New CBX’r in Calgary
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2020 11:59 pm
Hi all - New member here from Calgary, Alberta. Here’s my journey how I got here...
Having completed my first frame up restoration on a ‘75 Moto Guzzi, I was seeking my next project. Completed 850T shown below, the restoration was chronicled here > https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=102453.0 on the Wildgoose Chase Moto Guzzi forum.
Initially I was going to look for another 70’s Italian bike, preferably another goose as I had invested in a number of tools specific to their big twin engines. Project bikes are hard to come across out this way, patience is required.
I’m a big fan of Cycle World’s technical editor, Kevin Cameron, and came across this article he wrote in 2016 on the Honda CBX. Kevin has written other bits on the Honda 6 cylinder GP program in the 60’s, full of detail regarding the challenges of building a 6 cyl 18,000 RPM 250cc race bike, always admiring how Honda pushes engineering boundaries. What caught my attention in this article was the reprint of the Jan ‘79 magazine spread below. I remember reading this very article in my high school library (the only reason I ventured into the library was to read the few car/bike magazines we talked the librarian into subscribing)! Then, and now, I thought it odd that the rider pictured in the photo was riding the fastest production motorcycle at the time wearing only a t-shirt. I was smitten by the outrageous engine and the statement Honda was making with this mechanical marvel. Somewhere in my future I needed to own one of these...
Fast forward some 40 years… While there are a few completely restored CBX’s in these parts that fetch the appropriate dollars, I was looking for a project bike. There are more ‘wanted’ than ‘for sale’ listings for CBX’s in Canada but I managed to find a local fellow who has a collection of CBX’s and was willing to part with a long sleeping ‘79 as long as I picked up a second ‘79 ‘parts bike’. One bike is complete less the turn signals (as far as I can tell at this point), engine spins freely but hasn’t been licensed since 2000’ish. The parts bike appears to have less miles but the crank will only spin ~280 degrees so suspect a valve has dropped that rendered it too much trouble to repair and has been a donor for some time.
The only way I could have pulled off that Guzzi restoration is with the assistance offered by the Wildgoose Chase community and the plethora of resources at that site. I only jumped into the CBX pool after spending some time on this forum and seeing the depth of information and willingness for members to lend a hand. Looking forward to the journey and all the insight/knowledge this community can offer - I’ll create a thread in ‘Project Threads’ when I get started.
Thanks in advance!
Having completed my first frame up restoration on a ‘75 Moto Guzzi, I was seeking my next project. Completed 850T shown below, the restoration was chronicled here > https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=102453.0 on the Wildgoose Chase Moto Guzzi forum.
Initially I was going to look for another 70’s Italian bike, preferably another goose as I had invested in a number of tools specific to their big twin engines. Project bikes are hard to come across out this way, patience is required.
I’m a big fan of Cycle World’s technical editor, Kevin Cameron, and came across this article he wrote in 2016 on the Honda CBX. Kevin has written other bits on the Honda 6 cylinder GP program in the 60’s, full of detail regarding the challenges of building a 6 cyl 18,000 RPM 250cc race bike, always admiring how Honda pushes engineering boundaries. What caught my attention in this article was the reprint of the Jan ‘79 magazine spread below. I remember reading this very article in my high school library (the only reason I ventured into the library was to read the few car/bike magazines we talked the librarian into subscribing)! Then, and now, I thought it odd that the rider pictured in the photo was riding the fastest production motorcycle at the time wearing only a t-shirt. I was smitten by the outrageous engine and the statement Honda was making with this mechanical marvel. Somewhere in my future I needed to own one of these...
Fast forward some 40 years… While there are a few completely restored CBX’s in these parts that fetch the appropriate dollars, I was looking for a project bike. There are more ‘wanted’ than ‘for sale’ listings for CBX’s in Canada but I managed to find a local fellow who has a collection of CBX’s and was willing to part with a long sleeping ‘79 as long as I picked up a second ‘79 ‘parts bike’. One bike is complete less the turn signals (as far as I can tell at this point), engine spins freely but hasn’t been licensed since 2000’ish. The parts bike appears to have less miles but the crank will only spin ~280 degrees so suspect a valve has dropped that rendered it too much trouble to repair and has been a donor for some time.
The only way I could have pulled off that Guzzi restoration is with the assistance offered by the Wildgoose Chase community and the plethora of resources at that site. I only jumped into the CBX pool after spending some time on this forum and seeing the depth of information and willingness for members to lend a hand. Looking forward to the journey and all the insight/knowledge this community can offer - I’ll create a thread in ‘Project Threads’ when I get started.
Thanks in advance!
member on board,Welcome! 
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