Probably Honda's Strangest Motorcycle
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- The Honda CX500 and later CX650 are some of the oddest motorcycles to ever come from the company. And they worked
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My first bike was a Honda CX 500 from 1978. It went 112,000 miles before burning up the stader. that was my fault. I was young and didn’t understand I had put too much drain on the system by installing halogen lights. I went through college on the c/x, learned how to talk to girls on the c/x, and cross country motocamped on the c/x,(before it was called that). It was the perfect first bike. I followed the owner’s manual on service and never had a problem. All these decades later I am still riding, still on Honda’s, and l think about the cx500 constantly. Maybe, when I get there, I will spend my 8th decade on a reconditioned cx500. Thank you for the video.
Very cool that you got over 100k miles on a 500cc motorcycle. Hondas simply run forever
Rather then buying a CX 500 maybe you could try the CX 650. I know a guy that had both at the same time and he said the 650 was a much better bike. I've also owned the CX 500 with a sidecar on it.
I’ve had the regular CX 500, the CX500EC Sports and the CX500C (custom). Nice tall bikes, comfortable reliable and economical👍🏻
I’m 76 now, and don’t know which will happen first, turning 80, or completing the cafe racer lol!
My first to. Rode it round Australia including Cape York. Brilliant but made of cheese. Despatched another 7. Having watched this I need another.
I have only one motorbike, a 1978 Honda CX500. It is 46 years old and it is UTTERLY reliable. I do all the maintenance myself, but if needed, there is a fabulous online forum where others willing offer advice. And the workshop manuals are available also and are excellent.
In addition to what Bart mentioned, the CX500 also boasted Capacitance Discharge Ignition (CDI), so no points to adjust or check. They also had 4 valves per cylinder. They boasted a 5-speed gearbox. And in addition Honda also included small but really useful details. For example, a small triangle cast onto the rear brake hub, which lines up with a pointer operated by the foot brake, lets you instantly see how much brake lining is left on the rear brake without dismantling anything. Similarly the amount left on the front disc pads can be inspected by removing a small plastic cover. Spare parts are easily obtained, if needed. The phrase 'Honda Reliability' applies absolutely to this and other Honda motorcycles of that era.
Therefore the advertising boasting 'First Into The Future' was no overstatement. The shaft drive needs service only every 12,000km, and I check and gap the plugs about every 3,000km. Basic servicing takes less than 10 minutes, and everything is wonderfully accessible. The only downside is that a wet front disc becomes virtually non-existent until the pads dry out. If the bike has been left for some hours in the rain don't rely on the hand-brake when you first get back on. It is just as well the back drum brake is so dependable.
I agree with Bart's closing statement; if you are able to find a CX500 in reasonable condition, go for it! Personally I would advise steering clear of the Turbo versions; they are not known for their reliability, often having been thrashed by previous owners, and spares for the turbos are virtually non-existent.
But a CX500 is a blast to ride. At 100km/hr at 6,000RPM the bike just purrs along. I ride mine at least weekly, and it always brings a smile to my face. If you can put up with the looks for long enough to appreciate the engineering marvel that is the Honda CX500, you will understand what I mean.
I concur with the wet front disc brake problem. Stainless steel unsintered discs allowed the pads to basically aquaplaned when saturated. 'Rusty' cast iron discs worked fine in wet weather.
The excess weight also niggled a bit compared to the competition.
Early chrome models suffered the usual blistering, unlike the later, more practical, plastic euro models.
Never-the-less, I liked mine so much, that I found myself raiding my bank to purchase a cx 650 euro sport model. Still heavy, less chrome to rust, better looking, and much more useable torque.
Now, limitations of age are suggesting "downsizing" (weight/bulk wise) to Moto Guzzi Breva 750 with easy clean 3 spoke wheels, and no water cooling considerations to worry about.
Personally, I am a big fan of the looks.
youve lustfully described the motorcycle fetish i desire.. drools dribbling from my mouth to my whiskers and paws....
Drill the discs....as a machinist, I regularly got discs in for drilling and had different patterns available, my own Wing brakes benefitted from this mod... 😉
what if i just...remove the turbo
In the UK, in the 80s, this bike was the king of the motorcycle couriers (primarily a thing in London and other large cities) due to its minimal service requirements and ability to cover huge mileages.
I was a dispatcher at a large London courier company in the eighties. CX500 was affectionately known as the maggot, they were everywhere. Shaft drive helped on the low maintenance front, there were plenty of abused bikes for sale, hardly ever see one now
Same in Australia - the CXs were the backbone of the courier business. Stupidly great reliability and excellent fuel consumption.
I rode one as a despatcher, I never liked it. As a motorway bike it was great, but around town it was top heavy and a pain on greasy roads. If all my jobs had been motorway work, yes, the maggot would have been perfect. As it was I did the City and West End, earning most off minimum jobs, and for that a light point and squirt 250RS was perfect. I got through three of them....
I have been told one covered over 350K miles
A 1978 CX500 was my first real bike, my second being a CX650E, super cool for so many reasons, the engine was not tilted 22 degrees but the cylinders were twisted inward by 22 degrees to bring the carburetors closer to the center of the bike. These bikes are affectionately known as ‘twisted twins’
I'd love to own one of each!
