Stafford Classic Motorcycle Mechanics show preview

The Stafford Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show is fast approaching and I realised I hadn't given an MBX update!

As previously posted this year my MBX80 will form part of the Retro Mopeds Club stand and my time and energy has been split between the Retro stand and also completing my Aprilia build which will be on display in the Retro Hall. 

There is not much to report on MBX updates for the show, apart from it will be clean and shiny and I am immensely proud of it ;-)

Firstly the Retro Mopeds stand. This Facebook group has been going for a few years now and is for all makes and models between 50 and 99cc, my friend and fellow enthusiast Andrew Longley got full control of this last year and asked me to come on board as an admin to help steer it. I still run the facebook groups Honda Classic 2 Strokes and Honda MBX80 as well as the new page Aprilia AF1 and Andrew runs a few additional pages as well, I like to think it's our Classic Facebook multi verse and maybe we can find away of connecting the pages under an umbrella club, but maybe that's for another day and a few beers...

Starting a facebook group is one thing but making a club stand is a whole another ball game, we have a blank space and zero assets, apart from motorbikes to fill it.

My first port of call was a backdrop, I didn't want to look through bikes to see blank wall or worse still a couple of small banners looking lost, the second problem is how to hold it up. Fortunately I have some expo stuff I could borrow from work, this is a pop up wall which I can add spot lights to the top. For the pop up wall I created a collage of bikes with a big stand out logo and clear call to action to join the FB club. It should look like this....

 Next I wanted a table which needed a branded table cloth, Temu had that covered. Andrew also made some op up elements which he used with great effect at the Oh so Retro show.

Lastly I will make a small stage area to give a bike a little height on the booth to give it some additional depth. 

This is year one, it may work it may not but you don't know until you try. Please come and visit the stand, we do have stickers and goodies but more so to chat and see if you want to get involved in the future, whatever form that may look like!

Here is where to find the Retro Mopeds booth and also my Aprilia

My MBX sneaks in to the magazine's preview!

Tamiya MBX80 model kit

 If Tamiya made a MBX80 model kit... just for fun, image made via ChatGTP. If you want to have a go and make a model of your own bike use the prompt

"A Realistic photo of a detailed 1/7 scale model kit of the photo i upload placed on a wooden desk. Behind it is the model kit box showing the same car image with the brand "TAMIYA" and "YOUR BIKE MODEL NAME" Printed on it. A computer monitor in the background displays a 3D wireframe model of the motorcycle being designed in CAD software with schematic diagram, The desk also has a keyboard and mouse, creating a workspace setup for both digital design and physical modeling with modeling paint containers."

Have fun

Honda MBX80 Buyers Guide in Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine

In the August 2025 edition of the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine they features a MBX80 Buyers guide spread over four pages. The bike featured was the excellent restoration by Steve Mawson that was displayed on the VJMC stand at the 2024 Stafford show  

You can buy a copy of this magazine here. or pick one up at your local news agents.

A big thank you to the writer who gave this website and facebook page a shout out! 👍

Here is another look at Steve's bike

Stafford 2025

We are excited to announce that the facebook group page Retro Mopeds 70's-90's will have a stand at this years Stafford Classic motorcycle Mechanics Show on the 11th and 12th October. 

This will be the first major show for the Retro Moped club and myself and my Honda MBX80 will be part of it along with another private entry... 

It would be fantastic to put some faces to names and have a chat, so we hope to see you there!

To find out more about the show and book tickets please visit https://www.classicbikeshows.com/

My original MBX80 - B784 BFE

Back in the mists of time — 1988, to be exact — my first proper bike was a black Honda MBX50. To a sixteen-year-old me, it was pure magic. That little 50cc two-stroke meant freedom, independence, and a ticket to explore the world beyond the end of my street. Sure, it was a restricted moped, and its performance was more “spirited enthusiasm” than outright speed, but at that age, it felt like a rocket.

When I turned seventeen at the tail end of ’88, the world opened up again. I could now legally ride a 125cc bike with up to 12 horsepower — a huge leap from the MBX50. Funds were tight, as they always are when you’re a teenager, so I started looking for something affordable but exciting. That’s when I discovered the Honda MBX80.

On paper, it shouldn’t have been a contender — just 80cc — but the spec sheet told a different story: liquid cooling, a bikini fairing, a belly pan, and twin front discs. And with a healthy 11 horsepower, it wasn’t far behind the 125s of the day. In my eyes, it was the perfect blend of style, performance, and practicality — all without the wallet-wilting cost of an NS125F.

The hunt began the old-fashioned way, scouring the pages of Auto Trader, Free Ads, and the local paper’s classifieds. Weeks later, I spotted a listing for one near Ringwood. My dad borrowed a flatbed truck, and we set off with excitement and a pocket full of optimism.

