CB-F Superbike Pictures

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:30 pm

Ripped of from Suzuki "La Meona" in 1980= the reason Honda had a competitive Superbike program Very Happy

Kawa wrote:

7Eleven, just catching up, the pics you posted in July, where and when are they from, just so I can put some details next to them, thanks

They are from the same set you posed in april 08, so my guess Riverside 82 also.

...Fixed dead links and couple reposed from StewRoss. Would be a shame to loose these;

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 1:40 pm

well i see all the pics

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:24 am

The Lectrons even with no idle circuit will idle and not at 3000 rpm,but lower. It takes playing with the needle to do it.

Red Edmunson design was all of these.

The Blue ones were called EI Blue Magnums. The Quick Silvers had a carb rack and cable on the end of the rack. Either of these replaced the factory sand cast carbs shown in some of the other pictures.

I have a set of the sand cast carbs.

Basically Honda called Red to help tuning those trick sand cast carbs. He got the bike running record times,then wanted to try the Quick Silvers he had with him. The mechanics prevented him from doing anymore work. That is until a phone call and a plane ride for Mr Honda to inform them what ever Red wanted to do let him do it. The sound of the bike was radically different and it went faster yet.

Basically all the Lectron type carbs are alike. Round needle with a flat on one side and does "solid fuel",not areated,like a regular carb. It was Red's business partners necesitated a different method to hold/adjust the needle to keep coming up with new patents/products.

Latest is the Edelbrock deal for Harleys,but all of these are Red's designs.

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:08 am

I just read this post for the first time. I loved the pics and the history but I am curious about the magneto system. Does anyone have any information on this?

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:22 am

Don't know about that one,but back around that time it was common to see at the drag strip.

The ignitions did not have much power,so they put a distributor to fire all the plugs "positive". The magneto makes more power as revs rise,so that combined with firing positive was a help. Now also not needing a battery was positive as well. RC Engineering made ones to fit the SOHC 750 Honda and various other brands as well. Had this cute little toothed belt which really danced around,so I always wondered how close to timing it held,but every fast bike had them.

Same kind of deal dirt track racing. The ignition gain is offset by the weight and magnetic drag. They came to the conclusion that the carry weight of a battery was better than a magneto.

Now days things like MSD can match the voltage of a magneto and the firing positive and negative of the paired cylinders is not a problem.

All special race stuff. Dry sump oil pump,thus the hoses. Special dry clutch,thus the special basket and the rest. So wonder why I plug the damn hole on the side of the pusher,it does not fully shut off the oil just cuts it down. A dry clutch works on Ducati and all street driven cars. The oil is to lube the drive gears and is "tolerated" by the clutch,but not an advantage.

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:00 am

Interesting...thanks for the info sonicrete

Twinstar Joined: Nov 13, 2009 Posts: 243 Location: sweden

Picture from Bikers Station issue 3/1996

Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 5:09 pm

VictorPeters1974,

That's an awsome shot! Do you have any more from that article/series?

I am about to start a Freddie Replica, and that picture is very helpful for the lay-down shock conversion.

Thanks! Dave

Twinstar Joined: Nov 13, 2009 Posts: 243 Location: sweden

I have lots of pictures. Been collecting for my replica build.
Rear frame section pictures are from a member and is for sale.
Can´t find the post but maybe you allready seen them.

Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:51 pm

Thanks for the additional picsVictorPeters.

If that forum memeber wants to sell that frame section, I am interested.

Dave

Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:32 pm

Brilliant pics - I can gaze at them for ages. Thanks!

Martin

CB1100F Joined: Feb 17, 2009 Posts: 2105 Location: Oz

DeltaHotel wrote:

If that forum memeber wants to sell that frame section, I am interested.

Too late Dave http://www.cb1100f.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=56618&highlight=ahm+frame+section

Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:57 pm

DonR wrote:

DeltaHotel wrote:

If that forum memeber wants to sell that frame section, I am interested.

Too late Dave http://www.cb1100f.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=56618&highlight=ahm+frame+section

Rats! CB77, if ya ever want out from under that thing, I need it. Very Happy

BTW, this is the coolest of all threads! I love, remember, and raced in that era. Just the coolest, fun times.

Dave

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:00 pm

I really like that 1980? racer. Has anyone done a replica? Would love to see pics. It's got an old school/old school vibe to it. nice
It's weird, from an aestehtic (sp?) view the 82 just looks so fast and mean and comparitively (to me) the VFR's look cool/futuristic but big and bulky...cumborsome. Obviously that's based on them standing still. I can only assume they changed for a good reason.