This bike was one of the usable, tractable, indestructible unit ever manufactured. Anyone who knocked them never owned one for multiple years & thousands of trouble free miles.
Back in 1982, one of my friends had a CX500 Deluxe. I used to call it the steam powered Honda. I said it had the worst of both worlds: pushrods, and manually adjusted valves. Then I rode it and I was impressed. Now, I am searching for a CX 650E.
Quirky, but quality. A cult classic, maybe because of that beautiful forever engine.
The early models had some sort of problem with the cams/pushrods I remember, Honda did a recall to sort them out.
@@stephenwilliams926it was with the cam chain tensioner. I was a Honda mechanic at the time, and performed the recall/ upgrade on many bikes. A 79 that had this done will have three punch marks in a triangle by the engine number.
I have one in my shop today, slowly becoming a cafe racer.
@@tedecker3792 And big end failures
I made my living on a CX500 in London as a despatch rider in the early 80‘s and did some touring on it along the British coasts. This bike struck me as having been designed for the riders point of view meaning, comfortable and practical whilst easy to work on requiring the minimum of maintenance. Even passengers where satisfied over any distance on the comfort.
Personally I would be more enticed towards the Cx650 for having more grunt.
Thanks for an excellent review Bart,
bought back some memories…😉
I rode a cx500 as a despatch rider in the 80's doing mainly long distance deliveries 50,000 miles a year no problems. Now ride an old VFR 750 even better.
Same here, they were known as the plastic maggot back then.
@@kethughes8266 I remember Stan The Man getting over 850,000 miles on a 1990 VFR, though I think the original engine was swapped out after around 450,000. 😂
@@davapod Without a doubt the finest motorcycle engine I have ever used pulls like a twin smooth like a four and no cam belt or chain and cheap as chips on E Bay the carbs are a bitch though so the injection model is the one to go for.
@@kethughes8266 Right on, I had a VFR750 in 89 and loved it. Also a 800FI in 2004. The only issue I ran into with the 800 was the rectifier.
I bought a brand new in the crate 1982 GL500i Silverwing Interstate in 1984. It was a holdover and I got it for $2495. My first daughter had just been born and I needed a second mode of transportation so I could leave My job had me go from Gainesville, FL to Ocala, Jacksonville and Tallahassee several times each month. I put a ton of miles on that bike. In 2004 I bought another one, just like it. Then, in 2007 gave it to my son-in-law when they had their first child and he needed to leave the car home for my daughter. He was in the Air Force and rode that bike all over the airbase and beyond. Later they returned to Houston and he used it to commute to college every day. He put almost 50,000 miles on that bike and finally sold it in the summer of 2023. What a wonderful legacy for both of those family GL500s. And the guy that bought the bike was super excited to have one finally. I never thought the engine looked weird. I thought it was a gorgeous bike. And since it used the same fairing as the GL1100 from that era most people mistook it for a Gold Wing. I loved that bike. My son in law does too.
I rode, and liked lots of the CX500/650's, and yes the Turbo too.
I settled on a 1200 GOLD WING I.
I was at my dealer's one Saturday, when a young collage
girl stopped in. Chuck (my Dealer) said, she's been in here lots,
but just can't pull the trigger.
So I said Hi. (cute girl Blond/Blue/thin/5'8")
We talked and she had read all the books, and magazines
that were out there. She needed 300 to 500 miles a week
without problems. She knew about adjusting valves,
and chains but didn't want to do it. I asked if she had tried the CX500?
Oh, it's to big! So I pushed one of Chucks outside, and said, We'll be back!
I said, bring this bike in every 2,000 miles, and we'll change the oil, and filter.
We'll check everything else, and make sure it's safe, and you're only out a half an hour.
Every 5,000 miles, new tires, and Chuck will give you what you pay for the CX
towards whatever you want next!!
We got back, and she ran in Chuck's office to buy the bike for cash money! lol!
She went to Collage, went on to get her PHD at Penn State, all on the CX500 Deluxe.
Then she bought a Mazda Miata, and then a Ford Transit.
She still has and rides the CX Chuck sold her, and goes to cars, and coffees with it.
She even spent $2K on a new stator in the 00's just to keep it ready to ride,
She said it's been better then 2 husbands, and better behaved then her 3 kids.
Not bad for a little bike Honda just rolled out, one Tuesday morning.
$2000 for a stator?
$200 sounds more about it, 2k may be abit much imo?
Is this old guy fanfiction
@@danstrayer111
My bad. $200 for the stator, and $200 to install it. Sorry.
@@wenloh
My bad. $200 for the stator, and $200 to install it. Sorry.
I own a motorcycle shop 40 years. I have owned a 500 turbo and a 650 turbo. Only bikes I have ridden that accelerated quicker than they stopped. Incredibly aerodynamic fairing for long distance touring as well.
Hahaha. Yup, you’ve definitely ridden the turbos. I have a CX650 turbo, and it always makes me laugh how average the brakes are. You’re right on the fairing…My 1983 turbo is even more comfortable to ride (thanks to the fairing’s good design) than the BMWs I’ve owned.
@@jasonhoch7105 Chiming in with the CX650 turbo club here. Its a fantastic ride, and the turbo pulls like no other.
