Honda CBX: The power of six cylinders
(Page 2 of 3)
January/February 2006
By Ric Anderson
The design team’s engine, which was developed in about 18 months, remains a masterpiece. Spanning 23.4in, it’s only 2in wider than the power plant of the CB750. The 33-degree forward angle of the cylinders, combined with a V-shaped manifold that angles all six carbs toward the centerline of the bike, maximizes legroom.
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In its original form, the bike generated a claimed 103bhp while also boasting details such as forged-aluminum footpegs and magnesium components, a first for a production street bike.
Compared to the bikes of its era, virtually every aspect of the CBX oozes a gee-whiz quality. The alternator produces 350 watts, a huge dose of power for the day, and operates on a clutch to protect itself from the engine’s overwhelming torque. Despite the width of the engine and its pair of three-into-one exhausts, cornering clearance is outstanding.
The package was designed to shock and awe customers into buying the bike, and it worked — but only for a while.
No staying power
Reportedly, Honda sold 25,000 CBXs in 1979, the first full year of production, but sales dipped sharply in 1980.
Why? Ditner, the technical editor of the International CBX Owners Association’s member magazine, CBXpress, says early CBXs came out of the factory with the wrong ignition advance mechanism, which cut power to the range of 85bhp. Bikes such as the Yamaha XS Eleven and the Kawasaki Z1-R blew away the CBX, and although the problem was later fixed, the damage was done. “People thought, ‘Why do I need all this extra crap —these extra cylinders and the extra weight — just to go slower?’ It hurt the bike real bad.’’
Jim Jordan loves the CBX these days, but he didn’t have much respect for them as a young man in the early Eighties. “I had a couple of Kawasaki GPz1100s that had a lot of performance modifications, and I raced a couple of CBXs on the street and just smoked them,’’ he says. “I thought they were big pigs.’’
Others saw them as monsters to be avoided at all costs. Buyers without mechanical experience envisioned endless trips to service shops to adjust the six carbs and 24 valves. Others looked at the bulk of the engine and saw ambulances and emergency rooms. “They intimidated the hell out of some people,’’ Ditner says.
By 1981, Honda transformed the CBX into a sport tourer in hopes of boosting sales. But after the 1982 year, it was all over.
Still turning heads
As Jordan grew older, he developed an acquaintanceship with a local mechanic who specialized in the CBX. The friendship led Jordan to a part-time job at the shop, which gave him a newfound appreciation for the bike.
“I liked the way they sounded. I also liked the technology of six cylinders, 24 valves and four cams. The technology was pretty cool for 1979.’’