TOPIC:

Wow! Parts are expensive, I cant imagine how much you have sunk into your project. Its fun though. I have sunk 400 into my air box, silencer and tool tray alone! But I didn't shop around, I snatched the first ones I found. Question; Is the Zr1 more readily found than the A4?
Do you have any pictures of your bike that I can see?

Thanks!
Bill

I always wanted a CBX. But I am only five foot six so I passed. Same on the 750's. I did rescue a CB550 when I was 18.
How do the CBX's compare to the KZ's?

I just saw the Frankinbike and it is awesome. From spare parts no less. That takes talent!

I am pretty good at polishing. I can make it look like the one you did.

Thanks for the help!

Bill

westmiltonfab wrote: I always wanted a CBX. But I am only five foot six so I passed. Same on the 750's. I did rescue a CB550 when I was 18.
How do the CBX's compare to the KZ's?

The CBX is a great piece of engineering, and complexity for complexities sake. If you don't like the price of KZ parts, don't go anywhere near buying / owning a CBX! I think the carbs and cylinder head have more parts in them than an entire KZ650 bike does.

My favorite bike to ride over a twisting mountain highway, by a huge margin, has always been my '81 CBX. Nothing else quite like the experience. It isn't fast, or the best handling, but it still puts a huge smile on my face that takes hours to go away after the ride. Ask Jay Leno...

I got into KZ / GPz because the CBX world has changed into "restore" rather than "modify", and as much of a CBX fan I am. It is just getting too difficult and expensive to restore or hop up a CBX, and if you crash it or even tip it over, it will take years out of your retirement fund and your kid's college funds. For example, I have the last ever produced / sold Candy Glory Red NOS factory painted fuel tank in my bedroom closet, still sealed and in the original box. I've been told I could get $2k+ easy on evil-bay for just that.

I chose the KZ vs. the GS1100 / 1150 or GSXR Suzuki based on the engine's reputation for being tough and easy to work on + modify, its' long production run of the same basic engines - 1981 to 2005 for the police bikes, the sheer quantity produced, the 8 valve cylinder head, and the plethora of aftermarket performance and restoration parts available for these bikes.

At times I wonder if I should have gone with one of the better performing 16 valve Suzukis (my son wants me to buy him an '82 or '83 GS1100 Katana and restore it for his graduation gift), or Yamaha's awesome FJ1200, but I have had a lot of fun with the KZ's, and they are much easier and cheaper than a CBX. I figure I can re-build and assemble a complete KZ1000J engine in less time and for 1/2 the dollars of re-building just a CBX 24 valve cylinder head alone. And for about another $4-5k in performance parts, it will make twice the horsepower.

Your MkII might have been the standard model back in '79-80, but it is the most valuable and sought after '79-80 model today. These will be valued at $10, 000 (restored) before this decade is over, I'm sure.

I might have a buyer for that 650 seat you don't need - how much do you want for it? PM me, please.

westmiltonfab wrote: I just saw the Frankinbike and it is awesome. From spare parts no less. That takes talent!

Thanks for your comment. To build Franki I had a budget of A$2500 to A$3000 this has now blown out to $6000 (includes the registration still to come- the plate was only for photo). I kept a log of all my costs.I have to admit just looking at it I don't see where this money went considering I was watching the pennies,
Was it worth it? YES I learned so much (especially painting). The experience was incredible. I also learned that going too cheap would not have given me the satisfaction I have now.
I must say my costs include buying items that did not work out, and included the cost of oils etc.
Re Z1R seat height( I'm around 5'6"), the Z1R is fairly high (mine is higher for ground clearance) and probably equal or more than the CBX. The A4 height might be the same but the seat is not as wide near the tank. Around Australia the Z1R was not that popular because of the 13ltr peanut tank, Kawasaki eventually sold an 18ltr to compensate but it came too late to save them.
I would not complain about having an A4, my brother had one.

The '81 CBX is a tall, wide bike best suited for tall, wide riders....the '79 - 80 is just a bit more manageable because of its - ahem - much lighter weight
When I bought my first (and still with me after all those years) '79, I was barely 17 years old, 5'-10" tall, weighed 140 lbs. (but lifted weights daily so was plenty strong enough) and moving up directly from 350 - 400 cc bikes. My CB350 Four I had just the year before was my heaviest bike before the CBX, so I went from 390 lbs. wet to 610 lbs. in one step.

My first CBX suffered greatly from my lack of riding / driving experience, much more than I did. In between modifying and constantly street racing it, I wrote it off several times over the following ten years, the last accident (one of the few that wasn't my fault) wrecked the engine cylinders and head, and that is when I decided I would restore it basically back to stock appearance (it still has a bunch of hidden engine work done, but you can't tell from the outside). I recently found out it is the 18th production model red CBX ever built, so I'm quite glad I kept it, matching number engine cases and all. It could be one of the earliest built ones left in existence....

At one point, I nearly traded it even for a two year old '82 GPz 750 that only had a few hundred miles on it, just after I had crashed the CBX for something like the fifth time, and I was thinking I should probably get a smaller bike before the CBX gets me killed or at least put in jail....

Great information, Thanks!!! The 650 seat I bought off ebay and have already returned it. Steves cycles in Ga has it. Call and talk with Emily

Well, we are not bikers because we want to make money from it right? I paid right at 20 grand back in 05 to purchase my new Road King but 150 thousand miles later my wife and I have seen the country riding in and out of 48 different states. I did the math on that once and the cost of all that is staggering. But putting her out in the wind has been priceless.

Thanks everybody for your comments.

I had the day off yesterday so I took it to complete my work. ( waiting on a points cover)
I was going to paint the tank but decided to go with preserving what paint there was. I used a product called extend to stop the rust and blocked it off and rattle can sprayed on black. I decide that you cannot get factory paint back so this is what I have went with. Yesterday my factory chain guard came in. (used) I haven't kept a running track but I believe that what I have done here is under a grand for the mods. Plus I will have parts to sell, Here are just a few pics of my finished work. Oh I even replaced the battery cables. Someone wanted to use a battery that wasn't stock so they had to alter the cables. They didn't do a cob job but still.
Thanks for looking and don't hesitate to comment on anything that I may be missing'

Thanks!

Bill

Here are some more pics

I want to thank everyone here for the wealth of information that you have given me. I really enjoyed the thread discussing whether or not the 1980 A4 was a MKII or not. Does anyone know where I can find out how many models and how many were made of each per year?