What have I done!? CBX!

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desertrefugee
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#91

Post by desertrefugee »

As for the CBX, I splurged a little...

I'm truly pretty much done for now except for a few minor (honest) details and maybe a couple of "wish items" that I'm in no hurry for. This was the priciest improvement.

RC Engineering (of the late, great Russ Collins' fame) made one of the best pipes for the CBX. They're not as common as some of the others, but good things are said about them - and they sound pretty sweet. The PO had a set on for decades, but never ran the silencers (if you can actually call them silencers!) But, the header chrome was badly discolored and there was significant pitting in some of the nether regions. Mentioning this on the CBX board, Greg over there (who also haunts this joint) just happened to have a set of freshly chromed RC headers that had never been used and was willing to give them up!

How could I not go for it?

They arrived yesterday and are now in place. I think the contrast between the fresh chrome and the black motor (not stock on the Z model) really makes those six beautiful pipes pop.

I'm done. Unless I find a really cheap Pro-Link swingarm. :-? Or a nice set of CB1000R forks. :cry: :shock: :IDTS:
Before and After
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- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#92

Post by BikeMaine »

Those look great Man!
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#93

Post by Lucien Harpress »

That's a VERY solid looking bike.

I think the thing to do now is get some miles on that puppy.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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desertrefugee
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#94

Post by desertrefugee »

Still racing the Summer heat clock, I have morning hours. West-facing garage and 100F+ temperatures mean I'm done by Noon. I really only have two more actions on deck until I retire to the A/C and the pool.

I had a sizable oil leak out of the alternator housing. Turned out to be an oring I hadn't anticipated. So, it's still apart until that oring comes in. I'm doing brushes and bearings while I'm in there. By the way, the alternator is driven by an ingenious clutch in an oil bath. The clutch is designed to reduce the torque on the primary shaft (lightweight) which also drives the ignition pulsers - on the other side. This shaft is behind and driven off the crank and is what keeps the width of the CBX from being excessive.
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I'm also fixing the ubiquitous early CBX clutch rattle. A fellow in Belgium has oversized rubber isolators that fit over the clutch hub legs that cures the horrendous rattle these things develop over time. A redesign in '81 cured it. This fix is something Honda never anticipated, so it involves grinding off rivets and drilling and tapping for screws to hold in the replacements. Not terrible, but not a slam dunk, either. I'm not into it yet, but parts are on the way from Europe. CBX folks hate the clutch rattle. Many put up with it. I won't.
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Safe riding, guys!
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#95

Post by delling3 »

Hey D.R. -

Just a quick note that if that alternator should give you issues, J.R. Luksik (handle CBXtras on this forum) has a sweet conversion for an alternative alternator (I think from a Kawi Ninja) which he has engineered for use on the CBX. Supposed to be the "hot setup". You might want to hit him up for some G2 on it.
delling3

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Previous:
1978 GL1000 - JUNE 2017 BOTM: Sold
2006 Kawasaki Concours: Sold
1995 Kawasaki Concours: Crashed/totalled.
1976 GL1000: LAST RESTORATION, sold
1981 Honda CB900F Supersport: 3rd restoration, sold.
1979 Yamaha XS-750F: 2nd restoration, sold.
1982 Honda FT-500 Ascot: First (only) new bike. Family forces sale.
1973 CB500 Four: First restoration, long gone.
1972 Suzuki TS-100: First bike, sold.

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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#96

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Interesting. I always wondered exactly how the alternator and other "stuff" attached to it worked on the CBX. I guess the early models had trouble shearing alternator shafts, so the clutch was the answer?

Early models of the KZ1300 followed a similar path with the ignition pickups, having them run on a secondary rear shaft (driven, interestingly enough, by a right angle front-to-back shaft that, at the other end, also ran the water pump impeller). Later models moved them up to the crank, which side depending on the model year.

However, every year of the 1300 ran the stator directly off the crank. The cylinder bank is a bit narrower than the CBX (thanks, water-cooling), but add the stator and the width at the crank is nearly identical. In fact, later models, mostly those fitted for touring, but others as well, eventually added a SECOND stator to the other side of the crank, as the stock one was a bit anemic. Guys like to retrofit this to get more juice on an early bike, but kits are hard to find, expensive when they are available, and involve drilling and tapping the crank with a reverse-threaded hole of a very hard-to-find size. I'll stick with what I have.
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#97

Post by desertrefugee »

delling3 wrote:Hey D.R. -

Just a quick note that if that alternator should give you issues, J.R. Luksik (handle CBXtras on this forum) has a sweet conversion for an alternative alternator (I think from a Kawi Ninja) which he has engineered for use on the CBX. Supposed to be the "hot setup". You might want to hit him up for some G2 on it.
Yeah, thanks d3. J.R.'s name comes up quite a bit in the CBX circles. I'm aware of his (and other) alternatives to the stock setup. Frankly, none are cheap - stock or otherwise. So far, I'm lucky and mine is charging quite well. The brushes were about half gone, but I replaced them anyway and kept the old ones as spares. Other than the leak, I should be good to go. I'm assuming that I'll have the leak handled in a few days. And boy it was a good one too, right onto the header. Dang thing smelled like an old Studebaker.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#98

Post by desertrefugee »

Lucien Harpress wrote:Interesting. I always wondered exactly how the alternator and other "stuff" attached to it worked on the CBX. I guess the early models had trouble shearing alternator shafts, so the clutch was the answer?

