Project Oxcart

[skidgillen]

I thought I would share my "rescue" motorcycle that I bought from my brother in law in September. I put on just over 900 miles on it since then.

 

[Sheriff41]

Nice write-up. Is there more?

 

[nicksacco]

The Blackbird is a very cool bike.
I missed the opportunity to buy one - but already had two vintage bikes in restoration!
I believe the BB was the only Honda motorcycle to leave the ground!

 

[TipSTer]

Use to owned 3 of this bike 2 Hurricanes and 1 CBR1100 XX.

 

[paulcb]

Would like to read, text too small.

 

[Sadlsor]

Use to owned 3 of this bike 2 Hurricanes and 1 CBR1100 XX.

Ummm, sorry @TipSTer , that won't fly.
From a purist point of view (which includes me, when speaking of the DosEquis), the Hurricane does not qualify as a Blackbird. There is more difference between these 2 models, than simply carving out more displacement.
But consider, I'm probably more of a devotee than most when it comes to this bike. Even if I did actually sell mine.
Maybe extreme enthusiast would be a better descriptor?

 

[Sadlsor]

I've watched with some degree of sadness as the price for these has climbed upwards.
When I was looking about 5 years ago, a nice low-mileage 2003 (last production year) could be had for less than 4 grand.
As I have researched lately, they are going back up to 6 - 8 thousand for even the older models. There are fewer available as delivered in stock trim; I don't mind the chain oilers (rare) and ThrottleMeisters (high on my desirable farkle list) and Powerlets or Corbin saddles, but seems lots of folks like to swap the screens, trim / cut off the lower rear fender, install those cheesy, tiny, useless rear turn signals, or worse, go flush mount, and put aftermarket pipes on. I would never consider one that was stretched and slammed, even as a restoration project. That's plain gross.
I'm just ranting here.
Just as on the ST1300, I find the stock pipes to be good-looking and stylish, completely in keeping with the lines and the design of the bike. I'll keep mine, thank you very much. The XX stock pipes are clean, appropriate, and look better than most anything I've ever seen from the aftermarket.
I'll say again, though, this very bag setup is ideal for serious touring, and rivals the capacity of the STs. Another plus is when removed, that Givi rack was unobtrusive and did not draw attention to itself. Besides mine and one other years back, I've never seen the 'bird outfitted thusly.
OK, I'm done traipsing down memory lane. Sorry for the detour.

 

[skidgillen]

Would like to read, text too small.

Sorry. Here is the original text. More of my articles can be found at: https://themotormarket.com/magazine


Project OXCART

Seven years ago I rode my brother-in-law's 2003 Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird and that was the last time it was ridden until….

The Super Blackbird held the world record for fastest production motorcycle at 178 MPH in 1997 as it dethroned the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11. It held the title until 1999 when Suzuki produced the Hayabusa which attained a speed of 194 MPH. However the Super Blackbird still holds the record as fastest production carbureted motorcycle. The Blackbird name is no coincidence as it was named after the fastest air breathing airplane ever made, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird which can fly above 85,000 feet at Mach 3.2. The name would not be used in the USA with rumors of copyright issues with Lockheed. The Honda Super Blackbird was last imported to the USA in 2003, and Mike found one still new in the crate in 2005 in Colorado. And he put 22,300 miles on it and loved touring on it and had it outfitted for such with many, many farkles and improvements.

The power this bike can muster pretty much scared the bejesus out of me at that time. Mike had new tires mounted and new brakes installed shortly after, but in the middle of rewiring the accessories and wanting to bleed the brakes the bike was tucked away in a corner of the garage and forgotten about as other projects took priority. Until this September when I talked Mike into selling it to me. For one it drove me nuts that it was just sitting and not being ridden. Lack of use can really hurt a bike over time. Also like the old Last Thursday motto, “Ride ‘em, don’t hide ‘em.” Being a Honda nut this motorcycle could be a collectible for me, especially since the bike held such prominence and this being the last model year imported to the USA. But with it being a collectible, I do not ever plan to sell it. And within 7 days of purchase I would be riding it again.



