I bought a new "79" from my local Honda shop. It was the first out the door from that shop. The owner required that you be of a certain age and experience before he would even talk a sale to you. I loved that bike and miss it too this day. It was a screamer in all sense of the word. I did hand exercises each day to keep my hands extra strong to hang on when I decided to crank it on. On the road you never had to down shift when passing. The extra power was right there. I sold it because I was moving out of state and could not take it with me. I still remember when the new owner took it out my drive. This video brought back many memories, thank you....
I was on a 750, couldn’t wait to get one. Was not disappointed when I got the bike. I was an experienced rider and the bike was a lot of bike. I ended my relationship with this bike when it got totaled, and almost totaled me! Not a joke!!! I went and got another bike when I could ride again. What did I get? A nighthawk 750! 😬👍 Stay safe out there…
I was a young motorcyclist at that time, and remember the CBX well. It was this incredible monster we looked at in awe. The few times we saw it on the highway, we just looked and stood back. Ultimate "balls" might be the description. The wide engine, the pipes, the shape and paint on the tank and tail, were a unified image of raw power. From Honda's perspective, maybe "flagship" was the point. Didn't car manufacturers used to do that? Have one outrageous car that captured everyone's imagination and awe, but most everyone bought more average vehicles? The point wasn't to sell the flagship, but to use it for attracting buyers to your brand. A way of saying, "this is what we're capable of, so imagine what we've done with these simpler vehicles."
I was a Honda buyer during the 70’s and 80’s and clearly remember the CBX. It was just too much, too extreme to be a serious consideration as an everyday bike. Back then motorcycles were not the “hobby” machines they are today. Yes we wanted to have power and style but they had to run 12 months of the year in all conditions - they were our main transport. As a classic they are great but at the time it was like buying a Bugatti Veyron to use as a family car.
exactly. At that age and era, best i could afford was a CB250N(DX) - Superdream, which i rode for a decade before selling it on to a friend. I did eventually come across a minter for sale (£4k) at my dealer, over a decade ago, and snapped it up asap.
Even in my late teens going on 20 I could appreciate the short comings of the design for practical purposes and the nightmare of keeping the thing free of corrosion in every day use. I may be wrong, but I don't recall them being very popular back then in terms of sales. Now as a collectors item and something only wheeled out on high days and holidays to ride in the sunshine they are a much more attractive proposition.
I had my CBX for just over 15 years - my everyday rider, tourer, sport machine, and I loved that bike. She wheelied beautifully and blew everything off the road that wanted to try me out.
Well, it didn't wheelie when I rode one once - I grabbed a handful of throttle and it broke the back into wheelspin! I thought it was too heavy at the time, but I was on a diet of middleweight two-strokes (RD's, GT Suzukis, Kawa triples) But what a fantastic sound and just a beast to watch on the racetrack at Pukekohe, New Zealand.
I just got back from a fast ride through the hills South of Warragul (Victoria, Australia) on the 1979 CBX I've owned for 34 years. Does it handle well? Nope, it's like an overloaded shopping trolley! However, the motor is an absolute delight when revved! A few people have mentioned the "nightmare" of adjusting 24 valves. I did mine about 3 years ago. It's not a difficult job, and made easier if you use the Excel "CBX 6 Valve Clearance Worksheet". Mine hadn't been checked for quite a few years, and it only needed 6 shims. Regular oil changes are the trick. I will admit that my 1997 Suzuki Bandit 1200 is a much nicer bike to ride, but I'll never sell the CBX...
Those "X's" are AWESOME machines! Always loved them and would have on in my collection if I could afford everything I wanted! I'm in the same boat as you, having bought an '85 ZL900 Eliminator new in high school. Never abused it and took it off the road for 10 years when I bought a new Harley Superglide in '02. They kinda handle the same, like lumber wagons, but I don't expect them to handle like my 1st bike, an '80 RD400, or any sportbike. But I DO like the mid controls on both which actually make them pretty good for canyon carving! I've put 83000kms on the Kawi and although I love the Superglide (my "couch that I've put 173,000kms on), and my '01 Wideglide I bought last year with 50,000kms on it, the Kawi would be the last to go, if I couldn't hold on to all of them!
@@vmaxmadness Those V-max's are even more wickedly powerful than my Eliminator! Back in high school when I bought it, me and two buddies traded off one day at lunch. I rode one guys little Yamaha XS400 for a bit, jumped on my 900 Kawi which was an arm stretcher for a little bit to see the difference, THEN, jumped on my buddies V-Max and...WHOA!!!! Couldn't believe it was even that much more wickeder! I DID race the V-Max a little later that year, and off the line, I kept up with him for a bit as I think my reaction time was better, but then half way through our measured quarter mile on the local expressway, he started really pulling away. Wicked machines!
I was an original owner of a beautiful Candy Glory Red '79 CBX with a euro kit and I gold anodize painted the wheels (VHT) - the dealer I bought from sold three in 1979. I could not stop looking at it, listening to the exhaust, and blowing people's minds everywhere. I rode it hard, blew up three clutches, did wheelies and burnouts. For all those great memories it was short in a few ways that you mentioned, and a few others: the dreaded alternator rattle, mine was an oil burner and was smokey on a cold start. I still smile thinking of my time with the visceral CBX, and I play some of the great UA-cam CBX videos.
I was lucky enough to own an '81 CBX and found it was a heavy but powerful work of art. I'm a tactile sort of guy and tend to get more of my lasting impressions from feel rather than sight and this bike just felt good. I kept it for several years but a very good friend of mine had been practically begging me to sell it to him and in a moment of weakness ,I let it go. We all have regrets,I guess.
@@adotintheshark4848 they also reduced the HP slightly as they raised the weight BUT THAT model in stock form is now FAR more valuable than the others ( providing that its all there in stock form AND undamaged)
I worked at a Honda shop in the 70s, went back to visit last fall, to my delight they had rearranged part of the showroom with bikes from back when I worked there. There was a pristine CBX, looking at that bike still knocks your socks off! It was so over the top at the time I think it scared people off. Also there was the actual 250 Elsinore my buddy (shop owner now) used to race against me in the early 70s. It was a great visit.
@@briansauer6695 I had the later prolink model, full fairing and panniers. It was an amazing long distance tourer even if the 24 litre tank didn't take it that far (not the way I rode anyway). It was my main squeeze for many years and my commuter bike riding into work in the centre of Sydney every day for many of the years . Sadly I had to sell it to buy a car because my son has hearing issues that affect his balance and I couldn't be taking him anywhere and everywhere on a motorbike. I miss it EVERY day. I dream of one day being able to purchase a much loved one but now in my 60s I don't see the chance coming around, especially with the prices these bikes are commanding now (I gave mine away in comparison).
In 1978 I worked in a Honda dealership and was probably one of the first to ride one on public roads. I was impressed by the looks, sound, technology, in short by everything but fore some reason it scared the hell out of me. It was expensive to buy but also to maintain. You needed a well experienced driver who also could afford it. That narrows the number of customers dramatically.
I bought the 750F Super Sport which looks nearly identical except it had the 4 cylinder engine. That thing was more than fast enough to scare me on the highway. It handled great with snappy power.
I WAS SHOPPING FOR MY FIRST ROAD MOTORCYCLE IN 1979. THE KAWASAKI Z1R, WAS THE BEST LOOKING JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE ON THE MARKET BUT IT DIDN'T HANDLE AT ALL AND WAS THE SLOWEST OF THE BIG 4 JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES. THE SHAFT DRIVEN YAMAHA XS 1100, WAS WAY TOO HEAVY AND DIDN'T HANDLE AT ALL. THAT LEFT THE HONDA CBX 1000, AND THE THE SUZUKI GS 1000. THE 1978 AND 1979 CASTROL 6 HOUR MOTORCYCLE RACE IN AUSTRALIA MADE UP MY MIND. NOT ONE HONDA CBX 1000 FINISHED THE 2 RACES. THEY ALL CRASHED. THE SUZUKI GS 1000 WON THE 1979 RACE EASILY. THAT MADE UP MY MIND. IN DECEMBER 1979 I BOUGHT THE SUZUKI GS 1000 S.N. MOTORCYCLE. WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BEST MOTORCYCLE OF THE 1970'S. ALSO THE FIRST BIG JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE THAT HANDLED QUITE WELL. THE SUZUKI GS 1000 MOTORCYCLE WAS BY FAR THE BEST ALL ROUND MOTORCYCLE OF THE 1970'S. NOTHING CAME CLOSE.
The local ' Service Station ' owner had one ,, what a dream bike for us young fellow's riding Norton's , BSA's and Triumphs ,,, a beautiful bike that sounded AWESOME !! 6 into ONE ! nothing like it .
Great video. I was born in 1949 and started riding at 14 in 1963, on a Honda 50. i still ride today. You can do the math. In the late 70's and early 80's, I think of that time as the true advent of the UJM. In a very short 3 year period,, Honda released the dual overhead cam version of the 750 and the CBX, Yamaha released the XS11, Kawasaki released the Z1R and Suzuki released the GS1000. All of these liter bikes had managed to get into the magical 11 second quarter mile. Cycle anf Cycle World had a field day, It seemed like every issue had a new quarter mile champion. This was also helped because for the first time, they used professional riders such as Pee Wee Gleason to get the best out of the machines. If not mistaken, it was in 79 that Honda released the CB900 to the world. The US only got the cruiser model but in 81, the great 900F came to the US. I was fortunate enough to get one of the first ones in our city, a beautiful silver one. Even to this day, it is my favorite bike that I have ever owned. I don't know if Honda saw the writing on the wall or intentionally shot itself.in the foot but I personally know that the outragiousness of the CBX, actually helped in selling me the 900F. I was in the motorcycle business at the time and getting new motorcycles whenever I wanted was a reality. I also was fortunate to work at a Kawasake dealership and had an 81 GPZ1100 for a demo. In 82, I managed a Suzuki store and traded my 900F for a new 1100E and then bought the 900F back. The Suzuki was also a great bike but in reality, the 900F/1100F were probably the two best bikes ever made (IMHO). You could ride them daily, carve the back roads or ride 500 mile days and they did it all very well. Oh well, so much for my great memories. I first wanted to just say how much i liked the video but got carried away in my old age. lol
You talk about many bikes I was drawn to and rode or had/have. I started on an 82 450 Nighthawk and jumped up to an 82 900f. Later I had a V65 Magna then a V65 Sabre. Fast forward to today after having many new bikes I ended up with a 79 CBX and an 83 1100f Super Sport. I ride a modern Harley for a day to day bike but the two old Hondas are where my bike passion is. Throw in a GS1100, 1000 Interceptor, 900 Eliminator, an old Eddie Lawson Kawasaki, VMax, GPZ1100... you get the idea.
@@willbar1961 My buddy, who is a fantastic machinist, has built 5 or 6 of those Eddie Lawson replicas and is a fanatic about them. Anything he couldn't find, he built. Along with the most recent Eddie Lawson which is over 10 years old, he also has an '82 1100 Katana and a '78 KZ1000. With the exception of how he has modified all three bikes woth 180 rear tires, he is such a Lawson fanatic, that the replica is pretty much down to the correct nuts and bolts. Anything he couldn't find, e machined himself. The guy is a wizard! Unfortunately, he only takes them out on a Sunday to ride maybe 30-40 miles! His bikes are pristine, but where's the fun in that? I just about cream my jeans when I see an 1100F! A couple of friends have had theirs since new and both are mint! Nice to see you've kept the other bikes!
I was born in 1952 and started riding at 13, on a moped. I have owned and rode a lot of different bikes. I bought them, fixed them, loved them, rode them, and/or sold them. You are blessed to still be able to ride. I am about 70% disabled and would be lucky to be able to ride a 150cc bike for a few minutes. I miss it, but I can handle not riding, fairly well. There is a whole lot more traffic, with more crazy drivers, and deer, and buzzards to hit, in my area, at least than it was 50 t0 60 years ago.
In '79 I wrenched in a Honda shop. I loved the satisfaction I got after doing a valve shim adjustment and synching the six carbs. Then I got to take it on a test ride!!!
Back in '78, my boss at the Shell station I worked at on the South side of Indianapolis had a CBX. We considered him an old man ( he was around 30) One evening he was headed home and we watched him pull out on the highway to the stoplight. It turned green and he stood it up on the back wheel and we never called him the old man again! Blew me away! Great video 😊
One of my best memories back in the day was my mates and I on our 250’s waiting at the lights near the top of a long hill in rural England. On the opposite side of the road was this gleaming six cylinder CBX. Two up. Waiting patiently. The lights turned green and we didn’t move. We all sat in awe as this bike pulled a vertical wheelie all the way down the hill. Absolutely fan-flipping-tastic !!!
The first time I ever sat on one was at my towns local country fair in 1978 as a 14 year old. I was totally mesmerized and one day knew I would own one. Fast forward 41 years and now am the proud owner of a 1979 model - and no intentions of selling it!
I was 14 in 1979 and an electrician who used some of the local kids to do gofer work had one and would let us ride around the block on it. He would drop the clutch and could probably smoke the tire for a whole block. The tires on bikes the weren't very good at that time.
oh my, that sound alone adds so much to the experience. I don't care other bikes are faster or have better components. The engine alone is pure nirvana. Imagine going down a tunnel and just giggling like an idiot inside your helmet.
I ride on the mountain highways and back roads of British Columbia Can. Omg the tunnels are fun. Out one day with my friend during the pandemic and we rode the Fraser Canyon which has multiple tunnels. I was on my CBX he was on a RC51. We came to one of the tunnels and no one was around so we took turns winding the bikes out through the tunnel. We were lol it so much fun. He stopped in the middle and I started at one end and he recorded me launching and grabbing gears going through the tunnel. Turned it into the ring tone on my phone. Every time it goes off people stop and listen. What a great day that was.
I was actually shopping for a new motorcycle when the CBX came out. I remember sitting on one in the dealer's showroom, looking down at that wide tank and still seeing the top of the engine stick out of both sides and thinking, "I'm gonna kill myself if I buy this bike".
