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The bodywork for this bike consists of: the tank, side covers, tail cowl, front fender and seat. The pictures tell the story. The paint is in terriblecondition. I was pondering re-painting the pieces or getting new parts. This bike uses a three step paint process, and it has to be done professionally. The parts are primed, then a silver metallic is shot onto the primer. The color coat is slightly translucent, and must be laid down lightly, one thin coat at a time. As the color coats are applied, the red will start to darken, and you need just the right amount of color to let some of the silver show through, in order to get a factory match. Once the color matches, the decals are applied, then followed with a clear coat. Definitely not for amateurs!
Preliminary research indicated that the paint, etc, was available. Color-rite has the exact factory paint, but the price will blow you away. I checked, and found out it was $119.00 for a quart! Taking into account the labor for dent repair, prep, painting, purchase of a stripe kit ($150.00), clear coating, etc...the purchase of factory finished parts may be the way to go. It has also been said that another vendor, House of Kolor, an English Company, sells an exact match paint also. You can find their site here. PPG seems to be the choice for the clear coat.
Not as easy as it sounds! Calls to parts dealers and Honda show that the fender and rear cowl are out of production! The gas tank was available, and a new seat is also in stock. I ordered the seat and tank from Midwest Action Cycle.
Price: $598 for the tank. Not too bad, I said. Talking to friends via email, I was advised that Honda has been out of stock with the tanks for years, and that I'd probably get the wrong item. I called to double check, and was told that there was one or two more in stock, and indeed, it was a new Candy Glory Red tank for a 1980 CBX! Lets see what shows up. Be careful here, as Honda changed the forward mounting brackets between the 1979/1980 model years. The tanks are not interchangeable, but may be modified with some ingenuity.
I told some CBX contacts that I found more than one tank in stock. Apparently, I started a mad dash, and the others sold out almost overnight! I found the last stash of tanks in the US.! What Luck! The following day, I saw an ad on Tim's bulletin board for a new tank for $990!!! What a country!.
The tank did show up as advertised! What a beauty. It's all painted, striped, and looks great.......but.........as I examine it closer, it's damaged! The rear of the tank is slightly smashed in. It looks like it was dropped and landed on the lower rear. What can I do now! I can't return it because there are no more anywhere, and I just sold my old one! As I fit it onto the bike, the seat will cover almost all the damage. You will only see it if you're looking for it. That's a relief.
Price: $219 for the seat. The seat arrived in perfect condition, and it's a beauty. It comes complete with the chrome trim strips that are so sought after, and the grab strap. These are still available. I'll find out how comfortable it is soon. Update: It works just fine!
These parts came from Chuck Ewing's vast inventory of parts. Chuck had a cowl and fender that have been professionally refinished and painted, striped, etc. These parts arrived in perfect condition, and look brand new! What a great paint job. The stripes are applied, and the entire assemblies are clear coated. They didn't come cheap, though. I paid $150.00 for the fender and $260.00 for the rear cowl. Ah, the price of perfection........
The side covers for this model year are black. They are plain
with the exception of the CBX logo on each. These covers are out of production,
but can still be found occasionally on 
, and are sold as a reproduction on
the International CBX Owners Association
goodies page.
The biggest problem with the covers is that the mounting posts break off if you're not careful taking them off. My covers are in really good shape! Some new mounting rubbers, which are nice and soft will help keep from breaking the posts.
