Surprise For My Dad: Secretly Rebuilding his 1982 CBX (I Need Help!).

[Airborne.fp]

Hello CBX enthusiasts,

I wanted to share a unique story with you all, and perhaps seek some guidance on a minor roadblock I've encountered during my journey. About 20 years ago, my dad parked his beloved 1982 CBX and it has stayed untouched in his garage ever since. During the pandemic, I embarked on a secret project – with my mom's help, I carefully removed the bike and replaced it with some placeholder items, all while keeping the original cover intact to keep the ruse alive.

Since April, I've been pouring my heart and soul into rebuilding the CBX. I have to say, I've learned an incredible amount from reading the discussions on this forum – your shared knowledge has been invaluable. The project is nearly complete, and my goal is to surprise my dad with the fully rebuilt and meticulously detailed bike, almost as good as new.

However, here's where I've hit a snag. It seems that my dad might have lost the original petcock and replaced it with the one from the 1979-81 era, which does not fit the 1982 tank. I cannot find the right replacement for it, so I'm turning to this fantastic community for guidance: where can I find the original 1982 petcock? Any leads or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I want to thank you all for your unknowing support through this endeavor. This forum has been an incredible resource for me, and I can't wait to reveal the finished project to my dad and share the story of this unforgettable journey.

Best,
Filip

[NobleHops]

In this kind of endeavor, step 1 is to get the OEM part number, which you can find at Partzilla:

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda ... /fuel-tank

The second part number turned this up on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... &_osacat=0

So that's option 1, a brand new NOS one.

Option 2 is our friend Louis Mintrone at www.usedcbxparts.com

Nice project, I salute you!

N.

[daves79x]

https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cbx1000-sup ... 950ma2771/ CMSNL has the correct '82 petcock listed as available.

Dave

[daves79x]

That is a great project you are working on! Would love to hear what all you've done during the recommissioning process and perhaps some pics.

Dave

[CBX-tras]

Option 4

Since the exact part number is no longer available from Honda and used ones are.....well.......USED:

I can modify a different petcock (brand new, Honda) to change the outlet to match what the '82 CBX needs.

Only a trained eye will notice the difference.

Just pay for the parts and I'll make you one.

LMK.

[NobleHops]

Option 4

Since the exact part number is no longer available from Honda and used ones are.....well.......USED:

I can modify a different petcock (brand new, Honda) to change the outlet to match what the '82 CBX needs.

Only a trained eye will notice the difference.

Just pay for the parts and I'll make you one.

LMK.

Outstanding!

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Welcome to the site, Filip.
Such a nice thing you are doing for your father.
As mentioned it would be great to see some pics and more details on the restoration.

[Airborne.fp]

Thank you all for your prompt support and words of encouragement! I placed an order for a new petcock from Louis and hope to get it this week. That should put us pretty much at the final carb adjustment and road test (bladder was used initially to make the engine run and sync carbs)!

I will write another post outlining the work done thus far.

Thank you,
Filip

[Airborne.fp]

Below is the outline of the work done thus far (started in February):
1. Full carb rebuild, rejetting and sync (my dad always wanted individual airpods, but he never gotten around to installing them. Unfortunately this required different size jets. I'm not a fan and will likely try to "convince" him to return to the original airbox).
2. New spark plugs, rubber boots and clamps.
3. Oil and filter change.
4. Gas tank clean up and liner/sealer. Gas tank was very corroded and when I drained it the fuel was dark red. I used POR-15 to seal it and inspected it with small hose camera to ensure even coverage.
5. The original Dunlop tires looked beautiful and barely used, but I wouldn't trust them after sitting for 20 years. Replaced both.
6. Forks were leaking, so had to be serviced (new bushings, seals, etc.).
7. Flushed the break fluid.
8. Clutch cable replaced (original was so deteriorated it was not returning to the original position).
9. New front and back sprockets along with a new chain.
10. Rear brake cylinder was seized and needed to be rebuilt.
11. Fuel lines and all rubber hoses were hard like plastic and cracked easily. Replaced all.