1979 KZ1300, Mr Turbo kit, set of cams that are 1 of only 2 ever ground for turbo specs for the KZ1300 engine, Nos system that gives it a small shot at WOT to take up turbo lag.
All that on 1979 tires, 1979 suspension and 1979 brakes equals the most evil motorcycle you'd ever ride.
I live in Paris and as a Honda bike lover, I gotta say that the cx500 siting in the streets near where I live has always looked weird to me ahah, thanks for your video ! Now I can understand this bike better !
I bought a CX500 in late February. It shares a garage with a Yamaha Tracer 900 which is in every possible way a superior bike. Yet all I want to do is to ride the CX. It's just lovable. It's fun to ride around town, and it has no problems parking the speedo at 80 MPH for an hour on the expressway.
Get one before they turn ALL of them into cafe racers (which seems to be what people like to do with them).
Here in the U.S. where I live it seems that many people try to turn their bikes into bobbers. They take some beautiful classic or vintage bike that has been loved and preserved and cut the fenders and put the license plate on the side and basically just mess it all up. I will be glad when the fad is over because it seems such a shame to ruin a piece of history.
Honda needs to bring back a modernized version of this bike! I have a first-year edition of this great bike.
NO, CX was bad
My dad and I got a CX500 Turbo when I started riding 18 years ago and still have it today. It was the first bike we got in the garage since I started riding (my dad's second bike) and is still one of my favorites.
I had the oportunity to buy a CX500 Turbo last year in bad condition, restored it over the wintermonths and just recently had my first testride.. It's probably the most fun and giggles you can get on a motorcycle by just going around town and listen to those whoosh and whistle noises. The strange thing is, otherwise the CX500T is also a damn good bike.. Comfy seating position and wind protection, power is incredible for a 500 and pretty well manageable against all the odds and it's an absolute eyecatcher. Only downside maybe is the technical complexity when something doesn't work like it should but with the original manual and some research it was all fixable. I got nothing but pure love for this thing ❤ Greetings from Austria
I restored one about 25 years ago. At that time I could still source NOS parts inc fairing seat etc. I feel for how hard that would be today.
I scrapped one 30 years ago ,still have a small box of bits and pieces and I think a tank ,it has sort of got wings built in.
@@kloss213 It's pretty hard getting specific Turbo parts wich involves ordering used ones from all around the world but that's part of the fun of resotring old stuff in my opinion
Speed?
I have the fun to drive a cx 500 turbo. First i thought, my RD 350 LC will it beat, but after driving the Honda i know, it is a real fast bike. 88 HP , it was a pleasure. As driving RG 500, and three RD 350 on my own
The butt of so many jokes when i was growing up in the late '70's and early '80's, particularly the styling,how we laughed!!,we used to call it the "plastic maggot",it stopped us laughing at BMW's and their 'flying bricks' etc.
I had a cx 500 turbo. I was 24 and it was an amazing, glorious time. Ill never forget that bike.
happy 65th burfdae! time to get a hayabusa for this anniversary!
My CX was my first road bike and I found it to be bullet proof, I had no issues or problems and it was my daily. When touring I just sat it on 120kph and watched the world go by. The engine 'note' was unique and easily identified. I still think back with fond memories even though I now ride a VFR1200 it's big brother.
i had several cx500,s for both courier work in London and for leisure i was averaging 100,000 miles a year on them and only scrapped them due to accident damage and even then used some of the parts to build another from a second hand frame
made a few tweeks to the suspension by changing the front fork oil to slightly thicker grade and a set of koni dial-a-rides on the rear made the handling much better and could lean them into corners enough to scrape the peggs on the floor
Working as a apprentice Motorcycle Engineer/Mechanic in my local Honda Motorcycle dealership downunder in New Zealand from 1981 I got to test ride a number of CX500’s over the years and never like them because of the high centre of gravity to throw it around the corners.
We even got the one of the first CX 500 turbo in New Zealand to show at the local AMP show and we’re not supposed to start it so they had not sent us the keys !
But my boss at the time gave me the spare keyboard and told me to find the key after half an hour of going through hundreds of different new Honda we had it started and each of us got to take it for a good test ride up and down the road we all felt that had extremely low power at low rpm when the turbo boost was not in and then it came in hard at RPM none of us liked it except the design in the cool factor of the way it looked was incredible but the writing experience was disappointing for other bikes at the time that were available.
One of the best Hondas that seems to go under the radar and I have not seen many people talk about was the Twin cam CB750F and the far more important and incredibly well balanced CB900F which I ended up owning one myself and fitting a RHC race tune kit for a CB 1100 R making my CB900F into an incredibly powerful 1100 cc fire breathing monster!
To be honest, it was too quick as the frame was not up to the extra power of a race engine that was putting out incredible horsepower for the time .
Got to ride a number of CB1100R’s as well over the years.
Which I felt were better than the later model VF1000R!
It was incredible experience working at that small local Honda dealership because we actually sponsored one of the top road races in New Zealand for a few years and had an incredibly large motocross team with riders all over New Zealand riding for the shop.
Keep up the great videos
i believe they used 300ish types of keys.
