Advice on buying a CBX

[loft1]

Hello guys, my first post here is exactly on this dilemma. Currently I have a Kawasaki Z900RS, until last year i used it every day to going to work and occasionally on weekends. Now i work at home and i would like to change this modern bike, realizing my dream of having a CBX in the garage, since i don't need anymore a bike to be used every day. Is it reliable during the years, with a bit of service maintenance, or it can be difficult to maintain it in good condition? Would it be so different to ride, after years of riding modern motorbikes? I have so many questions, but my heart tells me that the CBX won't disappoint me, if i buy it
Here in Italy there are some on sale, but they ask between 11000 and 18000 euros for bikes in mint condition, what price would be reasonable in your opinion, for the first production (1978-1980)?


Thanks very much for your help

[daves79x]

Welcome! The CBX is as reliable as any classic bike, IF it's well sorted in the first place. The price range you mention is right where nice examples are here in the US. At that price, make sure the carbs have been totally rebuilt and synced and a complete tune-up, including valve adjustment (with a chart verifying this). Other things to verify at that price are complete front and rear brake rebuild, forks rebuilt, steering bearings replaced, alternator and associated wiring serviced, new tires, good chain and sprockets. The bike also must suit you cosmetically. This will narrow your search considerably, as these all can be expensive things to service/correct once you buy the bike.

Dave

[loft1]

Thanks very much Dave for your help, tomorrow i will see this one https://www.autoscout24.com/offers/hond ... ch-results

I will check everything you told me, hoping it will be as good as it looks, also in the mechanics.
Do you think it will be necessary to use a charge maintainer during the winter?

[CBX-tras]

"Do you think it will be necessary to use a charge maintainer during the winter?"

IMO, every vehicle with a battery should use a battery maintainer during the off season. Car, truck, motorcycle, boat, airplane, etc..........

[loft1]

"Do you think it will be necessary to use a charge maintainer during the winter?"

IMO, every vehicle with a battery should use a battery maintainer during the off season. Car, truck, motorcycle, boat, airplane, etc..........

Sure, you're right, the fact is that here in Rome the winter isn't so cold except for 1-2 weeks top..i also haven't experienced issues with batteries on my bikes, because i used them almost every day for work. Now that i don't use anymore my bike on daily basis, i'm pretty sure i will need a battery mantainer

[CBX-tras]

The key phrase is "off season". Here, where I live, that's about 5 months that the bike won't be ridden. Garages and storage sheds are unheated and temperatures drop well below freezing for months. These conditions require special attention to our bikes and specialty vehicles.

In your case, if you're starting and riding your bike every week, year round then, a battery maintainer would probably not be necessary. But, it wouldn't hurt either.

[Syscrush]

I've only owned 1 CBX, and I love it. The CBX is a very special and rewarding machine. It's a legend and an icon, and the longer I've had mine, the more proud of and attached to it I've become. Whether it's easy or hard to live with depends on your expectations, your use cases, and your budget.


I've also owned 4 bikes built since 2000 - 2 of them carbureted and 2 with EFI (1 with ride-by-wire). I've owned bikes that came with top-quality brakes and suspension (my KTM Duke 690 with WP and Brembo), bikes that came with crap brakes & suspension that I just used (CBR125R), upgraded a bit (My Katana 600 with cartridge emulators, and upgraded pads, rotors, and lines) and upgraded a lot (my SV650 with an R6 front end and custom-valved Cogent shock). I've owned air-cooled (CBX), air/oil-cooled (Katana 600) and liquid-cooled (SV650, Duke 690, and CBR125R) bikes.

In my experience, carbureted bikes are generally harder to live with than EFI bikes, and damping rod forks (even when new) are pure garbage that should almost never be ridden as-is. Liquid-cooled bikes lack the style of air-cooled bikes, but they are more versatile in regular use, and more reliable if properly maintained.

