CBX Racing

CBXs, new bikes, old bikes, cars, trucks, general chat, off topic, this is the place to post it.
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Warwick Biggs
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Re: CBX Racing

Post by Warwick Biggs »

Another quick correction. I am reminded by another competitor that altho the incident at Bathurst was career ending for Dennis that he did in fact survive and only died a few years ago. Mea culpa, mea culpa.

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Re: CBX Racing

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Here is another reminder of production racing of the CBX in Oz. The 1979 Bathurst race program featured a CBX production racer (complete with Castrol 6 Hour plates) on the front cover. In a way this was the beginning of the end.

In Oz in the 70's if you were a motorcyclist and somebody mentioned Easter you might have thought of the Christian festival but you certainly would have thought of the production bike endurance races at Bathurst's Mount Panorama. Enthusiasts would make the annual pilgrimage to the Mount from all over the country. Some would only do one race a year but it had to be Bathurst. Many would turn up on their road bikes, dump their camping gear, strip all the lights and unnecessary road gear and enter the bike they had just ridden to the circuit. That was proddy racing in the 70's.

In 1979 there were grid rows back to about 35, each 4 abreast. That is a grid of 140 production bikes for each race, usually with 2 or 3 riders per machine. It was always a pretty wild and raucous affair especially if you camped up the top of the mountain where drunken and stoned burnouts, burn ups and other outrageous antics were common. The event ended up attracting too many 1%'ers and that meant more coppers (fuel on the fire) and eventually to riots and the last Bathurst bike race in 2000 ended with the bankruptcy of the promoter. Too bad, too sad.

Sadly, with the cost and sophistication of modern machines the nearest thing we have today to production racing is Superbike or Supersport racing where a 6 figure budget is the minimum requirement and that is after the initial cost of $150K for a competitive machine. The bike that could be accused of starting the rot (because it was so expensive in the day) was of course, the Honda CBX.

Paradoxically however, it has become one of the cheapest bikes to race in our Period 5 historic superbike class. Aint' life grand?
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Re: CBX Racing

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Of course, not everything CBX related was happening in Oz. As you can see from this image Hollywood had it's own take on motorcycle sport in America.

I particularly like the large aerodynamic bikini fairing and the steam/flames/expression??? from the Pipemasters 6 into 6. I can see that carrying a mace could be useful in a country where so many people seem to be armed but I'm not sure about the feather on the helmet. Its a bit like smoking whilst riding - somewhat incompatible.
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Syscrush
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Re: CBX Racing

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That movie is 100% worth watching. It's both stranger and more mundane that you'd ever guess from that cover.
Phil in Toronto
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Re: CBX Racing

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"Strange" and "mundane" are not normally synonymous Phil but after watching the film, I can see what you mean.

Despite good locations, the medieval comedia del arte theme and occasional flashes of originality it is a fairly cliched early 80's biker genre film where gladiatorial nihilism is portrayed as a noble response to a degenerate society. The bikes are fetishised with the ultimate bike the CBX destroyed with it's knight rider in the final scenes. A well ploughed furrow lifted by a few nice performances.

The fundamental essence of these films can be found at any race track where battle is engaged in a controlled danger environment, where mutual respect is essential and the victors are humbled by the contest itself. The same theme is exposed without any cloying metaphors. The sense of camaraderie in an ultimately rather pointless pursuit is there together with a primitive underlying hunger for adrenalin mixed with suppressed showmanship. Just toss in a CBX and the picture is complete.

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Re: CBX Racing

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I'm glad you checked it out and didn't consider it a waste of your time.

I found it really interesting that a movie made in 1981 had a plotline where a straight character was mad at a gay character for not coming out - even to himself. I remember the 80's and that was an extremely atypical attitude about homosexuality then - especially in a movie trying to play off of both biker/loner and knight/chivalry themes.

I hadn't thought of the connection to racing before, but I agree with your take.

Therefore, I recommend the movie One Man's Island - for me it perfectly epitomizes the dichotomy you describe where racing is pointless and everything both at the same time.
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Re: CBX Racing

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I watched the film and Mark Gardiner was lucky because now the TT organisers require all riders to be under the age of 45 and have an average top ten finishing rate in all domestic racing at home just to be able to have the opportunity to qualify. The speeds are so much greater now than in 2001 and most competitors are professional racers.