7Eleven wrote:

CB900SS wrote:

I am almost certain your only going to find the reverse comstar came in 19"

1982 Goldwing came with wider 18 inch reverse comstars that look identical to our 19" units and are a direct bolt on.

Jaime wrote:

The VF 1000R was sold in the US, I think. The CBX 750....hmmm, the only CBX I recall is the 6 cylinder bike.

Are there any reverse star Comstar wheels in 16 in ( front ) ??? I already have a 5.5 reverse Comstar ( rear ), reason why I would like same style.

Jaime.______________________________ Wink

__________________

I thibk that 1980? racer looks awesome, has any member done areplica of it? Would love to see it link/pic?
There vere plenty of 4 cylinder CBX bikes. They were even sold in US, just under the CBxxxSC designation, or Nighthawks. All of them (until the new 90's models) came with 16 inch fronts very much the same tri spoke design that the Interceptors of the era used. We were never lucky enough to get the 16 inch boomerang comstar, though we did have them slightly bigger for Interceptors, CX Turbos, and Canadian Cb1100Fs. There are also the matching boomerang VF1000F rears at 17x3.5 that would accommodate 160 wide tire very nicely.

Explain again why you want the reverse five spoke comstatrs? Is it because they look nothing like the wheels on Freddie's superbike, or because they are heavy, narrow, and have the tendency to lose their true with the crappy rivets? And why in hell would you stretch an 18 inch comstar to 5.5? Last performance tire for a wheel that big was made for the FZR400, and it only ran an 18x4.0 rim. Meaning anything bigger than 160 in 18inch would be tires for Harleys, that have crappy hard compounds that would make you wish you were running a very sticky 130 back there. Use the search feature, and you'll come up with more than enough info, it's been all beaten to death.

Now if you don't mind, I'll stick some Superbike stuff in this wheel thread Wink

The huge deep wet sump oil pan, and there is #7 on Freddie's helmet???

Note the ingenious use of duct tape; taillight lens, knee pucks, helmet visor seal...and the one you can't see in this picture, duct tape cam chain tensioner Laughing

This one's for Tony, the early huge brake set up on 16 inch front Dymag.

Dry sump pan and tank on 1982 bike.

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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 6:11 am

TA-DA!

Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:15 am

Danger wrote:

TA-DA!

That's cool. It's an Asian Market "Monkey" bike.

I'd kill for one (NOT really, just joking, etc)

Ever see the brochure? It has old AMA Superbike Freddie pics in it.

Too cool.

DH

Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 2:15 pm

Danger wrote:

TA-DA!

I should get one of those for my grandson...

Pretty cool!

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 1:48 am

Fella's;

Sixth picture down from the top, second guy from the left is Denny Zickrick, engine builder for HRC 80, 81, 82. And, I'm proud to say, the builder of the engine in my bike.

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 2:43 am

Love the CBX crank cap on the bottom of the oil pan....

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 4:58 am

Moving "Super Bike" pictures...in order:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZo7-NyBvqk&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnT0biTzvCo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiG26J48uMw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcNhkcDI2G0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ0xanGv3Tw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9zrNVHpabQ&feature=related

Great racing scene's that most have viewed already...but what the heck.

Tony

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 6:06 am

Tiger,

Yup, good stuff. Back when humans controlled motorcycles, not software and cptrs.

Anther good vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCDwXgKiTqc&feature=related

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:33 pm

All of you replica builders ought to put your heads together and decide who gets go build what bike, so that you can put together the whole fleet, the different configurations for every race, etc.

Love the pics of the Harris/Spondon frame on that one privateer. Just the kind of thing that the superbike class was trying to combat, stuff that's sooo competitive it kicks ass on the street/superbikes and leaves no real reflection on the capabilities of regular store bought street/superbikes. This race class was all about the advertizing. There was another frame builder, I can't remember the name, but he wrote a book, a very well known book, on bike chassis design. HE did some very very neat stuff with the 900. So too the Bimota frames. It's a wonder there aren't more folks doing replica HB2 bikes with new fabricated parts.

