Back in 1981 i purchased my first superbike, it was the Honda CB900FA.

Brilliant is all I could say, owned it for 15yrs, production raced & drag raced it, then went on to totally restore it back to original & sold it for £1.900.


I've just brought another 1981 model & plan on restoring it back to original pristine condition, looking forward to it again.


Any of you guy's owned one of these in the past...

Bought my CB900F from Littlehampton Motorcycles somewhere around 1985 ish and became a nuisance in and around Brighton for a couple of years.
Mates had 350 power valves, GPZ 750 and 600. Box hill and Chelsea Bridge became regular events.
My first "big" bike. Black with a red frame (non standard). I had the black bodywork etc resprayed Golden Yellow. Reverse(?) Comstar wheels and a noisy 4 into 1. Big fat red needles in the speedo and rev counter.
Two up I towed a mate and his pillion back from the M25 to Brighton using his scarf as a towrope. When we got to Brighton his arm looked like it was going to fall off. Blood circulation had been cut off and his arm was withered and blue.
Unfortunately my best mate also had a CB900 (blue), which was quite tatty and had a Harris 4 into 1 but the flinkin thing was just quicker than mine.grrrr.
I always wanted a black engine but mine was yucky silver.
Reasonably quick in the mid 80's but even thinking about high speed cornering was a complete no-no as the frame was about as rigid as a recovering alcoholic's cock.

Whatever you need you should get most of it from David Silver ........

I know some one who has just rebuilt a CBR 1000 K6 and it looks like new, concours ...... lovely bike.

I thought the original "superbike" was the Z900...with the GPZ900 being the next milestone in 1984.....

I did like the Cb range thou...good looking bikes at the time..the black comstar wheels looked fab on my old NS400

Anyone remember when Freedie Spencers early comstar wheel broke on the NR500?

Bloody four strokes :D

Never got to ride a twin-cam Honda 750 / 900 but did have a pop on a mate's 1981 GSX1100, 125mph has NEVER ever felt faster .... the wind trying to pull your jacket off and the bike weaving all over the place 'cos of the spindly forks and crappy swingarm :eek:

I thought the original "superbike" was the Z900...with the GPZ900 being the next milestone in 1984.....

I did like the Cb range thou...good looking bikes at the time..the black comstar wheels looked fab on my old NS400

Anyone remember when Freedie Spencers early comstar wheel broke on the NR500?

Your right, the Z900 was awesome, the GPZ's were really the start of the mega superbikes, had many a tussle with the GPZ turbos & blitzed em..

Freddie Spencer...
I'm in two minds wether or not to build a replica of his 750 based monster, or just go for original or build two.


PNB

I did like the Cb range thou...good looking bikes at the time..the black comstar wheels looked fab on my old NS400

Anyone remember when Freedie Spencers early comstar wheel broke on the NR500?

The NS had different wheels to the CB range, didn't the NS have 6 spoke 'rivited' wheels almost in a style of the Jewish Cross (excuse my religious ignorance) whereas the CD had originally silver 5 spoke wheels (Comstar) which were replaced with the black 5 spoke tubless wheels (Reverse Comstar).
Always felt that the NS (especially in Rothmans colurs) was a stunning looking bike - just felt it was a shame Honda dipped out of the 500cc atroker battle (I had a RG500 but the build quality was nothing like the Honda).

Can't remember Freddies wheels breaking on the NR500 - remember virtually everything else breaking on it!!

ALG
My 900 was original when purchased, I then set to doing a few mod's.

Z750 e front mudguard 'chrome'
Had the frame chromed
Moto Martin CBX lightweight box-section s/arm
dropped rear brake caliper
Fork legs dropped in yokes about 2" which improved handling
Bigger oil cooler & aeroquip
Suzuki GS 1000S front fairing - that looked & fit very well indeed
Mikuni smooth bores

It ran & handled not bad at all.

top speed about 140 mph clocked - true around 130/135 approx
1/4 mile - best time 11.83 at 112.6mph

I'll post up some pictures later on, if I can find a few.


Don't half get the brain churning again...