I had a sponsor with good IOM contacts offer to help me go over for the Manx GP that was a pre-requisite to taking the Lump over for the Classic TT but the age limit was lowered on me. Some rare exceptions are made for famous racers but that was not me. Altho' I had been an A grader in my youth I now classify myself in my own mind as a C grader because I've had to learn to ride all over again after the stroke and I'm neither as fit nor foolhardy as in my youth, so maybe its for the best. But who knows? Maybe covid will change the TT like it has done most other things and hope springs eternal.

In any event, I have done some quick laps of the circuit on a YZF1000 and the speeds are truly shocking, even for a racer. The open corners over the mountain moors for example are really quick. I was knee down at around 140 mph on one corner when I was passed by 2 bikes at the same time, one on each side and it gave me a hell of a fright. I saw 3 people killed while I was sitting in the beer garden at The Raven at Ballaugh Bridge and that year the morgue at Nobles was full. It's dangerous alright.

Nice to see Michelle Duff in the film, no doubt a legend in Canada. I met her at the TT and then shared a flight back to Manchester with her in the pocket rocket. There is a pic I took of her earlier in this thread. She had failed to finish a legends lap because her bike from a Yamaha museum nipped up on her which was a pity. She was taking pics of the track out the window of the plane when the hostie asked her to change seats for somebody else. Her response was unprintable. Most people can't understand the emotional effect the IOM has for motorcycle enthusiasts. For Michelle no doubt it was a precious opportunity, maybe never to be repeated.

The IOM can only be described as the temple of road racing.

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Re: CBX Racing

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Warwick Biggs wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 3:54 am
The IOM can only be described as the temple of road racing.
Yeah, a temple where human sacrifices are made.

I see the appeal, but I'm past romanticizing the TT - the price in blood is just way too high.
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Re: CBX Racing

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Of course and that is why the organisers have cracked down on old farts like me tackling the course without an adequate level of skill and experience. Even tho' I reckon its arbitrary and ageist discrimination.

Nevertheless, putting aside typical cynical responses to authority, the IOM is often praised for resisting what has often been described as the "nanny State" where individual responsibility can be a casualty. Where else can you find such a race held on public roads where an entire island is happily brought to a stop by such a dangerous race? OK, Ireland and New Zealand but where else?

Right now this is a debate worth having when governments reach the limits of their capacities and the public welfare (the common weal) depends on people accepting personal responsibility. It is not easy to maintain the balance between the need for a prescriptive rules based order in an effort to maintain public safety versus the individual freedoms many people in some countries are fortunate enuf' to enjoy (and often take for granted).

I was fortunate to be invited to the Centenary of the IOM TT in '05 as the honorary solicitor for the large Australian contingent. Around the same time there was a conference on in London that I also needed to attend. It related to the new trend setting UK gambling regime that was aimed at tackling the prickly and relatively lawless internet. Many big gambling operations like Pokerstars are based offshore on the IOM which enjoys a high degree of jurisdictional autonomy. The day after I caught the train back to my accommodation the tube station below where the conference was held and thru' which I passed was completely destroyed in a terrorist bombing.

Back on the island I met with the IOM Solicitor General to discuss the new rules and there were a number of issues that arose, including an Australian spectator who was decapitated by a crashing race bike. Another Australian attending the races was the Registrar responsible for regulating non profit community associations such as many motorcycle clubs and we had some lengthy discussions on this very subject as we watched the action and the morgue filled up.

When we returned to London for our flight back to Oz we had to navigate the novel sight of bobby's with machine guns and road blocks everywhere. Most people are barely aware of how hard it is for authorities to protect the sort of freedoms we all aspire to. The balance I referred to is necessarily dynamic and changing, something some people (not least governments and septuagenarian motorcycle racers) find difficult to handle.

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Re: CBX Racing

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Entries have opened for the Oz National Championships and within minutes of opening on the Motorcycling Oz website all pit garages were taken in a rush of piranhas. This tells you something about the mood amongst racers as we confront the fourth movement. If we can make it happen it will be a big event, for sure.

Whether we will have regained some stability by October and have our plans for the event endorsed by State health authorities remains to be seen but planning proceeds nonetheless. I have entered the Lump and the NC30 but I'm a wee bit concerned about accommodation. In an effort to accommodate all our interState entrants my Club has restricted members to our own marquee which is to be erected somewhere in the paddock away from the pit garages. We have yet to sort out the issues of size, space and power and the ground will be irregular, festooned with old bits of carpet. Vestiges of the 1970's! I just hope it doesn't rain. Sometimes being hospitable to guests can be a real pain.

