HONDA 1985 CBX 750 PROJECT

As team Principal and Director for Minda Motorsport (www.mindamotorsport.com), Bruin Beasley spends his day surrounded by four-wheel machines, namely V8 Supercar, Formula Ford and GT race cars. But a 'safety valve' from the high pressures of motorsport comes in the form of two-wheels, and the machine featured here is the Victorian's most recently completed creation.

Dubbed 'CFX', this custom combines a number of Honda parts, but is based primarily on a 1985 model CBX 750, Honda's "replacement" for the much-loved CB750/4.

Bruin purchased the bike for a bargain $250, but there was a reason why it was so cheap - it was knackered! Not running, dented tinware, plastic damage, no tyres, etc.

Originally, the CBX was going to be a 'challenge' bike, restored to running spec to ride around Tasmania with a few mates, all of whom had also purchased sub-$1000 bikes for the adventure.

"Over a few wines, a mate of mine, Mark Algie, and I came up with the grand plan to convert our old Minda Motorsport work shop into a place to get away one night a week to play with motorbikes.

"My plan was to drop in every Wednesday night on my way home and do a few hours' work," Bruin explained. "Well, as with all the best laid plans, every Wednesday sometimes meant once a month!"

The grand Tassie trip never eventuated and the tatty Honda was left to rot for some time. After briefly considering the tip as an option, Bruin decided to use the CBX as a basis for a project bike.

"I never really wanted to make a high end bike that owed lots of money," Bruin explained. "It was a project to give myself an outlet and learn things." Thus, the CFX project began in August, 2012.

Stripping back the plastics didn't make the project look any better, but when Mark, who had a Honda CX 500 project on the go at the time, placed the CX's tank on the CBX frame, Bruin saw a glimmer of potential there.

"That really was the start. A trip to the wreckers was made and my own CX 500 tank was purchased - best $80 I ever spent!"

With a café racer look in mind, Bruin then started to search for suitable parts online, tracking down a number of aftermarket goodies to suit, like clip-on bars, custom pegs, bar-end mirrors and the like. Mark had a café racer-style fibreglass seat unit he wasn't using, which proved to be a good match for the CX tank, so it was added, too.

However, the stock CBX back end wasn't meeting Bruin's ideas for this project, so he started looking for alternatives. "During the course of the build, I decided that it had to have a single sided swingarm."

Searching online soon uncovered a wrecked late-90s model VFR 750 located in Queensland. This dovetailed nicely with Minda Motorsport's trek to the Sunshine State for the Gold Coast V8 Supercar round in October, 2012. So, space was duly made in the team truck, and the VFR came home to donate its swingarm, as well as a few other parts to the project.

"The VFR swing arm and wheel was 'grafted' in with an Ohlin's 3B damper I had out of a Formula Ford, re-valved to VFR spec," Bruin explained, adding that the swingarm was surprisingly trouble free to slot in. New spacers and a new through bolt were required, along with new bell cranks, but overall, the 'CBX-meets-VFR' part of the build was relatively easy.

The engine was as much of a basket case as the rest of the bike, but Bruin found this no more daunting than other elements of the project.

"It appeared to have not run for long time. It had smashed covers, seized carbys. . . The wiring loom had the usual home-made mods: none of it hard to repair, and it added to the fun of the project."

The 747cc four-cylinder engine and wiring loom were duly refurbished, all of which Bruin did himself, followed by the addition of a titanium exhaust off a late model CB 750.

"There were systems available for the CBX, and I did contemplate making a whole system, but decided against it, as one of the parameters was to have a café racer style bike on a budget," Bruin said. "The CB system came at a great price, too, so on it went."

Despite the planned 'weekly' regimen becoming 'monthly' at times, Bruin's project was cracking along nicely, certainly better than his mate Mark's Kawasaki, which had barely seen a spanner. "I hate stuff lying around unfinished," Bruin laughed. By early 2013, the CBX custom was looking much better - at least on the mechanical side of things.

"I started to get some direction as to what it all may look like at this stage," Bruin said of the project, which by this stage had also gained a name - CFX - for its combination of CB, VFR and CBX parts.

"Colour was the next step. I have always had a love for the Gulf racing colour schemes, so light blue and orange was the look for the project."

Bruin's regular painter for his race car projects, Richard Fairlem, was given the job of finishing the tinware and headlight shell in Gulf's signature blue, with the wheels (Honda Comstar front and VFR 5-spoke rear) finished in orange, or 'Zenith Blue' and 'Tangerine' - for the Gulf purists!

A black frame and forks highlight the colour, which Bruin accentuated by the deliberate use of black clip-ons and mirrors, along with the fork gaiters, which are Harley-Davidson items. Aftermarket indicators ensure road legality, but are subtle to the point of invisibility against the overall impact of the bike.

Gary Blackman, a name no doubt familiar for his involvement with past JUST BIKES projects, re-trimmed the seat, incorporating the cool press stud closures.

"By mid-June, 2013, the job was done and I rode her down the road one crisp Saturday morning for the first time." A pretty enjoyable ride, we're tipping!

Overall, Bruin was happy with the finished result, and it's not hard to see why. With its new-meets-old look and combination of numerous parts, CFX is different, but it works, rides well and - just as importantly - looks good, too.

Bruin's next project is already well underway as you read this. Based on a Z750, what was originally going to be a Rickman tribute is now being reborn as a KR750 lookalike (think of Mick Grant racebikes from the 1970s). Like CFX before it, this project will also be a hybrid, but using Kawasakis, instead of Hondas.

A suitable fairing, VF750 calipers, ZXR front end and a number of other Kwaka bits had already been sourced when we last spoke to Bruin. Seeing the CFX, we know the next creation will be a stunner, which leaves only one question: what will it be named?!