Hi @@themuz3 to be honest I cannot remember. We had a large keyboard full of different star keys because things like CT 90s used to different keystone at the time.
yes..that high CoG could catch you out in low speed manoeuvring. Dab the front brake with the bike on full lock and it could pitch you over out of the bend. The Beemer air head that I had afterwards had the CoG lower than the axle height so it never did that.
The CX500 know as the Plastic Maggot in the UK.
Why do Poms give everything a weird name ?
That makes no sense. The only plastic on the bike are the side covers like every other bike.
The reasoning given for the design choices is at odds with what was known at the time. It was intended to be supercharged. 400cc for the domestic market, and 500 elsewhere. That explains the liquid cooling on a layout that is perfect for air cooling. Also the weird cam shaft layout that was intended to drive the supercharger. And the shaft drive on a small capacity bike, the solution for high horsepower bikes at a time when chains couldn't reliably cope with very much power.
They had trouble getting the supercharging to work, and ended up releasing it as a normally aspirated bike. With the later availability of small turbos, they put a turbo on it.
Interesting. Good to know!
In London during the mid 80's and mid 90's every single dispatch rider used them including me. Ultra reliable, pretty quick they would go on forever. During that time all you saw was CX's tearing around the streets of the capital delivering media packages. They were later replaced with the VT500 but these weren't as reliable and were less popular
Kawasaki gt550's became popular too, I despatched a gpz 550 but hired the odd cx from Chasbikes occasionally.
Hey, how bizarre I did too 😂. Used to go to his workshop in Greenwich at the time. The old GT's were indeed very popular too. Mustn't forget the old Superdream 😂😂
I remember when the CX500 came out and recall that I thought it was incredibly ugly. Now I am fine with it, but my younger self thought that a British twin is what "looked like a proper motorcycle".
Please mention the power produced by the motorcycles you cover. Most people now seem to have no idea that the mighty Kawasaki Z1s produced only about 70hp at the rear wheel. The CX500 claimed roughly 50hp and was closer to 40 at the rear wheel, but could be considered excellent for an all around motorcycle that could tour, albeit at 55 mph. It was a very, very big deal when motorcycles approached 100hp at the rear wheel, but now that is considered normal.
You mentioned the dry weight, but that means little since a 450lb dry weight could easily be over 500 lbs with fuel and ready to ride. Not long ago the Triumph Street Twin gained 40 lbs overnight with the change from dry weight to wet weight, for example.
Ah yes, the 'dry weight' scandals of about 20 years ago! When Ducati and the like were (still are?) claiming '165kg dry' for a bike which quite obviously weighs 200kg or more fuelled and ready to ride. From what I've heard it was a 'shipping weight' with all sorts of things left out - fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid, battery, tyres... yes even those! BMW has always been a force for the properly measured horsepower (production bike at the wheel) and weight (ready to ride with a full tank of fuel), which eventually saw a European standard introduced although I'm not sure it is applied elsewhere.
@@boingkster Some major organization forced a change to a standard "ready to ride, 95% fuel load", but there were still some holdouts, at least for their US sites, until just a few years ago.
I remember that many motorcycle magazines would list Dry Weight and Weight As Tested. The main issue now is the fuel weight, since a small fuel tank will make the numbers look better.
15:04 As I remember the Turbo graphic on the front fairing was printed in reverse.
That got my mate strip searched. Coming off the ferry ,customs guy asked him what’s an OBRUT ? .My mate replied it’s turbo you div. Got himself some special treatment!
My pair of 650 turbos has it printed forward, not mirrored.
It's TURBO in grey on the US models and OBRUT in orange for the rest of the world.
I bought a 650t less than a year ago. It's unlike any motorcycle I've ever ridden. In my opinion it still feels like a futuristic motorcycle, even though it's 40 years old.
back to the future!! (with a flux capacitor upgrade)
The fuel injection is pretty good even by today’s standards. Turbos are a bit prone to waste gate sticking.
The Cx500 helped pave the way for bikes like the OG V45 shadow and magna. I've worked on all 3 of those bikes and you can tell how the CX carried over to those later bikes. The water cooling setup is very similar and all 3 use the same style shaft drive that is pretty much indestructible the diff part is the same part number as well as using the comstar wheels. The CX really was the bike of the future for Honda by letting them perfect a lot of future stuff.
In terms of innovation, it used the Comstar wheels which was a new way to build wheels, and it had the first tubeless tires in a production street bike.
I was fortunate enough to own a 1981 Cx500 from my step dad as my first big bike, it was so forgiving and quite easy to ride which was great for a lad who had just passed his test. It never let me down and I learnt a lot from riding it. My friend has it in his collection now and it is well looked after. This bike made me fall in love with riding as well as Honda motorcycles 😊
I owned a GL500 silverwing in the 80's , it had the CX500 engine. It was a very nice riding bike.
Now THAT was a stroke of genius but they only sold a handful.
