Copyright (c) umgweb.com 1998
With a turn of the key, the 320hp engine growled into life without the aid of choke or accelerator. As I crunched it into gear I thought to myself, here we go again. Pulling out of the compound with a 40 foot trailer behind I was wondering how many times the everyday motorist was going to upset me today. What? 40 foot? Did I fail to mention that I'm a truck driver as well as a motorcyclist...there's a lot in common with truck driving and biking.
You have to be constantly aware that people will try to pass you on either side whether you are turning left, right or trying to go around a roundabout, and will drive out in front of you with a death wish.
At the end of the day I park up the trusty bread winner, pulled back the big polythene bag I use to keep off the worst of the weather; a smile comes over my face as the biker in me takes over. There it is, my pride and joy, a CBX750F.
Usually immaculately kept I like to think, but the morning's rainfall has left filth all over. Still, a good wash will soon see it off. To climb on and fire up the four cylinder, DOHC engine makes the pressures of the day disappear. No more being blown off by idiots, no more traffic jams.
On leaving the lorry park, I go straight on to a dual carriageway, whack it up to seventy(ish) and begin to feel very uninhibited, it's like a hunchback losing his hump. Stability on fast, open roads is always excellent with none of the weaves and wobbles that made earlier, SOHC models so, er, amusing. It doesn't take long to get home; I went the long way to avoid traffic lights and roundabouts. There are times I wish I lived further from work to give the excuse for a longer trip, the bike just gets warmed up and I'm home.
Normally, I spend about four hours a week just washing and polishing the bike, any maintenance takes extra. Not that there is much maintenance needed - hydraulic clutch, self adjusting tappets; no problem there, just so long as a good grade clean oil is running round them and not some sludge dragged from the local beaches. The carbs stay in balance for long periods of time, the ignition is electronic, so those frequent oil changes are all that's needed.
I even fitted a Scottoiler to the drive chain which reduced chain wear dramatically. Running to work and back every day, stopping and starting, made it necessary to adjust the chain every three weeks before fitting the oiler, now I just check the oil in the reservoir every 200 miles and adjust the chain every 2000 miles. The money saved from not buying expensive and filthy aerosols plus the longer chain and sprocket life soon pay back the money spent on the oiler.
I don't only use the bike for work. Last year I went to the NEC bike show. Trouble free riding until I was coming back and about ten miles from home (Teeside) had a 90mph puncture in the back tyre. The first time I've had one on the move and I wondered what the hell it was, the back end going ape-shit on me. Being dark I thought at first I might just have run over one of those furry things with big ears, they do like to top themselves on the Queen's highway.
I slowed down to about fifty as my mate, Geoff on his BMW 1000, shot past, the bike stabilized and I thought the problem had cleared up. I opened up the throttle again, I didn't even make 55mph, shot the brakes on and pulled off the road. It took Geoff 15 minutes to realise I had gone. Fortunately, we were able to get a van and get the bike home without too much fuss. It turned out the moron who had owned the bike before had put a tube into a tubeless tyre and it disintegrated on me - I'm told that this is not a recommended practice. Just goes to show how good was the stability, on a lesser bike I would probably have been chucked off.
Kitted out in Metzelers front and rear, I find that I can throw the bike well over into a bend in dry weather and have plenty of confidence that the tyres will not slip. In the wet it's a different matter, with the weather being dry for days when we get a small amount of rainfall we get roads too greasy for any heroics. General running in the wet means keeping a rein on the throttle wrist and not leaning over at extravagant angles. The double discs don't suffer wet weather delay but there is a tad too much power for nerve free braking. At least the calipers haven't seized up nor the discs worn away.
On one long run, down to Uxbridge, when we got caught up in an endless traffic jam into London, my wife complained bitterly about pillion comfort and refused to entertain the idea of any long runs on the bike ever again. She said it wasn't natural to have her legs apart for so long, a bit like a marathon visit to the gynaecologist. I enjoyed myself, I get a kick out of seeing other people in traffic jams instead of me in the truck.
We averaged about 35mpg on that trip, which I was quite happy with as the bike was well loaded up. The best fuel consumption is around 55mpg, although it's much more common to average 40 to 45mpg. Yes, not better than some small cars but a hell of a lot more fun. I have a Rickman box on the back, ugly and spoils the lines of the CBX, but it is very useful. As well as this we had a rucksack filled with clothes and another bag strapped to the tank. The bike still handled well with the additional weight.
Scarborough is just an hour away from where I live, so I go to the road races there which are held three times a year (pity so few, as it's all good stuff). Coming home is always quicker than getting there, good fun for me but the pillion (the brother- in-law) tends to get a bit worried from time to time. I often fancy myself as a budding Carl Foggarty, and knowing the roads, thanks to my truck driving, gives me an edge over my BMW owning mate.
One bend in particular that I like comes back on itself and I can get the Honda really banked over. Geoff was following me on this occasion and later admitted that he thought he was going to disappear up his own arsehole. The brother-in-law claimed that had the bike gone over he would not have fallen off as his backside was gripping the seat so tightly.
The bike has done just short of 30,000 miles and it's over four years old. It still goes very well, as well as looking almost as good as new. Engines should run to at least 50,000 miles before needing any major work (given decent oil changes), the clutch and exhaust valves are the first signs of imminent engine demise (the former slips and the latter permits copious quantities of blue smoke to escape the exhausts on the overrun).
Another sign of wear are the silencers and pipes, a one piece set which is bloody annoying as the baffles are just about spent and to replace them with genuine Honda parts will cost between £350 and £400. I could get a replacement 4-1 but I would like to keep the bike in standard trim. I may end up making my own baffles once the bike gets too noisy.
One pillion I gave a lift to was so bad he frightened the life out of me the first time he was on board. Every corner he was trying to pull the bike back upright or, failing that, climbing off the other side. We had a shouting match at the end of the ride because he wouldn't do what I told him and I wouldn't stop leaning the bike over..... pillions are okay now and again, but I think I'm basically a selfish rider wanting the bike to myself.
I've had the CBX for just over a year now and although I have enjoyed owning it, early next year I would like to change it for something else. Trouble is, I don't know what yet. My brother has a VFR750 Honda, very nice and a fast bike but a bit too sporting for me. The closest I've come to finding a bike that's as easy and comfortable to ride is a FJ1200 Yamaha.
Alan Brown
Return to Contents for Honda DOHC fours
I found a one owner Honda CBX550 with 8000 genuine miles on the clock for a not unreasonable £1300 late in 1989. It came with a Marshall 4-1. I didn't ask why the original system had been discarded, one look at the manual tells all. The factory job must be the grand daddy of all quick rot systems. The Marshall meant that changing the oil filter was difficult without removing the two centre pipes and it grounds easily, especially two up without the suspension jacked up to maximum.