I too was in the market for a new motorcycle in the CBX era, while having 6 cylinders etc. seemed super cool, the reality is that in more practical terms it didn't bring much to the table that other 4 cylinder bikes were offering. Kawasaki Z1000J I bought had the same power output in a more compact package with much better handling. It's funny that now to me the CBX1000 is a good looking motorcycle, where as back in the day, I didn't find it that attractive, if I had, that would likely have swayed me to buy one.
feeling slightly "intimidated" was probably a healthy reaction (for many prospective buyers). It may have in it's way, prevented many from ending up in a ditch, or parked in the side of a car. 😯
So, what did I end up getting? A new 1978 Yanaha RD400. I could buy it cash, where with a large bike I would have to finance. I loved the bike, put over 100,000 miles on it, and then bought a 1985 Yamaha RZ350. It is A LOT of fun, but I was almost killed on it when someone ran a red light and I t-boned him. With the insurance, I then went out and bought another one. Ride safe everybody!
@@dannyjamison8337I had a 75 RD350, that was one of the most fun motorcycles I've ever owned. I forgot how small they were, thought about buying one a few years back, it seemed tiny. Now my 2 stroke urge is scratched by the physically larger Suzuki GT500. Every time I start that thing it puts smile on my face and I'm grinning in my helmet as I ride down the road. I have quite a few motorcycles including modern ones and while I wouldn't want to go touring on the GT500 like I do on my BMW, when you just fancy a quick blast close to home to clear the mind there's nothing better. If I ever see an RD400 at the right price though . . .
I still regret selling mine, omg. Syncing the carbs was a hell of a job and the 24 shim valve adjustment took time and a lot of pricey shims, but so worth it. A Cal-Fab racing swingarm solved the spooky feeling when you pushed this bike right to its limit. That was the only mod needed, and only if you intended on really getting this bike to the edge, and those limits were only reached way past the point where jail time was involved. I'd like to ride one now with a modern set of tires. Tire tech of the day was way behind this bike, traction was always an issue.
Modern tires are a big thing IME, I have a number of 70's motorcycles, it's surprising how modern tires, modern fork oil improve their handling. I can still recall the original Japanese tires fitted back then, my Honda CB500T would spin the rear wheel in the wet going in a straight line and upright with little power applied. It was only when I was a bit better off that I changed the tires for Avon Roadrunners, even then it was night and day difference and cornering was limited by ground clearance in the dry and in the wet you didn't feel like you were on ice. So going straight from those 70's tires to the ones I use now would really be a revelation.
Its also needed front forks progressive springs ,put in brass swing harm bushings instead of plastic ,better rear shock,and the bike would stay in strait line until 100 mph looking for another gear,gearing very short not good for drag racing,but loved the sound off the exhaust.
Checking and adjusting the valve clearance is in fact easy and straightforward. The shim-plates are on top of the buckets. No need to remove the camshafts. In the 23 years and 60k miles I had my CBX-100 Prolink I did not have to replace many shims. The outlet valves of the inner cylinders got a bit too tight a few times. In the Netherlands, we have an exchange system for shims. You pay a few Euros per shim. But it takes a lot of time before you can start the actual valve checking. I wrote down all the steps and tools used the first time.
@@olafzijnbuis Compared to the simple and no-parts-required screw adjust valves on my other Honda bikes, it was expensive and tedious. Can't speak to what shims cost now or any program in the Netherlands, but back in 1981, even replacing a few shims added up for a young guy like me that had spent all of his money buying motorcycles. The most expensive part of CB-X ownership was tires, man that bike ate tires up. There was just no way not to use all that engine, all the time.
@@johnshellenberg1383 Yes, sure. Rocker arms with screw adjustment are indeed very easy. The worst situation is when the shims are INSIDE the buckets. With the CBX-1000 you do not have to remove the camshafts. I used a lot of tires. Full power is nice when overtaking. I changed the rear gear wheel for a 2-teeth-less one to reduce the revs when riding on the highway. Fuel consumption is another thing... I now have a 2001 Yamaha Diversion 600 Less REAL bike, but the same fun.
My Brother purchased a CBX in 79' about 5 seconds when in first hit the American Shores!, the first thing to go, were the exausts, a 6 into 2 Kerker header system was added, made a world of difference in the sound, fun bike to ride to say the least!
I was a Honda mechanic in Detroit when the CBX came out. They sent me to Milwaukee to get an introduction to the new technology. I was one of the first Americans to take apart the motor and I fell in love with it. It took two decades but I finally got a silver 81. It was without a doubt one of the best motorcycles ever built. The first street bike with a mono shock, Honda's Pro-Link, and twin piston calipers. I lost it in a divorce and I almost weep watching videos like this. At least I have a beautiful 95 VFR 750 to console myself with.
I 2 was a technician when the cbx first came out went to Honda school training when i got back to the shop ,my boss toll me to take the top end off to do port and polish,it had 4 cams had to remove rear engine bolt to tiled the engine forward to remove the 6 pack carbs,those were the good days.
It's OK to grieve over a lost love, Mark. Sometimes I troll the net , looking for my first love. 73 yamaha rt1 360 enduro. Perhaps someday we'll be reunited.
I too cry over my first street bike, a mint '80 RD400 I bought in '84 with 2500 miles on it. Sold it two years later when I bought a new '85 900 Eliminator and saw it after it was dumped AND flipped over! Was already regretting selling it two weeks after, before the wrecks! Swore I would never sell the Eliminator, or at least not to someone local, as I couldn't bear to see it wrecked, which was more probable than not. I'll be buried with that bike!
I sold Honda and Kawasaki motorcycles in Connecticut in the 70's and 80's. I was able to get my own company dealer plate and use new motorcycles as a personal demo to drive around in for my daily transportation, which was pretty great for a sales guy. When the CBX came out, I chose a beautiful metallic red one to drive as a demo and had it for months. I don't get bart calling this incredible machine a "failure" repeatedly during the video. Yes, it was not as good a seller as the less expensive Suzuki GS1000 or Honda 750's. I heard bart praise it in so many ways which is confusing why the "failure". The CBX was expensive and not made for everyone and I am sure even Honda did not want it sold to a rich novice. I can only tell you that when I rode the CBX, it was almost a dream like experience hearing the powerful, seductive 6 cylinder motor during brisk acceleration. Understandibly, It was a bit heavy as it was a big bike with a high seat height like other 4 cylinder Hondas. It handled very well and braked well. I never had any other motorcycle attract a crowd around it as much as my red CBX when I got together with other motorcycle riders to ride and hang out. We had a Pratt and Whitney jet engine plant the next town over and they sent their engineers over to inspect the marvelous engineering that went into building this engine. I did let a customer try out the CBX and he came back with a red face and a smile, he paid full price for my CBX demo even though I put on over 5,000 miles on it. My CBX was gone but soon replaced by a silver Kawasaki Z1R. It was no CBX. In my opinion, what caused the CBX not to sell more was the Suzuki GS 1000. A great bike and a lot less money. I rode a friend's GS back then and knew Honda had stiff competition. In my opinion, the Z1R Kawasaki was not even close to the Suzuki. Although I ddo not agree with your CBX being labeled as a failure, I appreciate your video and thank you for posting it.
I've only seen a couple in the wild... I desperately wanted one because it would have been the next step up from my '81 CB750F but I couldn't afford one.
Have bought a 1982 cbx a few months ago. My friends laughed at me for buying an "old, square piece of junk". (they dont know what is cool and what isnt). But once they'll see the café racer that I've build, I think they'll love it. I definitely will! (the bodywork is scratched and torn up, so replacing that with a custom café racer fairing, a new seat and maybe a new fueltank isnt as sacrilegious as it may seem)
I've been riding since the mid 70s and was working as a technician at a Honda shop in the mid 80s . One of my most vivid memories is taking out a customer's CBX and redlining it through the top gears till it had nothing more left . The two lane blacktop back road I was on seemed to narrow down when that CBX was maxed out . Another vivid memory was setting those 24 shim/bucket vales and syncing those six carbs the next day . Of course the high speed ride was just to de coke the valves . LOL .
Saw a group of (new) BMW riders pull in to a parking lot, except for one guy with a CBX. I figured it was the only Honda expensive enough for the BMW guys to let hang around. ;)
Back in the early 90’s when I was a wee high school student, there was a trade oriented school where I was that you could opt for in junior and senior years. I went to that school, GASC, or Genesee Area Skill Center in Flint, Michigan for both the years available to me. First year, I opted for auto body tech, second year, diesel tech- and sandwiched between those two classes was small gas class, where they had half a dozen of those CBX’s that were brand new, and sadly had been used for kids to tinker with and ruin for the most part. It appeared a couple may have been dealer demos, and others were brand new, as the odometers varied from 10 miles or so up to over 100 miles. That same school also had an entire warehouse of brand new experimental and production engines- dozens of Grand National and GNX engines donated by General Motors. Nobody ever got to touch those, I’m sure many made their way out the door through staff corruption I’m sure. I have to imagine the CBX’s were bikes that dealers simply couldn’t sell, and probably donated for a tax write off. Either way, the wastefulness of that school was depressing. So many millions of dollars of stuff that eventually got scrapped that students weren’t allowed to touch or learn from, and much more they never even got to see.
Good review Bart. I can remember most of us enthusiasts at the time only saw complexity in this motorcycle and at this stage in the late 70's you had the Suzuki GS1000 and GS750 for a start which offered great handling and reliability. I think most of us saw the 6 cyclinders it as a gimmick at the time and probably didnt really appreciate how a great piece of engineering that the motorcycle really was. I think thats why they are sought after so much by the older generation now! Cheers from Australia.
I remember looking at the Big 4 in those days and that dealers USED to let you test ride bikes before you bought them. Rode all 4 and I put my money on a ‘79 GS1000N. The Suzuki handled much better than the others and the seat was very comfortable for long days in the saddle. That GS was so smooth at 85 and that is a bike I wish I’d kept. The CBX was a great looking bike, but the GS was a daily driver that didn’t get all squirrelly when the road would fun.
@@gorgon9786 Four cylinder were cheaper and performance was nearly identical so it was more practical to buy a 4 cyl. The CB 900 and CB1100 were great bikes and cost less. Honda was ahead of it's time for Sport Touring at the time with the '81 and 82 CBX, Suzuki followed with it's own Sport Touring bike the GS1100efe in 84-86 but it didn't catch on with the touring crowd either.
If you haven't ridden a first generation Honda CBX and you love motorcycles, you really should put it on your bucket list. For me the thing I liked the most about it was when you hit 6500 RPM the bike turned into a rocket. I loved my 1976 Suzuki RM125 for the same reason. The Honda CBX is basically what would happen if the engineers applied the same type of engineering to a street motorcycle as they applied to racing motocross motorcycles. Riding a Honda CBX isn't a difficult thing to do but I can see how it could scare the bejesus out of someone that isn't familiar with a powerband that hits like a sledgehammer. At 6500 RPM the powerband comes on strong and revs to redline at such a fast rate that it was like no other street motorcycle of its time. You really have to pay attention once the 6500 RPM comes because it absolutely explodes to the redline quick.
A lot of people, even today, don't understand just how powerful a 100+HP bike is, *most* people are thinking "car power", and just don't get the idea of weight to power ratio being what matters...until they ride one, then it's apparent, and very clear, and usually scary the first time. My VTX1800 for example, people see it from the side and think it's just a long, overweight cruiser, and in some ways it very much is, but it's also very powerful, and then when they sit on it, and see that giant tank, with the rear cylinder poking out on each side, always creates a smile...like this is something different! That weight does something to people, almost everyone is timid, but as soon as they ride it, even for a short distance they immediately understand why we talk so much about torque, you feel it, and it makes an impression. I think he's right, the general, or even majority of the riders out there didn't know what to do with that kind of power, and weight, it scared people, as well as being a financial risk when they weren't certain they could find confidence in the bike. The CBX is one of those "things" Honda just does because they can, it pokes at people, and burns the name into your memory, they also seem to do it about every 5-10 years, with something special, and a bit crazy. Seemingly unphased by whether or not the idea sells, these special bikes are far more important than numbers, they are the character of the brand, "special".
As a CBX owner and a former Honda mechanic who worked on the CBX , we as dealers found most people who came into the show-room looked with awe at the bike the were frightened off by the complexity of that fabulous engine and the first thing they asked the salesman was how much was a tune up going to cost and what kind kind of special tools were required then bought a CB750 instead also they were somwhat more expensive but the complexity of the engine ultimitley frightened them off
Complexity of the engine? You mean 2 more cylinders than a 750 Super Sport? I owned one and was also a Honda factory mechanic and got to the point that I could do a full service on one in less than 45 minutes. The only difference was fussing with the valve cover gasket. And getting introduced to "Gaskacinch" when at the training center in Milwaukee took most of the hassle from that. I loved that motorcycle.
@@WillyDaC I also own a CBX , BUT syncronising the carbs ( which is part of all the tune up's I ever did) CAN be done with a 4 guage bank but is more complex than most people want to get involved with, also the wrench to change the setting's on each carb AND the two sets of three WAS rather expensive and hard to find ( I took care of THAT problem by building my own " guages" with a 6 tube vacume set up using mercury in glass medical tubing ( still had to buy the wrench tho)!!.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, probably the bike I regret selling the most... The CBX, in both guises, naked and sport touring, was just a joy to ride. My brother had a 79 with what I think they called the euro control kit, cafe type bars and rear set controls that also had a Bassani Bros exhaust and the F1 compairson is exactly right. I bought a brand new in the box 82 overstock in full sport tourer setup in the spring of 85 for less than $4000. You could get on that bike at dawn and ride it flat out till dusk on a long summer day with zero fatigue; that motor was as smooth as a sewing machine. You could also get lost in its performance real, real easy and be moving down the roadway in the 90-100MPH zone without much effort at all. Should someone find a warehouse with crates stacked in the back I'd put my name on the list of "oh hell yes" buyers without a second thought.
Had the privilege to be a passenger on my friends bike in the early 80s we did many miles me hanging on the back. I had not past my bike test very long after he got it so never had chance to ride it myself. He had a couple of goldwings before the CBX so he never had a problem with the size of it I always thought it was a stunning bike.
