Good Honda CBX article

[2point1]

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/1970s-motorcycles-hondas-six-cylinder-cbx?src=PPC&dom=Reveed

 

There are a few picture that I had not seen yet.

[CECAA850]

Those pictures don't really do justice to the sheer width of that bike.  It had the widest tank of any bike I have ever ridden.

[J Free]

copycat

Edited July 26, 2016 by J Free

[totalcomfort]

Had one and it was a beast!! But put it in a corner hard and it felt like it had hinges in the frame. Evil handling bike, but in a straight line it was horsepower heaven for it's day.

[2point1]

Those pictures don't really do justice to the sheer width of that bike.  It had the widest tank of any bike I have ever ridden.

 

 

KZ1300 was a zip code wider. 

[CECAA850]

Had one and it was a beast!! But put it in a corner hard and it felt like it had hinges in the frame. Evil handling bike, but in a straight line it was horsepower heaven for it's day.

 

 

And about the highest pitched exhaust out there.

[2point1]

Had one and it was a beast!! But put it in a corner hard and it felt like it had hinges in the frame. Evil handling bike, but in a straight line it was horsepower heaven for it's day.

 

I only have 20 miles on a CBX. Fun ride but it had the high bars on it.

Edited July 26, 2016 by 2point1

[JohnA]

I loved that bike and always wanted one!  They came out the year I graduated college.  I had a CB400F and no money, for a while.  But I always wanted one.  When more money was available, I bought the first VF500F that came into Chattanooga.  The CBX just seemed too big and I was all into cutting corners.

 

Funny they talk about weight.  At 600 pounds it is quite a bit lighter than the Concours14 I'm riding, now, that I don't think is "heavy". 

[sputnik]

I picked up this '79 a few years ago (couldn't resist re-posting the pics.)  The bike really doesn't feel all that big once you get it on the road.  It seems to get smaller the faster you go and has very pleasing engine note.  IIRC the engine is just a shade or two wider than the CB750.

 

 

 

Side by side with my '72 CB350

[JohnA]

My Dad, brother and I had 3 identical '72 CB350s (green) with consecutive license numbers.  Our first road trip was Nashville, Hickman, KY, Mountain Home, Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville.  Rode past Dogpatch, USA!  Those were thee days!!!

[Confab]

Closest I got was the poster on my bedroom wall as a kid.

[richieb]

Those six cylinder Hondas were jewels, what a beautiful machine. Is amazing how technology, machining, metallurgy had evolved over the past 30-40 years. My BMW K1600 6 cylinder engine with that of the Honda shows this - both engines are about 23 inches wide however the K bike incorporates water cooling passages into the same width. Cylinder spacing on the K is 5 millimeters I believe.

HP on the CBX is around 100 vs. 160 on the K. But gawd that Honda is a stunning accomplishment and the sound of either engine you choose is music. Can you imagine how the Honda 250cc 6 cylinder race bike sounded?

[Ceptorman]

Those six cylinder Hondas were jewels, what a beautiful machine. Is amazing how technology, machining, metallurgy had evolved over the past 30-40 years. My BMW K1600 6 cylinder engine with that of the Honda shows this - both engines are about 23 inches wide however the K bike incorporates water cooling passages into the same width. Cylinder spacing on the K is 5 millimeters I believe.

HP on the CBX is around 100 vs. 160 on the K. But gawd that Honda is a stunning accomplishment and the sound of either engine you choose is music. Can you imagine how the Honda 250cc 6 cylinder race bike sounded?

 

You mean the RC166? 

[richieb]

Right you are Sir -- give that man 6 cylinders!

[wvu80]

 

Can you imagine how the Honda 250cc 6 cylinder race bike sounded?

 

You mean the RC166?

No mufflers in those days. 

 

In my mind I was remembering that the 250 six-cylinder revved out to about 18,000 rpm.  A quick view of the tach showed it topping out right at 18K!

 

There was such innovation back in those days, it was a very exciting time to be into bikes.  I can't figure exactly the time frame, but I was probably into the Honda Mini-trail 50 or the Mini-trail 70. 

Edited July 27, 2016 by wvu80

[richieb]

Many started riding on the Honda Mini trails - teeny-weeny 6 cylinders, dime sized pistons! Knowing Mr. Honda this was not out of the question.

[Gilbert]

I picked up this '79 a few years ago (couldn't resist re-posting the pics.)  The bike really doesn't feel all that big once you get it on the road.  It seems to get smaller the faster you go and has very pleasing engine note.  IIRC the engine is just a shade or two wider than the CB750.

 

 

 

Side by side with my '72 CB350

 

 

Take good care of my bike. Let me know when I can slide by to pick it up.

[Woofers and Tweeters]

A friend of mine has several of the CBX. They do have a sound like no other. 

[Woofers and Tweeters]

A couple of them are tricked out. 

[Islander]

Had one and it was a beast!! But put it in a corner hard and it felt like it had hinges in the frame. Evil handling bike, but in a straight line it was horsepower heaven for it's day.

 

Honda wanted the bike to be light, but lightweight forks on a fast and heavy bike are usually a bad idea.  The CBX1000 had 35mm fork tubes, the same diameter as those on the Yamaha RD400 Daytona Specials, which were much lighter and slower.  The forks were somewhat lacking in stiffness, but even so, a number of CBX1000s were ridden in roadraces, and sometimes the engine power was able to make up for the limitations of the suspension, especially at longer tracks with fewer tight turns.

 

For street use, especially sport-touring, the forks were part of the personality of the bike, and owners got used to how the bikes liked to be ridden.