The International CBX Owners Association

Hey all.

I've made no secret of my fondness for my gold boomies and my burning hatred for the star-shaped comstars (normal and reversed). When I bought my bike, my plan was to upgrade to modern 17" wheels and USD forks with radial brakes, but two things prevented that... First, I became more and more fond of the gold-anodized finish and overall look of the boomies. I mean, I remember the first time I cleaned them up and wheeled them into the bright sun - a year of planning fell over like a house of cards. Second, I saw more and more photos of CBX's with USD forks and 17" wheels that retained near-stock ride height, and found that I just don't like the look. A lowered 'X on modern wheels can look dandy, especially if it gets a bit of a 'fighter treatment - but I wasn't willing to give up all of the ground clearance that would be lost with that approach.

So I greatly complicated my suspension upgrades by deciding to keep the boomies while upgrading to full cartridge internals and 4-piston Brembo calipers. Lots of customization was required as a result, but I'm quite happy with how it all turned out. My one beef about my current setup is that I think the 17" rear makes the rear tire look too much like a gumball. Also, it would have been nice to fit 4-piston calipers without needing mounting adapters.

That said, I do spend a lot of time thinking about options for this bike, or other directions I would/could go if I was doing another build. If I was starting from scratch, I would go with 18" front and rear in sizes from a popular bike that lets me get decent modern sport/touring tires that look at home on the bike.

I wanna share three options I've come across in case this ends up being of interest to any of my fellow CBX aficionados here.

1. Modern CB1100


I've thought for a long time that these would look great on almost any vintage Honda. IMO they strike a great balance of being reminiscent of the star-shaped comstars while looking way better, and really echoing the old split-spoke cast wheels on the 80's CB1100F while offering an 18F/18R combo instead of the 18F/17R of the vintage wheels. As a bonus, the modern RSU forks and large (but airy) rotors and 4-piston calipers would be a great upgrade and look right at home on the bike.

Despite being a comparatively recent bike, it is getting hard to find good tires in appropriate sizes for these wheels. Also, while the forks would look good on a CBX (might require extensions) and likely work way better than the originals, they're still cheap damping rod forks. If you wanna build a bike around these wheels and front end, plan on custom triples for the 41mm forks, probably some fork extensions, and some cartridge emulators.

2. Mid-80's GSX-R


I believe these are the same sizes as the modern CB1100F noted above. You can find nice-looking used ones on ebay. They also look like the 80's CB1100F cast wheels, but have the benefit of being 18F/18R. Like the modern CB1100F, they came with proper brakes, but I would not consider a front end swap with those dead-tech anti-dive forks.

3. BULL DOCK Lavorante


This is a modern, forged wheel in an 18F/18R package. Front is 2.5, and rear is 4.5. They come in 3 colors/finishes including matte black and silver/grey, but nobody cares about that because they also come in:


GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!!!!!!!!!!


I'm not gonna lie - I want those wheels. I just learned about them today when Takahiko Sonomeccanico Yokokawa posted some photos of his bike on the FB group "CBX 1000" with these wheels. To me, they look a bit like a cross between an old 3-spoke Dymag, and the vintage split-spoke wheels I noted above. These wheels are way more refined and more expensive than the other 2 options - they're also hard anodized aluminum like the gold boomies.


Anyhow, I hope that this is of interest (and maybe use) to someone else here.

Phil, when you say your 17" gold rear Boomie makes the tire look like a "gumball" is the diameter or the width that you don't like the look of?
For many reasons it is too bad that SoyBoySigh died. You two could have swapped wheel ideas for pages.

There's too much sidewall on the rear tire, IMO:


I've become fond of the 18/18 look on vintage bikes.

Nils is doing some experimentation with a powder coat for restored boomies that is hoped to give a finish that's very close to anodized. I have serious doubts about the possibility of that, but just in case it does turn out, I'm looking into having an 18x3 rear boomie widened a bit to go on my bike.

Those Lavorante wheels have me seriously thinking about ditching the boomies, though.

We'll see.

I saw the Lavorante on Web Bike Japan. Serious money and if I remember they are 4.50 so an install will require an appropriate swing arm.

shrap66 wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:46 pm I saw the Lavorante on Web Bike Japan. Serious money and if I remember they are 4.50 so an install will require an appropriate swing arm.

Looks like the 18" sizes are 2100 USD for a pair - expensive, but at the low end of the normal range for new forged wheels. I don't know what (if any) hardware they come with in terms of things like bearings, spacers, cush drive, rotor adapters, etc.