I used to work for the Honda Dealer setting up the new bikes. I had to put a CBX1000 together and of course had to test ride everything I put together. The thing that first scared me was I just bliped the throttle taking it out of the parking lot and the back tire let loose putting it completely sideways and I do mean completely sideways to the point that I thought I was going down. Thank goodness I somehow held it up..but just barely. the guys gave me crap about how it over powered me and they were right. That bike sat in the showroom and never got ridden or sold for a full year, or more. I ended buying it when they discounted it just to get it out. I still own it and it has been a good bike. It likes eating chains and rear tires and had a few issues with bad gas over the years. Oil changes help keep it running along with Valve adjust and Carb Sync now and then. Syncing the SIX Carbs is a REAL TRICK compared to doing just Four cylinders too. I agree with some of what was said but the most impressive thing is looking down and knowing there are SIX cylinders down there and they pull HARD for a long time and then shifting is solid and the pulling just starts all over again even over 100mph. The sound is it's most excellent feature and I love that sound still today. I think it has a little better lean angle than my CB750 and most certainly brakes a ton better than anything back then including the old GL1100 that has been retired and sits under a tarp collecting dust. I take it out for special events like the 4th of July celebrations and that like. My daily is an 02 GL1800ABS Aspencade which I take a couple trips on every year not that I'm retired. I'll NEVER sell the CBX1000 and it's planned on going to a museum down in Arizona when I leave this world so please don't ask me if it's for sale........Definitely NOT FOR SALE for any price. It's been part of my stable and is really the one that started me keeping every decent Bike I've owned since the 80's. For it's time it was the BEAST and should not be compared to today's engineered machines that have better Frames, Materials and Geometry and are built for today's riders. They are lifetimes apart and shouldn't be compared to each other. Like Apples to Pears...LOL
A generic architecture of commuter bike with a giant engine, what could have gone wrong! They played the idea of hot rodding two wheeler for general masses, didn't work so great as obvious....it needed someone crazy headed to even purchase it & have the pro expertise to ride its power.
My first bike came the year after. A 1983 Honda CB1100F. Just joined the Air Force and got shipped up to Grand Forks, ND. Tagged along with a buddy who was shopping for a bike at the local Honda shop. I ended up buying the CB1100F. Took it back to base, and they just happened to be having car/bike show that weekend. Entered my new, stock CB1100F, and won 1st place. Great times.
I came really close to buying one of these back in 2007 or so for $4000. I really wanted to buy it but I already had a motorcycle at the time and no place to store it indoors. I’ve always loved the 70s motorcycles of any kind but especially Honda’s.
I was one of the 25,000 buyers of a new CBX. Mine was a 1981 model with the fairing and bags. The dealer practically paid ME to take it away. For me, it was, to this day, the most exciting bike I have ever owned (and I own many). Although it had many flaws, what it did, it did to perfection. Raw emotional performance. I have never, after 55+ years of riding, experienced a bike with the long pull, sound, and sheer rider-to-bike connection I had with the CBX. Best bike I have ever had? Not by a long shot. It's the most emotional connection I have ever had with a bike. Simply, exhilarating.
This bike was a maniac. My dad had two of these and when I finally got a chance to ride one, it was just a rocket. Something so different, but amazing.
I had a silver one, totally original, exhaust system etc, my pride and joy, I used to polish the carb caps all winter in the garage. I bought a cb1000 big one when I sold it and tbh, the cbx was just such a machine to ride , six cylinders coming at you, you could never fail but feel elated riding it, no other bike matched that. Perhaps just me but sure wish I had never sold it.
I have fond memories of the CBX. No, I never rode or owned one. I did ride many Sunday mornings with a guy that had one. The sound of the engine at full power in my brain like it was yesterday. Watching the rear of the bike get smaller and smaller during spirited rides. All treasured memories that I'm very thankful for.
As a teenager I remember a neighbor down my street bought one. It was the touring model / fairing and saddlebags, white with the blue stickers. I was in awe at what I was looking at. And yes I would still like to own one.
I was 13 years old when the CBX came out. My older brother was into bikes and took me to the Honda dealer to see it. It was on a raised rotating stand with a mirror underneath it just so you really got the impact of those six header pipes. I was completely blown away. A few years later I bought a lovely low km example. Initially I was disappointed because I thought it was going to rip my arms out of their sockets. Of course it didn’t but what it did do was make every single ride feel special. I traded it of a Katana 1100 but of all the bikes I’ve owned I’d like that one back more than all the others..
The CBX is one of the bikes I would have in a collection of my top ten favorite Japanese bikes. An 1100F, your 1100 Katana or a 750 Katana limited edition, a first year GSXR 750 and so on. I bought an '85 Kawi ZL900 Eliminator brand new in high school and still have it. Very special to me and have lots of memories on it. I put 2" higher bars on it for comfort and have done a 3500km (2000mile) group multi day group ride I organize, from the finger lakes down to the North/Sout Carolina border and back to Ontario, as well as 2 solo 6 day, 2500km (1500mile) trips to Laconia NH. I'll never get rid of her!
@@briansauer6695 Great that you still have one of the bikes from your youth and still get out on it. I’m on bike 22 now in my mid fifties and apart from the CBX the other one I’d love to have back is my Suzuki RG500. I bought it new in ‘85. Really wanted a GSXR750 but there was a six month waiting list for one of those at the time so the dealer talked me into the RG. Glad he did because it was amazing. So fast and light. Always loved two strokes and that was the last of the line for them. The dream garage for me.. CBX, RG500 and maybe that GSXR750 I never did get.
@@priceyA320 Those Gamma's were cool! Only ever saw one on the road, a blue and white one a high school friend had. His Dad was wealthy and gave his son whatever he wanted so the Gamma, and a brand new '84 Iroc were some of his toys. Wish I'd had the chance to ride it after having my RD400 to see the difference a few years and advances in technology made! I felt jumping from a 400 to the RZ 500 wouldn't have been much (pretty naïve back then!) but would have bought an RZ750 had they made one! Never saw or heard of an Eliminator b4 seeing it in the dealership, but it was love at first sight! Wasn't even looking to sell the RD but the next owner's Dad offered me more than I'd payed two years b4! Couldn't pass that up.
I remember the CBX well. It was the beautiful piece of machinery I drooled all over every time I went to the Honda dealership. I wanted one, but at the same time I was a bit scared of it. I had already been in a serious accident (newbie accident) and wasn't sure that I could responsibly handle so much power. The other thing that kept me from buying it was the price. But jeez I wanted it. I loved the way it looked, the way it sounded, but most of all...how absolutely vibration free it was. Maybe in another life....
Smooth power! That's what I love in a motorcycle. I wanted a CBX when I was in college, & then the V65 Magna. I bought a 1984 V65 in 2001, & have put 73,000 miles on it, now sitting @ 117,000 miles. I have gotten 25-63 mpg with it depending on the headwinds & speed.
Thanks Bart for waking up my memory. My friend and I are riding our GL1000 Goldwings 2 up, down a 4 lane highway on a sunny afternoon and as always we cruised around 80 mph, when we come up on another motorcycle with a passenger. Of course we punched the Goldwings and pass him with a sense of satisfaction. No sooner than 30 seconds later this same bike passes us like we were standing still. I mean it was like getting passed by a jet. Very humbling experience of course. A few miles later at the state line we stop at the convenience store and the bike that passed us is sitting there in the parking lot. It's the new CBX 1000 Six. A Goldwing is as much motorcycle that I would ever want and after seeing the CBX I can't imagine riding that much power on a bike. I believe Honda had the "Tim the Toolman Taylor" syndrome when they put together the CBX. You can't have too much power in a motorcycle philosophy. Yeah it was like looking at the monster Frankenstein, cool to look at but I wouldn't want to be friends with it. Thanks again bart.
My first Honda bike was a CB500, then I got a CB750. I loved both of those having started out on a BSA lightning. Honda was a real comfortable fun bike. Never went for a “super bike”.
Me, Honda 400 Hawk used $500.00 Next New Honda 650 NightHawk. $2500 New in the box. That particular year the United States put a tariff on any Japanese bike that was 700 CC's or larger. Honda also had a 700 Hawk that was actually 699 cc's but for the difference of the money I went with the Honda 650. 4 cylinders four carburetors perfect.
The only tangible drawback I got about the CBX from dudes who actually have owned them is that the valves can be a PIA to adjust. Other than that their only regret was selling them.
My dad had a CB750K when I was 15. That was the best summer we ever had because we left stepmom at home and rode all over the Appalacian mountians for 6 weeks and had a blast.
A guy in my small eastern Canadian town had one of these. He apparently like to "go fast". I saw him riding it often down the "main drag" showing it off. Sometimes he'd crank it and the front end would lift, amazing bike.
Rode one of those beasts back in the eighties……. The sound of that engine was just gorgeous, torque on tap with just a touch of the throttle and the way the front wheel skipped over the road when taking off from the lights at full noise….. great days
I still have my 1979 CBX purchased new from a Honda dealer in Pasadena, CA in 1983. Some 39 years and 150K miles later on the chassis and 3 engine configurations later(my own learning experiences with engine mods-what worked and what didn't), the latest one in 1993 with a turbocharger that really woke up this bike and made a 9 second animal out of it, still running flawlessly with no signs of letting up 29 years later with the turbo kit. I can work on these bikes blindfolded, and have enjoyed owning mine since new. I even kept my PDI sheet and sales receipt from the Honda dealer for record that I purchased it new($2800 OTD in 1983-laughed all the way home). The 1979 sales brochure is also in my records file with all of the above. This bike will go to my grave with me, as I was married once before, kept the bike, had several girlfriends and have remarried since, and STILL have the bike. It is a part of me........as the great tuner and racer Russ Collins said, "A man's motorcycle is a reflection of the man", that holds true with me. Those of you who may not like these bikes, well, that's your choice. I like mine, and have always since 1979 when they were first sold to the public. Some say "too extreme", well, I rode mine all over the western US and also used it as a daily driver commuting to work, never had a hint of trouble in stock form and it always ran. Also be advised that I had my 2-stroke Kawasaki 750 H2 since 1977, and a couple of H1 500's to round out the "extreme" bikes of the day. All of those have been sold, the H2 went to a close friend of mine because my back would not handle its violent acceleration(chambered, ported and carbed)anymore. Ride/own whatever you want, I'm happy with my own choices in motorcycling over the years.
A friend's uncle had a turbo charged X. Sounded friggin' AWESOME! I think there are many of us "old guys" who have kept their babies if they bought them new. Still have my '85 Kawi 900 Eliminator I bought new in high school and never abused it(well, not much if you count smoking the 1st tire in six months-4 more in the next 15 years and 1 in the last 10 years) Can't bear to part with it after I saw my first love, and 80 RD400 after it had been dumped and flipped! Have an '02 Superglide for my "couch" I bought new. Won't part with it either after 120,000 miles (173,000kms) as both bikes have MANY stories and road trips! Just bought an '01 Wideglide with only 30,000 miles as I know the lone owner and history of it since new. Just wish I'd kept that RD I had shod with chambers, boyessen reeds and K&N's, dropped the rear steel fender/taillight combo and shed about 30lbs in the process! That thing SCREAMED and was mint. Loved to bury the throttle at about 2000rpms, bogging it, but once the powerband kicked in at 5500 or so, the front wheel would lift off the ground like a GP bike without even snapping the throttle! Don't think I'd want to ride it too far these days though!
I remember this bike for sale in the late 70’s and 80’s. No-one I ever met was scared of it, the cost was what scared us. It was around $4k, whereas the CB 750 was around $2k (mine was $1999). I later acquired a CB 650 for $1000 on sale. CBX’s we’re never cheap on the used market so I never picked one up. The KZ 1300 was nearly as fast had a shaft drive and it planted itself on the road. It started out at $4k but was available for less (I bought mine for less than $3k used). That was a big difference back then.
I had a 650 and loved it....good analysis. I've pondered the 6 cylinder and fz 1100 kamasuki and for survival I got back to reality and decided better not...couldn't guarantee I could be that disciplined at the thrill as my lips were burbling in the wind.
--- they were very disproportional: the headlight looked too small and the tank was massive: they always reminded me of the Goons from Goon Island in the Popeye cartoons. I had one new in 1980 and gave it to a good friend in 94 - it was still as rock steady and dependable as the day it was new. Other than wear items like chains/sprockets/tires it required zero repairs in 14 years.
I was a service manager at a Honda dealer in the U.S. Midwest in 1979 and had the good fortune to be the first guy to ride one of these (in the area I was in). The post set-up ride was an eye opener. It put me butt on the taillight the first time I Iit it up. I'd never seen anything like it. Loved it and ended up riding one a lot over the years that followed. Ah...good times.
I never owned a CBX, but I've talked with a guy who's worked on one and I currently own Kawasaki's big six, the KZ1300. From what I've gathered, the CBX was an engineer's motorcycle. It's exquisitely crafted, technically impressive, and when everything works in harmony, it's perfect. If you can't appreciate this? It's overly complicated, expensive, NOT user-friendly, and you got to remember- it was only 1000cc, which for a "big" bike is not that much displacement. Lots of show, comparatively little go. 24 valves, 4 cams, have to pull the exhaust and drop the motor to pull the carbs (which, BTW, because they're angled don't pull off easily at all), and each carb is needlessly complex for what it does. Everything is in the way of everything else, nothing is easy to do on them. Kawasaki's KZ1300 by comparison is almost brutally simple- the engine contains nothing new, it just adds two more of everything off a standard 4 cylinder motor. Only two valves per cylinder, because four doesn't gain you much. And if width is an issue, why bother with air cooling? Squish the pistons together, water cool it, and slap on a radiator. 6 carburetors too wide? Just run 3 twin-barrels instead. Of course this gets you a bike that's 100lbs heavier and (some would say) uglier, but it's much nicer to live with. But what killed both of them? Neither were necessary. The CBX died pretty quick, while the KZ eventually turned to touring, added the Voyager name and dropped back to 4 cylinders. It was just excess for the sake of excess.
The carbs were no more complex than any other carbs and you didnt have to remove the engine to remove them. Also , how was the engine more complex... Just because it had more valves and a couple more pistons doesn't make it more " complex". I would hardly call the added jack shaft and associated hardware a " complexity" issue . It was very simple engineering . It sounds a LOT like your buddy with the fat pic of a KZ is bias well past the point of dishonesty. Btw.. I owned a CBX for many years and did all my own wrenching
So a Vmax1700 is out of this world for you....power is never enough....no such thing as too much power....the CBX1000 should be bumped up to a 220bhp 2000cc. With a 240 rear....and all the modern gizmos.... Try a fully flashed Vmax1700....it's like riding in heaven everyday....