I found the air adjustable forks and rear shock a bit of a novelty. In my experience, the settings are critical for handling and ride comfort. During the test run the bike seemed to handle okay but more adventurous riding, after the cash changed hands, highlighted some serious deficiencies at the rear. No amount of fiddling with the suspension settings and tyre pressures would cure it. Closer inspection revealed an Arrowmax on the front and a new tyre of dubious Taiwanese provenance on the rear. A rear Arrowmax made a hell of a difference.
Changing the rear tyre gave me a chance to sample the mysterious delights of the infamous enclosed disc brakes. To be fair, the brake works well and the intentions of the designer are clear. Enclosing the discs stop the brakes getting covered in rot producing fertiliser and, in that respect, the design is effective. On almost every other count it is a disaster. According to the manual, the wheel can be removed without disconnecting the hydraulic line - this is a load of rubbish.
It is much quicker to remove the brake line and remove the wheel undismantled, even though it is not of the QD design. I eventually got the brake assembly away from the wheel and was appalled by the state of the pads - there was virtually no meat on them, or so it seemed. Being of a cautious disposition I nipped down to a local dealer for a quick butchers at a new set - imagine my surprise when I found that what I thought were worn pads were virtually unused.
With the back end sorted I decided to check the front. Again, the manual was misleading. The bike is naturally biased towards the front when on the main stand - after I had wrestled the front wheel free the bike gently collapsed on to the garage floor, fortunately causing no damage.
Removing the front wheel with the hydraulics disconnected, rather like a drum assembly, is the quickest way. Removing either wheel is fine in the workshop but fixing a puncture on the open road might not be much fun. With the wheel out I took the opportunity to change the fork oil and fit a set of fork gaiters. The previous owner had rechromed the forks and it seemed a pity not to give the exposed sections some practical protection. I could tell he had taken the forks to pieces by the condition of the damper retaining bolts.
The bike also benefits from a rising rate rear suspension with all the attendant linkages. For reasons best known to themselves, Honda decided not to provide any way of lubricating the bearings so periodic stripdowns are needed to keep them greased. I reckon this is required every 12 months. Enough of the practical mechanics, what is it like on the road.
Surprisingly good, is the answer. Like many Jap machines it has two quite distinct personalities. Ridden gently, not going much over 7000rpm, the bike is docile and tractable, pulling away cleanly in 6th from quite low speeds. Ridden in gentle mode, without frenzied acceleration, it will zip up to 80mph then run out of steam. Higher speeds are available if the engine is pushed hard through the gears. The lack of a fairing, coupled with a fairly upright riding position, makes prolonged high speeds an uncomfortable experience. Staying around the legal limit is preferable. The handlebar rake can be adjusted and, as I spend a lot of time on country roads, I use a wide setting for extra controllability.
On my first outing I became convinced that the gearbox was defective. Try as I might I could not make clean changes. Eventually, I discovered that quick shifts are essential, any delay produces a less than satisfying change. The clutch drags when cold. Starting off in the morning used to involve a very clunky selection of first gear until I started to free the clutch first - engage first gear, pull in the clutch and push the bike forward before starting the engine.
Handling is fine and virtually vice free, certainly when ridden within my personal limits. Front tyre pressure and condition seem to have a marked effect on handling. Inspecting the front tyre for wear is not necessary. Once it wears to near the legal limit the steering goes decidedly odd.
Whitelining is easily induced if the front tyre pressure falls by more than a few pounds. The only other quirk is lifting the rear wheel while accelerating briskly on the pock marked surfaces that pass for roads in this neck of the woods. Fuel economy seems quite reasonable, about 50mpg on unleaded. Although I'm quite happy to be eco friendly, I hedge my bets by adding small amounts of Castrol R to the petrol to help keep the inlet valves lubricated. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I suppose someone will write in and tell me that I'll clog up all the carb jets but what the hell - I like the smell!
Fuel tank capacity is an illusion. It looks big but in fact holds under three gallons. An electric fuel gauge us fitted but mine had packed up and I haven't got around to fixing it. I'm not certain about tyre wear. The original tyre must have worn out in less than 8000 miles, the front Arrowmax was worn out at 13000 miles but I don't know how long it was on there.
The Arrowmaxes certainly work well in the wet - the effectiveness of a tyre can to some extent be seen by its ability at shifting water. One wet day my son on the pillion was absolutely drenched by the spray from the rear tyre despite the substantial rear guard. The bike was rock steady all the way up the A5.
I use the bike mainly for commuting to and from work, a 32 mile round trip on country roads and lesser A roads. A surprisingly large chunk of the journey is in heavy traffic. Being relatively light and fairly narrow makes percolating through traffic simple. Good acceleration means cars don't have a hope in the traffic light GP.
Being born in the Smoke has advantages, you learn to ride in traffic and acquire the ability to anticipate movements and spot gaps. It never ceases to amaze me when I see riders, very often much younger than myself, sitting in traffic and progressing at car pace. To be fair, I am often put to shame by moped riders, mostly women, who can squeeze through incredibly small gaps and seem to ride at full throttle regardless of the congestion. In really heavy traffic they can't be beaten and cut through the chaos like a knife through butter.
I don't think I could recommend the CBX for operating away from base. Although I have no qualms about reliability, touch wood, a puncture in the middle of nowhere could be heavy trouble. The limited range is another inhibiting factor and carrying luggage two up doesn't look particularly easy.
Where it does score is on the value for money front. You can save about £1000 on a Kawa with the same performance, mass and age. Admittedly, the Honda is a little old fashioned in looks, the styling, by current standards, a little naff with lots of chrome, polished alloy wheels and the engine is a mixture of matt black and brightwork. Technically it is a different story, with a 16 valve motor, discs all round, tubeless tyres, anti-dive braking, oil cooler and air suspension.
For the rider who is prepared to sacrifice fashion on the altar of expediency, a good low mileage example has to be worth a second look.
Paul Doherty
Return to Contents for Honda DOHC fours
These Yanks are undoubtedly a spoilt lot. Just imagine if you, dear UK reader, were offered a nice brand new across the frame 750cc Honda four for just over two thousand pounds (or whatever the equivalent is to the American price of four thousand dollars by the time this literary effort gets into the shops). Yes, shocking ain't it, all Honda UK will offer you for the same price is a ratty old CB450 twin if you can find a dealer desperately discounting them or if you insist on paying full retail an even worse CD250U!
The equation becomes even less impressive if you throw in the fact that Americans, at least those with a modicum of intelligence, earn appreciably more than UK work slaves. Naturally, having had my Vee Max written off by a most inconsiderate car driver, the new Honda seemed just the thing to provide endless hours of amusement. The engine is basically a mildly tuned version of the good old CBX750, putting out something like 65hp. Maintenance is limited to balancing the four carbs and changing the oil and filter, the valve clearances setting themselves by means of some hydraulic trickery far too complex and boring to go into here.
The CBX engine was known for eventually burning out exhaust valves and occasionally wrecking pistons, but in this milder form should be just as long lasting and reliable as the original, sixties SOHC four from which the current model takes its designation and inspiration.
