Whoohoo a 6 cylinder Honda CBX1000 Cafe Racer project! The sound that those great machines make is superb and luckily we have the chance to share Mike Common’s well-documented story about his Honda CBX1000 Cafe Racer.
We asked Mike to share his CBX story and he answered swiftly and enthusiastically:
“Glad that you liked it! Stories, build photos ? Hell, ya ! For as long as I can remember, I had been looking at adverts for CBXs. I had almost ‘pulled the trigger’ on a few, but never followed through. It’s funny how things work out. I was in an accident on my, beloved, SR500.”
“The SR came through it rather well. Me? Not so much. I had 7 months convalescence to look forward to. Within two weeks of being out of the hospital,I found an ‘X’. My buddy, Gordie, drove me out for a look. I swear, he hit EVERY pothole during the 11/2hr. trip. I was sitting in the back seat. My shoulder was bolted back together, so the front seat wasn’t an option, the seatbelt went across that shoulder. I had a BUNCH of broken ribs too, so it was comical for Gord to wait on my reaction after each pothole we went over. The Honda had issues, but they only helped me negotiate a good price. I couldn’t ride the bike, so the owner made a few passes in front of his house, so I could hear it. A deal (!) was struck, and the owner, kindly, rode it back to my place. He had to put it up on the centre stand, in front of my garage, and there it sat for two months. I couldn’t get it down, because of my injuries. The Yammie sold to an excited lad in the States, and the money financed the CBX project.”
“I started posting a build thread on the CBX forum, anticipating I’d need help. There’s a great bunch of knowledgeable, encouraging lads there that were only too eager to pitch in. In the end, I kept posting so I’de have a personal record of how the build went. During the course of the build, whenever I had heavier bits to move, my friends were ‘volunteered’ to help out. It got to be a bit of a laugh in my neighbourhood. I put up some videos too, but the bike’s already morphed from those original shots. 15,000km. later, I’m happy to report that it’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. Honest, it’s just a BLAST to ride!”
It is a first that we do not start with a picture of the “official beginning” but with a movie. Mike thought about everything!
The Stripping began!
Some small parts, like the carbs, were already cleaned and “pimped”
A Suzuki GSXR swingarm was added
A set of Suzuki GSXR triple clams/trees/yokes as well
Plus a stunning set of , yup, your guessed it right; GSXR forks.
The Tokico calipers got some fresh paint and new rubbers, for some save and flashy stopping power!
Building a new rear shock/linkage system (ready to be welded onto the frame)
Cut/grind/ fit/grind/fit/grind/fit……tack/clean up mess/pour a Scotch (Mike’s words)
The first subframe steps
We love to see this! 1000cc stock vs 1147cc slug
Sand Blasting + Painting the engine parts
Rebuilding the engine
Looking good!
Great level of detail on the rims as well
Working on the fuel tank and gas cap
Dressing up the tank 😉
Look at this bad boy!
Painting the frame
A perfect fit!
Coca Cola for when Mike get’s thirsty (vapor catch tank)
An anti-getting-your-ass-wet fender
Mike has truly done a great job here!
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