@@kekutherealguru Imagine how wide the X would be at 2000cc! Saw, but never got the chance to hear, a V-max with a 330 rear tire and either blown or turbo'ed (can't remember), at a downtown, street bike show in Kitchener Ontario just pre-covid and would have loved to heard that thin go!
How did you like the KZ1300? They looked kind of neat too but I only ever saw one ever and didn't know they existed until the early 90's when I saw one.
@@briansauer6695 I love it. Now, mind you, it is HEAVY. I have a '97 Valkyrie, and the weight is quite similar, but with the KZ it's up a lot higher. So low speed parking lot maneuvers get interesting. But once you get that sucker going? It's an absolute blast. It goes like stink, pulls like a freight train, and is absolutely planted no matter how fast you're going. And the sound with stock pipes is amazing. It still sounds like a straight-6, but it's a bit lower and throatier than a CBX. The Honda always sounded a bit tinny and whiney to me. The KZ adds just enough growl to sound AWESOME. It's just an overall big hefty chunk of solid motorcycle, and I love it.
I was lucky enough to have purchased a new red CBX. I lived and worked in Germany and used it for everything from shopping to riding across Europe all year round. It never once broke down, in fact I never had any problems at all with it. The big issues were the cost of running it. The tyres were expensive and I got through multiple sets. The same with chains and sprockets. The fuel consumption was bad. On a trip from Germany to Spain I was stopping every 45 to 50 mins to fill up! I was cruising at 120 to 130 mph all the time( All expressways). Servicing was also very expensive. But what a bike, acceleration that is still quick today, top speed of 140mph, wonderful sound, comfortable, and to me beautiful. The handling was "interesting" but all bikes of this era were fun around corners and we just accepted it as normal. One of the truly great machines.
I had two of them, a silver 79 and a gray 81, modified with the fairing and bags removed. 79 had a 6-into-1 DG header, 81 had a 6-into-6 Pipe Masters setup. Both were beautiful and sounded awesome.
@@max602 I liked the 81 because the suspension was better. Larger forks and mono shock rear end far exceeded the 79 version. Unlike comments below, I rode mine every day and considered it a great bike to ride. Owned it from 1988 to 2006. When I bought it, had 10,000 miles. Sold it with 66,000 miles. Adjusted the valves one time, because of one valve. Never adjusted the carbs. Checked them, but they never needed adjustment.
Well done review. I almost bought one of these back in the early 80's. Wish I would have pulled the trigger. It really was a beast and it honestly scared me with its mass at speed. I thought better of it and moved to cruiser styles becuase I was sure I would end my self because their was just WAY too much throttle at my disposal and I was too young to manage to control my need for speed at that time. But still very cool.
I bought one new in 1979! I lived to tell about it! It would beat any bike on a straight stretch! It did not handle corners at all! Love Honda! Still own a couple Hondas at 65 years old! Yes red is faster i had a red one! LOL
Kawasaki sold a water cooled six cylinder motorcycle to compete with this bike. AlI can say is that fourty years later ,the sound of that Kawasaki six cylinder engine as it's driver slowly did a u turn in front of me and drove it slowly away,was one of the most memorable and gorgeous engine sounds out of any engine I have ever heard in my life.
Never forget when I was a kid watching all the big boy bikes doing illegal quarter mile races at this abandoned Road in the forest. There were all kinds of bikes from 750s to other 1000 bikes, but whenever the guy with the CBX rolled up to the line, there was always a gasp and he would smoke anyone he happened to run against. Great memories they were.
Bought a CBX in 79, saw it in the showroom and had to own it. Performance wasn’t that great, actually weak compared to current day liter bikes. Best speed I could get was 124mph. It felt top heavy and was very quiet in stock livery. Super smooth. I put 16k miles on it before selling it in 82 or 83. Got married and working a lot. I now own a Goldwing DCT, fantastic machine but I wish I still had the CBX, very cool machine.
I remember as a teenager sitting on a new one at the Honda Dealer dreaming of owning one. Never did. But now have an 85 Suzuki GS1150, a 90 GSXR750 and an 82 KZ1000LTD.
In 1990 I actually saw a guy take his on a track day at Brands Hatch, damn the guy was a legend, I have never seen anyone muscle such a heavy bike round a race track with his knee down and actually managing decent lap times. If I was a race team I would have hired him there and then 8)
Try the Tubes of You hole of rabbits for any ...1978 CASTROL SIX HOUR PRODUCTION RACE....uploads more than few brave men maybe seen on bikes not that up to the job in hand !
A friend of mine owned a CBX and took me for a quick ride on the back, the acceleration was incredible, frightened the life out of me, if you go to the big classic shows in the UK there are always 30-40 CBXs on show, still a big following here in the UK for this big beautiful bike....
I remember going to the UK launch of the CBX at Earl's Court motorcycle show in England. From what I understand the bike's main draw back was it's appetite for rear tyres. The bike was simply too far ahead of the tyre technology of the day.
Still behind. My first car a hatchback runs basic tires for like 40k kms easily. But take a mid range BMW 5 series, it runs a staggered setup and eats the tires in 20k kms only.
I bought a leftover '79 brand new in '82. I pretty faithfully followed the recommended break in recommendations, and generally went easy on the throttle for the first 1,000 miles. Even so, the stock rear tire lasted less than 800 miles! I can only assume that the rubber was breaking down due to age. I even went back to the dealer and talked to them about it, but of course they just laughed.
In the 80's there was one that frequented my local dragway. I don't know if it had a modified exhaust, but it was the most beautiful thing I ever heard there!
I've been a CBX owner for 15 years. Sadly the ethanol fuel here in California bricked the carburetors. Will rebuild someday, not an easy task but I've got an original Honda CBX shop manual. Two more pieces of info, I've got the original invoice showing this 1980 bike sat in the showroom for over 3 years, definitely a hard sell. The sale price of $3,500 was about $700 off list, approximately $4,200. Another mention, my CBX has a vin plate stating "Made in USA - Marysville Ohio". Cheers!
sadly you put ethanol fuel in a vehicle that wasn't designed to run on ethanol fuel, and THAT is what bricked the carbs. It's so lovely to see motorcyclists exhibit the insanity that paints the entire concept of motorcycling with a broad black-tarred brush.
@@touristguy87 No choice. Every gas pump here in California is going to put a 10% ethanol blend whether we like it or not. Carbs made of aluminum simply oxidize more so. Catch the corrosion early it's less complicated. Let the bike sit a year, 18 months, an overhaul is inevitable. Pulling a 6-pack of carbs off a CBX takes a great amount of skill and patients. There are still a few pros that do this. Both are in California.
@@henkondemand ...unfortunately I have it on good account that I'm only a treat to be around for a few minutes at best, that's what your Mom keeps telling me. But apparently those few good minutes are what she lives for as she's apparently dedicated her life to making them happen. And as such, given the imbalance of time and effort, I am truly grateful for her continued attention, and I suspect that I am hardly the only such man. You are a good attentive son to be so in tune with your mothers' emotions. I hope that your happiness for her balances the jealousy that you must feel at your inability to be such a treat for her yourself.
I remember riding my Yamaha Seca 550 down to the Laguna Seca AMA races in 1983. There was nothing as good as leaving Marin to head down to Monterey with a bunch of friends to go to the races! While cruising on 101 heading South at 100 mph or so, I still remember being passed by a couple of CBX's like we were standing still. The good old days to be sure!
My two most enduring memories of the Hondas I owned in the mid-to-late 1970s were their reliability (apart from the annoying Japanese habit of cramming half a kilometre of wiring in the headlight shell with bullet connectors which looked the same hen disconnected as when connected, and running everything through a single fuse) and an ironic lack of durability. My CB175 and my CB450 both took up smoking at a shamefully early age.
Thanks for bringing back the memory's of good times with my father ! we would spend over hour trying to get the miles of wires back in the head light !
Thats pretty much the Honda story, quality was a very mixed bag but compared to British bikes they were impressively durable. Its no use denying that Yamaha was the best quality, in Asia theres never even been any questions about Yamahas being superior in durability and build quality. I was lucky enough to own a Chinese made Yamaha some 20 years ago when Chinese brand motorcycles were still garbage - the China Yamaha impressed with good handling, smoothness and quality. On the other side of the quality scale youll find Honda, Philippine made Honda to be exact, disastrous handling and laughable quality.
I had a '70 CB350, a '75 CB750, and a '79 CBX. The CBX was by far the most exciting! Smooth, great brakes, great acceleration, smooth, great sound with Russ Collins black chrome headers, and did I mention how smooth riding it was? 16,000 miles and nothing more than a couple of tune-ups. It did have quirks with the frame flexing at high speed in sweeping turns, but it was fun to ride! I LOVED that bike!
Great video man! The CBX is almost right at the top of my bikes to own. Unfortunately there's apparently just 1 in the country (India) and she ain't gonna be up for sale. The closest I've gotten to the X is the 750 n the 400. Awesome bikes for what they are. The old school charm n that glorious glorious glorious sounds they make are just the icing on the cake. The fact that you can put carefree miles because of the Honda reliability n without really havin to break your head over fuel quality just makes it even better. Can't wait to land my hands on one. Tryin to privately import one from Japan but looks like it's gonna take a long long time n effort due to our stupid vehicle import laws
There are 4 on them in my garage near San Francisco. I began riding them in 1991 and will never part with them. I wish I could transfer my memories of riding with the CBX Club in the 1990's. We had 35 CBX's going 100kmh blasting down the freeway from Morro Bay to the Honda shop in San Luis Obispo and it sounded like being in a bomber formation. Mark rode his turbocharged '79 CBX and sometimes blasted past us like we were standing still. The CBX Club was full of wonderful friends and we rode to Death Valley, Carson City, Crater Lake, Morro Bay and other places during our outings. I wish you luck in finding your CBX.
Myself and a friend bought the CBX in 1979. They screamed and could lift the front wheel almost thru fourth gear. Awesome sound late at night, fun bike to speed on. Wish I had this collector bike now.
I’ve owned several Hondas from the same Era and the CBX is one of my favorites my most favorite is still the 750 Four which IMO has the bestPower to weight ratio Of most other Models because it was heavy enough to do tandemTouring , but was still fun to ride single in a Urban setting the KZ 1000 was another good one of that era
@@markking7290 CB750s from 1972 on were dogs. 1970 was rated 67 hp at the rear wheel. There was considerably more at the crank, and that may have been under rated. The only 750s which would match my K0 were similar models. My brother's 72 was no contest at all, as were Suzuki 550 three cylinder two strokes, but the Kaw 500s were neck and neck. I don't know where that puts your KZ650, nor the later CB650s.
I bought a new "79" from my local Honda shop. It was the first out the door from that shop. The owner required that you be of a certain age and experience before he would even talk a sale to you. I loved that bike and miss it too this day. It was a screamer in all sense of the word. I did hand exercises each day to keep my hands extra strong to hang on when I decided to crank it on. On the road you never had to down shift when passing. The extra power was right there. I sold it because I was moving out of state and could not take it with me. I still remember when the new owner took it out my drive. This video brought back many memories, thank you....
What was the Engine's Horsepower?
I like the sound of any engine going well. But those 6 little pistons screaming away really makes me smile. Musical sounds.
I was on a 750, couldn’t wait to get one. Was not disappointed when I got the bike.
I was an experienced rider and the bike was a lot of bike. I ended my relationship with this bike when it got totaled, and almost totaled me! Not a joke!!!
I went and got another bike when I could ride again. What did I get? A nighthawk 750! 😬👍
Stay safe out there…
I was a young motorcyclist at that time, and remember the CBX well. It was this incredible monster we looked at in awe. The few times we saw it on the highway, we just looked and stood back. Ultimate "balls" might be the description. The wide engine, the pipes, the shape and paint on the tank and tail, were a unified image of raw power. From Honda's perspective, maybe "flagship" was the point. Didn't car manufacturers used to do that? Have one outrageous car that captured everyone's imagination and awe, but most everyone bought more average vehicles? The point wasn't to sell the flagship, but to use it for attracting buyers to your brand. A way of saying, "this is what we're capable of, so imagine what we've done with these simpler vehicles."
Nailed it dude! Well said!
I was a Honda buyer during the 70’s and 80’s and clearly remember the CBX. It was just too much, too extreme to be a serious consideration as an everyday bike. Back then motorcycles were not the “hobby” machines they are today. Yes we wanted to have power and style but they had to run 12 months of the year in all conditions - they were our main transport. As a classic they are great but at the time it was like buying a Bugatti Veyron to use as a family car.
exactly. At that age and era, best i could afford was a CB250N(DX) - Superdream, which i rode for a decade before selling it on to a friend. I did eventually come across a minter for sale (£4k) at my dealer, over a decade ago, and snapped it up asap.
Even in my late teens going on 20 I could appreciate the short comings of the design for practical purposes and the nightmare of keeping the thing free of corrosion in every day use. I may be wrong, but I don't recall them being very popular back then in terms of sales. Now as a collectors item and something only wheeled out on high days and holidays to ride in the sunshine they are a much more attractive proposition.
@@fiveowaf454 What " shortcomings " ?
@@ethics3 6 carburettors to balance. 6 spark plugs. Loads of valves to adjust. Definitely less low end torque than something with less cylinders.
First generation had a head secret
I had my CBX for just over 15 years - my everyday rider, tourer, sport machine, and I loved that bike. She wheelied beautifully and blew everything off the road that wanted to try me out.
Well, it didn't wheelie when I rode one once - I grabbed a handful of throttle and it broke the back into wheelspin! I thought it was too heavy at the time, but I was on a diet of middleweight two-strokes (RD's, GT Suzukis, Kawa triples) But what a fantastic sound and just a beast to watch on the racetrack at Pukekohe, New Zealand.
I just got back from a fast ride through the hills South of Warragul (Victoria, Australia) on the 1979 CBX I've owned for 34 years. Does it handle well? Nope, it's like an overloaded shopping trolley! However, the motor is an absolute delight when revved! A few people have mentioned the "nightmare" of adjusting 24 valves. I did mine about 3 years ago. It's not a difficult job, and made easier if you use the Excel "CBX 6 Valve Clearance Worksheet". Mine hadn't been checked for quite a few years, and it only needed 6 shims. Regular oil changes are the trick. I will admit that my 1997 Suzuki Bandit 1200 is a much nicer bike to ride, but I'll never sell the CBX...
