1979 CBX in Candy Glory Red - true survivor with 6,777 original miles

--- Vehicle Information ---

Color – Candy Glory Red

Mileage: 6777. 7

Frame # 2009333. Engine # 2009473

Purchased on 3/17/1979 in Montgomeryville. PA - I am the third owner

--- Ownership History ---

Sold to the previous owner (PO) in early June 1986 in NJ – 4720 miles indicated at that point. I bought the bike in mid-December 2004 – was just barely running and there were some missing carb components and a few other minor parts. An original shop manual and notebook. original dealer setup instructions. and American Honda parts microfiche (1994) will be included. Original owner’s manual and unused original tools that came with the bike are included. The PO stated that the bike had been stored covered and inside while he owned it (and its condition reflects that) and had to have work performed to “get it running” in June of 2004 which it just barely did. Had a 2004 NJ inspection sticker on the rear fender but must have been sitting a good while as the rear master cylinder had failed and leaked. Everything else looked OK so I purchased the bike and transported it back to Northern Virginia.

Knowing that it would need a comprehensive detailing and carb rebuild down the road I drained and fogged the tank (slight interior surface rust but not bad at all). carbs. and cylinders and also removed the battery. Nothing required immediate attention for storage other than the rear brake system which I drained to prevent any additional leak/damage and cleaned all the leaked brake fluid. Put a coat of wax on the painted surfaces and (opaque) bagged the bike in my garage. the seat was stored inside. Every three months or so I hooked to a car battery to make sure the engine turned freely with oil pressure – there were no problems. Oil was clean with no unusual smell or residue when bought so I left it in the engine undisturbed.

--- Overview ---

Work performed from mid Aug 2014 to Nov 2014. Every part less the interior portions of the engine (other than the clutch and alternator which were inspected when uncovered) were inspected and cleaned/reconditioned as needed.   The goal was to keep the bike original and as manufactured (warts and all).

Only parts that had failed (almost all were rubber. seals. or corroded fasteners that couldn’t be brought back) were replaced with OEM or NOS from Honda – all cotter pins. wire bands on rubber lines. etc. were replaced with NOS. Every part replaced was put in the OEM Honda replacement part bag received and grouped by the parts list hierarchy- everything included with the bike as well as the battery. chain. and OEM exhaust. The only work out-sourced were the carbs – the first thing I did in was to remove the stock exhaust and carb stack. On some basic inspection it was obvious that the PO’s mechanic had not done a very good job and there was some minor damage. The original 6:1 overflow system was missing and the #4 carb casting boss had failed with the idle adjustment mechanism gone. Being a specialist job I sent them to Mike Nixon in California to rebuild and bring them back.

All the carb components that had un-recoverable surface corrosion were re-plated. new OEM internals. vent tees. idle mechanism. 6:1 over-flow (not a good design because of the hydro-lock potential but original). Minimal polishing . etc. to preserve originality.   I only had to easy out four screws. all over-tightened phillips heads – the speedo drive on the front axle and the three pulser plate mounting screws inside the advancer cover (removed to isolate the clutch cover that needed refinishing. Everything else was fine. pointing out the light usage and inside storage of the bike – no penetrating oil was needed. When the bike was started for the first time after almost ten years the starter went for about five seconds while the carbs charged and it immediately started – only idle adjustment was needed. There was the usual smoke from the fogging and after that everything was as expected. A basic tune and cam chain tension was performed - I have ridden it twice. about a mile. to make sure that it’s all good to go (which it is).

--- Three things replaced with non-Honda OEM parts ---

(1) - The stock exhaust came with the bike but I have fitted the excellent Sankei replacements for the sale. the notion being that if going to be a rider the aged stock system should be preserved.  Sankei was (and still is for many Honda products) the OEM supplier in 1979 and are now re-producing the exhaust – IMO it’s the closest you can get to OEM. I purchased the Sankei reproductions from David Silver in the UK and they are exact to the originals in construction. finish. and exhaust note. The few fasteners from Sankei that were not Honda OEM were swapped out. They bolted right on with no issues at all. The original exhaust can certainly be brought back with some significant elbow grease - there is a little surface rust but no rust through anywhere.   At any rate they are included with the bike in the replacement set’s box.

(2) - The braiding on the hose between the rear brake reservoir and master cylinder. It had britilized and failed after almost 35 years. I used a non-fraying replacement from McMaster-Carr. the underlying non pressure bearing hose itself is fine.