My grandpa has one of these.. thinkin' about fixing it up - the stator has gone bad and replacing it is a bit of a pain. I'm certain there's a lot that needs to be done on it besides that and money is a bit tight. I keep spending on my '76 CB400F because it runs and it's fun to daily, but it was also a lot more project than I bargained for at times, though it has been worth it for the mechanical skills I've picked up along the way. I strip a lot less bolts these days at least 😅
Always imagined I'd build a '69 Mustang but somehow ended up with a Honda motorcycle and a ef civic haha. For those wondering, the bike was a free basket case and the civic was $650 oil spewing glorified go-cart with 297k on the odo
Come find the forum. Lots of guides on how to bring them up. Look for the triple bypass procedure.
How perspectives change with time...This bike is beautiful to me.
6 years a courier on it, yearly vacationing up and down the east coast of the US and Canada... it was as bullet proof as you can get. And that engine! Just the sweetest thing.
I loved it.
I bought a used '83 650 CXTC ("See Ecstasy"). What a great bike! That twin would rock in the frame like a hardware store paint can shaker, rolling on the throttle. The problem was the ECM under the seat under the brake light area, covered in a rubber case. To find the fault codes, the engine needed to be running, pop off the seat, remove it from the case and take note of the row of flashing LED's. I never did find out what was wrong with mine that had an unpredictable misfiring and trying to keep the engine running while looking at the fault codes was practically impossible. Found out later a lot of them had stator problems. My heart sank when I saw my bike in this video. I wish I still had mine as now I have more mechanical skills and a garage.
Thanks for the great vid!
Man, the level of research is outstanding.
My first bike was an 82 CX500. (Far from new -- this was around 2008). Bought it after I got my license, and immediately drove 3,000 km for a job across the country. Dropped it once around Banff, had no gear and was below freezing. Couldn't move my leg to the kickstand and ate it on the side of the road. Then nearly got decapitated when the windscreen bolts sheared off and I got wacked in the face by a fibreglass panel at 110 km/hr.
It was old and tired, and I was new. The engine died a few weeks after the trip, started dropping red chunks out with the oil and throwing itself in and out of gear -- but you always remember your first.
The Rune was Honda's strangest motorcycle.
And the Lead, that was a strange looking fish too
The rune is a special bike that rake is impressive
A friend of mine has a Rune. Crazy thing.
The rune is a dressed up valkery. Stop acting like it's some wild innovation. Yes I've seen the f9 video. No it didn't change my mind.
A product should make the company money. Not be a collectors item for the 1%
@@noboi9063 Well then, we should listen to you, and not EVERYBODY else.
It was exactly what the designer intended. Worked with a fellow who had a motorcycle as his only transportation. It was a philosophical thing he maintained until the day he died. He had one of these and loved it. Rode it something like 110,000 or 120,000 miles. It was fun, could tour a bit, wasn't huge, was reliable, was very low maintenance. Exactly what he needed.
At 19 I got my licence on one of these. 40 years ago. At present I own two. One CX500 Euro Sport and a CX500 in touring trim. I've all sorts of bikes from all the major brands. These little things still put a smile om my face ;-)
Got a cx650c last fall. Luv it. Dumped the ethanol out and put in clear gas and boom....I've got 64 horses and that's all I need. Every part I've needed so far, I've found(knock on wood). 1200.00 to start but after bringing her up to snuff,she'll be a around 1800.00 in. And priceless - gonna insure her for a lot more....none left. Plus , she's a tank -she's tough, and the black engine is gorgeous. Last bike 40 yrs. ago was a '68 650 Bonneville. This thing "is" way in the future to me. 20 more horses. And I've got brakes !
Babe wake up, new Bart video just dropped
Nobody cares brah
Oh look, the newest “I liked my own comment” comment. 🙄
Gay!
I had a red one back in 1981, my first "big bike"
I have a 1983 GL650 Silverwing Interstate I bought three months ago. It's ugly, but I really like the bike. Unlike any bike I've ever ridden and owned. Over the last 3 months, I've grown to love the CX platform. Great video!
Nice! Did yours include top case, or a removable pillion seat for the passenger? Or did you get lucky and it included the aftermarket kit that allowed both?
@@drybread1146 I have the OEM top case with backrest that I run 99% of the time and it came with the passenger pillion. Guy also had the shop manual. Don't have the aftermarket kit tho. Still a great deal. I'm happy.
Got imported one nice GL500 two months ago. Just before as these videos are starting to appear wich means popularity/prices creep up.
With suitcases and box (need new keys), additional seat. Original 55000 km. Paintjob is as it is but otherwise nice machine. Im basically tidying up a quadruple bypass (seems im first one in the engine since factory), waiting when my tensioner comes back from Germany. One man does miracles with them- mods them in such manner that they wont explode AND rod is longer, that means longer chain life.
Im excited to take it for a spin after. Surely it will feel different than JAWA 638 i rode 11 years ago.
My first motor vehicle was a Honda CX 500 from about 1978 that I bought in 1983 from the brother of an acquaintance in Canada's navy. Eventually, I traded it in on a tired old Datsun B210, and honestly. the car was more fun. I did have one epic 675-km ride from Quesnel, BC to Vancouver in a day. It certainly did what it was asked. It already had Krauser bags, and I added a nice Shoei sport fairing, so yeah, it was a competent sport tourer, and reliable transportation. And being the only bike I had ever ridden, it was okay. A few years later I bought a used GSX-400, and it was so much more fun. I didn't realise what I had been missing. I always liked the looks though.
