Oz chick with 82 Honda CBX and 08 Sporty

Trace

New Member
G'day all!
I've been lurking for a little while, but figure it is time to introduce myself. I'm Trace and live in north Queensland, Australia. I have two bikes presently: an 08 Sportster and a new (to me) 82 Honda CBX550f.
Neither are rideable at the moment, though my sporty is nearly back together after replacing her crank. I've done a bit of work on her over the years: suspension, brakes, engine upgrades, though frame and bodywork are still stock. She's a fun ride.

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The Honda has recently arrived and will be my new year project (probably for the next couple of "new years" given my project pace). It's come from a family friend whose shed it's been sitting in for the past decade. It's the bike I'll be seeking advice on as I work initially on getting her running smoothly and roadworthy for registration. Once I've ridden her for a bit I'll know better what direction to take the build. She turns over and runs, though a tad rough. The electrics work, though brakes and suspension need attention. Also no battery, perished tyres, and no chain... so some basic hardware needed as well as some TLC. It'll be a steep learning curve for me as I work my way though the service manual, but am looking forward to the challenge. I've read through a few project threads here on other CBX550s, which have been informative and provided some inspiration, but want to fix and ride her some before I shape my plans up further. She's parked in the corner of the garage at the moment, but will get some loving in the next couple of weeks.

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hiya, i'm in melb but the MIL lives on magnetic island, just over the (wet) road from you

is that an irish wolfhound I see in your pics? I've got a wolfie cross (as well as a dane) and he's probably the coolest dog I've ever met. loves everybody and everything

apart from that, good luck with the bike, nice sporty too

cheers, spotty
 
Welcome to DTT Trace!

There are some pretty knowledgeable H*nd* types around these parts so there won't be any shortage of advice.

(Good photography!)

Crazy
 
spotty said:
hiya, i'm in melb but the MIL lives on magnetic island, just over the (wet) road from you

is that an irish wolfhound I see in your pics? I've got a wolfie cross (as well as a dane) and he's probably the coolest dog I've ever met. loves everybody and everything

apart from that, good luck with the bike, nice sporty too

cheers, spotty

Thanks for the welcome Spotty! I love Maggie Island; wish I could get over there more often. Just half an hour away, but still never seem to get there enough. And yes, the Wolfhound is Jack. Not mine though; I've a BC and a sheltie. Jack belongs to a good friend of mine. And like yours a very cool dog. Hope to do more shoots with him some time this year.
 
Thanks Crazy! And glad you enjoyed my photos. :)

The Limey said:
Is that an 883R? Very nice.
Thanks Limey. No, she started life as a 1200N - Nightster. Unfortunately Australia never got any EFI 883Rs which is what I really wanted at the time. But over time I added the dual brakes and forks, changed to the full height suspension and blacked out the cases while they were split. She usually has the 883R seat on too, but I had several hundred kms to go that day, so had the extra cushy seat on ;)
 
Welcome to DTT. That Honda is gorgeous. Never got that model here in the States as far as I know. Love the Sporty too!
 
VonYinzer said:
Welcome to DTT. That Honda is gorgeous. Never got that model here in the States as far as I know. Love the Sporty too!
Thanks for the welcome. :D And yes, as I understand it Canada had the CBX550 for a couple of years, but never the US. I believe you may have got the motor in the Nighthawk cruiser though in '83. They were pretty rare out here too; only a couple of years of sales. I knew nothing of them till this opportunity came up a couple of months ago; it wasn't really what I was looking for, but the more I researched, the more intrigued I became. And now she sits in my garage awaiting some attention.
 
Welcome in great rides both of them look forward to any updates n pic's when ya get goin always here for Q & A's .
 
