I have a couple of parts for sale and currently on ebay,
Two stroke oil tank: Link https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226420249833?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=jlRtwxJCT4u&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=jlRtwxJCT4u&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Rear rack: SOLD
Words and images by Alan Clarke
"Was just reading the website on the mbx 80 register section. I own an MBX 80 which I purchased to restore. I have it 2 years now and slowly getting around to it. It was originally a UK bike but has ended up here in Ireland since 1993. I have no idea of the original UK registration as its not on paperwork."
If you have any info on the back story of this bike please contact me and Ill pass it on to Alan.
Following on from the guide to restoration part 1 and 2 blog posts here is the parts listing for my restoration. Where possible I have included the original Honda Part number and where the item was bought from, shop links at the bottom of the page.
Part 1 of the restoration guide here
Part 2 of the restoration guide here
view the complete restoration here
Visit CMSNL here
Visit the Honda M Shop - now Honda M Parts here
Visit David Silver Spares here
In the UK the MBX came with the 'bikini' style faring that we know and love, however in the owners hand book there was a line drawing of a bike with a full fairing that hinted there was something much more exotic out there....
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| original image owners manual, processed image www.mbx80.co.uk |
Honda officially produced the MBX80 with a full faring, originally marketed in Japan as the 'Integra' perhaps alluding to a connection to Honda's super-sporty coupe of the same name? See the original Honda press release for this model here:
The full fairing model was available in all three MBX colour generations. See all models/ colours here:
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| MK1 white, black or red. ***NOTE Honda Wing logo on the fuel tank |
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| MK2 White, black or red |
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| MK3 Rothmans blue or red |
A few aftermarket fairing suppliers also popped up so you could convert your standard MBX and five it the full fairing look. Two notable mentions are Kitaco of Japan and Pichler Germany.
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| Kitaco fairing on MBX50 |
The UK market MBX80 gained a front double disc brake, this made an already well specked machine even more desirable especially when you are 17! The model codes for the double disc models are FWD-D (1983) and FWD-F (1985).
To make this conversion you need quite a few parts and they are also quite rare as it seems they are not shared with any another Honda model, you will need:
The elusive 2nd generation MBX80 FWD-F UK bike that I last posted about here has made another appearance, this time I found an old article in Practice Sprotsbikes (Oct 2012) about 125's in the 80's and here was a FWDF hiding in plain site! This bike is another black and red machine, registration C921 TRE.
Vehicle Details
Vehicle make HONDA
Date of first registration
March 1986
Year of manufacture 1986
Cylinder capacity 79 cc
CO₂ emissions Not available
Fuel type PETROL
Euro status Not available
Real Driving Emissions (RDE) Not available
Export marker No
Vehicle status Untaxed
Vehicle colour RED
Vehicle type approval Not available
Wheelplan 2 WHEEL
Revenue weight Not available
Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 22 April 1988
Tax due: 1st April 1989
does anybody have this bike, is it in the back of your shed?
Now with the bike in a pretty good condition we loaded it into the van and made our way to the Stafford County Showground. Getting in is fairly painless with the pass the organisers send you (which has your stand allocation number on it), the security gave us a couple of wristbands and we were in. As soon as the bike rolled down the ramp out of the van a guy flew over on his Raleigh Burner and said 'I knew what that was as soon as it came out and wanted to get a better look'! It turns out he had several M Honda's so was definitely in to the bike.
We made our way to the main hall and found our spot and picked up the welcome pack, this had the security tag and a neat metal show badge to prove we done it. After a quick clean and set up the rope went across the front and we were show ready.
The first day was really great meeting a few new people and some facebook connects including the serial Honda restorers and www.mb5.co.uk guys Tony and Steve Mawson. These guys have restored more MB/X bikes and won more awards than you can shake a stick at, but very approachable and very encouraging for a first timer like me. I also met up with Andrew Longley who still has his Honda MT5 from when he was 16 amongst a fleet of mopeds and manages a few facebook pages including Retro mopeds of the 70's and 90's. I also managed to touch base with Phil Holme of Holmetech whom Id previously sold a bike to and was there with his Kawasaki AR club. I got to say everyone was super-nice and catching up with everybody made the whole day feel like you were definitely a part of something.
Day two is when the awards and rosettes are given out to the winning machines. Honestly, the standard of bikes is so high I had no expectations and was just happy to be a part of the show, but to my delight the MBX had won a 'Highly Commended' award! The show gives out 30 of these as runners up, so to win one at the first visit to the show was pretty special. The rest of the day was spent checking out all the other winners and marvelling at the quality of their bikes.
At the end of the show after a security check we wheeled the bike of the booth where somebody immediately asked if it was for sale, obviously not!
Overall the show was a fantastic experience, from the organisers to the fellow exhibitors. It was an extremely welcoming and inclusive experience and makes you feel part of the classic bike scene, which is a nice place to be. I will very much look forward to next year and will try to get a couple of bikes in!
If this inspires you to give it a go keep an eye on the Stafford Classic Bike Shows website for updates and how to apply to exhibit.
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| a least it wasn't raining! |
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| into the hall |
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| and in to its allocated space, PE7 |
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| Day 1 |
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| Day 2, time to find out who won an award |
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| Day 2 |
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| Henry Cole, Allen Millyard and Skid on stage |
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| Day 2, with award |
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| me |
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| Holmetech's AR80 |
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| the only other MBX80 (or M Honda) at Stafford in the auction |
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| info card from the display |
The final pieces for the show prep turned up, in my eyes its not perfect and there are a few things I would still like to change, but the bike is good and I'll keep chasing those last few things.
Firstly tyres. The original tyres are Bridgestone and long out of production, so the choice is some replica tyres made in the far east or a branded modern tyre. After going round in circles on this I opted for a modern Metzler ME22. Demon Tweeks has 30% off these at the moment and you can get them here: My friend at a local garage fitted them for me.
While the wheels were off I took the opportunity to fit a NOS mudguard piece.
Next some official Honda parts from CMSNL.I ordered new handle bar grips, handlebar clamp bolts, tank warning decal, mirror and also a new speedo worm gear and oil seal which goes back to the 'noise' project.
Lastly I ordered a new old dealer number plate from Retro Plates to finish the look.
Next stop.... Stafford Classic Bike Show 14-15th October
Getting my bike ready for the Stafford Bike Show is actually a little daunting, to be judged and compared against so many amazing bikes makes you second guess everything. My bike genuinely looks great but I can see faults everywhere, stuff you wouldn't notice or see, but I see....
First off is a good clean,
Secondly the tyre pressure warning decal turned up
Next I removed the front wheel to give it a proper clean behind the spokes, but getting into the tightest point near the rim proved very difficult.
Next I used some old petrol and a tooth brush which seemed to work.
My MBX80 was picked up and used in Classic Bike Shows Instagram post, check out their account here. Hopefully this year it will be at the Stafford show 14-15th October!