The UK CX500 Turbo had the sticker over the headlight reversed so people could read it in their mirrors. It was always known as the 'Obrut' here.
I had the 1983 GL650 interstate. I enjoyed that bike more than any previous motorcycle (except my very first one, of course.) The GL650 is what made me realize my preference for middleweight sport tourers. That's not really a big category of bikes but that's what I've preferred ever since then. My stable now includes a couple midsize BMWs and Honda st1100. All thanks to the GL650.
I bought my fist bike in 1985, I chose a 1984 VT-500ft Ascot. I bought it at South Coast honda in Costa Mesa California. As much as I enjoyed my Ascot, whenever I went back to the dealership, I always found time to drool over the 650 Turbo that remained an unsold holdover. I almost bought the thing and kind of regret not trading for it before I left the Marines. As far as I knew, it was still sitting there unsold when I moved back to the great white north. The price tag was probably what was holding me back, and by that time the VFR was out, also priced a bit high, and since I was going to need four wheels when I returned to Minnesota, I just kept my old reliable Ascot. She's is no longer running, but I still have it and my son is hell bent on restoring it. Still wish I would have found a way to buy the turbo though..... sigh....
8:36 a better question would be why we do not have the pushrods and shaft drive nowadays.
Why are we still forced to use chain drive and why are our tyres so soft and short lived ?
Great if you just want a toy to play with occasionally but useless as everyday, regular transport.
If only we had the CX today !
Get a Guzzi and put it on Road5 or -6. Just make sure to read your shop manual.
The then Honda dealer at the time in 1979 brought one CX500 Turbo into our country......the sole CX !
Rode it for about 500 yards.
Don't know what became of it !
Trinidad & Tobago.
West Indies.
Thank you for showing all this classic and underrated bike. My first was a CX500C, drove it for 5 years and 40K kM. It was a very nice experience and in this time it never broke down.
When I was a kid my dad had an 82 cx500 turbo. That bike was so cool. I’d love to find one, but they go for crazy $$$
These were often derided as being not much more than a mule for parcel deliveries. Imagine my shock to find them sought after thirty years later, as a platform for some of the best looking cafe racers, as evidenced by many appearances in Racer TV's top ten year after year.
Racer TV should really expand his content to at least scramblers too
My first bike was a 1980 CX500 that I bought to learn how to ride and planned on keeping for a year before upgrading. I rode it for over 10 years because it did everything so well. It was completely reliable, the only thing that ever broke was a clutch cable that simply wore out from millions of cycles. I found that it had plenty of power and handling for my skill level and was great for enjoying the back roads. My wife and I took it on many long rides, full of luggage, and it was just fine. I commuted to work, took Sunday rides with friends, and made a few multi-day trips on her. I sold it for more than what I paid for it.
I missed the boat back in the day when these bikes were in the showrooms. The shaft drive was nice but the normally asperated CX500 and CX650's didn't catch my fancy. I was also afraid of water cooling as I was leary of a ruptured coolant hose causing a bad moment. I stuck with the air cooled inline four cylinder bikes. In my old age, a modern version of this design would be quite welcome in my garage. Not to mention, easy valve lash adjustments.
Irimajiri was oddly right. A smooth, v-twin feeling middle weight bike that is sporty on the one hand and comfortable enough for touring on the other hand is literally the whole middle weight "cross over/adventure-touring" segment. The 270 degree, V-twin feeling cliche of an engine is literally an industry standard, they're smooth, some like the Tracer, Versys or even the NC come with a 17 inch front wheel which makes them even sportier.
To “twist” the cylinders, Honda developed a unique valve train, starting from the cam, to lower 15:05 15:05 rocker arms, to
pushrods, to upper forked rocker arms, to the four valves. This allowed the carbs to clear the riders knees better, and the exhaust to be further out. A brilliant, but complicated solution to a minor problem.
The CX was an award winning motor for dependability. Few bikes were ever so maintenance free.
My second bike was a CX500 C, I do remember loving riding it, and it never let me down... A shame we can't post pictures here... Great video!👍
The only issue with the CX was a chain tensioner, which was warranty replaced at no charge within a years time. I remember the two head mechanics developed an assembly line of sorts to do the upgrade quickly. My job was to put on fairings and bags and bling. The CX quickly became in demand as a baby Goldwing.
Can anyone remember the custom version of this bike looked great
My first road bike was a 1982 CX500 Custom. Miss that bike. Stupid fun to ride and had zero hesitation for long trips with it.
I wanted one as soon as I saw it but couldn't afford one at the time. Ended up with a CB650 which I ran into the ground. Had it for a very long time. I'm still riding 50 years later but haven't forgotten.
I picked up an awful cx650 for $300 a few years ago and it led me on several adventures. The aftermarket carbs, intake and exhaust do immense good for these bikes.
I was a London dispatch rider. I rode all over europe and the UK doing my job in ALL weathers. The CX500 was THE despatch bike. Absolutely bulletproof, she was a pig but you could still get the pegs down on a roundabout. Box Hill springs to mind back in the day lol. Anyway, that bike is legendary and I wish I had one now. I am 54 and was despatching when I was 18-28. The CX500 is epic. The undisputed dispatch king.
