Honda engineering at its best, or worst?

[redkow97]

1982 Honda CX500 Turbo http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/2189635025.html

I was just curious about what it was, because it said "turbo," so I checked into it on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CX_series

Standard power output from the non-turbo engine was "close to 50hp." here's the stats on the turbo model

"

CX500 Turbo

In 1982, this version of the bike received a turbocharger and a very complex fuel injection system with multiple redundant fail-safe systems. The following year, all CX500s and GL500s were enlarged to 650 (actually 673 cc), and the turbo version got a much simplified fuel injection system. Factory turbos fell out of favor with the motorcycling public for various reasons, causing Honda to cease production of the CX650 Turbo after the 1983 model year.

The CX500T was the world's first turbo-charged production bike, as opposed to the Z1R TC which was fit with an aftermarket RayJay turbo by Turbo Cycle Corporation, before shipment to select Kawasaki dealers. The CX500T also featured fuel injection and a radical fairing. The CX500 Turbo (also known as the CX500TC) was only produced for the 1982 model year and was superseded for the 1983 model year by the CX650 Turbo which was itself based upon the naturally aspirated CX650. The CX500 Turbo was sold only in limited numbers, with a total of around 5,400 manufactured.

The Turbo's powerplant was based on the water-cooled V-twin with four pushrod-operated overhead valves per cylinder used in the shaft-drive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CX500 introduced a few years earlier—itself a groundbreaking design. In fact, the engine case was retained nearly intact from the original CX500, having been designed from the outset to accommodate turbo-charging. The turbocharger, at peak boost providing approximately 19 psi of over-pressure, nearly doubles the power output of the engine when on-boost. The engine case is one of the few items carried over from the original CX500; the suspension, brakes, frame and fairing all differ significantly from the earlier CX500. The base engine also was used in the [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_GL500[/ame], a touring machine aimed at being the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Gold_Wing's little brother, and the CX500C, a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_motorcycle model with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopper_%28motorcycle%29 styling.

The CX500 Turbo, although capable of superb acceleration when on-boost, suffers somewhat from an abrupt and large step in power when transitioning from off-boost to on-boost. Furthermore, being the first production Honda motorcycle with fuel-injection, the engine control system is complex and, by current standards, quite bulky, requiring two separate enclosures as well as a number of pressure-carrying hoses."

Seems like a bike that would be cool as hell to own, but just hell to work on and find parts for.

I want to go test ride this thing just to find out what ~90hp feels like on a 500cc bike that's older than me!

but FI in 1982 is pretty cool, IMHO. Gotta admire Honda for trying.

[Disclaimer]

There are a lot of other cool short-run 'oddity' bikes that have some nice engineering tech into them that never caught on with the mainstream for one reason or another, like the CBX, or the GTS1000.

Study up on your bike history.

Edited February 2, 2011 by JRMMiii

[ReconRat]

I remember that one. We called them SilverWings. Basic problem with a turbo bike is that it will double your insurance. Or more.

[sirepair]

In '84 I saw one of the 650s at Rarden Honda, with .6 mile on it......crashed!

Yamaha had the Seca 650 Turbo; I got to ride one of those! Typically you would ride the rear brake and keep the revs up (turbo spinning) so when you hit the throttle and let off the brake it took off like a shot!!

As with most of the bikes back then, they had much more "GO" than "STOP".

Cool bikes!

[Beegreenstrings]

wow it really had a turbo? weird...

[sirepair]

Crashed one I saw was like this:

[35RFTW]

We had a CX500 Turbo not to long ago that we picked up for an exporter. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to ride it. Was super clean too.