX regrets resurfaced in a big way and I actually tried to contact Don and buy back my '81, with no luck. I couldn't find him. Then, this past September, I was scrolling through bikes on Craigslist looking for nothing in particular, and surprisingly, scrolled down to find a bone stock, red, 1980, CBX for sale a couple hours away. I quickly texted the owner, went and looked at it the next day, rode it, and loaded it on my trailer with a huge grin on my face. The only obvious thing it needs is some attention to the float needles and seats...it pees a little gas out of the overflow hoses when on the sidestand after a ride. So...until I can rebuild the carbs this coming spring, when I ride it, I turn off the fuel at the petcock when I'm about 1/2 mile from the house. That leaves enough in the bowls to get me to my driveway, but not enough to pee out the overflows when I park it. Yes...absolutely a temporary measure until it's warm enough to pull the carbs and rebuild everything.

So, I finally have that 1980 CBX I always wanted, and I'm thrilled with it. That said, if I could find my '81 I'd still buy it back too! My racing days are long over, and I enjoy some sport touring now and then. My other bikes are 2 1969 Honda MiniTrails just like my first bike, a 1995 Ducati 900SSSP, a 2003 Ducati 999, a 2014 Suzuki VStrom 1000, and a 1996 Road King. I like just about anything with 2 wheels. Sometimes I'm in the mood to strafe the backroads on one of the Ducatis, sometimes I'm in the mood to explore some mountain dirt roads on the VStrom, and sometimes I just feel like cruising around at a lazy pace on the Harley. And now, I can also enjoy the 6 cylinder rush of a CBX at full song out of a fast sweeper. Good times...

[daves79x]

Welcome! Some pics of your CBX when you can would be great. You may or may not know, but be VERY careful about the float valves leaking. These things will hydrolock any cylinder in a heartbeat. Bad things then happen. If/when you get to the carbs, be prepared for some trials and surprises. They'll need complete separation to replace all the o-rings. Lots of threads here about all that, but certainly holler if you need help. I'm just up the way here in PA.

Dave

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Welcome to the site and thanks for the excellent intro.
I am jealous of your varied riding stable. Feel free to post pics of all of them including the old F if you have any.

[Wheels24]

Thanks for the welcome! Here's a picture of my younger son on the CBX the day after I brought it home, the Ducatis, and one of the MiniTrails. I'll have to dig for a pic of the 900F...but I'll find one.

[daves79x]

Excellent CBX! '80 is the best all-around year. Is yours a Japanese or Marysville bike? Do you know if the bike has been restored or mostly original?

Dave

[Wheels24]

Hi Dave,

As far as I can tell, it's all original except for all wear items and normal repairs/replacements. It's a "Made in U.S.A." model. It had ~58K miles on it when I bought it, and was still the guy's (Dave's) 'daily rider' until he recently bought a newer bike. He had obviously replaced wear items, including the grips. It still has the original tool kit and owner's manual tucked away in the side panel, and he included a shop manual. No...he never restored it. His brother bought it new at Skip's Honda in Keyser, WV....per Dave, scared himself to death on it after 4 months...so Dave bought it from his brother and has been riding it ever since. Dave's a master mechanic with a large shop at his house, and everything he had was immaculate cosmetically and mechanically. He mentioned he had had some recurring problems with a fuse on the CBX, so he reworked it a bit and installed an automotive 'blade' fuse setup for easier roadside fixes. The front brake master cylinder also needed to be rebuilt, so I did that...though I'm still working the air out of the system! He had some aftermarket cushioned grips on it which I didn't like, so I replaced them with some Emgos which appear nearly identical to the originals (which he had saved and included). I also had to replace the rear turn signal flasher relay which was working intermittently. I'm not a collector or 'show bike' guy...I like to get them safe, as reliable as possible, and then ride them often.

Now all I need to do is solve my float issue and she's good to go. I'm going to try the usual quick fixes (fuel system cleaner and ride the heck out of it; carb flushes) to see if that'll work. I know if I start taking things apart it'll be a complete rebuild, along with the rubber boots on both sides of every carb' most likely. ...and who knows what other issues I'll find... Like everyone else, my simple fixes often turn into major projects when I start digging. I need to double check the date codes on the tires too (Bridgestone Battlax BT45s)...plenty of tread with no visible dry rot...but I'm not sure how old they are.

Question for you... He had been using Rotella T6 Syn 5W-40 Diesel motor oil in it. I cringed when I heard that...but he builds race cars and swears by it. It does have 58K miles on it and runs strong. Your thoughts? There you go...new guy asking an oil question!!

Thanks for your help!

Gary in Frederick, MD

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

I have used Rotella T6 in two CBXs for a total of 40,000 miles.
Experienced NO clutch slippage, starter clutch issues or gasket leaks.

[Wheels24]

Thanks Steve...good to know. In all the years I've been riding I've never heard of anyone using Rotella in a motorcycle until I talked with a few CBX owners. Interesting.

I still haven't found a picture of the 900F. They're here somewhere! It was a silver 1981 that I bought new...with the straight blue horizontal stripe on the tank. Loved that bike...a little under-powered and heavy when I raced it in the Open classes against the 1000s and 1100s, but still fun. Sold it to a friend to buy a new 1985 FJ1100.

[daves79x]

Agree, there is nothing wrong with Rotella. I personally use Honda GN4 (non-synthetic) in most CBX applications. I do use semi-synthetic in my personal CBX though. It has worked fine in mine but it does not in others (starter clutch slippage).

Great to see someone has actually ridden your CBX a lot over the years, and it still looks great. It'll give you many more miles of service.

Dave