The dealership I worked at in the 80's had a Turbo.We serviced it and I took it for a test ride.I was riding a 79 CBX at the time and wasn't really impressed with the CX500T,until it came on the boost it just felt like a weak 400,and once on the boost still wasn't really too awesome.We kept the bike in the showroom floor until sometime in 1984 when the owner decided to hold an auction to get rid of it.I don't recall how much he cleared from the auction but it wasn't very much,didn't even meet the dealer's cost for the bike.And no,when the CX650T came out we didn't get one.
I own a turbo and a 79 CBX. I agree the CBX is a better ride, but the turbo is cool because it's weird :)
I purchased a 1981 model CX500 brand new and around 25 years later I purchased a 1982 Euro model. I still own a 1982 Euro model today and have just been out enjoying a 100km ride on it and meeting up with a fellow CX-ian here in Sydney Australia.
A metallic blue CX, like the one in the video was my first "big bike". My friends laughed at it then and laugh at it now. But it was a fantastic bike; easy to ride, super comfortable, extremely reliable, and it took me where i needed to go for many years.
They now sell for extraordinary amounts in the UK, because those of us that rode them, still love them.
Great video BTW.
Thanks
The bike of choice for couriers in the UK for years, even after they stopped making them, they were just so frikking reliable and easy to service. And when they did start wearing out people came up with ingenious work-arounds for the lack of parts, like using Leyland A-series (Mini) bearing shells to allow grinding the rod journals undersize.
My first bike was an 83 cx 650 custom. Took me two years to find one. This was back in the day before the internet. I learned about the turbo versions and always wanted one. I bought my 500 turbo just about 10 years ago in pieces. Got it running, completed a rattle can paint job and ran it about 5 years trouble free. The gas tank started leaking, that turned into a complete cosmetic tune up. Painted all of the bodywork satin black. The poor bike is in storage now, I still plan on making custom gold decals that match up with wheels. Awesome machine, I plan on keeping it forever and hand it down to my kids.
All of Hondas v twins are exceptional motorcycles beyond what they appear on paper. I own a hawk gt and an rc51. Indescribably great bikes.
Talent and passion. I envy these peoples ability to just produce legendary icons that’s become renowned for their performance and unkillable nature.
How much pleasure provided by the greatest motorcycle manufacturer. Honda builted engines that no other manufacturer even developped. As they are: single cylinder, two cylinders, parallel and twins, V-twins, V-3 (2-stroke), four cylinders inline, V and boxer configuration, V5 cylinders in the motoGP, and in the sixties 5 and 6 cylinders inline. In 78 the CBX. The only configuration I'm missing is a 3-cylinder inline.
A 1979 CX500 was my first bike, bought new my last year in the Marine Corps. It saw me from Texas to Camp Lejeune NC and back, and then all the way through college. It was reliable, fun, comfortable for road trips, sporty, and in my opinion a beautiful machine. If I had kept the bike after college I could still be riding it today 45 years later due to the very active user group that can advise you how to do any necessary maintenance.
I have an acquaintance who has a dozen or so CX's in his garage. They are the only bikes he will ride.
I once had the privilege of riding his CXT. He told me if the front end starts to come up get out of the power but he didn't tell me why. After toodling about for a bit to get the feel of the bike, I decided to hammer it. The front end became airborne and at about 2 feet of the ground I remembered what he had said so I chopped the throttle. My to my dismay it kept going up almost to the point of no return before it settled back down. Seems there was a lot of turbo lag on those machines. Pucker factor of 8.5 or 9..........
I was a proud owner of the CX-500T which I sold just 6 years ago. Beautiful bike with really all the performance you could ask for from a 500. But the turbo life was only about 30k mile then it needed to be rebuilt. I still miss it...
Had a 500 and 650 GL Interstate. Those push rods made for an engine that would last for at least 100,000 miles if maintained. I think the engine is unique and beautiful. Both of mine were rock solid reliable. Two of the favorite bikes I have ever owned. I think the 650 Interstate was a better bike for one up touring than my GoldWing.
The CB550 was gone by 1978. Honda also had the CB series 650, 750, 900, 1000, and 1100 during the late seventies/ early eighties. All four cylinder machines to compete with the other Japanese manufacturers. These were used as tourers and super sports. Honda also had the GoldWing dominating the large touring machines. In my opinion, the other Japanese manufacturers were chasing Honda innovation during this time. Same goes for the CX500 and CX650 Turbos.
Many of the CX and GL models are being hacked up to make cafe racers, etc. That is a tribute to the unique nature of the engine. I like them stock myself. Outstanding machines.
I own a CX650 Turbo, and when I hear the turbo whistle and feel that launch of power, I can’t stop the idiotic smile I make every time. It’s been incredibly reliable, and even though Honda only made under 2000 of them, the build quality is still typical Honda. It’s incredibly comfortable, and surprisingly easy to ride. It’s unfortunate that Honda only made a handful of them, but I’m glad we at least got to see what Honda could accomplish when going over the top on a road bike design.
I drove a cx 500 daily for 5-6 years never missed a beat never let me down reliability when everything else was on the side of the road.couriers loved them you will still see an odd one being couriered in London
I owned a silver wing 500, it got amazing gas mileage and had plenty of power I loved that bike.