Same with my Vmax. Not a great ride, but fun bike. Iconic.
Those "X's" are AWESOME machines! Always loved them and would have on in my collection if I could afford everything I wanted! I'm in the same boat as you, having bought an '85 ZL900 Eliminator new in high school. Never abused it and took it off the road for 10 years when I bought a new Harley Superglide in '02. They kinda handle the same, like lumber wagons, but I don't expect them to handle like my 1st bike, an '80 RD400, or any sportbike. But I DO like the mid controls on both which actually make them pretty good for canyon carving! I've put 83000kms on the Kawi and although I love the Superglide (my "couch that I've put 173,000kms on), and my '01 Wideglide I bought last year with 50,000kms on it, the Kawi would be the last to go, if I couldn't hold on to all of them!
@@vmaxmadness Those V-max's are even more wickedly powerful than my Eliminator! Back in high school when I bought it, me and two buddies traded off one day at lunch. I rode one guys little Yamaha XS400 for a bit, jumped on my 900 Kawi which was an arm stretcher for a little bit to see the difference, THEN, jumped on my buddies V-Max and...WHOA!!!! Couldn't believe it was even that much more wickeder! I DID race the V-Max a little later that year, and off the line, I kept up with him for a bit as I think my reaction time was better, but then half way through our measured quarter mile on the local expressway, he started really pulling away. Wicked machines!
Loved the "shopping trolley" comment by the way! Very hilarious!
Sell the Bike and buy a race Horse you mite get Lucky ,,Just a thought... and you don't have to ride it and fall off
I was an original owner of a beautiful Candy Glory Red '79 CBX with a euro kit and I gold anodize painted the wheels (VHT) - the dealer I bought from sold three in 1979. I could not stop looking at it, listening to the exhaust, and blowing people's minds everywhere. I rode it hard, blew up three clutches, did wheelies and burnouts. For all those great memories it was short in a few ways that you mentioned, and a few others: the dreaded alternator rattle, mine was an oil burner and was smokey on a cold start. I still smile thinking of my time with the visceral CBX, and I play some of the great UA-cam CBX videos.
I was lucky enough to own an '81 CBX and found it was a heavy but powerful work of art. I'm a tactile sort of guy and tend to get more of my lasting impressions from feel rather than sight and this bike just felt good. I kept it for several years but a very good friend of mine had been practically begging me to sell it to him and in a moment of weakness ,I let it go. We all have regrets,I guess.
the '81 had the fairing and bags which it should have had from day 1. It evolved into a sport-tourer.
@@adotintheshark4848 they also reduced the HP slightly as they raised the weight BUT THAT model in stock form is now FAR more valuable than the others ( providing that its all there in stock form AND undamaged)
I worked at a Honda shop in the 70s, went back to visit last fall, to my delight they had rearranged part of the showroom with bikes from back when I worked there. There was a pristine CBX, looking at that bike still knocks your socks off! It was so over the top at the time I think it scared people off. Also there was the actual 250 Elsinore my buddy (shop owner now) used to race against me in the early 70s. It was a great visit.
Was that a true story or did you make it up ,,........................ Good story even if it was Fake ,,,,,
@@lostinspace699 true, and I have pictures.
Still have mine since 1980. Love it !!!
Hard to part with them when you've had them that long!
sell it then ,,,, Now ,,,
@@lostinspace699 LOL! You want his address, don't you??? It would be like selling his child!
@@briansauer6695 I had the later prolink model, full fairing and panniers. It was an amazing long distance tourer even if the 24 litre tank didn't take it that far (not the way I rode anyway). It was my main squeeze for many years and my commuter bike riding into work in the centre of Sydney every day for many of the years . Sadly I had to sell it to buy a car because my son has hearing issues that affect his balance and I couldn't be taking him anywhere and everywhere on a motorbike. I miss it EVERY day.
I dream of one day being able to purchase a much loved one but now in my 60s I don't see the chance coming around, especially with the prices these bikes are commanding now (I gave mine away in comparison).
I owned one. 79. It felt real nice after 4000 rpm. From 4 to 9, it took your breath away. Boy do I miss it.
In 1978 I worked in a Honda dealership and was probably one of the first to ride one on public roads. I was impressed by the looks, sound, technology, in short by everything but fore some reason it scared the hell out of me. It was expensive to buy but also to maintain. You needed a well experienced driver who also could afford it. That narrows the number of customers dramatically.
I bought the 750F Super Sport which looks nearly identical except it had the 4 cylinder engine. That thing was more than fast enough to scare me on the highway. It handled great with snappy power.
I WAS SHOPPING FOR MY FIRST ROAD MOTORCYCLE IN 1979. THE KAWASAKI Z1R, WAS THE BEST LOOKING JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE ON THE MARKET BUT IT DIDN'T HANDLE AT ALL AND WAS THE SLOWEST OF THE BIG 4 JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES. THE SHAFT DRIVEN YAMAHA XS 1100, WAS WAY TOO HEAVY AND DIDN'T HANDLE AT ALL. THAT LEFT THE HONDA CBX 1000, AND THE THE SUZUKI GS 1000. THE 1978 AND 1979 CASTROL 6 HOUR MOTORCYCLE RACE IN AUSTRALIA MADE UP MY MIND. NOT ONE HONDA CBX 1000 FINISHED THE 2 RACES. THEY ALL CRASHED. THE SUZUKI GS 1000 WON THE 1979 RACE EASILY. THAT MADE UP MY MIND. IN DECEMBER 1979 I BOUGHT THE SUZUKI GS 1000 S.N. MOTORCYCLE. WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BEST MOTORCYCLE OF THE 1970'S. ALSO THE FIRST BIG JAPANESE MOTORCYCLE THAT HANDLED QUITE WELL. THE SUZUKI GS 1000 MOTORCYCLE WAS BY FAR THE BEST ALL ROUND MOTORCYCLE OF THE 1970'S. NOTHING CAME CLOSE.
@@vittoriocostantini4137 Why are you shouting?
@@vittoriocostantini4137 Why dont you post on s Suzzy Video, I for one dont care about youy post and I own a suzuki!
@@vittoriocostantini4137 I agree, I had three back in the day now I build xr69s never left me.
The local ' Service Station ' owner had one ,, what a dream bike for us young fellow's riding Norton's , BSA's and Triumphs ,,, a beautiful bike that sounded AWESOME !! 6 into ONE ! nothing like it .
Was the Guy at the Service Station a good rider or was not much chop ...
@@lostinspace699 No he knew what he was doing , older are wiser than us young hooilgines , he always said , " I will never sell this bike '
Great video. I was born in 1949 and started riding at 14 in 1963, on a Honda 50. i still ride today. You can do the math. In the late 70's and early 80's, I think of that time as the true advent of the UJM. In a very short 3 year period,, Honda released the dual overhead cam version of the 750 and the CBX, Yamaha released the XS11, Kawasaki released the Z1R and Suzuki released the GS1000. All of these liter bikes had managed to get into the magical 11 second quarter mile. Cycle anf Cycle World had a field day, It seemed like every issue had a new quarter mile champion. This was also helped because for the first time, they used professional riders such as Pee Wee Gleason to get the best out of the machines. If not mistaken, it was in 79 that Honda released the CB900 to the world. The US only got the cruiser model but in 81, the great 900F came to the US. I was fortunate enough to get one of the first ones in our city, a beautiful silver one. Even to this day, it is my favorite bike that I have ever owned. I don't know if Honda saw the writing on the wall or intentionally shot itself.in the foot but I personally know that the outragiousness of the CBX, actually helped in selling me the 900F. I was in the motorcycle business at the time and getting new motorcycles whenever I wanted was a reality. I also was fortunate to work at a Kawasake dealership and had an 81 GPZ1100 for a demo. In 82, I managed a Suzuki store and traded my 900F for a new 1100E and then bought the 900F back. The Suzuki was also a great bike but in reality, the 900F/1100F were probably the two best bikes ever made (IMHO). You could ride them daily, carve the back roads or ride 500 mile days and they did it all very well. Oh well, so much for my great memories. I first wanted to just say how much i liked the video but got carried away in my old age. lol
you, sir, have my honest respect and admiration to be a rider this long with that much experience. thank you for sharing part of your history here.
What are you riding now? I loved those 900F's and the 1100F is one of those 10 "dream bikes" if I built a collection, along with the X.
You talk about many bikes I was drawn to and rode or had/have. I started on an 82 450 Nighthawk and jumped up to an 82 900f. Later I had a V65 Magna then a V65 Sabre. Fast forward to today after having many new bikes I ended up with a 79 CBX and an 83 1100f Super Sport. I ride a modern Harley for a day to day bike but the two old Hondas are where my bike passion is. Throw in a GS1100, 1000 Interceptor, 900 Eliminator, an old Eddie Lawson Kawasaki, VMax, GPZ1100... you get the idea.
@@willbar1961 My buddy, who is a fantastic machinist, has built 5 or 6 of those Eddie Lawson replicas and is a fanatic about them. Anything he couldn't find, he built. Along with the most recent Eddie Lawson which is over 10 years old, he also has an '82 1100 Katana and a '78 KZ1000. With the exception of how he has modified all three bikes woth 180 rear tires, he is such a Lawson fanatic, that the replica is pretty much down to the correct nuts and bolts. Anything he couldn't find, e machined himself. The guy is a wizard! Unfortunately, he only takes them out on a Sunday to ride maybe 30-40 miles! His bikes are pristine, but where's the fun in that?
I just about cream my jeans when I see an 1100F! A couple of friends have had theirs since new and both are mint! Nice to see you've kept the other bikes!
I was born in 1952 and started riding at 13, on a moped. I have owned and rode a lot of different bikes. I bought them, fixed them, loved them, rode them, and/or sold them. You are blessed to still be able to ride. I am about 70% disabled and would be lucky to be able to ride a 150cc bike for a few minutes. I miss it, but I can handle not riding, fairly well. There is a whole lot more traffic, with more crazy drivers, and deer, and buzzards to hit, in my area, at least than it was 50 t0 60 years ago.
In '79 I wrenched in a Honda shop. I loved the satisfaction I got after doing a valve shim adjustment and synching the six carbs.
Then I got to take it on a test ride!!!
Back in '78, my boss at the Shell station I worked at on the South side of Indianapolis had a CBX. We considered him an old man ( he was around 30)
One evening he was headed home and we watched him pull out on the highway to the stoplight. It turned green and he stood it up on the back wheel and we never called him the old man again! Blew me away!
Great video 😊
ua-cam.com/video/_EwDYOKPrPE/v-deo.html
One of my best memories back in the day was my mates and I on our 250’s waiting at the lights near the top of a long hill in rural England. On the opposite side of the road was this gleaming six cylinder CBX. Two up. Waiting patiently. The lights turned green and we didn’t move. We all sat in awe as this bike pulled a vertical wheelie all the way down the hill. Absolutely fan-flipping-tastic !!!
I was a mechanic for Honda in the eighties. I've ridden a few of these. I still need/want one.
Parts availability has to be tough these days.
The first time I ever sat on one was at my towns local country fair in 1978 as a 14 year old. I was totally mesmerized and one day knew I would own one. Fast forward 41 years and now am the proud owner of a 1979 model - and no intentions of selling it!
Sell the Bike Now ..... Just Do It ,,,,
I've got mine since 1994, and I don't plan to ever sell it.
🚗
I was 14 in 1979 and an electrician who used some of the local kids to do gofer work had one and would let us ride around the block on it. He would drop the clutch and could probably smoke the tire for a whole block. The tires on bikes the weren't very good at that time.
A friend in high school had one. It was a monster.
oh my, that sound alone adds so much to the experience. I don't care other bikes are faster or have better components. The engine alone is pure nirvana. Imagine going down a tunnel and just giggling like an idiot inside your helmet.
or rolling on the throttle in 5th, going from 30 to 70 mph (uphill) without breaking a sweat.
I ride on the mountain highways and back roads of British Columbia Can. Omg the tunnels are fun. Out one day with my friend during the pandemic and we rode the Fraser Canyon which has multiple tunnels. I was on my CBX he was on a RC51. We came to one of the tunnels and no one was around so we took turns winding the bikes out through the tunnel. We were lol it so much fun. He stopped in the middle and I started at one end and he recorded me launching and grabbing gears going through the tunnel. Turned it into the ring tone on my phone. Every time it goes off people stop and listen. What a great day that was.
@Jonh doe unfortunately its audio only
That sound is wonderful
From the late 70s, no helmet needed…lol
6 into 1 header on this. The sweetest motorcycle sound ever.
I was actually shopping for a new motorcycle when the CBX came out. I remember sitting on one in the dealer's showroom, looking down at that wide tank and still seeing the top of the engine stick out of both sides and thinking, "I'm gonna kill myself if I buy this bike".
I too was in the market for a new motorcycle in the CBX era, while having 6 cylinders etc. seemed super cool, the reality is that in more practical terms it didn't bring much to the table that other 4 cylinder bikes were offering. Kawasaki Z1000J I bought had the same power output in a more compact package with much better handling. It's funny that now to me the CBX1000 is a good looking motorcycle, where as back in the day, I didn't find it that attractive, if I had, that would likely have swayed me to buy one.
feeling slightly "intimidated" was probably a healthy reaction (for many prospective buyers).
It may have in it's way, prevented many from ending up in a ditch, or parked in the side of a car. 😯
So, what did I end up getting? A new 1978 Yanaha RD400. I could buy it cash, where with a large bike I would have to finance. I loved the bike, put over 100,000 miles on it, and then bought a 1985 Yamaha RZ350. It is A LOT of fun, but I was almost killed on it when someone ran a red light and I t-boned him. With the insurance, I then went out and bought another one. Ride safe everybody!
I had a 1977 Yamaha RD400. That bike was more fun than a barrel of monkeys!!