And Jaimie, I think you'll like the 18" goldwing front wheel better than that interceptor wheel anyway. Take a look at Melchiro's track bike. Very cool balance, the wheels being the same diameter. Looks very much like the CR750. And a front wheel could be widened. But when you're looking at tires, sixteen inch tires are a rare breed both front and rear. The eighteen inchers can be had in modern radial forms but up to 160 rear and 120 front. That will fit some accessible rims. I don't know how you find the 180 in that size, but it's got to be heavy. There are many many cheap alternatives to Dymags, if you're just going for appearance. Same too those other wheels, what were they? Marchessinis or Lesters? The seven spoke gold cast wheels, they look just like plenty of cheap KZ wheels. Me I'm going for the wire. But there are many many ways to get the look, due to the technology trickling down to production machines of the 90's.

The comstars are indeed problematic wheels. And heavy. But some folks just love them. For a race wheel, there is the Astralite, which I would bet the comstar people had a good look at before designing these wheels we have. There are some very neat modular wheels in sixteen inch on the VFR1000R though. I think they had carbon fibre. In any case, hard to get those tires.

Obviously, the seventeen inch tire is where you're going to find the really good shit now. I wonder if there is a way of having a Kosman widened wheel, they also do the diameter as well, from a sixteen inch comstar that would take seventeen inch tires. The boomerangs though, they already have seventeen inches in the back. You don't see them widened often though.

Lots of ways to skin a cat, obviously the guys back then thought so too. It's important to note that if you ever wanted to get into racing, there are limits to how fat of a rim you can have in some of those old classes, so that the classic wheels can stay competitive. I think there is another class where you can have fatter and fatter sizes, but there's a reason why classic racers stay with the "real thing". Now we have special tires made with a special sidewall and recessed lip to get a fatter tire onto those old rims. I think they're Metzelers, and they run up to 130 by 18.

Still, plenty of oddball wheels around of the three spoke variety. I think the true spirit of the work of Mike Velasco and the other guys on the scene back then would be to run a modern bike with modern equipment. But if you want to run an F the way they did, then just get whatever is the best you can lay hands on, and make it all stick together with zip-ties and duct tape!

I was reading today about the arley VR1000 race bike. Shut down because Harley thought it was too expensive and had nothing to do with selling machines. Well skip forward to the V-rod, and they're constantly saying how it was "derived" from the VR1000. I only wonder what the world would be like if they had actually built the VR1000 in a series larger than 50!!!

The honest to goodness race classes where you get a bike that's reflected in the company's real products. All the RR replicas out there from the big four are finally getting with the program. Meanwhile, Ducati has done it that way for many a year, aside from the superbike era of course. The whole superbike race category is very cool of course, at least it was competitive and open to any and all. But it still smacks of the dirt track trickery that Harley has supported so many years. Limiting how many cylinders, what engine configuration, getting an import ban on foreign machines, etc. It's like they're all another form of NASCAR, for bikes.

Still, I guess the appeal of the whole classic bike era is that the level of sophistication of the open class racers wasn't all that different than what was then available on the street. People had a real vested interest in watching because it would reflect directly on what bike they would go out and buy the next day. Nowadays you can watch a good race between all the big names' major superbikes. On Youtube. Between any bunch of kids with a credit card. The big races have to keep ahead of the street level racing through ever more sophisticated stuff, as much as anything because they're not just advertising motorcycles anymore.

That, I think, is what made "back then" a better, simpler time.

-Sigh.

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 2:43 am

Massimo Tamburini, father of Bimota HB1, Ducati 916, and MV Agusta F4.

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:23 am

Pictures guys, pictures....

Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:37 am

DeltaHotel wrote:

Pictures guys, pictures....

You're right. I wish this whole page 9 can just be sent to the crapper, no one would miss a thing. BTW, DH, R U 7th SFG?

Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:59 am

Just went through the whole thread and kept wettin' myself. Keep them piccie's coming! Thanks

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:11 am

Not Super Bikes but very cool! Segale RSC1000 Honda's.

7.5 kg frame and 3.5 kg magnesium swingarm, I think the complete bike was less than 380 lbs plus fuel.

There is an good article by Alan Cathcart on the frame designer/producer, Luigi Segale on the link below.

http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21233

Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:49 am

One more later design, 1983 I think.

Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:32 am

Thats sweet!! Got to love the Fox Air shocks on there. They are off of MX bikes. I have them on most of my Evo MX bikes & have been wanting to try them on an F. Now I will have to try them.

Thanks for the pics Jkotsi!

Jim

Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:09 am

More WSB than AMA, but I thought it deserved a place on this thread...

DH