CBX550-Brat/urban scrambler on a budget

[NoRiders]

Been looking forward to a ride out to a London Bike event, Bike Shed in Tobacco Dock.

https://www.universe.com/events/bike-shed-london-2017-tickets-MGVR1X

I'll be riding the CBX with my son on his 400/4 Brat



And a mate on his 400 twin cafe.



Hopefully the sun will be shining

Ridden, not hidden

 

[NoRiders]

Cracking biker day out with my son and a mate.

Built the CBX to ride it and ride it I did. 150+ mile round trip to London and back to Oxfordshire. Picking our way through London traffic was a blast....my son is a proper hooligan on his 400/4 Brat haha! Sorry 'bout your wingmirrors!

Took a break at an oasis....

 

[NoRiders]

Thread from the dead - I still own and ride (when it gets an MOT) my CBX550 scrambler and recently had it featured in an online bike magazine - Off Beat Bikes

Here's the link: https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...azine.co.uk/offbeat-bikes-magazine---issue-17

 

[Maritime]

Nice. Still love this bike too.

 

[NoRiders]

Nice. Still love this bike too.

Thanks maritime...owned that a loooong time now.....nearly 25 years. Must get it back on the road legal.

 

[Rudapo]

nice bikes you and your son have, i indeed see some resamblance to the bike i'm currently building.
time to get it back on the road again

 

[NoRiders]

Thread from the dead.

Dragged out the old Honda after a layup of nearly a year!! Quick dust off, battery and fuel topped up and it fired on the second stab of the starter button, legendary Honda reliability for the win.

Passed an MOT on Friday at my local bike shop.....so good for another year, hopefully not languishing in the garage under a cover this time :/

 

[Maritime]

Still looks great

 

[NoRiders]

The time has come......to change the leftside forkseal.It's been progreesively getting worse and pissing oil out of the gaitor for a while now.....snuck it through the MOT but the puddle of oil is getting bigger.
Ordered a repro fork tube from David Silver in the UK, apparently they have a good rep as I asked on the Facebook CBX550 group.
So, happy to pull the trigger on the order to include OEM seal as well. Hoping this might give me the best chance of a reliable seal/repair going forwards.
PS: I'll not be doing the job as my neighbour, Andy has time and space to carry it out.
Looking forward to having the old bike back on the road as the weather is getting much more bearable in the UK now.

Here's an image of a fork tube & the bike in question.

 

[NoRiders]

If anyone is following my CBX550 fork misadventures...here's an update:
The first repro fork tube turned out to not match the tube we removed...odd?? the new, leftside tube was shorter by 9mm than the one we took out......quick call to DS and subsequent email/image exchanges turned up the old tube was in the wrong side/leg.
I must've mixed them up when I stripped and cleaned them 5-6 years ago...cannot remember if I did them one by one or both at the same time, not realising they were handed.
So, with the help of DS (thanx Tim) I have purchased a rightside tube too, so now I have an asymetric pair that replicate what has been removed. Along with OEM seal/ductcap kit and bushes we now have everything to rebuild the entire fork set up.
I'm venturing into the anti-dive, but only to check n clean that too.
I'll post further updates on how well the repro tubes install, but I'm not anticipating any more issues at this stage.
PS I'll go back to using ATF oil from the Valvoline 10w I had in there.

 

[NoRiders]

All done.

A pair of repro fork stancions along with OEM seals and fresh ATF fluid. One thing I didn't look at 5 years ago was the anti-dive mechanism/valve. Well, it turns out there was no spring to retain the ballbearing...which turned out to be too small, new ball and spring could have it working again....never noticed it not tbh.
Also, throttle cables adjusted and lubed along with the chock cable and mechanism....snaps on/off a treat now.

My neighbour, Andy, is a timeserved bike mechanic and has reuilt countless classics and vintage bikes.....he was particulary interested in the CBX as he'd never worked on one before. As usual he's done a cracking job for beer money, well pleased.

Rear brake caliper is partially seizing...it's been a constant issue but usage helps...so I have to ride it more

 

[Maritime]

Worst thing you can do to a bike is let it sit for sure

 

[NoRiders]

Worst thing you can do to a bike is let it sit for sure

Sadly, and shamefully, it has laid up a lot longer than it has even been ridden ove the 25years I've owned it. Once upon a time it was my daily transport and I loved it.

 

[NoRiders]

Managed to dodge the downpours for an hour or so this morning and gave the CBX a run out to blow the cobwebs away....and test the rebuilt front end. Handles much better, the front actually feels like it's doing some suspending...which is good. Couldn't top up tyre pressures as the 'free air' machine had a metal adapter, I need a rubber feed.

The engine needs a good service, chain adjusted, rear brakes looking at to name a few jobs on the 'to do' list.

A visit to my local H Cafe nr Oxford saw a few hardy souls willing to cloud dodge too. Plod were there offering riding courses and safety advice...as well as nicking riders with defects.... :/ Tey didn't spot my black/white plate on an '82 model, thankfully.