@@dannyjamison8337I had a 75 RD350, that was one of the most fun motorcycles I've ever owned. I forgot how small they were, thought about buying one a few years back, it seemed tiny. Now my 2 stroke urge is scratched by the physically larger Suzuki GT500. Every time I start that thing it puts smile on my face and I'm grinning in my helmet as I ride down the road. I have quite a few motorcycles including modern ones and while I wouldn't want to go touring on the GT500 like I do on my BMW, when you just fancy a quick blast close to home to clear the mind there's nothing better. If I ever see an RD400 at the right price though . . .
The sound from the 6 to 1 exhaust is magic ... one of my neighbours got one in 78 or 79, and the sound, wow!
I still regret selling mine, omg. Syncing the carbs was a hell of a job and the 24 shim valve adjustment took time and a lot of pricey shims, but so worth it. A Cal-Fab racing swingarm solved the spooky feeling when you pushed this bike right to its limit. That was the only mod needed, and only if you intended on really getting this bike to the edge, and those limits were only reached way past the point where jail time was involved. I'd like to ride one now with a modern set of tires. Tire tech of the day was way behind this bike, traction was always an issue.
Modern tires are a big thing IME, I have a number of 70's motorcycles, it's surprising how modern tires, modern fork oil improve their handling. I can still recall the original Japanese tires fitted back then, my Honda CB500T would spin the rear wheel in the wet going in a straight line and upright with little power applied. It was only when I was a bit better off that I changed the tires for Avon Roadrunners, even then it was night and day difference and cornering was limited by ground clearance in the dry and in the wet you didn't feel like you were on ice. So going straight from those 70's tires to the ones I use now would really be a revelation.
Its also needed front forks progressive springs ,put in brass swing harm bushings instead of plastic ,better rear shock,and the bike would stay in strait line until 100 mph looking for another gear,gearing very short not good for drag racing,but loved the sound off the exhaust.
Checking and adjusting the valve clearance is in fact easy and straightforward. The shim-plates are on top of the buckets. No need to remove the camshafts.
In the 23 years and 60k miles I had my CBX-100 Prolink I did not have to replace many shims. The outlet valves of the inner cylinders got a bit too tight a few times.
In the Netherlands, we have an exchange system for shims. You pay a few Euros per shim.
But it takes a lot of time before you can start the actual valve checking.
I wrote down all the steps and tools used the first time.
@@olafzijnbuis Compared to the simple and no-parts-required screw adjust valves on my other Honda bikes, it was expensive and tedious. Can't speak to what shims cost now or any program in the Netherlands, but back in 1981, even replacing a few shims added up for a young guy like me that had spent all of his money buying motorcycles. The most expensive part of CB-X ownership was tires, man that bike ate tires up. There was just no way not to use all that engine, all the time.
@@johnshellenberg1383 Yes, sure. Rocker arms with screw adjustment are indeed very easy.
The worst situation is when the shims are INSIDE the buckets.
With the CBX-1000 you do not have to remove the camshafts.
I used a lot of tires.
Full power is nice when overtaking. I changed the rear gear wheel for a 2-teeth-less one to reduce the revs when riding on the highway.
Fuel consumption is another thing...
I now have a 2001 Yamaha Diversion 600
Less REAL bike, but the same fun.
My Brother purchased a CBX in 79' about 5 seconds when in first hit the American Shores!, the first thing to go, were the exausts, a 6 into 2 Kerker header system was added, made a world of difference in the sound, fun bike to ride to say the least!
I was a Honda mechanic in Detroit when the CBX came out. They sent me to Milwaukee to get an introduction to the new technology. I was one of the first Americans to take apart the motor and I fell in love with it. It took two decades but I finally got a silver 81. It was without a doubt one of the best motorcycles ever built. The first street bike with a mono shock, Honda's Pro-Link, and twin piston calipers. I lost it in a divorce and I almost weep watching videos like this. At least I have a beautiful 95 VFR 750 to console myself with.
Definitely not the first road legal bike with single rear shock, Yamaha had one in 1977
I 2 was a technician when the cbx first came out went to Honda school training when i got back to the shop ,my boss toll me to take the top end off to do port and polish,it had 4 cams had to remove rear engine bolt to tiled the engine forward to remove the 6 pack carbs,those were the good days.
It's OK to grieve over a lost love, Mark. Sometimes I troll the net , looking for my first love. 73 yamaha rt1 360 enduro. Perhaps someday we'll be reunited.
I too cry over my first street bike, a mint '80 RD400 I bought in '84 with 2500 miles on it. Sold it two years later when I bought a new '85 900 Eliminator and saw it after it was dumped AND flipped over! Was already regretting selling it two weeks after, before the wrecks! Swore I would never sell the Eliminator, or at least not to someone local, as I couldn't bear to see it wrecked, which was more probable than not. I'll be buried with that bike!
And the Bike ended up being a better ride then the Ex ,,,, and the bike was better looking and take take your shit ,,, Fuk your Ex ,,,,
I sold Honda and Kawasaki motorcycles in Connecticut in the 70's and 80's. I was able to get my own company dealer plate and use new motorcycles as a personal demo to drive around in for my daily transportation, which was pretty great for a sales guy. When the CBX came out, I chose a beautiful metallic red one to drive as a demo and had it for months. I don't get bart calling this incredible machine a "failure" repeatedly during the video. Yes, it was not as good a seller as the less expensive Suzuki GS1000 or Honda 750's. I heard bart praise it in so many ways which is confusing why the "failure". The CBX was expensive and not made for everyone and I am sure even Honda did not want it sold to a rich novice. I can only tell you that when I rode the CBX, it was almost a dream like experience hearing the powerful, seductive 6 cylinder motor during brisk acceleration. Understandibly, It was a bit heavy as it was a big bike with a high seat height like other 4 cylinder Hondas. It handled very well and braked well. I never had any other motorcycle attract a crowd around it as much as my red CBX when I got together with other motorcycle riders to ride and hang out. We had a Pratt and Whitney jet engine plant the next town over and they sent their engineers over to inspect the marvelous engineering that went into building this engine. I did let a customer try out the CBX and he came back with a red face and a smile, he paid full price for my CBX demo even though I put on over 5,000 miles on it. My CBX was gone but soon replaced by a silver Kawasaki Z1R. It was no CBX. In my opinion, what caused the CBX not to sell more was the Suzuki GS 1000. A great bike and a lot less money. I rode a friend's GS back then and knew Honda had stiff competition. In my opinion, the Z1R Kawasaki was not even close to the Suzuki. Although I ddo not agree with your CBX being labeled as a failure, I appreciate your video and thank you for posting it.
The Kawasaki was the best of cores ...
I've only seen a couple in the wild... I desperately wanted one because it would have been the next step up from my '81 CB750F but I couldn't afford one.
Have bought a 1982 cbx a few months ago. My friends laughed at me for buying an "old, square piece of junk". (they dont know what is cool and what isnt). But once they'll see the café racer that I've build, I think they'll love it. I definitely will! (the bodywork is scratched and torn up, so replacing that with a custom café racer fairing, a new seat and maybe a new fueltank isnt as sacrilegious as it may seem)
The story is Fake As Fuk ,,,,,,,checkmate
Well done! They don’t need to understand it, and you already love it. They’re just silly money here and I’ve got a couple others in my buy list first.
@@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus thanks! Luckily they arent silly money in the Netherlands 😁
Yep I got my red 79 CBX in 1986. The most favorite bike I ever owned in my youth. Wish I still had it.♥️
I've been riding since the mid 70s and was working as a technician at a Honda shop in the mid 80s . One of my most vivid memories is taking out a customer's CBX and redlining it through the top gears till it had nothing more left . The two lane blacktop back road I was on seemed to narrow down when that CBX was maxed out . Another vivid memory was setting those 24 shim/bucket vales and syncing those six carbs the next day . Of course the high speed ride was just to de coke the valves . LOL .
Buy a car
They prefer Pepsi
@@nostradamus7648 Good one .LOL
@@eugene7518 Get a life!
@@eugene7518 your momma must have dropped your head on concrete when you were a baby.
A friend of mine has 4 CBX, and they all run. He knows how to tune that crazy carburetor strip too.
These bikes have really gone up in value the past 5 years or so. Good luck finding one for under 20k. Great show.
Saw a group of (new) BMW riders pull in to a parking lot, except for one guy with a CBX. I figured it was the only Honda expensive enough for the BMW guys to let hang around. ;)
I really regret not buying one before they became so collectible.
lol, I bought my Mk 2 monoshock variant for £1200
Had a 79 with 6 into 1 header. Best bike I ever had.
45 years later, we are still taking about it. Win Honda.
Back in the early 90’s when I was a wee high school student, there was a trade oriented school where I was that you could opt for in junior and senior years.
I went to that school, GASC, or Genesee Area Skill Center in Flint, Michigan for both the years available to me.
First year, I opted for auto body tech, second year, diesel tech- and sandwiched between those two classes was small gas class, where they had half a dozen of those CBX’s that were brand new, and sadly had been used for kids to tinker with and ruin for the most part.
It appeared a couple may have been dealer demos, and others were brand new, as the odometers varied from 10 miles or so up to over 100 miles.
That same school also had an entire warehouse of brand new experimental and production engines- dozens of Grand National and GNX engines donated by General Motors.
Nobody ever got to touch those, I’m sure many made their way out the door through staff corruption I’m sure.
I have to imagine the CBX’s were bikes that dealers simply couldn’t sell, and probably donated for a tax write off.
Either way, the wastefulness of that school was depressing. So many millions of dollars of stuff that eventually got scrapped that students weren’t allowed to touch or learn from, and much more they never even got to see.
Good review Bart. I can remember most of us enthusiasts at the time only saw complexity in this motorcycle and at this stage in the late 70's you had the Suzuki GS1000 and GS750 for a start which offered great handling and reliability. I think most of us saw the 6 cyclinders it as a gimmick at the time and probably didnt really appreciate how a great piece of engineering that the motorcycle really was.
I think thats why they are sought after so much by the older generation now! Cheers from Australia.
I remember looking at the Big 4 in those days and that dealers USED to let you test ride bikes before you bought them. Rode all 4 and I put my money on a ‘79 GS1000N. The Suzuki handled much better than the others and the seat was very comfortable for long days in the saddle. That GS was so smooth at 85 and that is a bike I wish I’d kept. The CBX was a great looking bike, but the GS was a daily driver that didn’t get all squirrelly when the road would fun.
stop sucking up...... everyone knows its Fair ,,,, Checkmate ,,
You're on the money there,.. So buying it was a cost, to keep it tidy was another cost,.. Shame Honda went touring with the style on these!..
@@gorgon9786 Four cylinder were cheaper and performance was nearly identical so it was more practical to buy a 4 cyl. The CB 900 and CB1100 were great bikes and cost less. Honda was ahead of it's time for Sport Touring at the time with the '81 and 82 CBX, Suzuki followed with it's own Sport Touring bike the GS1100efe in 84-86 but it didn't catch on with the touring crowd either.
Just about the greatest example of "more isn't better" ever made ...... but with a Kerker 6 into 1 it sounded so sweet !!!!!!!
If you haven't ridden a first generation Honda CBX and you love motorcycles, you really should put it on your bucket list. For me the thing I liked the most about it was when you hit 6500 RPM the bike turned into a rocket. I loved my 1976 Suzuki RM125 for the same reason. The Honda CBX is basically what would happen if the engineers applied the same type of engineering to a street motorcycle as they applied to racing motocross motorcycles. Riding a Honda CBX isn't a difficult thing to do but I can see how it could scare the bejesus out of someone that isn't familiar with a powerband that hits like a sledgehammer. At 6500 RPM the powerband comes on strong and revs to redline at such a fast rate that it was like no other street motorcycle of its time. You really have to pay attention once the 6500 RPM comes because it absolutely explodes to the redline quick.
@017 Ninja with at least 300 Wheel HP is aRocket New Technology .Go all out ?
Ok let me just go jump on one of all the cbx's sitting around
A lot of people, even today, don't understand just how powerful a 100+HP bike is, *most* people are thinking "car power", and just don't get the idea of weight to power ratio being what matters...until they ride one, then it's apparent, and very clear, and usually scary the first time. My VTX1800 for example, people see it from the side and think it's just a long, overweight cruiser, and in some ways it very much is, but it's also very powerful, and then when they sit on it, and see that giant tank, with the rear cylinder poking out on each side, always creates a smile...like this is something different! That weight does something to people, almost everyone is timid, but as soon as they ride it, even for a short distance they immediately understand why we talk so much about torque, you feel it, and it makes an impression. I think he's right, the general, or even majority of the riders out there didn't know what to do with that kind of power, and weight, it scared people, as well as being a financial risk when they weren't certain they could find confidence in the bike. The CBX is one of those "things" Honda just does because they can, it pokes at people, and burns the name into your memory, they also seem to do it about every 5-10 years, with something special, and a bit crazy. Seemingly unphased by whether or not the idea sells, these special bikes are far more important than numbers, they are the character of the brand, "special".
As a CBX owner and a former Honda mechanic who worked on the CBX , we as dealers found most people who came into the show-room looked with awe at the bike the were frightened off by the complexity of that fabulous engine and the first thing they asked the salesman was how much was a tune up going to cost and what kind kind of special tools were required then bought a CB750 instead also they were somwhat more expensive but the complexity of the engine ultimitley frightened them off
Complexity of the engine? You mean 2 more cylinders than a 750 Super Sport? I owned one and was also a Honda factory mechanic and got to the point that I could do a full service on one in less than 45 minutes. The only difference was fussing with the valve cover gasket. And getting introduced to "Gaskacinch" when at the training center in Milwaukee took most of the hassle from that. I loved that motorcycle.
@@WillyDaC I also own a CBX , BUT syncronising the carbs ( which is part of all the tune up's I ever did) CAN be done with a 4 guage bank but is more complex than most people want to get involved with, also the wrench to change the setting's on each carb AND the two sets of three WAS rather expensive and hard to find ( I took care of THAT problem by building my own " guages" with a 6 tube vacume set up using mercury in glass medical tubing ( still had to buy the wrench tho)!!.