The NS had different wheels to the CB range, didn't the NS have 6 spoke 'rivited' wheels almost in a style of the Jewish Cross (excuse my religious ignorance) whereas the CD had originally silver 5 spoke wheels (Comstar) which were replaced with the black 5 spoke tubless wheels (Reverse Comstar).
Always felt that the NS (especially in Rothmans colurs) was a stunning looking bike - just felt it was a shame Honda dipped out of the 500cc atroker battle (I had a RG500 but the build quality was nothing like the Honda).

Can't remember Freddies wheels breaking on the NR500 - remember virtually everything else breaking on it!!

Yes, the NS (and VF100R) Comstars where some what different in design and of course the colour difference….they where all a b@stad to clean thou’!

The Spencer CB’s looked fantastic didn’t they, there’s a couple of people who have done fab replicas that ive seen, cost a lot of ££ thou and bits are hard to find now

Yep, shame Honda didn’t make the NS a “full” 500 but rumour has it they wanted to market the bike in Japan as well so if fitted in with their 400cc limit, I had an RG500 as well but for some reason despite the massive power difference out of the 2 id rather have an NS now, they where just built better, looked better and rode better…pity they didn’t put a bigger rear tyre on it as well, the rear was an abysmal 110 section as standard…apparently people put a VF100R rear wheel on the back and switch the O/E rear rim to the front. I wouldn’t fancy taking a comstar rear wheel to pieces to match it with the front hub thou’!

I didn’t manage to find any pictures of the NR500’s wheel disintegration but if you do a search it’s well documented..Oval pistons in 1979 was a hell of an achievement for Honda thou Mick Grant and Ron Haslam also rode the bike, hard to believe Ron’s still kicking around in the BSB paddock, it seems longer than 27 years ago .

brybusa

Do you remember 'Skeleton clad' Dave Aldana's big Suzuki & Wayne Gardeners Moriwaki.

Those were the days, the days of real grit your teeth racing sit up and beg style.

I do mate...and Wes Cooleys Honda and Lawson on the big Kwak...

Gardner raced over here for a bit on the Moriwaki didnt he?

I looked forward to seeing the pics of your Z mate

Ive joined an NS400 forum today, i want another one badly now!

Seems bits are a complete mare to get hold of, some people are running bikes on pre mix as even oil pumps cables are rarer than hens teeth...

when they where about i was only 17 and had to settle for a blue honda super dream 250 n

Here you go
The first picture was taken in 1981 having fun around an Island in Kidderminster, it includes the GS1000S front nose fairing, which was later painted to continue the paint theme from the fuel tank & chrome frame & Z750E mudguard i think it looked good.

Dig the original Simpson Bandit purchased back in 1978, one of few in the country at that time, not sure about the Shaking Steven's boots though....

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/pnbond007/outforaspinin1982.jpg



The second picture was taken back in 1996 after a major re-build, the bike sold for £1870.00 quite easily.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/pnbond007/hondaoriginal.jpg

Oh the days of long hair, spot's & not really having a care in the world

Phil

Looks awesome in both pics.
They look like Marzocchi rear shocks in the first pic. Mine had them and a Metmachex swinging arm.
I also had a GS1000G shaft drive i used to courier with. I used it for 2 years up and down the country hanging on to the bars aginst the wind blast.
After a 2 freezing winters I bought a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE Vetter fairing, heated grips and handlebar muffs. Toastie for about 2 months then gave up courier work on a bike.
Suzuki GS1000G another barge.

Great pics Phil....Im with you on the "not a care in the world" comment as well...life was just about bikes and hanging out with your mates...with girls a distant 3rd

Check that riding gear too :D

State-of-the-art safety in them days, eh :eek:

But it didn't hurt as much if you fell off :D

Is that a piper / alfa exhaust? Or is a Yoshi. Chrome frame looks smart - when you originally said about it I though ' oh dear' but the frame looks very moto-martin.
I got my first road bike when I was 16 (in 1984) so still plenty of CB900Fs, coffin tanked Z1000s etc around then - never seemed to be as many new bikes (GPZ900, RD500s) around then as there are GSXR1000/ZX-10Rs as there are now.