Back in the day three friends had "Plastic Pigs". Great bikes. I have fond memories of them.
I was lucky enough to have had a CX500 Turbo, but I met a guy once with an old SilverWing. I could tell it had a history just looking at it. The guy told me it had 500,000 kilometres on it. I asked what repairs he'd had to do. He told me oil changes and brakes!
Don't know why you call it the strangest Honda motorcycle, I had the CX650 Turbo, it was a great touring bike with good fuel consumption.
My first new bike was a '79 CX. $98.26 for 18 months, I was 18, my dad co-signed.
80,000 miles later, I gave it to my brother, who needed a daily rider.
The timing chain snapped at 6200 miles, that was the only failure I had.
There's something about your first love...
The early ones arriving in the UK had reliability issues: The rockers had a problem with oil supply particularly if left in the garage for months. Owners were sent a letter from Honda recommending they take the rocker cover off and manually oil the rockers before starting if the bike had been standing for a few weeks.
In Germany, the CX is nicknamed "Güllepumpe" - manure pump. Comes from the popular biker cartoon "Werner", who used one of these to help a farmer pump manure.
Fond memories of my '82 CX500 Turbo. Like a 350cc off the boost and 1100cc over 5500rpm. Bit of a pig handling-wise, had to push it down into turns and lever it up again on exit. Touring around East Cape, NZ, with wife on the back was really tiring - so I lay on the ground and Alys walked up my spine to relieve the sore muscles, much to the amusement of a bus load of Japanese tourists going the other way. My son's first ride on the front of a motorcycle going to the WSB round at Manfield in '88, said it was like Star Trek's 'warp speed' looking in the mirror when he wound on the throttle on. Not Honda's best bike ever, but definitely their best made production bike when it was released. Fit, finish and technology way ahead of everyone (computerised fuel injection, 240,000 rpm turbo (4000 revs per second!), fairing that worked etc). Love your video's - jv
I first saw the 500 Turbo at the Auckland Motorcycle show in 1982 (I recall it being close to NZ$10,000!) - Way too expensive for me, but always on my bucket list.
Finally bought one in May! (& paid way more than $10k......) - I'm loving it.
Yeah Pete, those were my thoughts too when I first saw it in the flesh at the same show - unobtainium then
Owning stuff is not where it's at, it's the memories that count
Wow Bart great to see a new upload on a bike I actually remember when it came out.
Colloquially known as the ‘Maggot’ in motorcycle courier cycles back in the day…
What a fantastic presentation; thorough research, good technical info and an actual voice... This bike really feels like a late 70s V-Strom.
Like many others here, my first street bike. Toured two up on it, rode it to work, ran errands. I put a small rear rack with top box on it which made it very practical. I kept up with my brothers Norton 850 commando just fine, which I think kind of irritated him. :)
You can drop the motor out of these without removing the radiator or coolant. I always thought that was super cool.
I can't believe how smooth that v twin sounded. I also can't believe how cool bikes were when I was in high school. I wish I was into motorcycles back then. I didn't buy my first bike until I was 40. Thanks for another entertaining video.
Better late than never!
I've had my GL500I for about 15 years. When I got it, it had 33,000 miles on it. Now it has 119,000. I am going this week to look at another one, which I will most likely buy. I really have no desire to own any other motorcycle. I will still ride different motorcycles at demo events, I just don't want to own 'em.
Wrong on one fact. The Goldwing quickly not slowly ate away Harleys touring market.
For every goldwing i see, i see 100 harleys.
@@-Jason-L "Touring." To be fair, I do see some Harleys on Interstate highways. More Goldwings, though.
Just like the Honda 90 cub, one of their best ones ever, I used to be a courier in London way back then, and these things and the Kawasaki GT 750 and 550 were the bikes of choice, tough and hard working bikes, good times.
I had a CX500B in 1982. One of my favourite bikes. Good video.
The NR750 with its oval pistons and twin con rods was quite strange as well.
My first none 49cc bike was a CX500 & (you bastard) in 1 year covered 24000 miles i loved it. But I had a CX650 turbo (OBRUT) for 15 years that's my favourite bike of all time & if i get the chance i will have another one.
I had a picture of the turbo bike on my wall when I was a kid. I saw one on the road about 3 years ago in Chester County Pennsylvania. I knew what it was immediately when it was coming toward me. I slowed down just to get a fleeting glimpse at the ghost I’d never seen in real life before.
I remember as a 16 year old in 1980 lusting after that Honda CX-500 Turbo. Never got one (I was riding a Kawi KZ-650 at the time), but it's always stuck in the back of my mind and this video just brought it out again. Still think it was a cool looking bike and probably fun to ride.
I owned the GL 500 Silver Wing Interstate from1983 to 1989 and loved it. Toured all over South Africa with it. After that I also owned three 500 Turbo's, two for spares and rebuilt one. I toured up into Africa with the turbo. If I could get one of each again I would love to own them again. I now ride a Triumph Trophy 1200. I call it "My trophy wife"
I just saw CX500 at the shop i used to work at - it caught my eye immediately and had to snap a few pics. It was clean as hell