New to me ‘81. CBXing in Alaska

[crankwalk]

Hey Syscrush,

I’ll definitely suffer a bit for the sound. With our short season and 2 other bikes I’ll not fret about it being down slightly in parts of the powerband. If I really hated it I can throw the stock exhaust on but I feel like that is going to stay in the crawl space safely stored for a loooong time.

[crankwalk]

Tires and chain are going on after work slows down for me in mid May but I did take it for a *gentle* spin around the neighborhood today to put my first few miles on it. Carbs aren't 100% but I ain't mad at them either. Coming right off the H1 before this, the CBX feels like a proper torque monster.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Lovely pic, Jay.
Snow covered mountains are a decent backdrop.

[NobleHops]

Awesome milestone - a very happy day!

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Just noticed the wear pattern on the front right rotor.
Maybe have a look that the caliper is operating properly.

[crankwalk]

Just noticed the wear pattern on the front right rotor.
Maybe have a look that the caliper is operating properly.

I didn’t feel anything in my slow speed lap around the neighborhood but I didn’t get above 15-20mph. Once tires are in and I can bed the pads in with a little more heat I’ll reinspect.

Once the choke is off, the bike doesn’t want to idle without a tiny bit throttle. I’m sure pilots are the issue but is there an idle adjustment I can make at the throttle grip to raise my idle to just get by in the meantime? I just haven’t had time to really inspect it much.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

I might be missing something....
Nothing at the grip but there is knurled knob, midway on the back side of the carbs.
Has a slot for screwdriver that you access from the right side to raise and lower the idle.

[crankwalk]

I might be missing something....
Nothing at the grip but there is knurled knob, midway on the back side of the carbs.
Has a slot for screwdriver that you access from the right side to raise and lower the idle.

Ok that is perfect. I need to check for it and see if I can just bump it up slightly when warm. I know my question may have sounded a little weird but I have worked on several other bikes since the last time I touched the CBX and my last outing was with a solder iron melting tabs off the pilot screws that were put on to prevent tampering with the mixture. In my mind that made me question if you could even adjust the idle without doing some other hokey mod.



So once up to temp I should be able to adjust from here?

Thanks!

[NobleHops]

Exactly right

[Syscrush]

Tires and chain are going on after work slows down for me in mid May but I did take it for a *gentle* spin around the neighborhood today to put my first few miles on it.

Very nice photo - glad you're enjoying the bike after your little preview of the 2022 riding season.

[crankwalk]

The last time I fired the bike up, I let it warm up and tried to adjust the idle with the throttle stop adjustment screw. No matter how much or any direction, I got no change at all. I think that's odd considering the with a tiny amount of twist on the throttle, it idles where I want it. I just want the baseline to be there so I can move this thing around without worrying about it dying when the throttle is released. I know the real answer is rebuild the carbs but it just ain't happening this summer with all that I have going on.

[NobleHops]

Did you synchronize them yet? You kind-of have to adjust the valves, then sync the carbs, then go from there. Also, investigate all of your insulator clamps - they all need a turn to tighten up after the first few heat cycles. Air leaks can cause weird tuning issues.

N.

[Syscrush]

No matter how much or any direction, I got no change at all. I think that's odd considering the with a tiny amount of twist on the throttle, it idles where I want it.

It sounds like the throttle is stopping against something other than the idle adjuster.

[daves79x]

Yes, one throttle plate is closed further than all the others and hanging them all. But, until all the idle circuits are clean, it does no good to try to sync the carbs further.

Dave

[crankwalk]

It's tire day after 8 months of collecting dust.



This exhaust is more practical than the stock one I swear:





No corrosion on the inside of the wheels thankfully:




41 year old Bridgestones still held air but I wasn't riding out of the neighborhood on them:




A local guy has a mobile MC tire mounting and balancing business, North Star Cycles. Super convenient in this case.






I'd love a little more time to see if I can mess with the carbs but work is going to be crazy and it's going to rain for the next however long. It's starting to feel little like summer is slipping away up here. All good!