Based on my experience (limited to 1 CBX), here are the things that are difficult to live with, and some thoughts on mitigating that difficulty:

1. If you modify the exhaust, it will be difficult or impossible to get the carbs dialed in right - especially if you go to any form of single exhaust. OEM carbs, OEM intake tract, and OEM-like exhaust is the only repeatedly proven combination.
2. In principle, anyone who understands carbs should be able to service the ones on the CBX. In practice, you should only ever have them worked on by a CBX specialist. Those specialists have the expertise to know what's important and what isn't, what should be changed vs left stock, and how to get the most out of those carbs. They know the problem areas, and have seen every well-intentioned but counterproductive variation on setup for these carbs.
3. Getting stranded in stop & go traffic in hot weather just once can seriously damage the CBX's engine.
4. The stock brakes aren't great, but twin-piston calipers from later DOHC Hondas are effectively a bolt-on, and EBC HH pads are available for those calipers. That's a simple and inexpensive upgrade that gives a massive improvement over the stock single-piston setup on the '79-'80 bikes.
5. The stock shocks are very unlikely to still be in good condition, and the stock forks are a damping rod design that IMO is horrible even when in perfect working order. There are many options at different price points for new shocks. For the 35 mm forks, you can install cartridge emulators, which IMO take the front end from unacceptable to very good - probably the best modification of any type you can do on any vintage bike for the money. The 39 mm forks from a later '81-82 CBX are pretty easy to fit to a '79-'80 - the only reason this matters is because those forks can accept modern full cartridge internals, which are a massive improvement.
6. The fuel consumption is terrible compared to modern bikes - even a 20 year old carbureted Bandit 1200 with a 5-speed transmission will give better results. The CBX will drink about 1.5x to 2x as much gasoline as your Z900. This means more than the cost of that fuel - it also means that you'll often get under 200 km before hitting reserve, which can be an issue if your intended use includes road trips.
7. They don't like ethanol in the gas. I don't know of any carbureted bike that does, really. It looks like E5 is common in the EU - if you keep riding your bike and don't let it sit, then that's probably not a big issue.

Stuff that's not really hard to live with despite the bike's age:

1. There is SO MUCH knowledge and experience shared in this forum that no matter what issue you have with your bike, there's someone here who can tell you what's going on and how to sort it out.
2. With some care and basic upgrades, the electrical system is fine. If you're not adding large additional loads (like heated gear), a good-condition stock charging system will work well.
3. Modern bias-ply tires that fit the OEM wheel sizes are readily available and they work very well for riding on public roads - especially if you upgrade your suspension a bit.
4. Overall parts availability is not bad, due to the community of vendors still actively supporting these bikes. While fewer and fewer OEM parts are available new from Honda, there are vendors that specialize in good used parts and new aftermarket replacements.

Whether you want a concours-correct OEM bike or a wild custom, the CBX can be a great platform. But it requires more care and consideration than a bike like your Z900. It will make more weird noises and smells, and require more frequent service - but it's not a high-strung or especially fragile machine.

[wyly]

Hello guys, my first post here is exactly on this dilemma. Currently I have a Kawasaki Z900RS, until last year i used it every day to going to work and occasionally on weekends. Now i work at home and i would like to change this modern bike, realizing my dream of having a CBX in the garage, since i don't need anymore a bike to be used every day. Is it reliable during the years, with a bit of service maintenance, or it can be difficult to maintain it in good condition? Would it be so different to ride, after years of riding modern motorbikes? I have so many questions, but my heart tells me that the CBX won't disappoint me, if i buy it
Here in Italy there are some on sale, but they ask between 11000 and 18000 euros for bikes in mint condition, what price would be reasonable in your opinion, for the first production (1978-1980)?


Thanks very much for your help

11-18K...buy it.

CBX in some markets are selling for double and nearly triple that.

When I was Six Center (Netherlands) in 2015 they had just sold a newly rebuilt CBX for 20K euros.

As a collectible choose 79 choose over 80.

81's and 82's are the better choice for modifying imo.

They're very reliable rides but need to be maintained.

