What have I done!? CBX!

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Lucien Harpress
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#76

Post by Lucien Harpress »

I love the sound of a 6 cylinder motorcycle SO much.
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!

#77

Post by desertrefugee »

I know I said I'd phase out this thread, but I guess I'll update it from time to time if I consider an action on this bike to be significant. I think this one was.

As much of a statement of engineering prowess as the CBX was for Honda, I am not really sure how or why they opted to employ a critical component like a swingarm bushing made from plastic. Weight? Ease of installation?

In any case, my swingarm was a bit shabby looking and I never asked the PO (original owner) if he'd upgraded the bushings. I figured maybe I could kill two birds with one stone.

And it turned out he had not:
Yep.  Plastic.
Yep. Plastic.
IMG_5925.JPG (91.91 KiB) Viewed 331 times
Got these from Germany. I've heard good things about them. They were definitely snug. Judicious use of both freezer and heat gun on opposite bits was necessary. Oh, and a hammer.
Brass now.
Brass now.
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I have a set of All Balls bearings for the triple tree, but I am seriously considering sourcing another set of forks - inverted and larger than 37mm ... :(
- 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!

#78

Post by BikeMaine »

Interesting
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#79

Post by Lucien Harpress »

Knowing Honda... I wonder if those bearing fit anything else (aka, "let's just pull this part off the shelf").

If there were any complaints about the CBX (from that I gather) apart from the complexity is that, apart from the engine, everything else is a bit underbuilt. Too-small forks, frame a bit lighter than it could be, etc. But who knows. This is all anecdotal to me.
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!

#80

Post by desertrefugee »

No, you're right. Too much engine for the frame and forks. I'm already looking at a few fat, inverted fork options. (And brakes). The bronze bushings will help a lot, but there's a very helpful frame bracing technique that works wonders, I'm told. I will probably not go there - involves a bit of fabrication. A man's gotta know his limits. I've also toyed with the idea of a Pro-link rear swingarm (major change to '81/'82 CBX's). Not the normal monoshock, but converted for dual shocks.

Anyway, by all accounts, the KZ1300 was a clear-cut winner - except maybe in spirited handling. But, even with all the warts, it's still a CBX. 'nuff said.
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#81

Post by Lucien Harpress »

desertrefugee wrote:Anyway, by all accounts, the KZ1300 was a clear-cut winner - except maybe in spirited handling. But, even with all the warts, it's still a CBX. 'nuff said.
Yeah, that's what's weird, though. Of all the "6-cylinder motorcycle comparison test' articles I've read, a majority give the nod to the CBX. Now, I don't know how much of that is name recognition of the Honda, but performance wise it was a bit of a wash. The CBX may have 300cc less displacement and about 15/25hp less (at the crank) than the KZ1300, BUT it's also nearly 100 lbs. lighter too. The KZ is nearly as heavy as a 1500 Valkyrie, but it doesn't carry it as well.

People knock off points for the water-cooling too, and I'll admit the radiator on it is VERY tacked-on. But now we're getting into the realm of subjective beauty, and I'm not touching ANY of that. :lol:

But really, at the end of the day, everything either bike did was done better by smaller, 4 cylinder bikes of the same vintage. ;)
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!

#82

Post by BikeMaine »

What is the top-end speed of each of the two aforementioned bikes?
Kevin
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#83

Post by eades473 »

Not sure of the top speed of the Kawasaki but I got the worst speeding ticket of my life on one. 138 mph, the cop said I was still accelerating and going uphill. Was expensive, had to lawyer up! 1984 Voyager13 full dress bike.
riding the **** out of it!
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#84

Post by BikeMaine »

eades473 wrote:Not sure of the top speed of the Kawasaki but I got the worst speeding ticket of my life on one. 138 mph, the cop said I was still accelerating and going uphill. Was expensive, had to lawyer up! 1984 Voyager13 full dress bike.
:shock: woo..... That must have cost you.....
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Lucien Harpress
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#85

Post by Lucien Harpress »

BikeMaine wrote:What is the top-end speed of each of the two aforementioned bikes?
Google gives both in the 135-140 mph range. The biggest difference is power delivery. The CBX is a bit like the Goldwings in that most of the fun power is higher in the rev range, so you gotta spool it up a bit. The torque curve is a bit flatter on the KZ, so you've basically got a smooth turbine-like acceleration whenever you want, at the cost of 100 extra pounds of weight.
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!

#86

Post by Goboy »

Thought you guys would get a kick out of this one. Not quite 6 cylinders but looks wider.
Kawasaki KH500 01.JPG
Kawasaki KH500 01.JPG (73.63 KiB) Viewed 274 times
883cc’s 109 rear wheel HP.
Kawasaki KH500 02.jpg
Kawasaki KH500 02.jpg (161.75 KiB) Viewed 274 times
Kawasaki KH500 04 883cc.jpg
Kawasaki KH500 04 883cc.jpg (179.54 KiB) Viewed 274 times
You're too small to ride a hog Billy!

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Previous bikes: 05 Yamaha FJR 1300, 79 Suzuki GS 1000, 75 Yamaha XS 650, 73 Kawasaki S2 350
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#87

Post by desertrefugee »

Great Caesar's Ghost! (Perry White) The H1 and H2 were insane bikes (for the time) even as triples. Can't imagine that one. Somebody has grafted a couple of extra holes onto it. While clearance ain't so great, it sure is clean, factory-looking work.
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#88

Post by cbrianroll »

Dang....these are new to me! I think i need one lol
78 gl1000 rat project thingy...still under construction
76 gl1000 parts for 78? Trying to get running...
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#89

Post by wingrider »

I believe that 5 cylinder Kawi was made by a fella named Millyard. He has done some pretty wild conversions!
2002 1800 Wing
2001 Valkyrie Interstate
1978 1200 EFI Wing with Motorvation Coupe Royale sidecar
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Re: What have I done!? CBX!

#90

Post by low-side »

https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/clas ... h-quadrant

That Kawi reminds me of the Triumph Quadrant. A lot of work went into that machine too.
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