Engine power delivery is such that I suspect had Honda's engineers the imagination they would have got away with just a single carb. Power fades away rapidly once past 7500rpm, the pay back being enough low speed and midrange torque to make changing down through the slightly clunky five speed gearbox a waste of time once 35mph was achieved.
This is one very laid back motorcycle to ride, the civility of its motor enhanced by a lack of annoying secondary vibes at most engine speeds. However, somewhere deep in the engine something is seriously wrong. The CBX power plant shows its age and thus the bike up as a lashed together budget design. Just bumming around, enjoying myself without exerting too much throttle effort, revealed that the bike was only doing 35mpg (corrected for UK gallons). Further exploration of the economy prospects of the CB revealed a best of 42mpg (how to die from mindless boredom) and a worst of 31mpg (a 100mph freeway blast).
Part of the Honda's problem comes from its mass, around 495lbs with four gallons of petrol on board, not much better than the sixties design which managed to be both appreciably faster and more economical. It does seem incredible to me that having created a large capacity, low powered, low budget motorcycle that the Honda has such appalling fuel economy. I feel sure fitment of a single carb would've helped greatly, the 34mm CV's fitted are surely big enough to suit 120hp/litre engine designs and are probably leftovers from the original CBX750.
Progress of a kind has been made in the frame and suspension area. Thank god! It would have taken a pretty big idiot to throw together a nineties motorcycle that handled worse than the original sixties Honda CB750. The Honda sits on a fairly skinny 18" front wheel and a moderately fat 17" rear, a strange combination for sure, but one that endows the Honda with good straight line stability and a flickability that belies it massive mass.
The bike also sits on a conventional pair of rear shocks with 5 way spring load adjustment. These are better than many a FVQ set fitted to the Superdreams et al, but that doesn't say much. After the Vee Max it could be swept through corners with elan, but it was back to the death defying tactics, bum clenched madness to keep up with 600cc race replicas. It can be done but any half sane person will soon cough up for a decent set of aftermarket shocks.
The 41mm front forks have no adjustment, don't flex much despite being afflicted with fairly awful side loads from the single disc. They get a bit rattled by bumpy going and patter nastily over small surface irregularities, but for the money you pay they aren't half bad. The 59" wheelbase helps stop any weaves that might intrude on long fast sweepers and I did the odd 120mph bend without shitting my trousers.
The frame is off one the old American Nighthawks, an utterly conventional tubular construction with rather poor support for the swinging arm, where what would be saddle tubes on a cycle bend inwards in a decidedly dodgy manner. However, neither that nor the rakish angle of the forks conspire to upset the general feeling of correctness that the bike creates.
Naturally, European riders will look askance at the raised nature of the handlebars, but the footrests are well placed and the seat comfortable (and low), so it only really becomes a pain if you want to cruise at more than 80mph for hours on end. The bar's width are great for hurling the bike around town and you can convince young poseurs that you are real man with stories of high speed junkets.
Wheels are surprisingly expensive looking five spoke jobs, the rear looking all the better for a single drum. No doubt Honda designers were scared shitless that the adequacy of a good rear drum would make all their rear disc brakes look silly, so they fitted this rod operated one with shoe linings that don't offer much by way of retardation. Ferodo, or someone, will doubtless make a killing in the aftermarket spares game.
The front disc is a reasonably modern design with a twin piston caliper that affords both adequate power and feel. Wet weather delay, I am glad to say, was nonexistent. However, in the six thousand miles I managed in a couple of months the pads were down below the wear lines and the drilled disc had developed some nasty grooves, doubtless the cause of the anti-social wailing noises the front brake took to producing. Given the poor quality of the rear drum, careful care and scrutiny of the front brake is mandatory.
Equally indicative of cheapo manufacturing was the rust on the underside of the four into one exhaust where the downpipes meet. The amount of muck this item picks up is not very surprising given the minimal nature of the front mudguard. Both exhaust and guard will doubtless be replaced by the keen owner as time goes by, so I suppose no great problem.
Owners will also feel rewarded by touching up the frame paint where it chips off - nothing like owner involvement. Honda have spent some money on the overall finish, the plastic and metal cycle parts being done in a well matched, deep red, the panels having a better fit than on much more expensive Kawasakis.
Styling is right on from certain angles, lumpy from others. It certainly isn't classic in lines like an early CB750 or Z1, more a Superdream with a few extra curves. Overall, it looks better than any $4000 motorcycle should, which can't be bad!
The motor ran faultlessly for the six thousand miles I've done so far. It never failed to burble into life first touch of the starter (mind you, this is hot old Texas and not freezing Shit City), never uttered so much as a misfire and the motor is lot quieter than the original CBX. The rear tyre has just about had it and the front looks good for about another 2500 miles. The chain has required just two very minor adjustments.
Whether the motor will keep going as long as the original CB is anyone's guess but it is very mildly tuned by modern standards and hard to rev into the red, so the prospects look good.
In America the Honda is seen as a step back from the race replica madness, a sane bit of machinery, a beefed up modern incarnation of the original Honda four. With its low price it undercuts all the opposition and where it might be lacking in certain areas is easy enough to upgrade as the years go by; I expect to see them customised every which way from back road racer to long distance cruiser.
Any UK reader interested in buying one would be a fool not to have a cheap holiday in the States whilst doing a private import - you'd still come out hundreds or even a thousand pounds ahead of trying to buy one in the UK.
Having escaped death aboard a veritable road rocket I needed a motorcycle which would not impress me with the need to speed mindlessly everywhere. In this respect the Honda is perfect, its nature is pleasant, easy to ride, easy to live with and not too hard on the pocket. As a long term economical mount I have serious doubts about its viability but as a bit of sixties/early seventies nostalgia it's not half bad, and a lot safer, to boot, than those early brutal fours.
Johnny Malone
Return to Contents for Honda DOHC fours
Within a week of buying a 25000 mile Honda CBX750 I was well into a Grand Continental tour that involved Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. I was averaging 500 miles a day for a whole month. By the time I was back in the UK the mileometer read nearly 41000 miles. It was an interesting way to test the qualities of the Honda.
The CBX750 has a quite advanced aircooled four cylinder engine. DOHCs with four valves per cylinder, with maintenance free hydraulic adjusters, helped knock out a claimed 90 horses. A record for a 750 Honda four of this type and way ahead of the original CB750 four of 1969 which managed just 67 horses. Not much progress had been made on the mass front, both machines weighing in at a hefty 480lbs, though to be fair to the CBX some later CB750s broke through the 500lb barrier.
The frame, geometry and weight distribution are all way ahead of the older four. Where the original CB would wobble and weave given the merest encouragement, my first impressions of the CBX were of a solidly together machine, that would shoot through traffic at a terrific pace and hold a steady 90mph with all the ease of a GL1500.
Three things tested the limits of handling during the tour. First there was myself, passenger and excessive luggage. That added up to about 450lbs of ill-distributed mass which had as much an effect on the suspension as it did weight distribution. Most noticeable was the way it would take to falling into corners, making a lunatic lunge for the tarmac. At times it felt just like a slug of a Plastic Maggot I used to own.