[EMS]

Let's be really honest here and help a newcomer to the CBX out:
This bike is not worth 18K! I would put the value at under 10K Euro at most. For one thing, it does not have the original 1980 color. Perseus Silver was a 1979 color only. It does not have the original exhaust. These two original items in a condition worthy of a 18k bike, will cost at least 5,000 Euro. Then there are other small issues. Shocks. Not Honda. The bike may be in good technical condition and fine running order. But top $$$ are being paid for expensive custom mods or real originals. This here is neither.
That being said, it needs to be determined what else is not 1980. Does it have a 1980 SC03E motor? What are the instruments? Just a few things to look out for which the OP probably expected to hear.

[Syscrush]

When I said this:

There is SO MUCH knowledge and experience shared in this forum that no matter what issue you have with your bike, there's someone here who can tell you what's going on and how to sort it out.

THIS is what I was talking about.

Let's be really honest here and help a newcomer to the CBX out:
This bike is not worth 18K! I would put the value at under 10K Euro at most. For one thing, it does not have the original 1980 color. Perseus Silver was a 1979 color only. It does not have the original exhaust. These two original items in a condition worthy of a 18k bike, will cost at least 5,000 Euro. Then there are other small issues. Shocks. Not Honda. The bike may be in good technical condition and fine running order. But top $$$ are being paid for expensive custom mods or real originals. This here is neither.
That being said, it needs to be determined what else is not 1980. Does it have a 1980 SC03E motor? What are the instruments? Just a few things to look out for which the OP probably expected to hear.

[wyly]

Let's be really honest here and help a newcomer to the CBX out:
This bike is not worth 18K! I would put the value at under 10K Euro at most. For one thing, it does not have the original 1980 color. Perseus Silver was a 1979 color only. It does not have the original exhaust. These two original items in a condition worthy of a 18k bike, will cost at least 5,000 Euro. Then there are other small issues. Shocks. Not Honda. The bike may be in good technical condition and fine running order. But top $$$ are being paid for expensive custom mods or real originals. This here is neither.
That being said, it needs to be determined what else is not 1980. Does it have a 1980 SC03E motor? What are the instruments? Just a few things to look out for which the OP probably expected to hear.

I am being honest, no one said it was worth 18K, that came out of your head. Asking price is normally higher then final negotiated figure, the 11,500 is the starting price he'll take 11, maybe 10.5.

Price is determined by the market its sold in, the market in europe, usa, canada, asia, s america are all very different the same bike will sell for different amounts in each. It would take very little investment to really bring up the value, silver on an 80 is unusual but not a deal breaker and easily corrected.

[daves79x]

Sorry - I didn't look at the pics until this AM. Kind of in agreement with Mike, lots of non-stock stuff, but presents itself pretty well. Could this be one of the elusive original silver '80 models released in the World market? If it can be proven to be original paint and the badge screws are 4mm, it might be. Did they even exist? There were black '79s, why not silver '80s? You would need extensive documentation to prove either case. What makes it rare in any case is that it's a World market 1980 model - they just didn't make very many of those, in any color.

If it's well sorted, all maintenance kept up with, runs fine and suits you cosmetically, it's a $15,000 (USD) bike here in the US. All depends on what you are looking for.

Would love to see a pic or two of the left side. Interested in whether it has the Euro alternator or the US-spec one. My understanding is that the Euro alternators were a '79 only item.

Dave

[EMS]

I can't really tell if it is a world market bike. I have never seen or heard of Perseus Silver 80s. Yes, black 79s exist. But that was because the 1980 SC03 was never sold in certain countries. Hard to say anything without more info, VIN-number, instruments, carburetor ID.
The silver tailpiece was available from Honda because they stopped supplying the standard 79 tail due to the cracking problem and made verybody replace it with an 80 design unit.
I would not pay 15k for a silver 1980 with an aftermarket exhaust.

11-18K...buy it.

This didn't come out of my head.

[daves79x]

It is indeed a World market bike with the small frame tag and long rear fender.

Dave

[EMS]

It is indeed a World market bike with the small frame tag and long rear fender.

Dave

If "World Bike" means "Direct Import", they should not have had a long fender. Only European Direct Sales and UK, France Germany (79CBX) had the long fender with the reflector. And European Direct Sales had an additional removable fender extension. Speedo could provide more info, maybe still inconclusive.
All we know for sure, it is not a U.S. import, like many other 80 CBX-Ad you see lately.