Monday, Day 1: Purchase motorcycle, purchase a new and trailer it home with the help of my brother The Colonel.

Tuesday, Day 2: Check air filter, throttle bodies, and secure airbox. Top off coolant in reserve tank. Remove tank bra, and secure gas tank. Check tire pressures.

Wednesday, Day 3: Wash motorcycles, fill the tank and try to start, but alas no crank. Fuel pump can be heard priming.

Thursday, Day 4: Fix wiring for alarm and reset it. Alarm found not to be interfering with the starting circuit. Diagnose starting problem of no crank. Fuses all good, Diode good, Starter relay, magnetic solenoid tests bad and order a new one.

Friday, Day 5: Finish wiring farkles into FuzeBlock, replace front left turn signal bulb

Saturday, Day 6: Nothing! Amazon Prime shipping failure!

Sunday, Day 7: Starter relay delivered and installed. Bike starts right up. Run it to operating temperature, and then change oil and filter. Flush clutch slave cylinder. Replace brake fluid in rear brake reservoir, reinstall rear cowling, Givi wing rack, lube chain, and fix binding rear brake pads. Take a test ride! Runs like brand new. Notice a very black oil drip from the area around the side stand, shifter shaft, and front chain sprocket. Clean years of dirt and lube from the front chain sprocket area.

Days to come: Sort out extra wiring. Finish replacing all fluids. Catalog and store all original and extra parts.

FARKLES:

Two Brothers carbon fiber slip on exhaust,(plus original mufflers), K&N Air Filter, PAIR block off, Power Commander 3 and custom map to 141 HP at wheel, Penske rear shock, rebuilt front shocks with Superbrace, Givi windscreen, (plus original and another aftermarket), Russell Day Long seat (plus original), BMW heated grips, heated jacket, GIVI Wingrack with side cases and top box, Nautilus air horn, High and low beam HID bulbs, Euro headlight switch, VFR800 clip ons with Throttle Meiseter heavy bar ends, Galfer braided brake lines, Galfer brake pads, extra front rotors, rear tire hugger, LSL frame sliders, steering stem GPS mount, dash with voltmeter and two 12v outlets, Scorpion alarm, Acumen gear indicator, mirror spacers, Fuzeblock, Buell lower foot pegs, Battery Tender +, Tank bra, Honda service manual, Dunlop Roadsmart tires, numerous quarts of oil, oil filters, coolant, and brake fluid.


The Super Blackbird is classified as a Sport Touring bike even though it looks like a sport bike. Once you get on it and ride it you’ll see why it's different from a sport bike. First it's a little heavy and that pays off when going down the highway when it's windy. It has a large gas tank with a long reach to the bars that seem too forward for a touring bike but too high for a sport bike. The seat height is a little too tall for a sport bike but just right for a touring bike. But the engine is the main ingredient in the Super Blackbird. The inline four cylinder is silky smooth due to the two counterbalancers. It has some low end torque to go along with the high revving horsepower. The best way to describe the motor is that it has two personalities. You can ride it around town with it being very docile under 5000 RPM. But once you open it up and let it rev to it’s red line of 10,800 it roars. Purrs like a kitty but roars like a lion.

I’ve ordered personalized plates for it, that of being “OXCART”. And if you know the story of the SR-71 Blackbird you know the significance of Project OXCART.

