When the CX500 first appeared it wasn’t greeted with open arms by many in the motorcycle community. No one really knew what to make of it, and in some markets it was nicknamed the “plastic maggot.”
The bike did find a niche as a courier motorcycle, particularly in Europe, and it made a good commuter bike for those who didn’t mind the model’s quirks.
In 1982 Honda released the CX500 Turbo (also known as the CX500TC), interestingly it was both the world’s first production turbocharged motorcycle, and Honda’s first production motorcycle with a programmed fuel injection system.
Now, before people start emailing me to tell me that the Kawasaki Z1R-TC was in fact the world’s first production turbocharged motorcycle, it’s important to note that the Z1R-TC left the Kawasaki factory in Japan as a regular old Z1R. The turbo conversion actually took place later in the United States at Alan Masek’s Turbo Cycle Company.
The Honda CX500 was a fast bike, certainly by the standards of a 500cc motorcycle, and it could achieve 125 mph when called upon. It did have a few issues however, it drank fuel like a liter bike, it was expensive to buy, and it suffered from fairly significant turbo lag.
The 1970s and 1980s were a time when turbocharging was one of the most exciting technologies being applied to production vehicles, but very few of these vehicles were motorcycles. Image courtesy of Honda.
A year later in 1983 the Honda CX650 Turbo was released. It was still expensive but turbo lag had been largely tamed, and fuel economy improved. It wouldn’t be enough for the bike, and it would leave production by the end of the year with just 1,777 made.
“The CX500T has all the good points of the 500T: the fairing and comfort, shaft drive and mega pose value for those who think biggest and flashiest is best. And whereas the 500 fell flat on its face when it came to performance, the 650 has little turbo lag, the ability to cruise all day at well over the ton, and most of all this amazing zappo when you hit the throttle hard.” – Bike Magazine
It’s not known how many examples of the Honda CX650 Turbo have survived, as they were bikes that needed very specific maintenance and didn’t always receive it. Good examples with low mileage are now highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts alike.
The 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo Shown Here
The motorcycle you see here is an original 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo, one of the 1,777 that were made, and the 1,200 that were shipped to the North American market.
This CX650 Turbo has ~20,000 miles showing on the odometer. It has had some recent work done in preparation for the sale including flushing and replacing the brake fluid, rebuilding the fuel petcock, cleaning the fuel injectors, replacing the fuel pump, changing the air filter, oil, battery, and both spark plugs.
It’s now being offered on Bring a Trailer out of Hortonville, Wisconsin at no reserve with a clean Georgia title. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer