Bar ID?

[Don]

Thanks Nils - I had no idea they were still available

Missed you at Brookville . . . . was looking forward to meeting you!

Don

[Don]

If you don't want to "mess" with 35mm forks and want to improve the capabilites of your CBX, why replacing 1979 technology with 1983 technology?

Because it's a vintage bike, Mike and I like to keep that look and sticking with parts from that era gives me that, plus the costs are relatively low for the gains achieved - To the casual observer, the bike looks pretty much correct . . . . nothing 'ultra-modern' clashing with the rest of the 30 year old technology

You think your gain is worth the trouble?

Certainly - It still looks good, the parts all seem to 'match' and the whole thing works so very much better than my last stock '79 that it's just light years better, at least to me

For me, it isn't. If I will ever change the original set-up in my 79, I will do it with something that is worth the trouble

Then you should keep your bike exactly as it is - I'm not trying to tell you to do anything different . . . . I'm not criticizing your choice(s) in any way - I'd just appreciate a little of the same consideration from you and I thank you (in advance) for it

In the meantime, I ride my 79 as is and arrive 15 minutes after you at our destination

Fine - My suggestions are readily available, don't cost all that much and yes . . . . the 15 minutes is worth it to me. I can certainly understand why it isn't to you . . . . you have a garage full of newer, high tech machinery to ride to get your thrills, so your CBX needed even try to compete with them . . . . for me, riding my CBX is about the biggest thrill in motorcycling that I've ever had on public roads, and truthfully, it's all I really want. If it didn't completely fill the bill, I'd buy something else. I can only ride one at a time and this one gives me all the thrill I need . . . . plus, I'd rather be seen on a tidy old CBX than on anything you have in your garage - You can probably make a good estimation of all the $$$ that is saving me . . . . and I don't have to load more than one bike to go to a rally

Have a nice day,

Don

[EMS]

That statement didn't leave much consideration...

sitting in your garage (or your dining room ), but if you really like to ride it,

. . . for me, riding my CBX is about the biggest thrill in motorcycling that I've ever had on public roads,
Don

It is for me too. Maybe not quite the biggest thrill, but it is right up there. And it is because of more than the handling. The response of the engine to throttle twist, its smooth wind-up, the sound, the look over the tank to the instruments, the relative fit of seat, foot- and hand-controls and also because of some of the period-typical inadequacies (word?) which were part of the original concept and make the character of the bike. It is a little like the Kawasaki Triples where the engines, by far, outperformed the chassis and this gave the bikes their reputation. While I can appreciate the work that goes into modifying a H1 or H2 chassis to bring it up to standard, I would not want to anything like this on my own bike, except for converting to dual front brakes, which was a dealer option at the time.

[Don]

The response of the engine to throttle twist, its smooth wind-up, the sound, the look over the tank to the instruments, the relative fit of seat, foot- and hand-controls and also because of some of the period-typical inadequacies (word?) which were part of the original concept and make the character of the bike

I agree with you, but I look at it a little differently

The excellent engine and transmission, the flowing lines on the early models are among the most beautiful creations of the era . . . . how in the world did thay get that enormously wide engine positioned into a bike frame without it looking like a sideways school bus coming at you down the road . . . . but somehow they not only did, but they made it absolutely beautiful to boot - They collect admirers like flies everytime you park one

I wanted one from the day they first came out. I spent '80 to '83 in Germany with them blasting by me at full song nearly everywhere I went. Finally my kids were grown and gone so I search high and low for the nicest example of a '79 that I could afford, finally find one and then get it out on the road and riding it was such a major . . . . disappointment. It never felt 'solid' under me like a 750 or the 500/4 I bought new and the brakes kinda reminded me of the old triples. I like to thrash my bikes around playing in the twisties and even after riding it for several thousand miles over a couple of years, I still felt like it was tiptoeing around on it everywhere I went - It was far from the funnest bike to ride I'd owned

I began to understand why you never saw them out on the road any longer and why so many of them were sitting at bike shows and in peoples living and dining rooms - Many owners obviously also owned other bikes which were better to ride. But . . . . I'd bought mine partly as an 'investment' hoping not to lose any money on it and one day sell it for what I had in it, or maybe even a little more, so it needed to remain basically stock - I was essentially stuck with a bike I loved to listen to, liked to look at but didn't find all that much fun to ride

Katrina solved all that for me - The bike was gone and I was too busy getting our lives back together to even think about it

Enter Dave McMunn - He offered to piece something together to restore/replace my bike and we got to talking. What sort of CBX did I like? Was I a stickler for a totally stock look . . . . or did I mind a few modifications to make it a better bike to ride? My eyes really lit up. I listed what *I* thought were most of the shortcomings of my old bike and he whipped out a photo of an '80 he had recently reworked and sold and we talked about the things he had done to remedy what I didn't care for - Brakes, swingarm, forks, shocks and the whole ball of wax