CBX550 was sold in the UK unfortunately it got a reputation for eating cam chains and the inboard disc brakes were unpopular.
Lovely looking bike though, if it were mine I'd give the engine a thorough going over and fit modern wheels, brakes and suspension, but I started riding bikes in the early 80s and my taste in bikes seems stuck there.
 
they never sold well down here (Victoria) due to our registration rules - cheap rego costs up to 500cc, much higher over 500cc - hence none of the 550's sold well, CBX, GPZ, XT etc, everyone either went for the 500cc equivalent or a 'proper' big bike
 
julian.allard66 said:
CBX550 was sold in the UK unfortunately it got a reputation for eating cam chains and the inboard disc brakes were unpopular.
Lovely looking bike though, if it were mine I'd give the engine a thorough going over and fit modern wheels, brakes and suspension, but I started riding bikes in the early 80s and my taste in bikes seems stuck there.
New front end was my initial thought when getting the bike, but I now almost feel like the wheels and brakes "identify" this bike; visibly unique elements. The conversational bits. So I'm goIng to see if I can get them suitably operational, ride, and then decide if I can live with them handling-wise in the longer term. I suspect they may go, but I want to give them a chance first.
 
I agree about the wheels. We don't see them here in the States much. I am a fan. Much cooler than the 5 spoke Comstars.
 
Hi Trace, Pleased to find your intro thread. Your plans for the CBX are sound I reckon. The brakes are OK if set up and working correctly, however removing the wheels is a PITA as it's not an easy drop out :(

I totally agree with your thinking about the brakes/wheels indentifying the bike, part of my build inspiration was due to the retro look of the brakes.

I think the CBX750 front end will swap in, this will give you twin discs in the conventional set up, but the Comstars are 5x spoke so will not match the rear...not sure of the rear will swap in as well?

Looking the HD as well. Keep us informed and undated. Regards from the UK, Colin
 
Great looking bikes! The brakes should do fine, just put modern pads and make sure its all up to snuff with the master and lines unless you're riding 2 up all the time. Would hate to lose the identity of the bike, it's pretty sweet.
 
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Certainly seems there is a nice vibe here at DTT; congenial and positive rather than caustic as some bike forums seem to get. Feel like I'll be asking for more advice than contributing as such, at least for a year or two. Most of my "what-fits-what learnings" are for rubber-mount Sporties, perhaps a little too recent to be helpful for most build projects here.

CrabsAndCylinders said:
Welcome! I have one of these for a future project.
I'll have to look out for your project, always interested to find out what others learn as they disassemble and then reassemble. Always some gems of info along the way.

NoRiders said:
Hi Trace, Pleased to find your intro thread. Your plans for the CBX are sound I reckon. The brakes are OK if set up and working correctly, however removing the wheels is a PITA as it's not an easy drop out :(

I totally agree with your thinking about the brakes/wheels indentifying the bike, part of my build inspiration was due to the retro look of the brakes.

I think the CBX750 front end will swap in, this will give you twin discs in the conventional set up, but the Comstars are 5x spoke so will not match the rear...not sure of the rear will swap in as well?

Looking the HD as well. Keep us informed and undated. Regards from the UK, Colin

Thanks Colin, appreciate your input! That's handy to know on the front end if Plan A turns into Plan B. Tyres have arrived, so it sounds like I might be cursing from the get-go then, as wheels off will be one of my first tasks once I relocate my lift. Stuck with Pirelli sport demons to work towards roadworthy with. Thanks again. Oh, and good luck with staying warm. Sounds as much of a challenge as staying cool is for us right now.

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Having stated the wheels are a PITA to drop out, that's with the caliper lines attached, undoing the brake lines makes the task much easier, still a fiddle but no need to wrangle the calipers out of the way....you might need a friend to help though?

I've fitted braided lines and a new pattern m/c and pads to cleaned up calipers and discs. Lashings of Copperslip assemble compound should ensure smooth operation with no seizing...hopefully.

No new discs are available, that I could find, so cleaning up used discs is the way to go. Remember, they're hidden so only need to be scotchbrited really.
 
I have been considering putting the forks, wheels and brakes from a 900f on mine, or possibly from an F2, I have not measured anything but I think these might be easy swaps for you to consider.
 
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