The suspension, normally pretty good solo, was so compressed that trundling around corners would have the stands, pegs and exhaust trying to either dig holes out of the ground or throw nigh on a 1000lbs of machine, people and luggage down the road. Anyone who's owned a Z1 will know the necessary technique to overcome this. Point and squirt was the name of the game, though it was dead easy to tie the chassis up in knots if you weren't paying attention.
The second problem with the handling came from my choice of tyres. Both Metz's and Avons suited the bike exceedingly well, chosing slightly fatter sizes than stock giving a glued to the road feel. Unfortunately, for the kind of mileage I was doing their wear of less than 5000 miles a set was totally unacceptable. Which was how I ended up with a cheap set of Far Eastern tyres that were vile in the wet, but that wasn't a great problem on the tour as I only saw rain for half an hour on one day in Spain. In the dry, grip was acceptable, weaves tolerable and their life over 20,000 miles!
I did find, on one section of Italian back road, where the surface turned to gravel, the tyres had a vicious breakaway point, lurching away towards oblivion without the slightest warning. One moment I was upright at 35mph, the next thing I knew was that bike and I had parted company. The luggage absorbed the worst of the gravel rash and I rolled with my momentum, saying thanks to the old man who'd insisted on providing me with full leathers fitted with built in body armour. I looked a right prat whenever I got off the bike but that was a small price to pay for avoiding a hospital visit. Luckily, my pillion was thrown into a relatively soft ditch and only suffered minor bruising.
I had neither medical insurance, vehicle recovery nor a bail bond, trusting my progress to the gods. To be honest, I would've liked all three but I'd spent most of my money on the bike and had just enough spare change to keep up with the consumable demise and petrol costs. Oil changes were extended to 5000 miles, the carbs never touched and petrol disappeared at a reasonable 50mpg.
The third handling problem came from riding on German autobahns. The Krauts are an orderly bunch, not even perturbed when my pillion gave them Nazi salutes to overcome the boredom, but they don't half know how to drive fast. The CBX was a tireless 100mph cruiser, even quite comfortable with the protection from the frame mounted half fairing, but I was forced to push things to their limits with 125 to 130mph deemed necessary to keep up with the pace.
Solo, it'd probably have handled even that excess with reasonable proficiency but with all the mass it was a pretty poor sight, waltzing around in its lane so delinquently that the Kraut cagers were bashing away on their horns, in a fit of pure horror at this attack on their orderly nation. Fuel was only 30mpg, which with the state of my finances eventually forced me to knock back to the slow lane pace of just 100mph, which turned in 42mpg and was accompanied by the mildest of weaves on the relatively smooth autobahn.
Comfort was much better for the rider than the pillion, who was assaulted by a flurry of secondary vibes and shook about by the way the back wheel could let loose. I was quite happy to do 150 miles before pulling over for a fuel stop. It was only after 400 miles in a day that I was a bit saddle sore, a lot of shuffling about thereafter necessary and stops every 50 miles for a quick stagger. The most I did in a day was 850 miles but I had to take the next day off to recover, so it was a bit counter productive to do much more than 500 miles.
The only real hassle I had in that minor adventure was the ongoing disintegration of the OE 4-2 exhaust. It proved mildly amusing to consult our dictionaries whilst trying to make various foreigners comprehend that we wanted the holes in the silencers welded up. Luckily, most of the work was done in Spain and Italy where labour costs were ridiculously cheap and once the language barrier was overcome the people very friendly.
The CBX has great power characteristics but they were easily ruined by holes in the silencers, which added an excess of flat spots and stutters to the power band. With a decent exhaust, it'd run fine up to 6500rpm, then charge hard right into the red. It would toddle along at 30mph in top even with all the excess mass, slowly gaining momentum with a gentle throttle hand. Alternatively, solo with hard use of the gears and throttle, it'd growl along the road at a fair old clip, having sufficient urge to wrench my body, spin the back wheel and if I was feeling really nasty even do a wheelie, though it felt as precarious as riding a unicycle along the high-wire! The gearbox was good for some swift changes if a little care was taken in the first to second shift, though it was often just as easy to take off in second, no clutch slip needed and no transmission judder experienced.
Once the tour was over, we settled into the daily rush to work, as the weather turned nasty as only an English winter can. It only took a week for the silencers to fall off, resulting in tank-like reverberations riding home, not helped any by needing to keep the revs above 5000 to stop the engine from stalling. A Laser 4-2 was bought from a breaker for £30, needed some detailed hammer work to fit and bigger main jets to run cleanly above 7000rpm. It wasn't the quietest exhaust system known to man, whenever the plod were in evidence I had to sneak past in top at about 1500rpm! Top speed increased to 135mph, but there was so much vibration that it was rarely of any benefit.
It only took six months for the silencer to succumb to the corrosion. The rest of the chassis had not found an English winter much to its liking. Paint fell off the frame, engine alloy became encrusted in white crud, the oil emulsified after 500 miles and the all three calipers did the seizure trick every other week.
I haven't mentioned the brakes yet, probably because they hadn't sprung to mind. They were so good that I hardly ever had to give them much thought, even on crap tyres able to avoid locking up the wheels yet pulling me up without any trauma. Just ultra rapid, straight as a die retardation. As soon as I got back to the UK, I'd fitted a set of Avons as I just knew the combination of ruined roads, excess rain and iron rubber would've had me on my ear-hole within days.
Honda calipers are nasty pieces of work, apparently deliberately designed to corrode so solidly that the only option is to rush out to buy a new set. There's a fine line between hammering them apart and breaking up the castings. I ended up with a spare set, so that the swap over could be done in an hour or so. The complex hydraulics out front meant it'd take about 30 minutes to successfully bleed the system.
One time, some air remained trapped, I ended up with the lever coming back to the bar and no braking just as I needed to avoid the manic machinations of a cager who thought he was Nigel Mansell. Burning off a millimetre's worth of rear tread saved us, along with knocking down through the gearbox, causing a lot of chain rumble. A high quality O-ring chain and new sprockets will last about 18000 miles. Just bunging on the cheapest chain on worn sprockets is worth only 4000 to 5000 miles. A worn chain is easily noticed as the gearchange goes to pot.
The one time I left the bike for a week it was most reluctant to start. I drained the battery twice and fitted new spark plugs before it came to life with enough valve noise to turn a Vincent owner nostalgic. It was always a noisy bugger from cold, the oil needing some time to flow through the tappets before the free play was taken up, and I was reassured when the normal rustling noises returned after five minutes of near blind panic on my part.
A couple of times during the winter the voltmeter had registered zero but it seemed to come back to life again after a few minutes. I kept checking the battery acid level every 2000 miles as it'd burn off quite quickly. After about 50,000 miles there was a lot of white corrosion between the plates and a reluctance to hold a charge when the excellent lights were used in anger. I bought a new battery but the voltmeter still played up from time to time.
