Honda MCX80

I spotted this MCX80 (HC05) for sale recently on the Honda M Shop's website. I literally know nothing about it apart from it uses the air-cooled M series 2-stroke 80cc engine. I guess the C in MCX refers to 'custom' but that's it!

found this info from www.sonnengelber.de/mcx-80 and google translated.

Honda's little successful attempt of a 80 Choppers.
Equipped with air-cooled engine of MB / MT models, the MCX worked on the proportions a little failure. After two low selling for Honda ratios years the chopper disappeared quietly without replacement from the program.

Year: 1983-84
Engine: air-cooled, 5-speed, 7.4 HP
Tank: 7.5 liters
Weight: empty 93
Color silver, black, white
Number of pieces:
Price: 3.324, - DM

Brochure: German Market small range poster

Here is a new brochure I picked up from Ebay. It was printed for the German market and is A3 folded to A4 size.

The models are Rothmans (mk 2), full fairing and bikini (DX version).

Cover

model side un-folded

MBX models

My Bike: Restoration, Suspension forks

Let’s assume you have the complete fork unit of the bike, if you are transporting the fork you will need to re-fit the bolts that held the fork to the upper crown as the top nuts have holes in them!

First I wanted to get the lower legs back in a presentable condition, rather than attack them with wet and dry (which is very aggressive and will end up with a highly polished finish) I decided to remove the corrosion with wire wool and Autoglym metal polish. I spent about half an hour on each lower leg to get them looking kind of how I wanted them – almost a brushed alloy finish, to get close to the original. I have to say I am fairly happy, but I am sure I will probably spend some more time on each leg to get them ware I want them.

before and after

Before and after...

Both stanchions were pitted so I have sourced two NOS genuine Honda stanchions (one from ebay, one from Honda M shop) plus a new pair of oil seals (pattern, wemoto). The dust seals are in good condition so I decided not to replace these.

Next was to pull the legs apart, just remove the top plug unit from the stanchion (this can be tight), remove the spring and drain the oil.

At the base of the leg is a 6mm hex socket, one of mine was rounded off so had to be drilled off. Once these are undone the stanchion will come out, keep a look out for the oil lock piece (often called a foot buffer) at the base of the damper rod.

a complete fork leg disassembled 

Remove the dust seal, oil seal cir-clip and price the oil seal out with a big flat bladed screw driver, now clean, degrease and inspect everything and note the ‘back up ring’ that sits under the oil seal.

To install the new oil seal I grease the internal and external part of the seal and seat  (don’t forget to fit the back-up ring) and drive the seal in with a large socket as close to the outside diameter of the oil seal as possible, re-install the cir-clip and re-fit the dust seal.

Drop the damper rod through the stanchion making sure the top out spring is retained on the rod, then add a dab of grease on the end of the damper rod and fit the oil lock piece – the grease just keeps it in place. Guide the stanchion through the oil seal making sure not to damage it.

Re-torque the bottom foot screw to torque to 20NM – this value is not clearly stated in the owner’s manual, but working of the thread size torque guide (8mm) of 18-25NM. As mentioned before I had to drill mine off, spares are easy to get, Honda part number 90116-383-721 so it might be worth replacing these as a matter of course? For speed I ordered form David Silver spares.

Re-fill with oil, the manual says 150cc of ATF fluid (automatic transmission fluid), however using this type oil is very old fashioned. ATF fluid has a very low viscosity so for a modern improvement I used SAE7.5w synthetic suspension fork oil.

Check your main spring to see if it is still within the manufacturing tolerance, it should measure a minimum of 482.5mm. Re-fit the spring with the tight coils to the top and refit the top plugs, these need to be torqued to 15-30NM.

For grease I used Morgan Blue Calcium grease, oil SilkolenePro RSF 7.5w.

fork exploded diagram

Brochure: 1984 Honda MBX80 dealer

This is the MBX80 page from the 1984 Honda dealer brochure, basically it is the same as the 83 vesion I already have but with a different header.What is interesting is that the same shot of the white bike is basically used in all of the literature Honda produced.

For Sale: bikes for sale via honda80cc.nl

I lot of people ask if I know where there are any MBX's for sale, well Jo contacted me from www.honda80cc.nl and they have lots. Holland is not far, grab a van and head of through the tunnel for a bargain.

€1750, mk2 with full fairing

€1050, I would like this one myself!

€2000, like new

€1500, nice red Rothmans model

€1250 with aftermarket exhaust

€1650, Mk1 with full fairing, just 9000kms!