(3) - The OEM replacement lead-acid battery from Honda had a length of clear tubing for the drain which was a little too short to route to the common drain clip under the right center stand pinch bolt as well as being not flexible enough. I used a more acid resistant and flexible Tygon tube as a replacement. again from McMaster-Carr.

That’s it – everything else is original.  

--- Six things were re-finished or re-plated ---

(1) - Front Fork Lowers had significant corrosion – the upper tubes were in fantastic shape and barely needed polishing - internals in great shape with no leaking. Tried bringing back the lowers but it was no go so were re-finished.

(2) - Battery Box and Door – original battery leakage had taken a lot of the paint. couldn’t be touched up so refinished.

(3) – Center Stand - just too much surface rust so a ScotchBrite pad re-painting.

(4) – Front Fork Cap Nuts – the oxide finish was corroded and scratched. smoothed on a lathe then a Caswell kit to re-plate.

(5) – Very minor touchups with a universal black paint pencil on the frame and swing arm and a few other sheet metal parts for small rust spots – prepped with a fiberglass pen and touched up. A thin strip on the swing arm had degraded to surface rust from the leaking rear master cylinder and was touched up as well.

(6) – Clutch Cover – this had the (unfortunately typical) degradation of the OEM lacquer based clear coat with corrosion under the clear and attendant minor pitting. This was by far the most labor intensive activity of the whole job. Jasco stripper and then lots of sanding to smooth out the pits with 7 grits out to 1500 and then some Simichrome. all by hand for the entire part. There was no common scoring whatsoever on the clutch adjustment port – it had never been opened.  

--- What was missing ---

When the inspection was complete there were a few missing bits – most were fasteners that had been replaced with hardware store items by the PO (tank bolt. battery box door bolt. two of the engine hanger bolts and a few others). The cover for the main fuse and its stay had to be sourced. an internal stay plate inside the headlight (looked like missing from the factory). and a few of the plastic coil wire caps which had split and were replaced with OEM parts.

The only other thing was the 8mm nut driver and handle from the toolkit – both are still made and were replaced OEM. The rest of the tools are completely pristine.

--- What was rebuilt ---

Other than the carbs all the front suspension and brake components were completely gone through with all OEM replacement parts used. All calipers and master cylinders. banjo washers and bolts. fork seals. and all compression washers replaced as well as the oil seals in the clutch cover. The cables were all in pristine condition and lubed and re-used. The six pressure bearing brake and oil lines were all in excellent condition and were conditioned and reused – still have the DOT markings for 1978 in place. Front Fork seals replaced as well as their copper sealing washers when re-assembled after the lowers were completed.

All externally accessible service limits were checked. spring lengths. etc. and were as expected.   Also. there were no scratches on the original (by the amount of drip corrosion) acorn nuts on the bottom of the foot-pegs indicating that the bike was not aggressively cornered. The OEM Nissin brake pads were excellent and reused - everything was consistent with 6777 miles of normal riding. Every fastener on the bike that was loosened was torqued to the midpoint of the specification - no unusual release torques observed except for the four fasteners that had to be extracted.

--- What cleaning agents were used ---

All by hand with a few basic cleaners – no aggressive compounds were needed. Dawn dishwashing liquid (basic cleaning and degreasing). Windex. Maguire’s Cleaner wax for painted and metal parts. Mothers Back to Black to condition rubber and plastic. Turtle Wax Chrome Cleaner for the scarce chrome and occasional light rust. and Simichrome to polish the clutch cover and fork tubes (one light pass was all that was needed). A mild degreaser was used on the back side of the engine cases to address the significant rock hard varnish courtesy of the missing overflow system applied very slowly so as not to compromise the underlying paint. No pressure washing. just a garden hose and my thumb.

--- About the Tins ---

No polishing compounds were needed – in remarkable condition at almost 35 years of age and completely original. just a quick coat of Cleaner Wax on the tank. cowl and fender. The tank emblems were removed and cleaned – no touchup needed. no new decals were needed. I’m sure the paint could be buffed for a better than new shine but IMO it’s not necessary. Only damage is a very slight crease just below the left side emblem in the first “R” in the Super-Sport decal - there when I bought it in 2004. circled in one of the pictures up top.   Very slight and hard to see if you’re not looking but not worth repainting IMO to preserve the originality of the bike.   The tank was double-taped and chelated with 5 gallons of Metal Rescue to remove the very minor interior rust with NOS cap and petcock (original wasn't rebuilt with screws). Sitting now with storage levels of Stabil 360 (vapor producing fuel stabilizer) throughout the fuel system. started once every 1 to 2 weeks.

