My first topic, My CBX

CBXs, new bikes, old bikes, cars, trucks, general chat, off topic, this is the place to post it.
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zalle
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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by zalle »

I'll throw in a Google translation of the text as well.

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zalle
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Here is the Magazine Review!!!!!

Post by zalle »

Well, here it is. A 6 page review of my CBX made by the biggest Portuguese motorcycle magazine "Motojornal", almost as old as the CBX itself, this magazine is also a classic in my country. The magazine is still on sale until Friday (6th January 2017). If you are in Portugal BUY IT!

Unfortunately the CBX did not make it to the cover :neutral:

On the 3rd page, that embarrassingly handsome guy with a yellow shirt is me!! :lol:

After the pictures, if you're not fluent in Portuguese :laughing-lettersrofl: you can read my Google translation of the review itself. It's pretty bad, but I spent 10 minutes over it, not a couple of hours. If there's something you don't understand, just ask and I'll do my best to explain/translate.

There's my interview in the end, I probably deserve to be interviewed, since I'm one of some 20 CBX owners in my country...

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Contact Honda CBX1000Z / CB1100 EX

The beginnings of the CB

By a happy coincidence, we met Alexandre Barbosa, owner of a Honda CBX 1000Z, launched in the late 70's. Hence "jumping" to the handlebar was a matter of days. An experiment with an odd model, which we unveil now.

Text: Domingos Janeiro Photos: Rogério Sarzedo and Honda

The time to test this iconic model could not have been more timely, as we recently became aware of the new evolution of one of the members that give continuity to the CB symbol, so charismatic of Honda, the new CB1100 EX and the new CB1100 RS. But on the "novelties", we are already going, let's start by knowing then one of the models that have become mythical, although the success of the model has fallen far short of the expectations and, for that reason, has had a very short cycle of life in the world market.

The Honda CBX 1000Z was launched in 1978 for the worldwide market, except for the United States, and resulted from the desire of Honda engineers to launch to the market the most powerful and fastest bike of its time. In fact, they achieved their attempts by building an exclusive "top" model at the time, with a muscular six cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled and carburetor, delivering a power output of 105 hp at 9000 rpm and a torque of 85 Nm. But, this super-sporty model had some gaps, mainly at the level of cycling, which did not follow the power of the block. In addition, insurance companies also raised some problems, few of them were willing to "cover" this exotic model.
It was then in 1978 that Honda introduced to the market the CBX 1000Z, in the colors silver and red, being the silver model that we had the opportunity to test of February of 1979. For the United States, was launched the CBX1000A, in 1980, in the colors Red, and black, with some changes from the European version, such as the thicker suspension sheaths, higher handlebar, more powerful alternator and a reduction of power for the 100 hp, because, at that time, there were no American insurance companies that would insure a motorcycle with more than 100 horsepower.

A year later, in 1981, the B model was launched, with fairing and a more sport-tourer vocation, maintaining the block with 100 hp, but with pro-link rear suspension. The following year, 1982, an upgrade was made to B, giving life to the almost identical CBX1000C with just a few aesthetic differences. This was also the year that saw this six-cylinder being discontinued.
Since its inception, CBX has always been a cult model, which did not turn out to be a good commercial bet, since, after its launch, the main competing brands presented more technologically advanced solutions, causing Honda to lose immediately The place of prominence in the market. In all, only about 38,000 units were built, but apart from problems with insurers (in the UK only one insurer agreed to hold CBX, for example), the price was well above the competition and the engine was very complex To be worked on, which left many buyers reticent about high maintenance costs.

One thing is certain, it may have had many problems both in terms of construction and even bureaucracy, but it remained for history to be one of the first more powerful models of the world and today it is "object" of great greed, mainly for Part of great collectors, such as the well known Jay Leno. It may not have gone down in history as a sales success (quite the opposite), but in these days, owners create chaos wherever they stop with the CBX.

In addition, in dynamic terms, it is an equally particular model, unimpressed by dynamic behavior (and in this model we used for our test the owner made some changes to improve some gaps in this sense, and that can be seen in detail in Box), where the essence lies in the engine. However, we must ride this model changing the "chip", because of course, the performances do not impress compared to any other current mid size model.
It was interesting, yes, to see what this "pioneer" offered in its time, and see how difficult it was to build a balanced bike, since the engine was the pinnacle of technology, but then the cycling, did not let us get into crazy things . The front conventional fork is 35 mm and in the back it is equipped with two tuneable dampers. In the back it works well, but in the front, the sheaths are too thin to handle the weight / power compromise, making it invariably unstable.

The driving position is natural and relaxed, but the weight, around 300 kg, does not leave anyone at ease riding it. The braking, two 276 mm discs and a 296 mm rear disc only slow the bike down, so that we have to anticipate with a good margin all the maneuvers. Emergency brakes are an adventure. No wonder, all of which contributing to the special essence of this CBX1000Z. It is in the engine that enthusiasm sets. The sonority is simply music to our ears, with a unique and refined melodic compass and when we turn the fist, it is in the higher regimes that it leaves us with a smile on our lips. A unique and wonderful experience, that transports us to other times, in That the essence and pleasure of driving were totally different concepts from the contemporaries!

The owner:
The person responsible for this our "adventure" was Alexandre Moz Barbosa, 43 years old, professional photographer, living in Cascais, who spoke about his Honda CBX1000Z very enthusiaticaly, always with pride. He confessed to be a huge fan of the CB saga.