That's the work done thus far, but the test is ahead. I'd love to show pics of it being cleaned up and looking great, but i'm not there yet. Below are some pics of the current state (full detail and polish will be done after the road test). Once completed, I will drop a lot more pictures! :).

Thank you,
Filip

[daves79x]

A couple of observations/questions: You certainly removed the carbs the hard way. The rubbers stay on the head. Make sure the rubbers ae still clocked correctly. You should have just left the stock airbox on - your Dad would have learned to live with it. What jetting did you put in for the pods? They are going to end up being a PITA.

You mentioned doing a bit of piecemeal brake work. You'll likely end up rebuilding EVERY component. How were the steering bearings? If the bike has 20K miles or more, it needs them.

The Pro-Link linkage bushings all need removed, cleaned and re-greased. Verify that the rear shock will still hold 60psi for an extended period and is not leaking oil from the little drain on the suspension link.

Clean and grease EVERY pivot point you can find - both levers, shifter pivot, rear brake spindle. Lots more that you may have done, or not.

Looking forward to hearing more progress!

Dave

[Airborne.fp]

Dave was right, as always. The bike was not happy with the individual airpods. I decided to go back to the stock airbox and thus had to go back to the original jetting. I also ordered and received the original petcock for 1982 CBX from our friend in Florida and it was a perfect match. Thank you all for the advise and contact information!

After spending a couple of months redoing all this work, we put the bike together and tested it. The engine sounds fantastic and runs great. It has plenty of power and is very responsive, but here comes a very weird problem that has me puzzled... The bike runs out of fuel faster before it can get it from the gas tank. It will run for a few minutes, a couple of miles and then will experience symptoms of fuel starvation. After checking the fuel filter, it seems empty and refills when stationary. Once parked for a few minutes, the bike starts right out and runs great again, until it runs out again. What the hell is causing this? The fuel tank was cleaned thoroughly, resealed with POR-15 and inspected thoroughly to ensure there is no blockage. The petcock is brand new and the diaphragm works as it's supposed to. We tested it by letting the fuel drain into a container and it pours just fine from the fuel tank. When hooked to an IV it does not seem to experience this problem, so it seems there is an issue with fuel delivery from the gas tank to the carbs. What am I missing? Has anyone experienced similar problem? The jetting is stock, the bike doesn't appear to be running rich, so how come it's burning fuel faster than it can get it from the tank? How to troubleshoot it and what could be the problem?

Thank you all for your help!

Filip

[JoeInTUS]

I would check the vent in the gas cap by spraying some air or brake clean through it to verify it is not partially blocked.

[daves79x]

Second the gas cap check. You can also run the bike without the cap if your tank is half empty or so, to see if this is indeed your problem. One other thing I have seen a couple of guys do is block all the bowl vents with connecting tubes in stead of leaving the 2-3 and 4-5 vents open. This will starve your carbs in short order. Edit - looking back over the pics, it seems you have the vent Ts and hoses in place.

It also sounds like you left the stock vacuum valve in place. You seem to have tested it OK. The definitive test is to put a vacuum source (I use a Mity-Vac) on the valve and see if it holds vacuum OK. If in doubt at all, eliminate the valve and plumb straight into the carbs, using a brass T fitting. Also, if you did not completely disassemble the valve and clean it, it may be sticking partially closed from tarry fuel residue. Good news is you can remove the vacuum valve with the carbs in place. You will need two shorter screws to replace the ones removed from the valve bracket.

Dave

[Larry Zimmer]

One other thing to check is the little screen that is part of the petcock. Access it by removing the bowl. It is a very fine mesh and small screen. Years back, I encountered what sounds to be exactly your issue. Went through everything such as cap vent, etc. My 82 would starve after about 110 miles on a full tank. After a helluva lot of head scratching I removed the little screen and replaced it with a large fine filter down-line. Problem solved. Whatever was getting into/onto that screen was fine enough to pass through the large screen in the tank. Obviously, gravity feed from a few inches doesn't tolerate much obstruction.

Hope this helps.

P.S This all happened after I had removed the vacuum valve. Obviously, it was not relate to the problem.