The “dealership” turned out to be more of a scrapyard than a showroom — a muddy track leading to a jumble of tired machines and oily parts. But there, among the chaos, stood B784 BFE — gleaming white with red graphics, compact, purposeful, and perfect. I didn’t care where we were or who was selling it — I knew she was mine.

Back home, the MBX looked every bit the miniature superbike I’d imagined. And compared to the 50cc it replaced, it was nothing short of astonishing. Suddenly I had real acceleration, real speed, and that intoxicating freedom that only a motorcycle can give.

A few weeks later, I decided to put it to the test. Our family holiday in Devon was coming up, and I had the bright idea of riding there solo. No motorways for me — I wasn’t licensed for them yet — and I wanted to avoid fast roads like the A38 past Exeter Racecourse, so I carefully plotted a slower, scenic route. Armed with a paper map and a sense of adventure, I set off.

The ride was brilliant — for the most part. Somewhere along the way, the MBX began to lose its edge. It didn’t feel quite right. When my dad joined me a few days later at the caravan, we booked it in at the Honda Centre in Newton Abbot for a check-over. The mechanics quickly found the culprit: a clogged exhaust. A quick de-coke later, and the bike was transformed.

When I fired it up and pulled away from the shop, it was like a different machine. The engine sang through the revs, crisp and eager, and before I knew it, I was redlining in every gear, hitting an indicated 70 mph. It felt unstoppable — this was what two-stroke heaven sounded like.

I found this image of B784BFE lurking in the background at the campsite

That little Honda became the centre of my world. Before long, my mates were all upgrading to 125s — including one with a nearly new Yamaha TZR125. I’ll admit, I was envious at first. But on the road, the MBX80 held its own. Up to around 50 or 55 mph, it could keep pace with the TZR easily. What really surprised everyone was how quick and lively it was off the line — it revved like crazy and launched itself forward with the energy of a much bigger bike. More than a few people with far pricier machines were left red-faced at the lights.

Eventually, as my wallet grew a little fatter and my ambitions a little bigger, I traded up. A blue TZR125 with a full fairing caught my eye at Rob Willsher Motorcycles in Bursledon, and the MBX went in as a part exchange. I can still picture it sitting there as I rode away — the end of an era.

Decades later, curiosity got the better of me. I looked up B784 BFE on the government’s database, and my heart sank — the tax ran out in July 1993. Chances are, she’s long gone, probably broken for parts or left to rust away somewhere.

But if, by some miracle, that little white-and-red MBX80 still exists — tucked away in the corner of a shed or buried under dust in a garage — I’d buy it back in a heartbeat. No matter the condition, I’d love to bring her home. So if you happen to have B784 BFE, please get in touch. Some first loves are worth finding again.

80cc spec sheet comparisons

 A post for the stat lovers, I compared the MBX to its main competition of time including the performance data. Everybody has anecdotal memory's of how fast they were, but I have included the only measured data from a period magazine that tested them at the same time. If anybody has any road tests of the bikes together, I'd love to dee them.

Video round up from the Stafford Classic Bike Show

Here are some of the Youtube video reviews form the Stafford Classic Bike Show, look out for my MBX80 and also Andrews MT50... Next show we will make something a little more like these.

used parts for sale

 I have a couple of parts for sale and currently on ebay, 

Rear shock - SOLD

Saddle: SOLD

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

Owners bikes, UK spec MBX80 now in Ireland

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.

If you have a bike and story you would like shared please email me!

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show 2024 report, part 2

 Part 2 of the Classic Bike show report is a video run through of the two days. 

See part one here 

Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show 2024 report, part 1

Saturday 12^th October

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.

strapped down and ready to go

its wet outside!

inside the hall looking for our spot

cleaning

flash....

all set up and show ready

Steve Mawson's MBX80 on the VJMC stand

Andrew Longley's MT5 - private entry

Minty fresh AR80 on the AR Owners Group stand

the place to be

Sunday 13^th October

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.

winner!

Me, William (my son) and Andrew Longley

the MBX with its info board

GT550 - Best in Show

William celebrates!

Next year?

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 2024 - show prep 2

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:

This year as well as small detailed improvements in the bike and prep I have mostly been working on the bikes presentation. 

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! 

Secondly I have invested in a A3 display board which many other machines had, here I can better detail a little about the bike, about me and about the restoration.

I also have some 'Stafford 2024' edition MBX decals to give away to adorn your tool boxes, I dont have many but they are very high quality!

Lastly to make me (and my son) easier to spot if you want to have a chat (and get a sticker) you will see us in some new MBX80 merch...

I hope to see you there!

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