CBX Racing

[Warwick Biggs]

I don't understand Bobcat. Why would you not use the bleed nipple on the mc? My Brembo mc continues to be sucking air somewhere as I had to bleed it again at the track using the bleed nipple on the mc. Please explain.

What a w/e! My ex professional factory race partner Mark Lithgow initially put the Lump on the front row in qualifying 1 for the Unlimited P5 of the Southern Classic at Broadford Raceway but after Q2 with me on board and 4 seconds a lap adrift of Mark's times we were relegated to P4 which was still fantastic and a fixed grid position for all races.

On the down side Mark was banging the cases everywhere and concerned he would crash it in the races so that meant I would have to do all the races myself. So I did (see pic) and scored a best result of 6th against a top field including pro riders and 150+hp replicas led by a no expense spared Harris Kawasaki.

A more detailed report will folow but here is a question for the CBX brains trust; where can I get a set of adjstable triple clamps that will fit the 39 mm Prolink forks? I have about 8 mm left to drop the front forks to increase front ground clearance but it makes the turning way too heavy and I can't lift the back any further without affecting swing arm angle beyond 13degrees and causing chain problems. Other than reverting to 18 inch wheels the only option left is to increase TC offset to bring the trail back and restore steering speed.

All suggestions welcome except "hang off more". We were doing that already!

[Warwick Biggs]

A few more of Fran's pics...

[bobcat]

I don't understand Bobcat. Why would you not use the bleed nipple on the mc? My Brembo mc continues to be sucking air somewhere as I had to bleed it again at the track using the bleed nipple on the mc. Please explain.

The stock oem MC has no bleed nipple, therefore you can use the banjo bolt like a bleed valve.
(for those who don't have a Brembo MC with a bleed valve).

oops, my comment wound up in the quote box.

[bobcat]

Very cool pictures !
Hang off more !

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Congrats on the results, Rick.
Love the pics.

[Syscrush]

A more detailed report will folow but here is a question for the CBX brains trust; where can I get a set of adjstable triple clamps that will fit the 39 mm Prolink forks?

These guys should be able to hook you up. I don't know if they can/do make adjustable triples, but at the price they do custom, you could order a set at different offsets:

https://cognitomoto.com/collections/tri ... s_controls

[Warwick Biggs]

Thanks Phil, I will check them out.

Our 2022 Southern Classic had started back in the workshop sometime well b4 the races but the 500 klm trip from Nelson to Broadford was memorable for the shocking condition of the roads after recent floods. After crashing thru’ countless half metre deep potholes we were lucky to arrive without major damage and it is a testament to the solid engineering of our 3.6R Subaru Outback and the all terrain tyres that took areal hammering.

I had booked a cabin adjoining the nearby Mount Piper Conservation Park, a heavily forested volcanic pyramid as a concession to my pit queen team member, Fran. Last time we raced at Broadford we had sheets of ice on the tent roof. Not this time tho’ because the rain cleared to a perfect sunny 3 days of racing. Amazing really because 5 minutes after our last race we had a tropical downpour but I digress.

Upon arrival at the track we met up with the third member of the team, Mark who, as a top factory rider in the 80’s had bravely volunteered to share riding duties on the Lump. With a similar build there were minimal changes necessary to the bike and I was keen to see what a really good rider could do with it.

A lot as it turned out - in Q1 Mark put us on pole! In Q2 with me in the saddle and 4 seconds a lap adrift of Mark’s times we ended up in Q4, still a second row start against a quality field. Not too shabby at all and as Mark opined – PRESSURE!

However, we were missing our fellow Mount Gambier club member and very experienced racer Simon Cook on his TRex CB1100R after he was spectacularly taken out at very high speed on ‘crash corner’ in Friday’s free practice by an over ambitious youngster on a modern superbike, with Simon (who has been mentioned and pictured earlier in this blog) ending up in hospital with serious injuries. His very expensive and immaculate classic race bike was also a complete wreck, another reminder of the risks of the sport and the foolishness of mixing historic bikes with moderns.

Our racing was a bit anti-climactic after all the excitement of qualifying. First, Mark expressed concern about crashing because he was banging the cases trail braking into the tighter corners (and Broadford is a very tight track) so I ended up doing all the races. I should add that I did not have this problem, possibly because Mark had worn the rhs Marley billet crank end cap down by a few mm or I was just not leaning it over as far (more likely).

In any event my best result of 6th had me regularly leading the back half of the field. I was satisfied enuf’ tho’ as I was fairly inexperienced with the track, braking way too early and generally not in any kind of rythym – not to mention the quality of the field. I was unable to beat Mark2 (Crighton) on his #61 GS1100. He was tyipcally about a second a lap quicker but it is his home circuit. A result we will definitely have to reverse when he returns to Mac Park. We can't have a Pommy racer (he has lived in Oz since the ark but is still a Pom) making us look shabby

We also had the usual niggling old bike problems. My Brembo front mc was weeping (probably as a result of not fitting new crush washers) and required bleeding between races and pumping towards of the end of each race. This was a pity because the new dual carbon ceramic race pads were a definite improvement over the old sintered pads.