No. This was the design from the beginning. I think it was the quick-revving aspect of the CBX spooked them enough that Honda wanted to allow slippage in order to avoid the inertia that big rotor presents. They were proactive! There are a number of neat engineering touches they applied on this motor.

Early models of the KZ1300 followed a similar path with the ignition pickups, having them run on a secondary rear shaft (driven, interestingly enough, by a right angle front-to-back shaft that, at the other end, also ran the water pump impeller). Later models moved them up to the crank, which side depending on the model year.

Yeah, I didn't mention that the layshaft (primary shaft in Hondaspeak) on the CBX is chain driven.


However, every year of the 1300 ran the stator directly off the crank. The cylinder bank is a bit narrower than the CBX (thanks, water-cooling), but add the stator and the width at the crank is nearly identical. In fact, later models, mostly those fitted for touring, but others as well, eventually added a SECOND stator to the other side of the crank, as the stock one was a bit anemic. Guys like to retrofit this to get more juice on an early bike, but kits are hard to find, expensive when they are available, and involve drilling and tapping the crank with a reverse-threaded hole of a very hard-to-find size. I'll stick with what I have.

Speaking of KZ1300's, I think we'd all like to see some action on yours this year. You sort of ignored it last Summer.

...just sayin'
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#99

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Oh, trust me. I would like nothing better. To give you an idea of where I'm at, AFTER I made sure that leaking brake fluid didn't permanently damage a paint job I can't afford to fix, I need to get in touch with a local machine shop to see if they can re-sleeve a brake master cylinder because I don't feel like dropping $150 on an Ebay replacement that's (most likely) just as rotted as the one I have. Haven't checked the rear yet, but I have a feeling that one's leaking as well, so add that to do later. And I don't think you can get a rebuild kit for the rear....

(Not to mention the oil leaking from the water pump AND both leaky fork seals)

Yeah. It's been fun. :)
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#100

Post by robin1731 »

Lucien Harpress wrote:Oh, trust me. I would like nothing better. To give you an idea of where I'm at, AFTER I made sure that leaking brake fluid didn't permanently damage a paint job I can't afford to fix, I need to get in touch with a local machine shop to see if they can re-sleeve a brake master cylinder because I don't feel like dropping $150 on an Ebay replacement that's (most likely) just as rotted as the one I have. Haven't checked the rear yet, but I have a feeling that one's leaking as well, so add that to do later. And I don't think you can get a rebuild kit for the rear....

(Not to mention the oil leaking from the water pump AND both leaky fork seals)

Yeah. It's been fun. :)
Jeez, you had a whole Michigan winter to work on it. :IDTS: :roll: lolol shakehands anim-cheers1
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#101

Post by BikeMaine »

desertrefugee wrote:
delling3 wrote:Hey D.R. -

Just a quick note that if that alternator should give you issues, J.R. Luksik (handle CBXtras on this forum) has a sweet conversion for an alternative alternator (I think from a Kawi Ninja) which he has engineered for use on the CBX. Supposed to be the "hot setup". You might want to hit him up for some G2 on it.
Yeah, thanks d3. J.R.'s name comes up quite a bit in the CBX circles. I'm aware of his (and other) alternatives to the stock setup. Frankly, none are cheap - stock or otherwise. So far, I'm lucky and mine is charging quite well. The brushes were about half gone, but I replaced them anyway and kept the old ones as spares. Other than the leak, I should be good to go. I'm assuming that I'll have the leak handled in a few days. And boy it was a good one too, right onto the header. Dang thing smelled like an old Studebaker.
Being careful of that leak on the header is an understatement.
Here's my old truck last summer. Blew a $3.90 gasket between transfer case and transmission. Fluid came out right onto exhaust. Total loss. Thank God for insurance.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#102

Post by desertrefugee »

Yikes! Thanks. Well, I don't think it was quite that bad. But, your description triggered a memory. Some years ago, a guy in a pickup in Texas passed me on 288 south out of Houston. He was flying. And leaving a huge oil cloud behind. I could tell it was from a leak and thought he could have trouble. I got to Lake Jackson and there he was. Looked a lot like your photo above!
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#103

Post by Lucien Harpress »

robin1731 wrote:Jeez, you had a whole Michigan winter to work on it. :IDTS: :roll: lolol shakehands anim-cheers1
Look, propane heaters are complicated, okay? Stoichiometry never HAS been my strong suit..... :mrgreen: :lol:
1997 Valkyrie- Light Cutomization, but Too Busy Riding
1980 KZ1300- Bike's Haunted
1976 GL1000 (Yellow)- It Runs (Poorly) and Doesn't Leak (Mostly)
1974 Velosolex 3800- Better Than Walking
1972 CB750- Broke the Chain And Ate the Motor
1969 CT90- The Most Fun You Can Have on 90ccs.
1965 CA77 Dream- Needs a Full Teardown, but Complete

All advice I give is only valid until an expert corrects me.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#104

Post by BikeMaine »

desertrefugee wrote:Yikes! Thanks. Well, I don't think it was quite that bad. But, your description triggered a memory. Some years ago, a guy in a pickup in Texas passed me on 288 south out of Houston. He was flying. And leaving a huge oil cloud behind. I could tell it was from a leak and thought he could have trouble. I got to Lake Jackson and there he was. Looked a lot like your photo above!
Huge oil cloud you say? Yep, my truck was leaving a smoke screen the Batmobile would have been jealous of.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#105

Post by Rat »

"Stoichiometry" .... OK .... had to look that one up ....

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