 

[skidgillen]

I've watched with some degree of sadness as the price for these has climbed upwards.
When I was looking about 5 years ago, a nice low-mileage 2003 (last production year) could be had for less than 4 grand.
As I have researched lately, they are going back up to 6 - 8 thousand for even the older models. There are fewer available as delivered in stock trim; I don't mind the chain oilers (rare) and ThrottleMeisters (high on my desirable farkle list) and Powerlets or Corbin saddles, but seems lots of folks like to swap the screens, trim / cut off the lower rear fender, install those cheesy, tiny, useless rear turn signals, or worse, go flush mount, and put aftermarket pipes on. I would never consider one that was stretched and slammed, even as a restoration project. That's plain gross.
I'm just ranting here.
Just as on the ST1300, I find the stock pipes to be good-looking and stylish, completely in keeping with the lines and the design of the bike. I'll keep mine, thank you very much. The XX stock pipes are clean, appropriate, and look better than most anything I've ever seen from the aftermarket.
I'll say again, though, this very bag setup is ideal for serious touring, and rivals the capacity of the STs. Another plus is when removed, that Givi rack was unobtrusive and did not draw attention to itself. Besides mine and one other years back, I've never seen the 'bird outfitted thusly.
OK, I'm done traipsing down memory lane. Sorry for the detour.

I found that the aftermarket pipes were scratching the left side of the sidearm ever so slightly as the suspension compressed. I think I got it fixed for now, if it continues I'll put the stock pipes back on. I thought I would hate these put they are only a little bit loud. The Givi bag setup will hold like three kitchen sinks! A lot more than a ST1300. Gas mileage is not anywhere near the ST! Probably the way the power commander is tuned. As for touring it just not the same as the ST either. I super comfortable from the waist down due to the Russell DayLong and the lowered pegs. But from the waist up the forward lean is too much. A 400 mile day is the max! Has the VFR bars but with them I can't adjust the angle of the clutch and brake levers. Imagine that you are doing push ups while operating the levers, it gets painful after awhile.

 

[Sadlsor]

For whatever reason (my height / weight I guess), the stock ergos were PERFECT for me.
Just a wee bit of forward lean, just enough to keep my weight off the wrists, but good airflow with the stock screen and NO bar risers. I kept the screen, bars, and pipes stock, but eventually did install the RaceTech Gold Valve cartridge emulators in the forks, as I found the front end a bit vague when I was pushing it hard in the twisties... first really noticed riding with my sportbike club at Suches / Two Wheels Only. The emulators totally transformed the handling, and it felt sure-footed, planted and predictable in the tight stuff.
I also bought a used Corbin Canyon (?) saddle, and while I liked it just fine, I rarely rode with it, simply because I was a year-round rider and I didn't want to trash it in the rain, or in the blistering Alabama summer sun.
Did my first-ever Saddlesore 1000 on it, stock bars, stock saddle, and I had no discomfort whatsoever. I had the ThrottleMeister on at that time, which helped the right wrist quite a bit. I'm 6'-nothing, and a buck-fifty without riding gear on. It was a comfy ride, at any speed, and other than replacing the carbs with FI in '99, there were no other changes of note. Frame, bars, all the geometry remained the same. Mine was a first-year '97.
Did a short (really short!) stint at 135mph on the freeway before I was satisfied that Yes, Mabel, it can really go fast!
Only one other time did I really get nuts with it - I woke up late one Saturday morning, and had told my fiance I would meet her family in another town 100 miles away for her dad's funeral. Normally I'm there in about 90 minutes, but I rode mostly at 100mph and got there in under an hour. I was sweating all the way, just knowing I would get busted, but all the Smokies were elsewhere, and I made it in time for the funeral.
Other than that trip, I typically would average 40 - 42mpg, and I get 42 all-round on the ST1300 these days.

 

[TipSTer]

Ummm, sorry @TipSTer , that won't fly.
From a purist point of view (which includes me, when speaking of the DosEquis), the Hurricane does not qualify as a Blackbird. There is more difference between these 2 models, than simply carving out more displacement.
But consider, I'm probably more of a devotee than most when it comes to this bike. Even if I did actually sell mine.
Maybe extreme enthusiast would be a better descriptor?

Both are CBR 1000 F also CBR 1100 XX