I have CB1100F Gold boomies on my CBX and I love them. 2.50 x 18 Front and 2.75 x 17 rear. The only thing is that I would like is to go bigger in the rear and I am looking at the VF750F Interceptor version which is 3.00 x 18. Would allow a more equal look and a fatter tyre.

1982 and 1983 CB1100R had the 3.00x18 Gold Boomerang too. There is even a 3.50x18 and I have one of these on my 83 RD. Very rare.

EMS wrote: Tue Oct 20, 2020 7:33 pm 1982 and 1983 CB1100R had the 3.00x18 Gold Boomerang too. There is even a 3.50x18 and I have one of these on my 83 RD. Very rare.

Learning about the ultra-rare 3.5x18 a couple of years ago is what got me hunting around for options again.

To add a bit to this list...

4. Reproduction Magnesium from Marvic
For some time now, Marvic has offered reproductions of 5-spoke Campagnolo and 7-spoke Morris wheels. They're available in a variety of 18" sizes front and rear, and are made from cast magnesium. That use of magnesium makes them the most expensive option on this list, but at 2.6 kg front and 3.6 kg rear for the Campys, they're likely lighter than the forged aluminum from BULL DOCK. For street riding, I expect the forged Al would be easier to live with, but if you have to have the lightest, newest wheel with the perfect vintage look, or a very specific size, the Marvic repros would seem like the only way to go.

Here's the 5-spoke Campy:

2.6 kg front and 3.6 kg rear

And the 7-spoke Morris:

3.3 kg front and 4.2 kg rear

Both wheels come in the same set of sizes - all 18" diameter:
Front: 2.50, 2.75, 3.00
Rear: 3.50, 4.00, 4.50

I have a set of these in the original PVM version. Front is 19", rear is 18". they were originally marketed for CB900F Bol d'Or among others

Both the 5- and 7-spoke versions look amazing on a vintage bike, IMO. I'd rock a set on a modern Triumph Thruxton, too.

Your remark about PVM led me to this:

5. PVM 5-Spoke Neo Classic


They come in a bunch of rear sizes (3.00, 3.25, 3.75, 4.0, 4.25), but I couldn't find hard numbers on fronts (although they do state 18 F/R). They're forged aluminum and priced in the same territory as other forged Al wheels.

And I also came across this:
6. RSD Morris design




The CNC-cut details in the rim are sure to have their fans and detractors - I'm on the fence about it but still think it's a handsome wheel.

Front is available in 18x3.5, rear is 3.5 or 4.25.

Something very interesting about this wheel is that they also sell a matching brake rotor that has 7 spokes that line up with the wheel's spokes. IMO it's a great look:



As shown in that photo, they also do their own 4-piston brake caliper. I've posted before about 39mm Showa forks from Harley as an upgrade for vintage Hondas. This would be an option worth taking a very hard look at to get 4-piston brakes, forged 18" wheels with a vintage look, and cartridge forks all in one go. With the right set of custom triples (or custom axle & spacers) you'd be in business with a single, very cohesive package.

Yeah, but seventeens give you a lower center of gravity and a greater variety of wheels to choose from.

Correction of note: the late model CB1100 mentioned above DOES NOT carry the F designation in its name. Just a straight CB1100 no F. Only in '83 was there a CB1100F. (Seems to me that Honda chose the CB1000 to retro with a bigger motor, ignoring the past popularity/sportiness of the CB1100F).

Thanks for the correction on the name of the modern CB!

As for 17" wheels - the pros and cons are well known. This thread was created to document and discuss viable options for 18" wheels in a variety of styles and price points. I'd prefer if we kept the discussion focused on that.

I do not like the look of 17" wheels on a classic CBX. May be acceptable on a custom with a changed front end. The front fender needs to adjust to the smaller wheel and the rear has too much open space to the rear frame.

Syscrush wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:18 pm Something very interesting about this wheel is that they also sell a matching brake rotor that has 7 spokes that line up with the wheel's spokes. IMO it's a great look:



As shown in that photo, they also do their own 4-piston brake caliper. I've posted before about 39mm Showa forks from Harley as an upgrade for vintage Hondas. This would be an option worth taking a very hard look at to get 4-piston brakes, forged 18" wheels with a vintage look, and cartridge forks all in one go. With the right set of custom triples (or custom axle & spacers) you'd be in business with a single, very cohesive package.

I contacted RSD, and they offer those rotors in 11.5", 11.8" and 13" sizes, and they can do single or dual rotors with these wheels.

It appears that these wheels are made to order, there's some willingness to discuss application and fit for the hub design.

I think that combo would be an absolute knockout on basically any kind of vintage bike. If I had more money and time to burn on this stuff, I'd get another just to build around 39mm Showas with Ohlins internals and the RSD wheel & 4-piston brake setup.