When it finally went completely dead I feared the alternator was blown, but after playing around with the connectors it came back to life. Looking closely at the terminals I could see bits of corrosion interfering with the contacts. A bit of work with the emery cloth had everything shining brightly and the whole of the electrical system was given some WD40 for further protection.
By the time 60,000 miles were up, there were no further signs of electrical malaise but the overall finish was poor. Faded paint where it wasn't missing. Cracked plastic and a rusted exhaust. Extensively corroded engine alloy and wheels that all the elbow grease in the world failed to shift. I went on a spending spree. Brand new 4-2 exhaust, resprayed cycle parts, blasted engine cases and wheels, and even a new pair of fork stanchions as the old ones had become pitted, killing off seals so quickly that I'd given up fitting new ones.
In this form the bike was ready for another summer's madness but I didn't have the time nor money for any lengthy tours. Performance had not diminished in any way, all the engine wanted was an occasional carb balance and oil change; not even the original camchain had started to rattle. The only thing that caught me out was when the hydraulic clutch's hose split, leaving me without a clutch 60 miles from home. I could've bodged a repair but it was easier to lurch home without a clutch and do a proper job in my garage. The feel of the clutch was always a bit remote and on a less well natured machine could've proved troublesome in attaining an easy take-off.
By the end of the summer the CBX had crept up towards the 75000 mile mark. Starting had become harder and the top end a touch noisier. The engine's quite well known for burning out exhaust valves at 40 to 50,000 miles and that may well have been catching up with me. Whether that problem's down to the four valve head overheating or some malady of the hydraulic valve adjustment is hard to tell. The most obvious theory is grit in the oil from less than frequent changes damaging the system. During town use I was doing very frequent oil changes but on tours extended the interval right up to 5000 miles. Maybe that was the cause.
I'd found the CBX a brilliant bit of machinery. It'd cruise along at 70mph with just 5000 revs up as if just ticking over. Even at the ton it was far from frantic. Top speed and acceleration were more than enough for anyone who had the slightest feeling of self-survival. Solo, handling was fine, but two-up pushed the suspension and chassis close to its limits. Decent tyres were the greatest expense, the almost complete lack of necessary engine maintenance its greatest virtue. It's the kind of bike that will do anything you want without breaking the bank.
Mine had to go, though, I didn't want to spend out hundreds on a top end rebuild. As it was in such a smart shape and still ran so well I obtained a decent wedge. Only £50 less than I originally paid, so depreciation was minimal. There are lots of reasonably priced CBX750s around, but knowing what I know I wouldn't buy one with more than 20,000 miles on the cock without doing a compression check on the cylinders, although if you're feeling brave you can check the valves by watching for smoke out of the exhaust on the overrun.
Dean
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The tail end of 1993 I was on the lookout for a bargain buy. I had an open mind, fancied something nearly new, around 750cc without too much plastic. It was all down to what turned up in the local papers. After looking at a Zephyr which was rusting before my eyes, I ended up with a 2000 mile Honda Seven-Fifty for 2800 notes.
Honda started off the whole four cylinder bandwagon back in the late sixties. I actually owned one of the CB750K1 models back in my youth. No comparison, really, the new model was much more sophisticated, accelerated faster and handled ten times better. The weight was the same at 480lbs, as was the top speed at 130mph. Progress can be weird at times.
The CB knocks out 75 horses at 8500 revs, with a linear delivery between 3000 and 9000rpm. The motor lacks entirely the gutsy torque so beloved by those mounted on European hacks. Civility's its calling card, even the gearbox and chain final drive was well sorted; something of a rarity on a Honda.
Handling required a touch more muscle than I was used to but after the first couple of weeks such effort faded into the background and I felt right at home on the shining beast. The tyres were Japlops that skittered like a young toddler over the icy roads of January and reacted to tarmac awash with water with a little bit of hopping and skipping but had none of the latent violence of seventies fours. That K1 used to wobble without any warning or apparent cause. I certainly wouldn't pay silly money for one.
Not in the light of the new bike's sterling performance. Compared to 600 race replicas it was very naff, even the grey import 400's could burn the old girl off. Compared to seventies stuff it was well on the pace and I never came across a car that was able to stay with us up to the ton. Being over thirty it was well fast enough for me, supremely comfortable and big enough not to be thrown around by the cross-winds or the slipstream of speeding artics.
Of course, the early part of 1994 was excessively wet and cold; I don't think the cagers stuck in traffic were filled with an excess of envy. It was dead easy to end up soaked through even when wearing waterproofs; the banana shape of the large petrol tank had the water streaming off into my groin whilst the bars left the rest of my body splayed out in the weather. A big Rickman fairing was considered for a moment but the potential weight rather put me off. A Gortex suit proved more waterproof than the Belstaffs, but the claims about being able to breathe proved false - walking any distance left me shivering from trapped sweat.
Summer came in March - for a whole day! Long enough to find the Honda sure-footed but somewhat lacking in ground clearance. I had quite a lot of fun in the dark (the front light was good for 70mph), sparking on the council's finest until something dug in. Having 500lbs of metal wobble like a broken helicopter ensured a more moderate pace as well as shaking hands and dirty underwear. I soon came to know the limits of the Honda.
In the next year I did 26000 miles of reasonably hard riding with nothing more than oil and filter changes. Plus quite a lot of consumables. Avon tyres were a major improvement on the originals, damping down a lot of the wet weather madness. They lasted about 9000 miles, the front having about 1mm left before it went illegal but showing a willingness, at that stage in its life, to slide away without any warning on damp roads. Given its size and power I thought the wear was quite reasonable.
The original O-ring chain lasted for 14000 miles; an amazing feat in my experience. However, I pushed the chain to its limits, the damn thing breaking when I was out in the countryside. The adjusters were at their limits! The flailing chain gouged the back of the crankcases but didn't quite break through. I know someone who had a broken chain take off the back of his leg! The replacement O-ring chain lasted for only 5500 miles. New sprockets have helped the replacement last for much longer.
Fuel was the least impressive aspect of what's essentially a lowly tuned engine, 40 to 45mpg. Compared to 50 to 60mpg from the K1 that's piss poor progress. Almost as annoying were the disc brakes. Pads went for 6000 to 7000 miles but after 13000 miles I suffered from sticking calipers, especially at the rear. On what's sold as a basic mount, especially in the States where they are dirt cheap, how can anyone justify a rear disc? Come on!
The front brake was plenty powerful enough to lock up the wheel! I had to use a bit of restraint in the wet. In the winter of '94 it had me off when the sticking caliper suddenly freed and locked up the wheel on a bit of icy road. The front wheel just flipped away, nothing I could do to save it. A lot of damage to the cycle parts and my poor old knee, but the bike was still ridable so I rode home with blood dripping from my knee. A waste of time spending hours hanging around hospital when I could clean it up at home.