Luckily we have many acres of park like surrounds to accommodate the many hundreds of 2 wheeled gypsies most of whom will be camping at the track and many of whom will be well prepared for life in the paddock. Indeed amongst a hard core group they eschew the civilised comforts of the pit garages and prefer their own solitude in the paddock. Some will have large transporters with mobile workshops and luxurious motor homes. Others will turn up with a battered ute and a swag on the ground.

My concern is that the Lump has a prodigious appetite not only for fuel but also for electrical charge or ampere hours to be more specific. Those 3 coils chew through the juice which is why I run two lithium phosphate batteries in a total loss system. Remember, I have removed the alternator and Honda's clever but dicky alternator clutch. That is at least 10kgs of dead weight gone but it means that I need to be able to quickly re-charge both my batteries between events. The NC30 is OK because it retains its lighter more modern electrics but because I run Bridgestone Battlax slicks I also need enuf' power for four tyre warmers and to power all this I will need my own generator which brings us back to the available space. And at my age I do enjoy my comforts.

Anybody who has any experience of racing is aware that there are a myriad of relatively mundane preparations that take place b4 the bike even gets onto the track and having your regular regime interrupted can be disconcerting. I'm disconcerted. I will also be volunteering as the chief covid marshal which is an unloveable task but somebody has to do it. Roll on October.

Oh, I almost forgot. The Committee has decreed that we will not be live streaming or filming the action despite a generous sponsorship offered by a broadcast company. Too many balls in the air at one time, it seems. So you probably won't be able to follow our shenanigins in real time. Sorry about that.

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Re: CBX Racing

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Maybe bring a second pair of batteries for the X so you can swap before each event and have longer to put the other pair on a charger?
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Re: CBX Racing

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That is another solution Phil and I normally carry spares of just about everything including batteries but rarely do I have time to be swapping batteries. They normally charge OK between events but I have been known to plug everything in and then forget to turn the power on! a light weight generator would be another. I have also noticed Metzler are marketing some race slicks they say do not need tyre warmers but I don't know anybody who has tried them yet.

As a matter of interest a young Oz engineer has developed a graphene case for LiPo cells that can be quickly opened and cells replaced as needed. When they fail it is often just one cell so this will prolong battery life and it also makes recycling easier. The batteries are lighter and run cooler. His coy is called Vaulta and I have written to him and asked if he would like to test his tech in a race bike. We will see....

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Re: CBX Racing

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I have reviewed my battery chargers and discovered that the chargers I purchased a few years ago for lithium phosphate batteries are no longer considered appropriate.

I was using an Oxford Optimiser and an Optimate 900 both of which had a staged charging regime and over charge protection. I now find that Optimate have released a LiPo specific charger that looks identical but is claimed to work specifically with LiPo batteries that have a BMS or battery management system.

I use 2 LiPo's in the lump, a Battery Tender LiPo as well s a 20 cell Antigravity LiPo that are switchable. The reason I carry 2 batteries is because lithiums are generally either designed as starting batteries or deep cycle batteries but rarely both. Because I have retained my starter motor but ditched my generator I need a cranking battery but I then need a deep cycle battery to keep running my 3 hungry coils for the duration of a race. To overcome that lack of capacity over time caused by the initial drain of the starter I simply run 2 batteries so that if one becomes exhausted I can switch to the other.

To avoid having to switch during a race I start on one and do the warm up on that one b4 switching over on the grid. Not ideal. The developments in lithium battery management are hard to keep up with and require a knowledge of chemistry that eludes me so I'm not sure whether I'm just the victim of marketing hype or whether I need to keep upgrading my battery chargers.

Many racers avoid this problem by accepting the 5-6 kg weight penalty of a gel battery that has greater capacity. I have a few but the lump is still on the porky side so until I can afford a full race engine I will keep to the strict weight diet and persist with developing LiPo technology. If anybody in ICOA can point me to a good digestible description of LiPo development I would appreciate it.

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Re: CBX Racing

Post by Warwick Biggs »

Or a good race engine for that matter. I'm looking....

I saw a guy in the States called Jim Hall had one for sale - crank, rods and even barrels but his website seems to be dormant.

anybody have any tips????

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Re: CBX Racing

Post by steve murdoch icoa #5322 »

Might have to use Facebook to contact him?
https://www.facebook.com/badtbon/

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