Motorcycles are like music albums sometimes, the hardest thing to do after youve had a massive hit is to follow it up with something that is just as of the moment. Like many successful X – Factor acts, the CBXs follow up model really did lack the X – Factor; it was a flop. The CBX was the proverbial one hit wonder – another 1970s and 80s trait.
The original CBX is the poster bike. Its massive engine dominated the spindly chassis, and keeping the music analogy going for a while longer it was like the best bits of Spice Girls – Sporty and Scary for me – but the follow up model, the Pro Link was simply aimed at the Old Spice generation; the Brut had been tamed.
This CBX1000 came up for sale after the previous owner had spent over eight years and more than ?20,000 creating his vision of what the second generation CBX should have been. Its so subtle though that some of you reading this are probably looking at the picture and thinking its just a CBX1000Z with black wheels. That my friends is exactly what the creator wanted you to think. Like good art and fine wine, if you know what youre looking at youll keep gazing and finding things that stand out to the trained eye.
The starting point of this Evo CBX was a UK – spec twinshock CBX. It wasnt a stunner but was complete – the perfect starting point. There was also a donor bike that was cannibalised to help the cause. The vision was to build the second incarnation of the original CBX1000 – unlike Hondas attempt where the twinshock model was replaced with the porky Pro Link model and then billed as a sports tourer. Id like to think that there was a lobby among Honda workers to build a hotter and improved version of the twinshock but I guess well never know.
However, the Pro Link model did come with superior chassis parts which included slightly bigger forks, beefier brake calipers and huge vented discs. Alas these good bits added to it weighing so much, along with the hideous fairing and other rider comforts. Just to add insult to injury, the power dropped too. The detuned Pro Link engine is easily spotted by its black paintwork, thats why this Evo bike uses the full poke silver Z – model engine.
Anyway, enough of the theory history lesson, lets concentrate on the practical. I love the way the original looks of the bike have been retained, this isnt an accident, a lot of this is down to using Honda chassis parts mostly from the ugly bug Pro – Linker. Unlike a motorcycle Leslie Ash makeover, where iconic Seventies and Eighties bikes are taken and force fed botox, this CBX shows the benefits of doing it the hard way and using anti – ageing products. But this CBXs beauty is far more than skin deep.
The original CBX1000 didnt just trade on good looks and a spec sheet to tempt buyers – it really delivered. Top speed was around the 140mph mark, depending on which way the wind was blowing, with turbine – like acceleration to get you there quicker than you could imagine.
It was good, but the Evo CBX was going to need more. I mentioned earlier the builder had ploughed over ?20,000 into this bike. Well, a fair chunk of that went where it cant be seen, into the engine, or as we call it in the trade, under the bonnet money. The original 1047cc was the first thing that was up for modification. The Evo CBX now boasts a displacement of 1223cc, achieved by employing pistons from an oil – cooled GSX – R750. With the barrels machined so theyd fit, the next problem was finding some con rods. The GSX – R pistons use a larger gudgeon pin than the CBX1000 items; one job always creates or leads to another. After some searching, six alloy Jet rods arrived. The engine was given to CBX guru Tony Woodcock to wave his magic spanners over. Every internal component was checked by stethoscope and replaced – genuine Honda bearings, seals and spirit were used. To many these days a webcam is something for teenagers huddled in their rooms, but back in the old days Web Cams made one off race cams for most Japanese engines. A new pair of its roadand track camshafts were sourced to go into the freshly converted big valye cylinder head. The engine was vapour blasted and rebuilt with TLC while the search began for some suitable carbs to feed the CBXs now greedy capacity.
Ive seen various attempts to solve the carburation problem over the years, the most memorable is the guy who took two sets of GPz600R carbs and made one set of CBX carbs out of them. The CBX carbs sit in a V – shape, this is so the rider can actually sit on the bike, if the carbs were the traditional linear layout the rider would walk like John Wayne after a days filming. Some research revealed Keihin did a set of its delicious FCR flatslides for the six – cylinder CBX. Several phone calls to specialists in the UK resulted in nah mate never heard that. Not giving up, a set of six FCRs were found in Japan, that was the good news. The bad news was theyre special order only. With the exchange rate at the time they cost just over ?300… a carb. Bargain.
Its always useful having clever mates, I used to have one, hopefully you have got one too? You know, theyve got a lathe in the garage or access to one at work. My clever mate we nicknamed Nutsy short for clever nuts. Its funny because hed appreciate this CBX thinking about it. The thing with these nutsy – type mates is theyre always doing a favour for someone else and rarely finish their own projects off. I bet Nutsys still got his genuine Kawasaki H1R and Bimota HB2 with a Suzuki GSX1100EFE engine in it somewhere gathering dust.
The guy who made the inlet stubs and bellmouths for the FCRs to snuggle up to used a lathe at work. He could manage one inlet tract and one bellmouth every lunch hour, due to having to set the machine up. He had to go to work on the Saturday to get the six pairs completed, such was his dedication he went in Sunday too and made a spare of each.
To keep the look of the original, this bike runs a six – into – two exhaust. What isnt so obvious is the fact its a big bore, one – off system in stainless that deliberately mimics the lines of the original. The bore of the headers are only limited by the dimensions of the exhaust manifold on the cylinder head. It completes the food chain.
The 33mm FCRs are fed 98R0N via a huge Pingel fuel tap, which mixes with the fresh air sucked down the bespoke bellmouths, which in turn is ignited by big fat sparks from the Dyna ignition set up. The bigger valves push the spent gases out down the throat of the big bore header pipes. Its poetry in motion.
With the engine sorted, attention to detail on the chassis became paramount. The Pro Links wheels, forks, swingarm were all overhauled, brand new stanchions were found and everything was given that brand new look. More under the bonnet money was sucked up in stuff you cant see. For example, the Pro Link model uses needle roller bearings in the swingarm as opposed to the inferior set up on the twinshock model, ?160 later theyre delivered with another batch of David Silvers parcels and invoices.
The original FVQ shocks had been sent off for a complete rebuild but when a phone call was made to chase them up it appeared the company had gone bust. This left only one option – to buy some new units. So a pair of gorgeous Ohlins piggyback shocks were found, not those crummy look – alike ones that Yamaha bung on XJRs, these are the real deal.
They are one of the only real nods to a bit of bling on the subtle finish of this bike.
To keep it looking stock, a full size number plate is used, which makes the 130 – section Avon tyre look even skinnier than it is. Such is the craziness of NOS prices, the original indicators alone set the builder back almost ?500. There was a spare one that came with the bike – that sold on eBay for ?100 to a bloke in Australia. Ive almost read all the receipts. Its crazy, after the deal had been done it was revealed the estimate of over ?20,000 didnt actually include buying the donor bike in the first place. Talking of the donor bike, all of the take offs from the project were rebuilt into a bike that came into the Redmond fold about two years ago. This bike wasnt anywhere near being finished at the time but a cheeky give us a call when youre selling it comment is what led this bike to being parted from its creator.
So there it is; the Evo CBX. Its the follow up album that Honda maybe should have released. A kind of SP version. So Scary and Sporty have gone a bit Posh. Weird, one of my favourite Spice Girls tunes is Two become one. It kind of sums up this Evo CBX1000 – it sure isnt a wannabe.