After what turned out to be a year of Daves donated labor, so many donated pieces and parts, this would never be a bike I could ever consider selling, so why even *think* about resale value? If we could make it really *fun* to ride, it could be/would be the best motorcycle I could ever dream of owning - I wouldn't *think* of trading it even up for a brand new example of the latest and greatest . . . . whatever you consider that to be these days

Dave worked his well proven magic and made some significant modifications while still keeping the flavor of the CBX era and delivered to me the best riding CBX I'd ever been on and I think at the time he said it was the best riding one he'd ever been on as well, and he's ridden quite a few. I put 5 or 6 thousand miles on it, really getting a feel for what I liked about it and what I thought still needed more improvement and started collecting more bits and pieces. Dave (being a glutton for punishment) offered to help me assemble some of the things I didn't feel comfortable tackling myself and now I/we have it very close to my perfect bike - True, it has lots of cast off bits and pieces from those who upgraded their bikes with better stuff and all the parts are nearly as old as my bike is, but those bits and pieces did what I hoped they would to the overall ride and feel of the bike while keeping most of the original 'flavor' of the stock bike that I always loved

I know lots of guys rework their bikes with much newer, better preforming parts than we used and they have bikes which ride and perform even better than this one does, but many of those efforts lose more of the originality than I would be happy with - Not to say what they do is anymore right or wrong than someone who leaves things 100% stock or someone like me who only goes half-way into making it a great(er) bike . . . . this one is just 100% my 'flavor' and I'm really super proud of it and terribly grateful for everyone who donated to it, helped with it, advised me on what to do with it or pointed me in the direction I was looking to go

You *can* take a 30 year old bike and make it a much better looking, riding, more reliable, better all around machine by mixing and matching from a big pile of 30 year old parts from other makes/models . . . . although I kept mine 100% Honda. It won't be completely stock, so some won't like it, it probably won't be nearly as good as it could be if your 30 year old pile of parts was a 10 year old pile of parts but if you're more into the vintage look and feel you can make something kinda unique, more fun to ride and still have it be basically a 30 year old classic

I agree you've butted heads with me over my way of thinking about 67 times . . . . but the bike is now pretty near to the exact point I was hoping to one day get it, so I wouldn't change a thing. You may not like it or care to own it, but for me, it's about PERFECT - Hopefully one day we'll be at a riding rally somewhere and you can take it for a spin and then tell me what you *really* think of it

Don

[NobleHops]

Nice thoughtful post Don. Thanks.

N.

[EMS]

O.K. Don, let's be friends again I will acknowledge that you really, really like the improvements you made with your bike, which turned it into a much better bike for you and you will forgive all of us who still ride their CBXes with stock chassis...

But I want to come back to the original question. I don't think we have a conclusive answer.
Here are some pictures of a NOS pair of stock Euro Prolink handlebars.
I tried to shoot a picture in the same position as the original pics were and I couldn't. This tells me the offset angle is different and the Prolink bars are pointing further forward.
Also, when I measure the rise, it looks like the Prolink bars are slightly lower than the ones pictured by Dewey.
Compare yourself

[daves79x]

Mike:
Yes, we do know what the bars pictured are from. The bottom set are absolutely Canadian 1100F (and probably others from Europe). I sold them to Patrick - that's how I know. I have several sets and have used them on my restorations. I have thousands of miles riding with stock sport kit bars (both on my '79 and a Pro-Link). The bend of the F bars is far more comfortable for me. If you mount both styles correctly, the sport kit bars almost cant the opposite of the F bars - hence the reason many guys flip the sport kit bars around. This leaves the locating pins in the wrong place (most just pull them out) and also leaves the locating holes for the switches in the wrong place. Then you either have to drill new locating holes or file/break off the tabs on the switch housings. That is the beauty of the F bars - all the holes line up perfectly and the locating pins for the bars are correct as well.

The top set is indeed from a early-to-mid eighties Interceptor. They are solid with no removable weight and you indeed need to drill for the switch pins and remove the locating pins. The are a straight pull, however and neither cant the bars forward or backward - some like that as well. Don's are kind of like that, but possibly a bit higher. There are several incarnations of 39mm clip-ons Honda used in the eighties. But again, the only ones I've found that are a direct bolt-on are the Euro sport kit bars and the F bars.

Dave

[Don]

Boy Mike - Your parts stash is really something!

If I had your pile of parts and a few decent CBX's to bolt all that stuff on, I'd have me several really, really good riders ;) . . . . but I could still only ride one at a time

Don