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.
Our show
started relatively early as we needed to get the bike on the stand before the
show opened, the hall opens to exhibitors at 7:30 so we were there ready to go.
After collecting our pack and security done I set about cleaning bike as it was
raining a little outside, I came prepared with clean cloths for the bodywork
and a dirty one to wipe the tyres and it didn’t take to long to get the MBX
looking great.
Like last
year the standard of machines and restorations are exceptional, in fact there
are some many fantastic bikes you cant help but feel like you have imposters syndrome.
This year there was some direct competition from Steve Mawson’s lovely black
MBX80, Andrew Longley’s original MT50 and a super nice AR80 from the AROG.
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| strapped down and ready to go |
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| its wet outside! |
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| inside the hall looking for our spot |
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| cleaning |
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| flash.... |
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| all set up and show ready |
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| Steve Mawson's MBX80 on the VJMC stand |
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| Andrew Longley's MT5 - private entry |
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| Minty fresh AR80 on the AR Owners Group stand |
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| the place to be |
We got to the show at around 8:30 to check out all the rosette winners but the judges were only just putting them out, it didn’t look like we were in for a shout so we decided to go off and check out the bikes that did win. After launch we got caught up in the GP paddock listening to Carl Fogerty and Frankie Chili talk and Foggy’s Ducati start up. We popped back to see the MBX and catch up with some people and there was a ‘Highly Commended’ rosette on the fuel tank. Initially I thought we were being pranked by Mr Longley, but thankfully it was the real deal and the bike had won an award two years in a row, feeling very proud and humbled.
At the end
of the show we were just removing the bike from the stand and two judges came
over and shook my hand and said, ‘well done, we had to give it an award as it’s
such a lovely bike and you just don’t see them anymore’. That was the icing on
cake and to be praised like that truly made my day.
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| winner! |
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| Me, William (my son) and Andrew Longley |
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| the MBX with its info board |
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| GT550 - Best in Show |
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| William celebrates! |
Will be
back? Absolutely, we have lots of ideas but in whatever way that might look like we will be there. It is
the best show with the best bikes with some great people, the classic bike
scene is where I want to be. My goal next year is to be there with my Aprilia
but if there is room for my Honda either as a private entry or on a club stand it will
be there as I have a few more improvements lined up to make it even more original… 😊
The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show is almost here and will be at the Stafford Showground on the 12-13th October 2024.
I am really please to say my MBX80 will be in a prime location next to the main stage opposite the VJMC main stand, here is how to find me:
To display the bike at a better lean angle I have been working on a side stand 'puck', this holds the bike at a more vertical angle which looks a lot better visually. Bellow is version 1 as proof of concept, currently I am refining it to look a bit prettier!
Links
To get tickets visit here https://tickets.mortonsevents.co.uk/event/11
Show prep 1, view here https://www.mbx80.co.uk/2024/08/the-classic-motorcycle-mechanics-show.html
Stafford 2023 show report, view here https://www.mbx80.co.uk/2023/10/show-report-classic-motorcycle.html
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
Following on from the guide to restoration part 1 blog post here I have broken down each section of the bike and listed if I used a new, second hand or refurbished parts for my restoration. Being honest, there are a lot of NOS parts which in reality probably didn't need changing, but a lot were cheap ebay buys and I collected a lot over the years.
Frame
Main frame: stripped and powder coated black. ID plate re-riveted. New head race bearings.
Side stand: Stripped and powder coated.
Swing arm: Stripped powder coated. New bearings, New decals.
Suspension
Front, lower fork legs cleaned and polished with wire wool. NOS stanchions. New seals. Triple clamps re-painted.
Rear, NOS rear shock complete. Pro Link Linkages painted. New swing arm bearings.
Wheels & tyres
Cleaned, hubs painted, wheel spacers re-plated, axles zinc re-plated
New Metzler ME22 tyres
Brakes
Front: New OEM style brake lines, master cylinder piston, master cylinder inspection window, brake lever, brake light switch, caliper pistons, seals, pads, caliper bolts and pins
Rear: NOS pedal, spring, brake light switch, re-plated actuator rod, new rocker arm, new wear indicator, new wear indicator felt, painted drum.
Engine
Engine re-bored, new piston, all new bearings, new seals, new clutch, new kickstarter mechanism, new gear shifter pedal and rubber, new carb, engine painted. NOS exhaust. New Carburettor (original broken)
Cooling system: NOS radiator, NOS hoses & clips, radiator mounts painted, expansion reservoir cleaned.