€700, cheap!

€800, also cheap!

MBX value chart

Here is my first look at long term values and trends of the Honda MBX80, the graph tracks all the machines that were sold in the last year.

I have graded (out of 10) the condition and also mentioned if it was standard and/or running.

I think the top value of around £2000 is actually about right, as this is about the money that you would need to spend to take an average condition bike or basket case (including the price of the bike) back to a very high standard condition. If you are looking at concourse condition machine maybe a little more? Good usable bikes seem to be worth around £6-700.

Ultimately a bike is only worth what you are willing to pay for it, but at current count there are just 39 bikes in the UK, 14 on the road, 25 on SORN, there is not a great deal of choice...

Advert: "Cheaper to insure than they look"

I found this classic Honda advertisement on the web recently via http://www.classicmotorads.com

The MBX80 takes centre stage with the H100 and CB100N with the strap line "cheaper to insure than they look"

Honda's MB/MT/MV/X series motorcycles

In 1979, Honda introduced a very successful series of light motorcycles in the US and in Europe. Honda's productionlines of these models were in Spain, Belgium and Sweden.

Both the Honda MB road-model and the Honda MT offroad-model motorcycles were released in Europe. The MB was made 1979 to 1981 in Europe and in the U.S. in 1982 only. In Europe however the mt50 production would last until 1997.

Both models were in 2 versions; 80 and 50 cc, two-stroke. Honda left its four-stroke program temporarily because it aimed at the European moped market for 16-year-olds, the legal age at which someone can drive a 50 cc motorcycle in most European countries.

The MB model was sporty and complete. It was standard equipped with a speedometer, rpm counter, front disc brake and Honda Comstar wheels. Because of its success Honda released the MT series, a naked off-road version, on the European market.

The result of this move was that sales in Europe greatly increased. The MT series earned its popularity because of the large numbers of original and imitation parts that were available. By means of these parts the owner was able to create a unique state of the art model. Another very important issue was that with a reasonable amount of money it was very easy to gain extra engine power. The result was a tuned up MB or MT easily exceeding the legal engine power.
In parallel with the MB and MT series, Honda released aircooled MBX and MTX 50 & 80 cc models. 

Unlike the MT50 which had a 5 speed gearbox, the MTX50 had a six speed 'box plus a HERP chamber on the exhaust. In 1983, Honda released a watercooled successor to both the MB/MT and aircooled MBX/MTX series, the MTX50/80RFD and the MBX50/80.

In 1985, the MTX50/80RFD was revised cosmetically into the MTX50/80RFF. This, in turn became the MTX50/80RII, a motorcycle based around the existing MTX125/200R motorcycles. Honda's MBX looked like Honda MTX SH(adow).

Because of important law and insurance changes the sales in these types of light motorcycles decreased enormously. As a result production in Spain and Belgium came to a standstill in 1992. MBX production lasted another year and stopped in 1993. Only in Scandinavia a limited production for the local market lasted until 1997. After that Honda's M productions came to an end.

There were 50, 80, 125 variants of both the MBX and MTX as well as a 200c version of the MTX. The MTX125/200R started life in 1983 as RFD models and were ungraded in 1985 into the RFF. Changes includes dropping the drum brake at the front and replacing with a disc, bigger forks, revised graphics, a revised rear shock, revised CDI and, in the case of the 200, a new swingarm. The 125 cc motorcycle come in both restricted and de-restricted form. The de-restricted version and the 200 cc version had ATAC chambers operated by a piston valve attached to a mechanical governor.

The stock MB8 uses a two-ring 45mm piston and 50.8mm stroke – compared to the 41mm stroke of the MB5

To complete the 'M' range we have to include the MVX250, with the engine being a V3 two stroke like the NS/RS500 racers of the early 80's. This model was very short lived and suffered engine reliability problems, but is a very good looking motorcycle.

**Source text Wikipedia

Honda's MBX50 from the Honda Collection Hall

The Honda Collection Hall is located at the Twin Ring Motegi race track transport museum housing a collection of not only Honda road and race cars and bikes but also important machines from their competitors.
In the collection is this rather nice liquid cooled MBX50, I have included it on this site as a reference for the ‘factory finish’ as I would suggest this is probably the best standard example left?

Check out the rest of their bikes here.

Amazingly, Honda have a video of it running, and its pretty rapid!

My Bike: original bike vs new

here is the only other image I have of my original MBX80.. it was a 1984 machine, I think the reg was B... BFE (cant remember the numbers!)...

My original bike

my new project bike