The bike was about ready for an aftermarket exhaust, as well as the dents from the accident there was quite a bit of rust seeping under the chrome. Couldn't find one new, ended up welding and chopping an unmarked but used Alfa meant for a CB900. The engines were, in fact, very similar but the pipes needed radical surgery to increase the offered ground clearance of, erm, 2mm!
'Twas a touch loud but the powerband was as bland as ever. Cruising at 90mph gave a nice drone which drowned out jet engines above the ton! The Honda was surprisingly good on the motorway, bopping along at 90mph with the ease of a Gold Wing, the upright riding position not at bad as you'd expect because the pegs were well placed to help brace my body against the gale. No weaves or wobbles even when flat out, although the buzz that shook the chassis was redolent of the original 750 (at half the velocity).
With 28000 miles on the clock the head gasket started leaking. I tried to ignore it, was rewarded 500 miles later with boots covered in oil. Hmmmm! The engine had never used much lubricant between changes, now it was going through a half litre every 400 miles. When the motor started gasping I knew the gasket had finally blown. Damn! Tightening down the head bolts hadn't helped.
I got a mechanic to fit a new gasket, £70 including labour. There was no apparent reason for the failure - the valves and pistons showed no signs of the excess heat that might've resulted from running a non-standard exhaust and the plugs were spot on. Just to be on the safe side, I secured a stock exhaust from a breaker, off a bike that had snapped its front forks! Probably some fat clown going up a pavement.
A few thousand miles later I was shocked to find the front end wobbling away like an old H1. Shot steering head bearings. Whilst I was ripping the front forks off the rest of the bike fell over! Missed me but almost decapitated the cat - he went missing for a whole two weeks. New bearings went in okay, but from then on the suspension went off very fast. On knackered suspension, a lot of the old K1 traits came back - weaves, wobbles, wallowing, etc.
A new set of Hagon shocks sorted the back end, the swinging arm bearings showing no signs of looseness; something of a shock as they never received any grease. A fork brace was deemed an easy solution to the front end as stripping the forks had me shaking like an addict deprived of his kicks. I'd once taken some GS400 forks down and nearly took my eye out when it suddenly came apart with explosive velocity. The result wasn't perfect but the lack of precision wasn't dangerous so it sufficed.
At the time of writing, the clock shows 35,740 miles. The engine runs rougher, the chassis looser, but the bike still goes well up to the ton. The finish is good but only because I resprayed it after the crash. They do go off if ridden every day through the winter, a test of my endurance which I do every year for the simple reason that I don't have the dosh for a car. Even if I did I wouldn't buy one; no point sitting in traffic all day long.
I've seen K1's that look good after going around the clock. I doubt if the Seven-Fifty will match that longevity but up to 50,000 miles they seem okay, blown head gaskets aside. I've seen the odd one advertised for just £2000, so they are something of a bargain buy in these days of seven grand 600cc race replicas.
Jon Lyme
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I needed a bike to do my summer blitz around England and Scotland. Down to one of Bristol's bigger dealers to have a look and then find myself astride a two year old Honda CB750 four. Fitted well between the legs and the riding position suited me fine. The dealer wanted four grand but when I pointed out that I could buy a discounted new one for not much more, he came down to £3500. £3250 was finally agreed upon, with a full service and one year guarantee. Probably not worth the paper it was written on but it's always nice to have the illusion of security.
Three days later the bike sat on the forecourt, ready and waiting. My last bike was a VT500, so it was a literal step up in the motorcycling game. I gave the Honda a final look over and, in all honesty, I couldn't find anything wrong with the 7234 mile machine. The CB gave off a feeling of quality - the sheen of its paint, the glow of its alloy, the precision of its switches and just that general fine fit and finish that Honda do so well. My grin was large and wide.
The first few weeks of riding did little to lessen it. Acceleration was much more snappy than the VT without being too dependent on revs. Smoothness was impressive - all those oiled components whirring away with immense precision; it's sometimes amazing to me that the internal combustion engine actually works at all - and handling was competent. The only slight weak spot was the front brake, twin discs, which seemed less than powerful two-up, but as I've been at the game a long time I usually look where I'm going!
The first blow came when I worked out the fuel consumption. 32mpg! The 20 litre petrol tank gave a range of about 125 miles, which didn't really test the comfort of the machine unless I was doing more than the ton for any length of time. When the upright bars resulted in severe shoulder ache. I admit that I liked to play with the machine's acceleration, but given the mere 73 horses at 8500rpm I was expecting at least 50mpg, perhaps 60mpg.
The second blow came after 700 miles when the bike was attacked by fierce vibration and a lack of go-go juice. I went running to the dealer, waving the guarantee under his nose, but he reckoned the bike needed its carbs balanced. In fact, apart from oil and filter changes, that's all the servicing that the CB needs - £35 a time.
Sure enough, the vibration went away and performance returned... but every 1000 to 1250 miles it needed a carb balance, but at least it meant I went to the bother of an oil change at the same time - kept the dealer in loose change anyway. I've never had to do a carb balance in my life, before, so it all came as a bit of a shock.
One day I was riding along, merrily minding my own business, when there was a bang at the back of the bike and the next thing I knew I was attacking the tarmac. I'd been riding in the middle of my lane, obviously slowing down some idiotic cager who decided to knock me off. When I staggered up I found the Honda battered and dented but in one piece, without any serious damage. I was a bit bruised but had rolled with the fall. Which didn't stop a few ped's bursting into hysterical screaming fits, obviously expecting to find severed limbs and mashed heads.
The cage was nowhere in sight. I rode home in a foul mood and spent the next few days going around the breakers for bits. They reckoned the motor was tough enough and that most of the ones they had in had battered front ends. Bits and bobs weren't exactly given away, cost £80 to put the bike back into its gleaming state. Cheap enough not to annoy the insurers.
All set up for a tour of the UK, with a nice pair of Krauser panniers, I found that the 475lb machine when overloaded with two people, full panniers and tank-bag, was down on its suspension, with about an inch of travel left to deal with our ruined roads.
It was quite impressive in that there were no weaves or wallows - the tubular frame was hefty, the steering geometry and weight distribution dead on for stability, and the Michelin tyres had a tenacious grip if short life (about 5000 miles) - but the lack of ground clearance made for deep furrows in the tarmac. I returned home, dumped all the camping gear and decided that the plastic would have to take the strain of staying in hotels.
The bike was back to its former glory, although as mentioned the braking's a bit marginal. Performance hadn't been affected by the extra weight and the pillion reported that the seat was comfortable for the 125 miles between petrol stops. The grabrail was useful but I prefer my women passengers to hold on with a bear hug.
Interestingly, high speed work tended to keep the carbs in balance for longer - good for about 2000 miles. Unfortunately, the gearchange went off after 1500 miles unless the engine was treated with fresh oil. Daily mileage was between 200 and 800 miles, depending on whether we came across somewhere interesting or were just blasting through the scenery.