Lubricating system: NOS 2 stroke oil reservoir.
Final drive: New chain and sprockets. NOS chain guard. Tyre pressure decal
Electrical
Wiring look cleaned and re-wrapped in places. NOS indicators, mounting bolts and rubbers. Indicator brackets repaired and painted. New horn. Cleaned and painted rear light assembly. NOS head light. New battery. Battery box cleaned and bracket painted.
Bodywork
NOS fuel tank, NOS Fuel cap, new fuel tap and hose, fuel tank warning decal. NOS fairing, NOS belly pan, NOS rad cover, Liquid cooled decal, NOS seat, re-painted front mudguard, side panels and tail unit with decals applied.
Cockpit
NOS upper and lower clock cases. New case screws. NOS LH switch unit and clutch lever. NOS throttle housing. NOS grips. New cable tidies, New mirrors. NOS faring mounting frame. NOS handlebar.
MISC
New speedo cable, tacho cable, clutch cable .
Re-plated nuts and bolts + various NOS bolts and washers
NOS foot rest rubbers. New rear foot pegs on painted brackets
Stripped and powder coated rear carrier rack.
High quality used rear mudguard with NOS shock guard
Painted front mudguard brace.
Custom number plate.
Read about the part 1 of this series here
Follow the complete restoration here
I often get asked the question ‘how much did it cost you’ or ‘how much would it cost to restore another bike’?
It’s a difficult
question to answer as prices for parts and bikes vary so much as parts bikes get
harder to find and there is not an indefinite supply. Over the next few posts I will try a break
it down to give you a realistic guide depending on how deep you want to go and
what finish you want to achieve.
Prices are varying wildly right now but the days of the £300-400 project bike are long gone. Budget anywhere between £1000 and £2000 for a good usable bike, but again I would also consider what you want to end up with. If you are thinking about a factory fresh bike a £2000 bike will cost similar to a £1000 bike to fully restore, but a £2000 bike will need minimal spend to get it into decent usable condition.
Engine
I would
always recommend re-building the engine, this way cases can be painted when
apart so it looks so much better when its put together. If you are paying
someone to do this factor in £400-£500 depending on the parts used, but if its
coming apart fit new bearings, seals and gaskets.
Painting
Powder
coating is easy but don’t be tempted in taking this short cut and get
everything done as again this wont match the factory finish in a lot of places.
Spray painting gives a ‘thinner’ finish so is more applicable to a lot of brackets,
yokes, handlebar etc. You can get a good finish with a rattle can for not a lot
of money. Be carful with mixing OEM painted panels with freshly painted panels
as the OEM will most likely be faded by now and they won’t match. If you are painting everything, budget anywhere between £300-£1000 depending on finish and who is doing it?
Graphics
There are
some genuinely good graphic kits out there now that are inexpensive (£50) and give
great results. Be very careful with tank graphics placement, poor placement
kills the whole visual look of the bike.
Bolts
I went down
the path of re-zincing all my original bolts, however if the bolt is chewed up
or rusty all you will end up with is a clean looking corroded bolt. Bath zinc
plating is actually pretty cheap, so is good value and keeps an original part.
Lots of replacement bolts are available from Honda and I used this as the next
level replacement. Lastly you can easily and cheaply replace any bolt with
alloy or stainless replacements, this for me is the last option. Zinc plating from around £30.
Shiny parts
The bike didn’t
really have anything polished as standard, don’t be tempted to over polish fork
legs as they should have a satin style finish. The fuel filler cap is chrome
and the advice I had (and will pass on) was to only fit a genuine Honda item as
aftermarket caps leak and can damage the paint on the fuel tank.
Rubber parts
Nothing
makes a bike look new more than by fitting fresh rubber. Consider new handlebar
grips, foot peg rubbers and tyres.
A really
good level of finish can be achieved using plastic trim creams and polishes. New
parts can still be found, or a good quality second hand part? For example my
original rear mudguard was cut down, so I used a good second hand part cleaned
with a plastic polish.
It’s the small
things that make a difference such as warning decals, cable tidies, washers and
springs. Make an effort here to lift the overall project.
No longer available
parts
You will
encounter some road blocks along the way where you will find that some parts
are no longer available so will require either specialist restoration, for example
the front brake or replacement with a good quality used option.
The end result
My personal bike required a lot of replacement parts in the end to achieve the level of finish I wanted. I could of achieved a quality non-original finished bike for less money, but that was not what I was aiming for.
In the next post I will share the break down of all the re-finished and replacement parts I used to complete my restoration.