--- What still needs doing ---

(1) - Tires – there are Kendra tires on now that were with the bike in 2004. a 100 on the front and a 140 on the back (IMO really too wide for the 2. 15 wheel) from the PO.   The front one is a little too tight on the fender for high speed riding and the back one is unsafe IMO for hard cornering and both really too old so they will need changing. If this is going to a collection then some display OEMs from 1979 could certainly be used. If being ridden a little there is a vintage tire for the back from Dunlop but no vintage alternative that I can find for the front that is tubeless. There are plenty of good quality modern tread pattern tubeless tires out there in the inch sizes (Dunlop. Bridgestone. Metzler. etc. ) that could be used. At this point I’m going to sell the bike on with the Kendra’s in place. the replacement up to the new owner as folks usually have their preferences for tires.

(2) - Needs a second key – only got one 10 years ago and didn’t think to source one back then (would have been a lot easier then).  In the old days the dealers had pre-cut but so far no luck for NOS. I believe a modern blank is available but is not exactly the same as stock.

(3) - Removal of the paper filter used in the fuel line at some point - I left the high performance paper fuel filter that came back with the carbs. the notion being that it should be run as the bike is used initially to collect any unintended contaminants.   The OEM configuration used a straight fuel line which should be sourced and installed if the original configuration is desired eventually.

--- Summary --- 

Meticulous detailing was the bulk of the labor. all done indoors in a conditioned space for everything but the re-assembly. front forks. and (endless) clutch cover sanding.   There is also a set of temporary forks that I got off eBay for $40 that were used while the front forks were disassembled to keep things moving along which will also go with the bike.   Hundreds of high-res pictures as well as detailed build notes (Excel). organized via the Honda Parts List. which shows what was done for every part effected and will go with the bike. Every original part that was replaced is meticulously stored and will go with the bike. There are also some spares – a few extra washers and a gasket or two that will go with the bike. If you have any questions or want to inspect the bike in person or virtually please contact me through the eBay system. The bike is located in Chantilly. VA 20151 (DC suburbs) and can be viewed by appointment.

For local pickup only at the Buyers expense.

On Dec-31-14 at 06:26:34 PST. seller added the following information:

 --- Terms and Conditions ---

A $500 earnest deposit is due. ideally through PayPal. within 48 hours of the auction end is required.   The rest in a cashiers check or bank to bank wire transfer within 7 days of the auction close.

Please ask for any detailed information you desire that is not in the auction through the eBay system.   Many of the fine details of the bike's true originality are not in the cursory pictures above and I can provide detailed photos accumulated during the detailing process or can take new ones (short of significant dis-assembly) as needed.

This 35+ year old bike is being sold as is with no warranty whatsoever - you need to satisfy yourself up front before you bid.   If possible you should really inspect the bike in person. or have a professinal take a look.

I reserve the right to end the auction early as the bike is for sale locally.

I also reserve the right to not accept bids or sell the vehicle to anyone with a zero or negative eBay feedback rating.   Dont waste your time (or mine for that matter) by bidding on an item you do not intend to buy.

All sales are final.

The bike is in Chantilly. VA 20151.   Whatever arrangements for pickup or shipping are up to you - I'll certainly facilitate time-wise but once the full payment clears its your responsibility for setting that up and executing.

For international bidders all the above aplies.   I do not mind keeping the motorcycle for a reasonable time while you make arrangements but you should contact me before the sale ends to assess any issues for customs and logistics before you bid.

On Jan-02-15 at 04:43:56 PST. seller added the following information:

 ---  More About the Tins ---

Someone asked a question about the usual eruptive crack in the cowl and I was remiss in not mentioning that specifically.   There is the usual very small surface crack. front to back. over the internal cushion - no chipping whatsoever - it was there in 2004 when I bought the bike (which I wouldn't have if it was an aftermarket cowl. ).   The vertical shot of the cowl in the pictures above shows it when you enlarge the picture - not easy to see but certainly there.

Also published at eBay.com