Alexandre Barbosa (AB): In 1992 I went to study in London. One of my "fetish" bikes has always been the CB900F Bol D'or. I found a CB750F (model exactly like the Bol D'or, but without oil cooler, and with 80 hp, instead of 95 hp) mint, with 20,000km on the clock, and brought it to Portugal. It was at this point that I started to get more into the Honda world of the late 1970s. " However, I came across the CBX, the culmination of this line of motorcycles. There were quite a few in the UK at the time, but they were double the 750/900 prices.
One day I came across this one, with a nice price, in a stand. It was silver, my favorite. There were two of them, just arrived from Italy. I sold the CB750F to my brother, and bought the CBX. If it were today, I would have bought both of the CBX’s. The price already included a complete service: new tires, spark plugs, oil, filters, lamps, tuning, battery, washing, and even road testing. When I picked it up, it was ready to roll. I bought it in 1994 with 19,000km on the clock and one owner.

MotoJornal (MJ): How did you get started on motorcycles?

AB: When I was 13 years old, I got my mother to buy me my first bike. A Peugeot. From there on I always had bikes. A Casal Boss soon after, Honda NSR 50, Yamaha DT YPVS 125, then I bought my first old bike, a Honda 325 cc from 1974. Then the CB750, and CBX. However, I’ve had a Yamaha XT350, a Suzuki Bandit 400, a 1964 Vespa VBB, and now I own a Sachs 50, and a Yamaha Majesty 250. I never stopped having motos.

MJ: We noticed that your CBX already has some changes ...

AB: Yes! As I entered the CBX "world", I realized that the bike was not perfect, no wonder! I became a member of the ICOA (International Cbx Owners Association), even before the internet boom, I received my magazine at home, wrote and telephoned other members, and was reading a lot about it. From these doubts and research the following changes were made: - Rear swingarm - These bikes were made with a lot of engine and little structure, the original swinging arm has plastic bushings, pretty dangerous on a motorcycle that goes faster than 220km / h, and weighs Almost 300kg. A well-known problem, the bike was wobbly at high speed. It now has a reinforced swing arm with bearings instead of plastic bushings. I had to remove the centre stand, I can’t use it with this swing arm.- The front calipers are different from the original ones, they are double piston. They came off a CB900F Bol D'or. The original ones are the same as the rear brake, simple piston. They slow down instead of braking.
At the front, there is also a reinforcement joining the two suspension sheaths. The suspension is only 35mm, one of the decisions they took to reduce weight at the time - The seat is the "Randy Mamola" version, lower. - The battery did not charge well driving around, so I bought an alternator from the American version, with more amps. It is very similar, but slightly larger. This is due to the fact that, in the USA, it was always mandatory to ride with lights on, not in Europe.

MJ: In terms of problems, have you had any?

AB: The bike was always very reliable, apart from normal maintenance, I only had problems with the coils that crack the plastic with the heat, and made the bike fail. My mechanic, who services my bike for 22 years, João Teixeira, easily found the problem and solved it. He is also a friend, and he is a great fan of these bikes. He ended up buying one just like mine in Germany, and also a CB1100F. I am very lucky to have him as a mechanic, because for him, a 6-cylinder engine, 6 carburetors, and 24 valves, has no secrets, which is not at all common.
Last edited by zalle on Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:40 pm, edited 6 times in total.

steve murdoch icoa #5322
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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by steve murdoch icoa #5322 »

Well done, Alexandre.
A nice representation of you and the big Six.
Thank you for posting the article.

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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by NobleHops »

Super cool!
Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA '80 CBX, sort-of restored :-)

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zalle
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Should I put the article in a new thread?

Post by zalle »

I'm thinking most users won't see the magazine article because I put it in a topic that is 12 years old... Should I open a new one just with the article?

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Re: Should I put the article in a new thread?

Post by PedroPC »

zalle wrote:I'm thinking most users won't see the magazine article because I put it in a topic that is 12 years old... Should I open a new one just with the article?
No problem with that because new post always shine red in old topics.

Nice article, I bought the magazine, read it all, and ended up talking on the phone.

We'll meet soon so I can show you my bike.
My current bikes:
Honda CBX1000Z 1980 | Honda NC700S 2012 | Honda CB1100F Super Bol D'or 1985 (needing restoration, not yet started)
BMW R1200GS Rallye 2017 | BMW K1600GT 2012 | BMW R100RS 1978

When I try to explain why I ride a motorcycle, for those who have never experienced no explanation is possible! for those who ride motorcycle no explanation is needed!

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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by Mouse »

Congratulations Alexandre on the magazine article :clap:
Canadian Amateur Radio Call sign VE6 VES

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Syscrush
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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by Syscrush »

Very nice! Have you had a bike featured before? How was the experience?
Phil in Toronto
A cool guy deserves a cool bike, a dork needs a cool bike...
Pics of Perry, my '79.

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zalle
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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by zalle »

Nope... Only the CBX... Actually I called the guys at the mag, asking if they've ever done a piece on the CBX, which they hadn't. So I asked if they wanted to do it with mine, and they loved the idea.

I was pretty happy with it, as I had just serviced it, put new air filter, new plugs, front tire, six center clutch kit for less noise, and adjusted chain tensioners, so it was running really smoothly.

I was a bit scared when I saw the guy riding it, it's my baby, own it for 23 years now, it's been in my life for longer than my wife... Only two of my friends only ever ridden it.

All went well. :D

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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by wyly »

it doesn't get better than having your ride published, good for you!

only one person(my brother) other than me has ridden my Z since '78...even the mrs has never been aboard as a passenger and she's been around since '82...
CBX a work in progress, still improving...GS1150EFE completed and awaiting modifications.....RD350, remnants in boxes scattered throughout the garage

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zalle
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Re: My first topic, My CBX

Post by zalle »

Here's a pic in a cool background.
IMG_20160911_132226.jpg
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