I've just been to look at a pair of GS1000s that someone is selling to make garage space.

£1000 buys me one immaculately restored standard GS1000 in red...AND a slightly less immaculate genuine GS1000S in white and blue :D

I think I'll be having them, then. Now all I need to do is persuade my wife that it's a Good Idea...

SB

Graham
It's an Alfa exhaust & didn't you know it, I had a modified end can to make it a little more interesting, only draw back was ground clearance.....

I did have the Yoshimura 4-1 & Harris 4-2-1 they were both absolute rubbish, bike ran like crap, though I must admit I ran it on NGK D8EV's as the normal plug D8ES would not let it rev freely.

A tip for any potential 900f buyers out there,
Bin the rubber snorkel from the rear of the air box, run on NGK D8EV's & re-direct the oil breathers to a catch bottle at the rear.


Brickboy
It did hurt when you fell off, it's all relative.
That photo was a taken on Saturday afternoon visiting the local bike shops, on Sundays the leathers & Frank Thomas boots came out......


SBradley
I would be in the market for another 1000s fairing if you know of any, mine looked the biz on the Honda.


This thread is really bringing to life again my interest in this game, my absolute ideal bike is a 2005 Repsol Blade, but with a Scoob as well I cannot justify a 7k bike.....

Sorry, but the fairing is staying om the 1000S - I'm going to restore it and hang onto it, I think. At least until my rose tinted specs clear...

The same guy is selling a very tidy '87 GSX-R 750. Stock and unmolested except for the Vance and Hines can :)

SB

[QUOTE=Sbradley]Sorry, but the fairing is staying om the 1000S - I'm going to restore it and hang onto it, I think. At least until my rose tinted specs clear...

No worries, If you do hear of any about please give me the nod

SB, go for the ice-cream van, you know it makes sense.

Does anyone remember Alpha 41 pipes? My mate with the 1981 GSX1100 had one, really short and fooking loud, ended just below the passenger footrest. Sounded awesome :D

Does anyone remember Alpha 41 pipes? My mate with the 1981 GSX1100 had one, really short and fooking loud, ended just below the passenger footrest. Sounded awesome :D

See my message to Graham just up a couple of post's up - ref Alfa system

Used to pass by kid's & old folk on the over-run a hit the kill switch..BBBBbang, it used to flame out wicked on the over-run...


Now I'm one of these old folk!!!!!

Oh Yes, alfa was the 4 stroke equivalent of the 2 stroke Micron systems..same company if I remember rightly

American Kerker systems where also friggin loud!

The same guy is selling a very tidy '87 GSX-R 750. Stock and unmolested except for the Vance and Hines can :)

SB

I had one of these for 5 minutes, bought it to swap for an RG500 (cos I couldn't afford to insure a 750 over the 500). Would this chap be interested in a part ex with a 4x4 (Nissan Terrano value £4-£4500).

Is your friend interested in the sports rack I e-mailled pictures last Sat?

No, sorry. Forgot to reply to you - terribly bad manners of me and I owe you a beer for it next time I see you (or a coffee at the next rideout).

SB

I don't suppose any of you guy's out there know where the may be an old Alfa system for the CB900F or may be a Harris 4-2-1 system....

And also, though would be quite rare nowadays a Moto Martin box section s/arm

Got my project bike, and am totally amazed at it's excellent original condition considering it's 25 yrs old with 32k on the clock

just goes to show, there are some genuine bit's on e-bay

Phil

Try Harris Performance in Hertford for the pipe. They probably still have a couple knocking around...or can remember how to make one ;)

I think they did a swingarm as well. I know they did a complete frame (Magnum/Magnum II) for it. And rearsets...

SB

Not worth having a modern box section swingarm/rear end modified to fit - thinking as much ZRX/XJR/GSX14 as these have twin shocks; you may even find a more modern 600 arm will be more suitable as wheel won't be so wide - a 10yr old CBR600 will probably have a stronger arm than CB900F.

extracep still sell marving exhausts (they sounded wicked) and norman hyde took over selling the harris works collection exhausts (both advertise in mcn)