My first ride ever on a bike was on the back of my friend's '79 CBX back in 1987. I will never forget the thrill and the sound.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, probably the bike I regret selling the most... The CBX, in both guises, naked and sport touring, was just a joy to ride. My brother had a 79 with what I think they called the euro control kit, cafe type bars and rear set controls that also had a Bassani Bros exhaust and the F1 compairson is exactly right. I bought a brand new in the box 82 overstock in full sport tourer setup in the spring of 85 for less than $4000. You could get on that bike at dawn and ride it flat out till dusk on a long summer day with zero fatigue; that motor was as smooth as a sewing machine. You could also get lost in its performance real, real easy and be moving down the roadway in the 90-100MPH zone without much effort at all. Should someone find a warehouse with crates stacked in the back I'd put my name on the list of "oh hell yes" buyers without a second thought.
That bike still looks amazing to this day. the naked open engine concept just looks cool. Id buy one now and id buy one then
Thanks for the shout out good sir!
No prob! How's the bike coming?
@@bartmotorcycle Can't find time to work on it with everything going on. Dying to get the engine back together though
Are you doing all the work on it? That's a task!
@@bartmotorcycle short of paint and engine machine work yes. Full restoration. It was in very bad shape
Big fan of both your channels, glad to see you guys interacting!
I got a CB900 and sold 750 to my mate only for him to turn up on one of these CBXs not much later.
Great times and great memories!
Had the privilege to be a passenger on my friends bike in the early 80s we did many miles me hanging on the back. I had not past my bike test very long after he got it so never had chance to ride it myself. He had a couple of goldwings before the CBX so he never had a problem with the size of it I always thought it was a stunning bike.
I used to work for the Honda Dealer setting up the new bikes. I had to put a CBX1000 together and of course had to test ride everything I put together. The thing that first scared me was I just bliped the throttle taking it out of the parking lot and the back tire let loose putting it completely sideways and I do mean completely sideways to the point that I thought I was going down. Thank goodness I somehow held it up..but just barely. the guys gave me crap about how it over powered me and they were right.
That bike sat in the showroom and never got ridden or sold for a full year, or more. I ended buying it when they discounted it just to get it out. I still own it and it has been a good bike. It likes eating chains and rear tires and had a few issues with bad gas over the years. Oil changes help keep it running along with Valve adjust and Carb Sync now and then. Syncing the SIX Carbs is a REAL TRICK compared to doing just Four cylinders too.
I agree with some of what was said but the most impressive thing is looking down and knowing there are SIX cylinders down there and they pull HARD for a long time and then shifting is solid and the pulling just starts all over again even over 100mph. The sound is it's most excellent feature and I love that sound still today.
I think it has a little better lean angle than my CB750 and most certainly brakes a ton better than anything back then including the old GL1100 that has been retired and sits under a tarp collecting dust.
I take it out for special events like the 4th of July celebrations and that like. My daily is an 02 GL1800ABS Aspencade which I take a couple trips on every year not that I'm retired.
I'll NEVER sell the CBX1000 and it's planned on going to a museum down in Arizona when I leave this world so please don't ask me if it's for sale........Definitely NOT FOR SALE for any price. It's been part of my stable and is really the one that started me keeping every decent Bike I've owned since the 80's.
For it's time it was the BEAST and should not be compared to today's engineered machines that have better Frames, Materials and Geometry and are built for today's riders. They are lifetimes apart and shouldn't be compared to each other. Like Apples to Pears...LOL
A generic architecture of commuter bike with a giant engine, what could have gone wrong! They played the idea of hot rodding two wheeler for general masses, didn't work so great as obvious....it needed someone crazy headed to even purchase it & have the pro expertise to ride its power.
I wish there were more of these made as that engine would make a wicked engine for a cross kart
Oh my gosh! That would be absolutely brutal.
My first bike came the year after. A 1983 Honda CB1100F. Just joined the Air Force and got shipped up to Grand Forks, ND. Tagged along with a buddy who was shopping for a bike at the local Honda shop. I ended up buying the CB1100F. Took it back to base, and they just happened to be having car/bike show that weekend. Entered my new, stock CB1100F, and won 1st place. Great times.
I came really close to buying one of these back in 2007 or so for $4000. I really wanted to buy it but I already had a motorcycle at the time and no place to store it indoors. I’ve always loved the 70s motorcycles of any kind but especially Honda’s.
Not buying it was a mistake.
I was one of the 25,000 buyers of a new CBX. Mine was a 1981 model with the fairing and bags. The dealer practically paid ME to take it away. For me, it was, to this day, the most exciting bike I have ever owned (and I own many). Although it had many flaws, what it did, it did to perfection. Raw emotional performance. I have never, after 55+ years of riding, experienced a bike with the long pull, sound, and sheer rider-to-bike connection I had with the CBX. Best bike I have ever had? Not by a long shot. It's the most emotional connection I have ever had with a bike. Simply, exhilarating.
This bike was a maniac. My dad had two of these and when I finally got a chance to ride one, it was just a rocket. Something so different, but amazing.
I had a silver one, totally original, exhaust system etc, my pride and joy, I used to polish the carb caps all winter in the garage. I bought a cb1000 big one when I sold it and tbh, the cbx was just such a machine to ride , six cylinders coming at you, you could never fail but feel elated riding it, no other bike matched that. Perhaps just me but sure wish I had never sold it.
I have fond memories of the CBX. No, I never rode or owned one. I did ride many Sunday mornings with a guy that had one. The sound of the engine at full power in my brain like it was yesterday. Watching the rear of the bike get smaller and smaller during spirited rides. All treasured memories that I'm very thankful for.
As a teenager I remember a neighbor down my street bought one. It was the touring model / fairing and saddlebags, white with the blue stickers. I was in awe at what I was looking at. And yes I would still like to own one.
One of the best sounding stock bikes ever.
Have you Herd one though ..... have you herd more then two bikes >>>>.....
My cousin had a CBX in a chopper frame/hardtail. I was too young to ride it, but, was very cool. Definitely unique in the 80's. Sounded great.
My dad had one of these and he would race it at a nearby 1/4 track. That bike was wicked fast!
A 'novelty', no more.. A friend loaned one to me for a one week motorbike tour. I never told him but I was glad to hand it back.
I was 13 years old when the CBX came out. My older brother was into bikes and took me to the Honda dealer to see it. It was on a raised rotating stand with a mirror underneath it just so you really got the impact of those six header pipes. I was completely blown away. A few years later I bought a lovely low km example. Initially I was disappointed because I thought it was going to rip my arms out of their sockets. Of course it didn’t but what it did do was make every single ride feel special. I traded it of a Katana 1100 but of all the bikes I’ve owned I’d like that one back more than all the others..
The CBX is one of the bikes I would have in a collection of my top ten favorite Japanese bikes. An 1100F, your 1100 Katana or a 750 Katana limited edition, a first year GSXR 750 and so on. I bought an '85 Kawi ZL900 Eliminator brand new in high school and still have it. Very special to me and have lots of memories on it. I put 2" higher bars on it for comfort and have done a 3500km (2000mile) group multi day group ride I organize, from the finger lakes down to the North/Sout Carolina border and back to Ontario, as well as 2 solo 6 day, 2500km (1500mile) trips to Laconia NH. I'll never get rid of her!
An early V-Max would be on that list too!
@@briansauer6695 Great that you still have one of the bikes from your youth and still get out on it. I’m on bike 22 now in my mid fifties and apart from the CBX the other one I’d love to have back is my Suzuki RG500. I bought it new in ‘85. Really wanted a GSXR750 but there was a six month waiting list for one of those at the time so the dealer talked me into the RG. Glad he did because it was amazing. So fast and light. Always loved two strokes and that was the last of the line for them. The dream garage for me.. CBX, RG500 and maybe that GSXR750 I never did get.
@@priceyA320 Those Gamma's were cool! Only ever saw one on the road, a blue and white one a high school friend had. His Dad was wealthy and gave his son whatever he wanted so the Gamma, and a brand new '84 Iroc were some of his toys. Wish I'd had the chance to ride it after having my RD400 to see the difference a few years and advances in technology made! I felt jumping from a 400 to the RZ 500 wouldn't have been much (pretty naïve back then!) but would have bought an RZ750 had they made one! Never saw or heard of an Eliminator b4 seeing it in the dealership, but it was love at first sight! Wasn't even looking to sell the RD but the next owner's Dad offered me more than I'd payed two years b4! Couldn't pass that up.
Buy a CAR
Back in 81, I had a GL1100 and my buddy had a CBX, what I remember from it, he could “cat walk” it at 60 mph, cool! 😎
I remember the CBX well. It was the beautiful piece of machinery I drooled all over every time I went to the Honda dealership. I wanted one, but at the same time I was a bit scared of it. I had already been in a serious accident (newbie accident) and wasn't sure that I could responsibly handle so much power. The other thing that kept me from buying it was the price. But jeez I wanted it. I loved the way it looked, the way it sounded, but most of all...how absolutely vibration free it was. Maybe in another life....
Smooth power! That's what I love in a motorcycle. I wanted a CBX when I was in college, & then the V65 Magna. I bought a 1984 V65 in 2001, & have put 73,000 miles on it, now sitting @ 117,000 miles. I have gotten 25-63 mpg with it depending on the headwinds & speed.
Thanks Bart for waking up my memory. My friend and I are riding our GL1000 Goldwings 2 up, down a 4 lane highway on a sunny afternoon and as always we cruised around 80 mph, when we come up on another motorcycle with a passenger. Of course we punched the Goldwings and pass him with a sense of satisfaction. No sooner than 30 seconds later this same bike passes us like we were standing still. I mean it was like getting passed by a jet. Very humbling experience of course. A few miles later at the state line we stop at the convenience store and the bike that passed us is sitting there in the parking lot. It's the new CBX 1000 Six. A Goldwing is as much motorcycle that I would ever want and after seeing the CBX I can't imagine riding that much power on a bike. I believe Honda had the "Tim the Toolman Taylor" syndrome when they put together the CBX. You can't have too much power in a motorcycle philosophy. Yeah it was like looking at the monster Frankenstein, cool to look at but I wouldn't want to be friends with it. Thanks again bart.
Buy a CAR
My first Honda bike was a CB500, then I got a CB750. I loved both of those having started out on a BSA lightning.
Honda was a real comfortable fun bike.
Never went for a “super bike”.
Me, Honda 400 Hawk used $500.00
Next New Honda 650 NightHawk. $2500 New in the box. That particular year the United States put a tariff on any Japanese bike that was 700 CC's or larger. Honda also had a 700 Hawk that was actually 699 cc's but for the difference of the money I went with the Honda 650. 4 cylinders four carburetors perfect.
The only tangible drawback I got about the CBX from dudes who actually have owned them is that the valves can be a PIA to adjust. Other than that their only regret was selling them.
My dad had a CB750K when I was 15. That was the best summer we ever had because we left stepmom at home and rode all over the Appalacian mountians for 6 weeks and had a blast.
A guy in my small eastern Canadian town had one of these. He apparently like to "go fast". I saw him riding it often down the "main drag" showing it off. Sometimes he'd crank it and the front end would lift, amazing bike.
Rode one of those beasts back in the eighties……. The sound of that engine was just gorgeous, torque on tap with just a touch of the throttle and the way the front wheel skipped over the road when taking off from the lights at full noise….. great days
I still have my 1979 CBX purchased new from a Honda dealer in Pasadena, CA in 1983. Some 39 years and 150K miles later on the chassis and 3 engine configurations later(my own learning experiences with engine mods-what worked and what didn't), the latest one in 1993 with a turbocharger that really woke up this bike and made a 9 second animal out of it, still running flawlessly with no signs of letting up 29 years later with the turbo kit.
I can work on these bikes blindfolded, and have enjoyed owning mine since new. I even kept my PDI sheet and sales receipt from the Honda dealer for record that I purchased it new($2800 OTD in 1983-laughed all the way home). The 1979 sales brochure is also in my records file with all of the above. This bike will go to my grave with me, as I was married once before, kept the bike, had several girlfriends and have remarried since, and STILL have the bike. It is a part of me........as the great tuner and racer Russ Collins said, "A man's motorcycle is a reflection of the man", that holds true with me.
Those of you who may not like these bikes, well, that's your choice. I like mine, and have always since 1979 when they were first sold to the public. Some say "too extreme", well, I rode mine all over the western US and also used it as a daily driver commuting to work, never had a hint of trouble in stock form and it always ran.
Also be advised that I had my 2-stroke Kawasaki 750 H2 since 1977, and a couple of H1 500's to round out the "extreme" bikes of the day. All of those have been sold, the H2 went to a close friend of mine because my back would not handle its violent acceleration(chambered, ported and carbed)anymore.
Ride/own whatever you want, I'm happy with my own choices in motorcycling over the years.
Great comment, good for you.
A friend's uncle had a turbo charged X. Sounded friggin' AWESOME! I think there are many of us "old guys" who have kept their babies if they bought them new. Still have my '85 Kawi 900 Eliminator I bought new in high school and never abused it(well, not much if you count smoking the 1st tire in six months-4 more in the next 15 years and 1 in the last 10 years) Can't bear to part with it after I saw my first love, and 80 RD400 after it had been dumped and flipped! Have an '02 Superglide for my "couch" I bought new. Won't part with it either after 120,000 miles (173,000kms) as both bikes have MANY stories and road trips! Just bought an '01 Wideglide with only 30,000 miles as I know the lone owner and history of it since new. Just wish I'd kept that RD I had shod with chambers, boyessen reeds and K&N's, dropped the rear steel fender/taillight combo and shed about 30lbs in the process! That thing SCREAMED and was mint. Loved to bury the throttle at about 2000rpms, bogging it, but once the powerband kicked in at 5500 or so, the front wheel would lift off the ground like a GP bike without even snapping the throttle! Don't think I'd want to ride it too far these days though!
I owned one for several years. Nice bike, Honda reliable, wish I'd kept it 'cause the prices are nuts these days.
I remember this bike for sale in the late 70’s and 80’s. No-one I ever met was scared of it, the cost was what scared us. It was around $4k, whereas the CB 750 was around $2k (mine was $1999). I later acquired a CB 650 for $1000 on sale. CBX’s we’re never cheap on the used market so I never picked one up. The KZ 1300 was nearly as fast had a shaft drive and it planted itself on the road. It started out at $4k but was available for less (I bought mine for less than $3k used). That was a big difference back then.
I had a 650 and loved it....good analysis. I've pondered the 6 cylinder and fz 1100 kamasuki and for survival I got back to reality and decided better not...couldn't guarantee I could be that disciplined at the thrill as my lips were burbling in the wind.
