New member and owner, from Louisiana

[Devonian]

Hi all. I just purchased a CBX in Wisconsin. Have yet to pick it up, but anticipate spending quite a bit of time here learning more about the CBX.

I've been riding since 1979 and remember, quite vividly, seeing a CBX at a county fair, back then. I still have the brochure, which unfolded into a large poster, and adorned my bedroom wall for several years. I can quote the advertising copy from that poster and have had the CBX burned into my psyche as the ultimate "superbike" ever since.

I currently own and ride a KTM 1290, a Guzzi Stelvio, Triumph Tiger, and a 1985 BMW R80RT, along with a few smaller bikes. My last "modern classic" was a GTS-1000, that I owned and rode for several years. That bike was an itch I had been wanting to scratch for a long time, but the CBX has been an obsession my entire adult life. I'm excited to finally welcome one into the garage.

I'm planning a fly-and-ride to pick up my new bike. It's an 82, in original condition. The current owner has had it since 2014 and, as it gets ridden periodically, I'm hopeful there are no hidden problems to bite me on the way home. He tells me it is ready for the road, from a maintenance standpoint. Ill have 3 or 4 days to cover the roughly 1,100 miles back to South Louisiana.

So far, I'm thinking I'll bring along a basic toolkit, with maybe a set of alternator brushes and some contact cleaner. Welcome suggestions for minimal tools I will require and/or any other essential bits to carry along "just in case."

[darbyfam]

Congratulations on the purchase. Im in Southeast Louisiana (Slidell, LA) and have a 79 CBX myself (along with a few other vintage Hondas). Good luck on your trip and PM me when you get back and maybe we can meet up sometime.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Welcome to the site, Devon.
You already have an impressive/eclectic array of bikes. A CBX should fit in nicely.
Hard to say what to bring along. MAYBE a couple 15A glass tube fuses, a 30A main blade fuse? I would suggest a legit air pressure gauge.

[daves79x]

Welcome! If the bike has the original toolkit complete, that's all you need for the trip. Yes, make sure the 30 amp strip main fuse is not 40 years old. They will just fall apart with age. I'd insist on a fresh oil/filter change before the trip. You shouldn't use more than 1/2 quart in 1100 miles, hopefully not that much. Take a small can of chain lube. How many miles? The owner should know if he ever changed brushes or serviced the alternator. Brushes tend to last 30-50K miles on the Pro-Links, but only 10-15K miles on the early models. You should take a peek at the alternator connector and the main fuse connector to the wire harness under the right side cover. They should show no evidence of heating or melted plastic.

Make sure the tires are not ancient by date code and certainly not weather-checked and have decent tread. Then be sure you are running 38 psi in the front and 40 psi in the rear. Then be sure you have about 60 psi in the rear shock and 10 psi in the front fork. The gauge Honda supplied with the Pro-Links works great for checking the suspension. Then pull out the rear damping adjuster the whole way.

Make sure the petcock is not leaking. If it is the original and has not been rebuilt, it's on borrowed time. I'd want to know when the valves were last adjusted, cam chains, plugs, other tune-up stuff was done, just for a starting point for your ownership.

The Pro-Links are wonderful solo touring bikes if maintained properly. There will be lots more stuff you should check/service when you get home, and the trip will expose some of them, most likely.

Good luck - it will be a great adventure!

Dave

[Jeff Bennetts]

Welcome, Looks like Dave has covered most everything. The only thing I would add is bring your credit card and sense of adventure, take your time and enjoy the ride.

[Devonian]

According to the current/soon-to-be-former owner, the owner before him completed a full alternator overhaul with brushes and bearings. I don't think it has done many miles since then. The valves, chains and carbs were done quite a while ago, but not very many miles. The fuel petcock was upgraded at the same time. Tires are a few years old, but in good enough condition for my purposes.

I'll have to double check on the OE toolkit. If it's not there and I need to access the alternator/fuses and any other key bits, what tools are suggested?

I have a small high pressure pump for mountain-bike suspension. Would that be suitable for the CBX suspension?

Also, please elaborate on the. "Pull rear damper out all the way" statement. Is that maximum or minimum damping?

[Jeff Bennetts]

Here is an early model CBX tool bag’s contents.

IMG_5452.png

[Devonian]

Thanks for that. What's the difference with the pro-link toolkit? Are the axle nuts the same size?

[Devonian]

Oh... and can someone recommend a source for that master fuse link?

[JoeInTUS]

Available from Honda for around $1.50

[daves79x]

Rear shock adjuster all the way out is max damping. You can air up both front and rear suspension with a regular chuck/compressor, just a tap at a time. I wouldn't worry too much about anything except getting the bike set up correctly before you start the trip, then have chain lube and tools to adjust the chain. 24mm and 14mm wrenches. No cotter pin on the nut. If the oil can't be changed, at least ask what's in there and get a spare quart. These things will cruise all day at 80-plus mph, but at that rpm, they usually do use a bit of oil.

Get two fuses from Honda. Replace the one in the fuse holder, and slip the spare one into it's slot in the case.

Dave

[Devonian]

Fuses and alternator brushes sourced. I'm surprised to see those fuse links actually being fairly common. I've been working on bikes and cars for 45 years and not come across one before.

What's the favorite choice for oil filters (just in case?) The manual says not to use filters from other models, due to the high flow requirements, but a google search brings up almost entirely filters that claim to fit multiple models.

I'll bring some of my favorite chain lube and pick up a quart of decent oil, once I'm underway.

I downloaded the factory manual and am studying both that and the many resources here. Appreciate all the advice so far. No doubt I'll come up with some more questions pretty soon.

[daves79x]

There is only one Honda filter now for bikes of the era, get from your dealer.

Dave

[Devonian]

I had just read something to that effect. Appreciate the confirmation though.

Decided to bring along some LEDs to convert the headlamp and tail-lamp. Won't take more than a few minutes to install and will reduce the load on the alternator.

Does the prolink CBX have a convenient place to tie in a phone/gps charger? This one has a blank space in the dash for an extra gauge and I wonder if there's an un-used electrical connector behind it.

[JoeInTUS]

The headlight is a mild PITA to replace. You need to remove the glass from the rubber seal, and then remove adjusting knob and mounting nut in the back of the fairing. The better light, daytime visibility and power savings are worth the effort.

There is both always-on power (for a clock) and switched (acc and on positions) in the fairing. The fuses are located in the right fairing pocket. The harness for the gauges should be in the fairing.