With a naked bike the major thing's the weather. All I can say is don't go to Scotland unless you enjoy riding in the rain, 90% of our week there was wet. The Honda doesn't have the kind of vicious power that makes wet weather riding difficult but there is a lot of mass high up, which means if it starts to go things can turn vicious. I didn't fall off but had to get my boot down on one wet, leaf strewn road. In the brief bursts of sunshine, the scenery was revealed as breathtaking but I preferred the constant sunshine of the Pennines.
The Honda did nearly 10,000 miles in three weeks. With its carb balancing and oil changes, it whirred away as good as new - which was exactly what I'd expected. Well, not quite. After carting us around at high speed, the suspension was the worse for wear. Both ends feeling loose and the wonderful directional accuracy that I'd experienced first time out on the bike was gone. It wasn't actually dangerous but it didn't inspire spirited riding.
As the summer riding was over, I decided to leave it until we'd emerged from the winter commuting. After a couple of months of rain and salted roads I was shocked and horrified to find that the discs, at both ends, had gone into quick rot mode. Foolishly, I just sprayed some WD40 at the calipers and ignored the more ominous squeaks. Even my garage was turning into a fridge, didn't inspire mucking around with bikes.
The end result was three knackered discs and calipers. Luckily, someone had written off a 2000 mile bike in the breakers. I had newish brakes and shocks, plus rebuilt forks...total cost £190 - not bad as the bike is as good as new again. Not a true sportster but as a general all-rounder the CB750 takes some beating and old ones start at less than two grand.
Phillip Coleman
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No fifteen year old bike is going to be perfect. That is what I told myself last November. The grey import looked well worn out but had only done 17000 kilometres. The enclosed discs didn't seem to work. The paint was patchy and the alloy corroded. The dealer wanted a thousand notes but readily accepted £800. The motor had wailed to 14000rpm on the throttle and sounded like new.
The Japanese wouldn't have bothered. Just recycled it via the nearest metal crusher. The British market's rather different and there was a steady stream of punters even in November. It was delivered to my home. I spent a week cleaning it up. Paint, polish, oil, brake fluid, etc.
The crossover four into one exhaust was rusted out. Bystanders quickly clamped their hands over their ears as I roared past. The 400cc sixteen valve, DOHC, four cylinder engine made almost 50 horses but sod all torque. It peaked out at eleven grand, could run to as much as 14000rpm. It was a typical short stroke, Japanese four cylinder engine but a silky smooth one that inspired much respect.
The riding position was perfect, as if inspired by an old BMW Boxer. The seat was large, well padded, a joy to sit on for a few hours. Even my buxom girlfriend didn't object to the odd outing. The steering was a bit on the staid side, the eighteen inch front wheel being slow turning, but there was only 380lbs to fight through the bends. No problem!
The only initial trouble was bumpy bends when the suspension went all soft and the exhaust collector dug in on right-handers. The mono-shock arrangement at the back was much improved by turning the springing up to its highest setting. The front forks and enclosed disc never inspired. Not so bad that I had to do anything immediately but I kept an eye open for something better.
A used VF750F front end fitted straight on. Even had a similar pattern Comstar wheel - I sprayed the tatty back wheel to match the front's gold colour. The VF had twin front discs of immense power that tried to melt the front tyre when I touched the lever with more than one finger!
Handling was much improved once I'd fitted a matching Avon to the front wheel. Steering seemed lighter but it might just have been me becoming more and more used to the bike. I just had to go easy on the front discs when leant over, their new power could flip the front wheel off the road! A bit of a killer in the wet.
The loud exhaust was quietened by fitting a CBX550 can - there are plenty of bits in breakers because of the bigger four's penchant for ruining its camchain. The quieter motor meant the neighbours had stopped posting petitions through my letter-box and no longer demanded my incarceration in the nearest asylum.
I battled through the winter months. I had to go easy on the throttle on the greasy and icy roads. Not a good idea because the engine goes all bland at low revs. Runs cleanly enough, just doesn't get anywhere fast. Such mild riding turned in an amazing 70 to 80mpg. Even massive abuse didn't bring it down to less than 60mpg. Consumable wear was mild in the few thousand miles I did.
Winter weather made the alloy and chrome go like old cheese. No amount of elbow grease would bring back its shine. At least the mudguards were adequate. There was none of the cutting out in the wet that afflicts many Honda fours.
Come February I thought I'd escaped the worst of the weather only to find a sudden Siberian onslaught. To be charitable to the Honda, anyone with any sense would've left the bike at home and gone to work on the Tube. But I forced myself through the howling gale. My feet and hands went dead. I thought I'd indicated right but hadn't. The black cab descended out of nowhere and attacked the front of the bike.
I went flying. The CBX went flying. When we'd sorted ourselves out the cab had disappeared. Leaving me to explain to some large and distraught cagers why I'd caused a massive pile-up. I ignored them in favour of checking out the CBX. Hobbled over to find the front end flattened and the petrol tank dented.
The contemptible mass of people let me off without a hanging. I failed to mention that I had a spare front end in the garage. I filled the dents in the petrol tank and set to with a couple of spray cans. Not too bad. I just had to suffer the inadequate enclosed disc again.
Like a desperate gambler I decided that my luck must change. This was major gaff as two days later a huge Merc was laying in wait for me. The pile of garbage behind the wheel was so arrogant he failed to acknowledge my existence. Back-ended me whilst I was innocently waiting at a junction. A weird experience being thrown forward over the tank and bars. Major damage to my marital tackle and neck. The bike escaped with minor scratching!
My close shave with being gelded made me think seriously about my biking future. As did some rattling from the top end. The engine not my head! A graphic vision of the camchain snapping and the engine exploding ran through my mind. The dealer tweaked the tensioner and the noise went away. I didn't know what to make of the wink he gave me but kept my back to the wall. A major bout of hysteria narrowly avoided.
I'm neither huckster nor mercenary but it seemed to me if the engine was once again running well there was no reason why I couldn't put the bike up for sale. I finally got the shine back in the Honda, kept it off the road until some potential purchasers turned up. No problem selling it for £950.
I went back to walking to work. Took a bit longer but was much safer and cost nothing. The CBX400's quite rare but many parts are common to the 550. As it needs to be revved to hell and back again to shift, reliability's an open question. The grey imports have low mileages but poor cosmetics, some chance of finding a bargain.
J.T.
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Sometimes you can even surprise yourself...walk into the local dealers with the proceeds of my redundancy cheque and then ride out on a very nice, 5000 mile old Honda CBX550. Nothing too shocking in that, I suppose, but I hadn't ridden a bike for 22 years and had to buy some squeaky clean new gear as if I was a rank amateur. The gearchange and brake levers were the wrong way round and the twistgrip was highly sensitive to the slightest twitchiness in my right hand.
Being out of work meant I had plenty of time to explore the parameters of the new machine in the marvellous back lanes of Herefordshire. Once used to the gearchange, I found the Honda very easy to ride and fluid around the corners without any nastiness coming out if I suddenly decided I was going too fast or wanted to change my line. I seemed to be able to lean over a lot further than on the old Brit's and accelerate much harder out of the corners.