I also had to lean out the CR Special adjustable mixture jets a quarter turn to eradicate a low speed fluffiness caused by running too rich (the main jet was fueling fine thanks to Roly) and regularly drain the 2 crankcase breather bottles that were pumping out nearly half a litre of vaporised 10W60 over the w/e. Looks like I will need a third breather, possibly up higher in the cam cover. But otherwise it was largely a trouble free and enjoyable week end.

Now all I need to do is to figure out (yet again) how to stop it scraping the cases without resorting to major frame surgery.

[Warwick Biggs]

Here is my Southern Classic co-rider Mark Lithgow.

Apart from being a successful professional racer in the late 70's and early 80's Mark has the unusual qualification of having played an important role in re-discovering the thought to be extinct Night Parrot in the Channel country of central Queensland a few years ago when he was the ranger at Diamantina Gate National Park. The elusive nocturnal parrot had not been seen since the 1930's and the discovery caused quite a sensation in ornithilogical circles. And he is still as quick on a motorcycle, taking the title in his class on his GPZ.

[Warwick Biggs]

As a short post script Mark's comment on the Lump, "I just love riding that bike."

[Warwick Biggs]

Correction: Mark Crighton was on #51 not #61. The situation was a reversal of our last meeting where I repeatedly out braked him in various places at Mac Park. This time at his home track he returned the compliment.

[Warwick Biggs]

Here is a link to a short video of the Southern Classic made by a spectator:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgpAtedtXso

As you can see, this particular historic meeting has a strong emphasis on the Classic era altho' there was a strong field of post classics as well. In any event it provides a good sense of the atmosphere and if you persevere past the old bangers there is a brief cameo by the Lump.

[Warwick Biggs]

I was searching for my Computrack data that I had originally recorded on a dead phone and found it early in this blog. In doing so I decided it is time for a recap; some years ago EMS opined:-

"We are on the 33rd page of this thread now. With interest (and sometimes amusement) I have read all the tribulations Warwick has put himself through. I have not participated or contributed anything of value, mainly because I have seen many attempts of racing a CBX competitively - most of them futile. The CBX was never a bike that was successful on the track, neither when new nor as a vintage racer. And, really, it was never intended to be. The engineering marvel was a tempting platform for many to take it to the races and make it run away from the competition. Alas, even in the Honda stable, there were more capable specimen. There were reasons, why there is a Honda nicknamed "Bol d'Or" and there was a CB1100R.
All the time, a line from one of my favorite movies comes to mind:
"I wish I had your passion, Ray. Misdirected, though, it may be, it is still a passion!"

Of course, EMS is right about the design limitations of the CBX. As for my "passion" it is more prosaic perseverance than high emotion, however and I think that over the past 7 years we have demonstrated that a fairly conventionally modified CBX can cut it on the racetrack. Even against modern race replicas.

I never set out with any illusions about my own capabilities as an elderly major stroke survivor and the process has been more therapy than ambition. The old aphorism that the journey is more the point than arriving at the destination comes to my mind, EMS. Nevertheless, we have arrived at some sort of destination. The Lump is fairly reliably making good competitive power and yes; remains overweight and requiring more ground clearance. I am no engineer nor athlete; just an old bikie with limited technical abilities and the Lump just has typical race development. But in the right hands it can still beat some of the best. We are not finished, either.

And I ask, how many CBX enthusiasts can regularly enjoy riding their machines to anything like their full potential? You can only legally do so on the track. So, I am here to tell you that the thrill of doing so is my reward every time I take it out. Passion is unnecessary. It is simply more satisfying to ride fast than any other bike that I can think of. Futile? Not to my mind.

[bobcat]

You Sir have captured the essence of joy ! You have my complete admiration (and envy)
for defying the physical, mechanical and chronological odds. I hope you can enjoy this
for a long time to come. Race on !

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Enjoyed the video, Rick.
Great variety of rides with a great variety of sounds.
I went to Mosport this year for the VRRA racing weekend. Mostly post Classic it was a blast to watch.

[Warwick Biggs]

Here is a longer YouTube video compilation of the Southern Classic that obviously needs editing:-

https://youtu.be/M8WgO8zR1fw

My old mate James Hammersley from over 40 years ago in PNG happened to be visiting Oz from the UK and as a keen birdwatcher and photographer he had a camera with a really big lens and took these pics during practice on the Friday. I had just put new slicks on (as the pics show) and was scrubbing them in whilst trying to avoid the modern crotch rockets. I've included them because of the crisp detail and I reckon as an experienced bird photographer he would make a good race shooter too. As a retired Commander (RN) he also had some very high tech thermal imaging gear - for shooting owls, of course.