I grew up on this bike. My older brother had a 1979 CBX and for the time, it was CRAZY fast.
Definitely one of the best looking motorcycles ever made!
Along with the CB 750, Z900/1000
the Kawasaki 1300 was better looking silly ,,,,,,
--- they were very disproportional: the headlight looked too small and the tank was massive: they always reminded me of the Goons from Goon Island in the Popeye cartoons. I had one new in 1980 and gave it to a good friend in 94 - it was still as rock steady and dependable as the day it was new. Other than wear items like chains/sprockets/tires it required zero repairs in 14 years.
I was a service manager at a Honda dealer in the U.S. Midwest in 1979 and had the good fortune to be the first guy to ride one of these (in the area I was in). The post set-up ride was an eye opener. It put me butt on the taillight the first time I Iit it up. I'd never seen anything like it. Loved it and ended up riding one a lot over the years that followed. Ah...good times.
I never owned a CBX, but I've talked with a guy who's worked on one and I currently own Kawasaki's big six, the KZ1300. From what I've gathered, the CBX was an engineer's motorcycle. It's exquisitely crafted, technically impressive, and when everything works in harmony, it's perfect. If you can't appreciate this? It's overly complicated, expensive, NOT user-friendly, and you got to remember- it was only 1000cc, which for a "big" bike is not that much displacement. Lots of show, comparatively little go.
24 valves, 4 cams, have to pull the exhaust and drop the motor to pull the carbs (which, BTW, because they're angled don't pull off easily at all), and each carb is needlessly complex for what it does. Everything is in the way of everything else, nothing is easy to do on them. Kawasaki's KZ1300 by comparison is almost brutally simple- the engine contains nothing new, it just adds two more of everything off a standard 4 cylinder motor. Only two valves per cylinder, because four doesn't gain you much. And if width is an issue, why bother with air cooling? Squish the pistons together, water cool it, and slap on a radiator. 6 carburetors too wide? Just run 3 twin-barrels instead. Of course this gets you a bike that's 100lbs heavier and (some would say) uglier, but it's much nicer to live with.
But what killed both of them? Neither were necessary. The CBX died pretty quick, while the KZ eventually turned to touring, added the Voyager name and dropped back to 4 cylinders. It was just excess for the sake of excess.
The carbs were no more complex than any other carbs and you didnt have to remove the engine to remove them.
Also , how was the engine more complex... Just because it had more valves and a couple more pistons doesn't make it more " complex".
I would hardly call the added jack shaft and associated hardware a " complexity" issue . It was very simple engineering .
It sounds a LOT like your buddy with the fat pic of a KZ is bias well past the point of dishonesty.
Btw.. I owned a CBX for many years and did all my own wrenching
So a Vmax1700 is out of this world for you....power is never enough....no such thing as too much power....the CBX1000 should be bumped up to a 220bhp 2000cc. With a 240 rear....and all the modern gizmos....
Try a fully flashed Vmax1700....it's like riding in heaven everyday....
@@kekutherealguru Imagine how wide the X would be at 2000cc! Saw, but never got the chance to hear, a V-max with a 330 rear tire and either blown or turbo'ed (can't remember), at a downtown, street bike show in Kitchener Ontario just pre-covid and would have loved to heard that thin go!
How did you like the KZ1300? They looked kind of neat too but I only ever saw one ever and didn't know they existed until the early 90's when I saw one.
@@briansauer6695 I love it. Now, mind you, it is HEAVY. I have a '97 Valkyrie, and the weight is quite similar, but with the KZ it's up a lot higher. So low speed parking lot maneuvers get interesting. But once you get that sucker going? It's an absolute blast. It goes like stink, pulls like a freight train, and is absolutely planted no matter how fast you're going. And the sound with stock pipes is amazing. It still sounds like a straight-6, but it's a bit lower and throatier than a CBX. The Honda always sounded a bit tinny and whiney to me. The KZ adds just enough growl to sound AWESOME.
It's just an overall big hefty chunk of solid motorcycle, and I love it.
I was lucky enough to have purchased a new red CBX. I lived and worked in Germany and used it for everything from shopping to riding across Europe all year round. It never once broke down, in fact I never had any problems at all with it. The big issues were the cost of running it. The tyres were expensive and I got through multiple sets. The same with chains and sprockets. The fuel consumption was bad. On a trip from Germany to Spain I was stopping every 45 to 50 mins to fill up! I was cruising at 120 to 130 mph all the time( All expressways). Servicing was also very expensive. But what a bike, acceleration that is still quick today, top speed of 140mph, wonderful sound, comfortable, and to me beautiful. The handling was "interesting" but all bikes of this era were fun around corners and we just accepted it as normal. One of the truly great machines.
I had two of them, a silver 79 and a gray 81, modified with the fairing and bags removed. 79 had a 6-into-1 DG header, 81 had a 6-into-6 Pipe Masters setup. Both were beautiful and sounded awesome.
which one you like better ? 79 or 81
@@max602 I liked the 81 because the suspension was better. Larger forks and mono shock rear end far exceeded the 79 version.
Unlike comments below, I rode mine every day and considered it a great bike to ride. Owned it from 1988 to 2006. When I bought it, had 10,000 miles. Sold it with 66,000 miles. Adjusted the valves one time, because of one valve. Never adjusted the carbs. Checked them, but they never needed adjustment.
I have one! and I love it.. quite well balanced for such a huge engine ..
and yes... it is too much of a bike... weak brakes... and the suspension... But man the torque of that bike.. she is always up for more throttle
Well done review. I almost bought one of these back in the early 80's. Wish I would have pulled the trigger. It really was a beast and it honestly scared me with its mass at speed. I thought better of it and moved to cruiser styles becuase I was sure I would end my self because their was just WAY too much throttle at my disposal and I was too young to manage to control my need for speed at that time. But still very cool.
I bought one new in 1979! I lived to tell about it! It would beat any bike on a straight stretch! It did not handle corners at all! Love Honda! Still own a couple Hondas at 65 years old! Yes red is faster i had a red one! LOL
Kawasaki sold a water cooled six cylinder motorcycle to compete with this bike.
AlI can say is that fourty years later ,the sound of that Kawasaki six cylinder engine as it's driver slowly did a u turn in front of me and drove it slowly away,was one of the most memorable and gorgeous engine sounds out of any engine I have ever heard in my life.
The Kawasaki 1300cc inline 6 used a shaft drive, which reduced the rear wheel horsepower.
Never forget when I was a kid watching all the big boy bikes doing illegal quarter mile races at this abandoned Road in the forest. There were all kinds of bikes from 750s to other 1000 bikes, but whenever the guy with the CBX rolled up to the line, there was always a gasp and he would smoke anyone he happened to run against. Great memories they were.
Bought a CBX in 79, saw it in the showroom and had to own it. Performance wasn’t that great, actually weak compared to current day liter bikes. Best speed I could get was 124mph. It felt top heavy and was very quiet in stock livery. Super smooth. I put 16k miles on it before selling it in 82 or 83. Got married and working a lot. I now own a Goldwing DCT, fantastic machine but I wish I still had the CBX, very cool machine.
I remember as a teenager sitting on a new one at the Honda Dealer dreaming of owning one. Never did. But now have an 85 Suzuki GS1150, a 90 GSXR750 and an 82 KZ1000LTD.
In 1990 I actually saw a guy take his on a track day at Brands Hatch, damn the guy was a legend, I have never seen anyone muscle such a heavy bike round a race track with his knee down and actually managing decent lap times. If I was a race team I would have hired him there and then 8)
Try the Tubes of You hole of rabbits for any ...1978 CASTROL SIX HOUR PRODUCTION RACE....uploads more than few brave men maybe seen on bikes not that up to the job in hand !
A friend of mine owned a CBX and took me for a quick ride on the back, the acceleration was incredible, frightened the life out of me, if you go to the big classic shows in the UK there are always 30-40 CBXs on show, still a big following here in the UK for this big beautiful bike....
I remember going to the UK launch of the CBX at Earl's Court motorcycle show in England. From what I understand the bike's main draw back was it's appetite for rear tyres. The bike was simply too far ahead of the tyre technology of the day.
The same rule still applies, tyre tech is still behind engine power
Still behind. My first car a hatchback runs basic tires for like 40k kms easily. But take a mid range BMW 5 series, it runs a staggered setup and eats the tires in 20k kms only.
I bought a leftover '79 brand new in '82. I pretty faithfully followed the recommended break in recommendations, and generally went easy on the throttle for the first 1,000 miles. Even so, the stock rear tire lasted less than 800 miles! I can only assume that the rubber was breaking down due to age. I even went back to the dealer and talked to them about it, but of course they just laughed.
In the 80's there was one that frequented my local dragway. I don't know if it had a modified exhaust, but it was the most beautiful thing I ever heard there!
I've been a CBX owner for 15 years. Sadly the ethanol fuel here in California bricked the carburetors. Will rebuild someday, not an easy task but I've got an original Honda CBX shop manual. Two more pieces of info, I've got the original invoice showing this 1980 bike sat in the showroom for over 3 years, definitely a hard sell. The sale price of $3,500 was about $700 off list, approximately $4,200. Another mention, my CBX has a vin plate stating "Made in USA - Marysville Ohio". Cheers!
sadly you put ethanol fuel in a vehicle that wasn't designed to run on ethanol fuel, and THAT is what bricked the carbs.
It's so lovely to see motorcyclists exhibit the insanity that paints the entire concept of motorcycling with a broad black-tarred brush.
@@touristguy87 No choice. Every gas pump here in California is going to put a 10% ethanol blend whether we like it or not. Carbs made of aluminum simply oxidize more so. Catch the corrosion early it's less complicated. Let the bike sit a year, 18 months, an overhaul is inevitable. Pulling a 6-pack of carbs off a CBX takes a great amount of skill and patients. There are still a few pros that do this. Both are in California.
@@0rangevale yeah so um ride the bike at least once a month or so and you avoid the problem?
gee what to do
@@touristguy87 You must be a real treat to be around on a day to day basis.
@@henkondemand ...unfortunately I have it on good account that I'm only a treat to be around for a few minutes at best, that's what your Mom keeps telling me.
But apparently those few good minutes are what she lives for as she's apparently dedicated her life to making them happen. And as such, given the imbalance of time and effort, I am truly grateful for her continued attention, and I suspect that I am hardly the only such man.
You are a good attentive son to be so in tune with your mothers' emotions. I hope that your happiness for her balances the jealousy that you must feel at your inability to be such a treat for her yourself.
I remember riding my Yamaha Seca 550 down to the Laguna Seca AMA races in 1983. There was nothing as good as leaving Marin to head down to Monterey with a bunch of friends to go to the races! While cruising on 101 heading South at 100 mph or so, I still remember being passed by a couple of CBX's like we were standing still. The good old days to be sure!
My two most enduring memories of the Hondas I owned in the mid-to-late 1970s were their reliability (apart from the annoying Japanese habit of cramming half a kilometre of wiring in the headlight shell with bullet connectors which looked the same hen disconnected as when connected, and running everything through a single fuse) and an ironic lack of durability. My CB175 and my CB450 both took up smoking at a shamefully early age.
Thanks for bringing back the memory's of good times with my father ! we would spend over hour trying to get the miles of wires back in the head light !
Thats pretty much the Honda story, quality was a very mixed bag but compared to British bikes they were impressively durable. Its no use denying that Yamaha was the best quality, in Asia theres never even been any questions about Yamahas being superior in durability and build quality. I was lucky enough to own a Chinese made Yamaha some 20 years ago when Chinese brand motorcycles were still garbage - the China Yamaha impressed with good handling, smoothness and quality. On the other side of the quality scale youll find Honda, Philippine made Honda to be exact, disastrous handling and laughable quality.
I had a '70 CB350, a '75 CB750, and a '79 CBX. The CBX was by far the most exciting! Smooth, great brakes, great acceleration, smooth, great sound with Russ Collins black chrome headers, and did I mention how smooth riding it was? 16,000 miles and nothing more than a couple of tune-ups. It did have quirks with the frame flexing at high speed in sweeping turns, but it was fun to ride! I LOVED that bike!
Great video man! The CBX is almost right at the top of my bikes to own. Unfortunately there's apparently just 1 in the country (India) and she ain't gonna be up for sale. The closest I've gotten to the X is the 750 n the 400. Awesome bikes for what they are. The old school charm n that glorious glorious glorious sounds they make are just the icing on the cake. The fact that you can put carefree miles because of the Honda reliability n without really havin to break your head over fuel quality just makes it even better. Can't wait to land my hands on one. Tryin to privately import one from Japan but looks like it's gonna take a long long time n effort due to our stupid vehicle import laws
DO IT!!!!!
There are 4 on them in my garage near San Francisco. I began riding them in 1991 and will never part with them. I wish I could transfer my memories of riding with the CBX Club in the 1990's. We had 35 CBX's going 100kmh blasting down the freeway from Morro Bay to the Honda shop in San Luis Obispo and it sounded like being in a bomber formation. Mark rode his turbocharged '79 CBX and sometimes blasted past us like we were standing still. The CBX Club was full of wonderful friends and we rode to Death Valley, Carson City, Crater Lake, Morro Bay and other places during our outings. I wish you luck in finding your CBX.
Myself and a friend bought the CBX in 1979. They screamed and could lift the front wheel almost thru fourth gear. Awesome sound late at night, fun bike to speed on. Wish I had this collector bike now.
I’ve owned several Hondas from the same Era and the CBX is one of my favorites my most favorite is still the 750 Four which IMO has the bestPower to weight ratio Of most other Models because it was heavy enough to do tandemTouring , but was still fun to ride single in a Urban setting the KZ 1000 was another good one of that era
I blew more 750’s off the road with my stock KZ650 and then I purchased the KZ1000. Loved those bikes.
@@markking7290 CB750s from 1972 on were dogs. 1970 was rated 67 hp at the rear wheel. There was considerably more at the crank, and that may have been under rated. The only 750s which would match my K0 were similar models. My brother's 72 was no contest at all, as were Suzuki 550 three cylinder two strokes, but the Kaw 500s were neck and neck. I don't know where that puts your KZ650, nor the later CB650s.
The sound of the CBX engine at full blast just makes me smile.