True, the engine did lack in torque at the lower end of the rev range, but it had none of the gruffness of an old Brit, none of the engine trying to shake itself out of the frame (the stuff of legends...). So smooth was the mill that it'd run right down to 1500rpm in top gear and pull ever so slowly under the mildest of throttle hands. If I lambasted the throttle the drive train would rattle, grumble and scream in protest, whilst the motor itself went into one big sulk.
At 6000 revs the mill came on to cam, underwent a huge change in character, from being pleasant and relaxed to violent and vicious. The snarl of the exhaust, the way the rev counter went dipping into the red and manner in which my arms were wrenched left no doubt that it had a serious nutter side. In some ways it was just like a Bonnie, but heavier going without any of the vibration.
Of course, across the frame fours intrinsically suffer from secondary vibes just as old twins do from primary vibration, but in the CBX's case the lack of cubes combined with an engine exceptionally well matched to its frame (if you ever want to experience really vicious vibes just put a T120 mill in an A10 frame...) made for an uncanny smoothness that gave the impression of a motor built to the highest engineering standards.
The only time I noticed an intimation that the mill wasn't perfectly balanced was when slamming the throttle shut, the forces of engine braking were reflected in a slight resonance in the petrol tank. Nothing to really worry about as it was entirely transitory but the smoothness of a well run in, low miler is worth noting when looking over CBX550's for signs of abuse or clocking.
It's all very well having a marvellous engine but on modern roads it's vital to have a good combination of handling and braking. Here the Honda also scored well, more so in its handling, which I found so good as to be hard to fault. Well, it was a little sluggish at low speeds and whole thing was on the wide side for filtering through traffic with ease, but add a little speed to the equation and it runs along very well indeed.
The brakes were speed killers, rather odd enclosed discs, but furious enough to shake the front forks and waggle the back end if used with anything other than the most sensitive of inputs. They took an awful lot of getting used to and held me entranced in fear in the wet, although there wasn't any of the wet weather delay I'd read about on other bikes (obviously due to them being housed out of the muck).
I know that some of this initial praise and worry was down to my own ignorance and the sheer thrill of being back on two wheels after such a long absence, things had sure changed for the better from the days when you never really knew if the bike was going to make it to the end of the journey in one piece.
Since buying the Honda I've had blasts on a great variety of machines, from XS400 to CBR600, can put the CBX in a better perspective. I didn't find anything that was easier to ride, plenty had more sensitive brakes and only the CBR was as comfortable for long trips. The latter had performance so hard edged that it left me shaking for days afterwards, lurid nightmares of tearing metal and broken limbs - it was kind of motorcycle on which I'd either lose my licence or life pretty damn quick. Brilliant but too much of a good thing.
Whereas the CBX seemed much more suited to my own riding abilities and the charms of British roads (with Gestapo like police cordons, massive fines for the unwary speeder, etc). I was also enamoured of the way it looked, its nakedness enhancing the brutality of the bulk of the four cylinder DOHC motor. Not retro in a silly way but purposeful and righteous.
I'd read about the likelihood of the camchain tensioner doing the dirty on the motor but hoped that my late model with a low mileage would escape such infidelities, I had it serviced every 5000 miles by the local dealer who had a workshop cleaner than my own kitchen, and did everything for a very reasonable £80. I also did an oil change at 2500 miles, just to be on the safe side.
I spent more time cleaning up the bike than anything else, determined to keep it in the immaculate state I'd bought it. I've seem some really rotten CBX550's so it obviously pays to put in some tender loving care. The exhaust and wheels were the hardest bits to keep clean, needing almost daily attention - in this area alone was the Honda inferior to the old British stuff that had chrome that could last for decades.
The bike was still looking immaculate after three years and 22000 miles...then some glory boy in a GTi did a right turn just as I was coming abreast of him. I couldn't believe the idiot, didn't even have time to give him a blast on my horn. Front of the bike hit the side of his car, at about 35mph, and over the bars went I. I slammed into his bonnet, felt like I'd broken every bone in my body.
What I couldn't believe was that the guy carried on with the manoeuvre, flipping me off the car and crushing the bike under his back wheel. Only because CBX and car became as one did he have to stop. At the very least I expected a helping hand and profuse apologies along the lines of, sorry, mate, I didn't see you. What I got was a mouthful of abuse and several kicks in the ribs. I would most likely have ended up a road rage victim had not a lorry driver pulled up and dragged him off me.
The next few minutes were a bit blurred, I just remember being sick in my helmet whilst it was still attached to my head. A frantic member of the public was doing a little dance, screaming at me not to move as I struggled up and tore the lid off. I flexed my fingers and toes just to make sure everything was still connected up. The cager had kneed the lorry driver and fled the scene.
To cut a long story short, the car was stolen and had been reported being used in a burglary. The poor old Honda had all its cycle parts crushed, forks and swinging arm bent, wheels buckled, etc. A write-off said the insurance company, offering £500. Eventually they settled on £600 plus me keeping the thing.
So I had a good frame, perfect motor and most of the electrics. Perversely, the very frailty of the motor meant that there were much more chassis bits available than engines, so ringing around three breakers secured all the parts I needed for around £300. As it was nearly winter time I took the opportunity to fit the half fairing that was available on some models. After lots of spannering I was back on the road.
Thing was, the bike seemed to have loss a certain something in the transition. There was a roughness and reluctance to rev to the previous extremes and the gearbox had turned all awkward, very like a BMW R80 I had a quick blast on - agricultural was a kind description, talk about myth being well beyond reality.
I persevered with the machine for another 6000 miles, or so, hoping we could once again attain a happy friendship, but it just didn't happen. In fact, I began to neglect the bike a bit, not going manic when the odd spot of rust turned up or the paint started to fade and bubble around the fuel cap. The front discs were also going very weak - remember, not the original equipment, so no way of knowing how many miles they'd done.
In part, this contributed to the second crash, which was also a mirror image of the first, save that the car turned left (inexplicably, as there wasn't a turning off or anything!). Had the brakes been as fierce as before I would've lost most of the speed, as it was the locked up front end hit the back of the car at about 20mph.
I was just thrown backwards and forwards in the seat this time, doing an excess of damage to my marital prospects and almost jerking my shoulders out of their sockets. Unbelievably, the dumb f..ker just drove off, leaving me sitting there with a mangled front end and enough swearing to embarrass a cab driver.
The egg-shaped wheel made the bike impossible to move, and the cops showed a remarkable disinterest in helping out. Having looked up my record in their computer, they reckoned I was making a habit out of attacking cars and perhaps I should have an eyesight test and I'd better get the vehicle off the road else I'd be done for obstruction. Next time they need my help they know where they can shove it.
I pleaded with the dealer to come and collect it. He was kind enough to offer me £700 off the retail price of a CB500 twin that had been sitting in his showroom for months. It was enough incentive for me to do the swap, but I'm not convinced of any progress made in motorcycle design. Still, I'm beginning to fall for it.
F.H.
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