Weird stuff had started turning up in the grey importers. Don't know why, maybe they were running out of replicas. The dark blue Honda AX-1 looked very neat in the corner, dusty but not rusty. There was hardly any bare chrome or alloy to corrode; it appeared every inch a 8000 miler, which was on the clock (13000km). A water-cooled, 250cc thumper; the dealer had a spec sheet that said 29 horses at 8500rpm, 255ibs and not much else.
I'd been standing for quite a long while, judging by the time it took to start up. Great clouds of smoke and a rattly top end. The dealer told me it was a good ’un. A brief run up and down the back lane revealed an engine with a fit of the hiccups. The dealer had a blast - a 10000rpm wheelie the length of the lane; nowt wrong with that, mate!
We agreed on a grand, sold as seen. There was sod all else around at that kind of price and I hoped fresh oil, a cleaned out fuel system and a bit of fettling would sort it out. The dealer was rushed off his feet, no time to set the machine up, just get them and sell them as fast as possible. Some luck involved in getting a really good buy.
About a month later I'd sorted the bike, done the insurance and got my gander up. The bike glowed nicely, ticked over grumpily and spat out a refined, rorty roar with no blue smoke. The AX’s high and narrow with a less than glued to the road feel on first impression. But it gets better the more it’s ridden, the loose feel going into the background and to the fore comes the delightful lightness from its lack of mass.
I was soon slinging it around like a school kid on his first bike. Not only was it easy to chuck around, the lack of mass meant the effect of the power was out of all proportion to its claimed output. I zapped through the traffic at a great pace. Relaxed by the riding position but exhilarated by the acceleration I rolled up to the house with a huge grin and fast beating heart.
I looked down at the front tyre to see a huge bit of the rubber in the sidewall sticking out like a tumour. I thought, I could've died! I phoned the dealer to complain, was told it happened all the time to bikes that had been stored away for a couple of years! I yelled that it might be an idea to warn punters! He said I could have a new tyre at trade price, fitted free. I demanded a matched pair of Pirelli’s, struggled down there with the loose wheels. The dealer found this hilarious but his chief gorilla did the deed in an amazingly short time.
I had a great deal of fun riding the bike for the next few months. One reason it accelerated so well was that it was geared to top out at 90mph, which made motorway rides very buzzy indeed. The Honda started wandering across the tarmac above 70mph, the Pirellis going a bit sleazy. The minimal tubular frame looked like it came off a 125 and felt like it would go really crazy if the bike was any faster.
Similarly, it was a little edgy down fast A and B roads, but nothing I couldn't handle. There was bags of ground clearance which meant I could lean over right on the edges of the tyres. This wasn’t something I'd recommend on a rough road because a couple of times the suspension lost it all and tried to flop the bike right down on the tarmac. A strong tug on the bars and boot down was needed!
The front disc was always a bit grabby, after three months it started playing up in a big way. The whole front end shook like something was about to break up. The caliper casting was cracking up. I went back to the dealer with my tale of woe, he said I could have a used one for thirty notes - if they had any! He had a couple of boxes full of old calipers. Luckily, there was one with similar fittings. Unluckily it was all gummed up and took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to clean up. At least the pads were still usable.
Shortly after this the front wheel bearings went. Don't try to ride a bike with shot wheel bearings. Incontinent camel time, all over the place at 10mph, but I had no other way to get home. The bearing factor bunged me a new set; I did the back whilst I was at it, as I didn't want to repeat the experience.
The next thing I know, the disc starts ringing and the braking goes all weird again. The well know Honda disappearing disc syndrome. If it got any thinner it would have had a mean cutting edge. The AX-1’s apparently the only motorcycle in the whole world with this particular disc fitted to its front end.
The dealer was willing to order one from Japan. A few weeks and couple of hundred quid, he opined. How about a complete front end off a 400 Steed, they both had nineteen inch wheels, so it was bound to be OK. £250 to me, as I was proving to be such a good customer. As it was a slack period he’d fit it for free that night. OK.
He fitted the bright red gaiters so it looked the part and it worked fine, as far as I could see. When I'd come to pick the bike up he'd given his gorilla a knowing wink, like we’ve got a right Charlie here. Comes in for a disc, goes out with a whole front end. Ha, bloody ha!
Perhaps they were laughing at the way they'd fitted the electrics, because a week later the front lights went dead. It was a black, moonless night and I was in the middle of the countryside at the time. Scream, brake and pray. No, I didn’t go off the road. I tried the switches and ignition key a few times, thumped the fairing and light, but not a hope. Ten miles at 5mph was not fun, eyes out on storks and body covered in sweat: I walked into the house a pure wreck. The next day I found two wires pulled out of their connectors, because they'd been all crossed up around the new forks.
At that point I'd done around 6000 miles, the majority of it hard commuting every day. The bike was extremely useful through traffic, combining both presence and narrowness with acceleration and a frightening bark (to the ears of the cagers). I was so fast through the narrow conduits in traffic that I sometimes gasped in amazement at my skill and audacity!
I nearly dropped a load when some driver went into U-turn mode just as I was going to slash past him. Horn, accelerate, twitch my body to get the bike to go with his change in direction - will he stop or are we going to bang into each other? Yes! He slams on the anchors, leaves me what looks like six inches to hurtle through. We made it with a feeler gauge’s worth of fresh air between us. | hope he had his incontinence pants on! Usually, the close shaves weren't that close.
By the time I'd done 10000 miles the top end was becoming a bit rattly. Not surprising as all I'd done to the engine was change the oil twice, too busy riding to piss about with an unknown motor; if it works leave well alone. The only reason I changed the oil was because the gearbox lever felt like it was working through fast setting concrete — the driveline’s a bit harsh and clattery, a typical Honda!
Fuel was only 45mpg,the chain lasted for less than 5000 miles and the tyres went west in a ridiculous 6000 miles. When thrashed to the limit, as it usually was, it vibrated which meant blown bulbs and the odd bit of cracked plastic. In typically Jap manner nothing actually fell off or broke down.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good buy. Some front end hassles but for all I know it might've been crashed before and fitted with non-standard stuff. The engine was a useful bit of kit if you don't mind using your right hand for what God intended. The chassis was brill in town but a bit iffy out of it, though never really dangerous. Low running costs were conspicuous in their absence but the fun factor was so much greater than dross like the CG125 that II could forgive it that.
I sold it because I didn’t want to end up stuck with a grey import that needed serious engine attention, with all the expense and hassle of getting hold of parts. Some hope of that, I still see it in town some two years later, with 96000km on the clock, last time I looked. | don't think it's had any maintenance, either, judging by the way the whole plot’s covered in oil and gunge. On that basis I'd wholeheartedly recommend the AX-1!
Brian Kevis