Turbo City Madman: 1984 Honda CX650 Turbo

This is a bike that really shouldn’t need any introduction to the pages of RSBFS. After all, being the self-proclaimed RSBFS turbo nerd I *know* that I’ve posted more than a few. Why? Because they are awesome in a mega-flawed sort of way that drives you to either love or hate them. And despite their totally unloved status when new, they have recently encountered a bit of a resurgence in interest – and price. Today’s 27 mile example is the poster child for the movement, although it also represents an interesting counter-point to the whole factory Turbo saga.

1984 Honda CX650 Turbo for sale on eBay

Honda was the fist to bring a turbocharged motorcycle to market as a full factory supported effort with the 1982 CX500TC (technically the Kawasaki Z1-R TC was first atmospherically enhanced motorbike, but that was not factory). That particular bike bristled with new technology that only Honda engineering could bring to the fore, including a sophisticated computerized fuel injection system to manage the complicated intake situation and ensure engine longevity. The CX650 Turbo built on that foundation by increasing displacement and compression ratio to help improve the off-boost rideability. This also greatly improved the transition from off-boost to boost (although you’ll never miss that event) and help minimize the dreaded turbo lag. In all, the CX650 was the most polished of the factory turbo entries, being the only boosted bike to benefit from a second generation of development. Sadly, that was not enough to overcome the price, the stigma, the weight and the stigma. By 1985 the turbo era was well and truly over, save for oddball collectors and enthusiasts (ahem).

From the seller:
Up for sale is a 1983 Honda CX650T motorcycle – Only 27 miles.
This was a school motorcycle – sticker shown in pictures. Because it was a school motorcycle there was never a title issued. Registration and a Bill of Sale will be the only documents provided.

We picked it up years ago – always garaged. A nice clean motorcycle. Please note some cosmetic damage to the fairing, fender, etc. I tried to take several pictures to show any imperfections. Also, I did replace the rear cowl, which is a repaint. The original cowl has a broken tab that is unseen. I am willing to include this with the sale of the motorcycle.

More from the seller:
The following has been done on the motorcycle…
The brake system has been cleaned/flushed
The master cylinder and the rear master cylinder have been cleaned and rebuilt
The fuel injection has been cleaned and checked
New plugs
New pump propeller
Oil Change
New after market fuel pump (original is still available if desired)
New windscreen

The motorcycle starts and runs. Here is a link to the youtube video – https://youtu.be/MTjRL9s4bkk

I am not a videographer…lol so I apologize in advance and hope no one gets dizzy. My intention was to show how nice the motorcycle sounds.

Not to mince words, the turbo motorcycle era was an utter commercial failure. Each of the Big Four played with the devil of boost, and every one of them was an atrocious and abysmal return on the considerable investment required. Suzuki used their experience to develop the original air/oil cooled GSX-R, Kawasaki used the opportunity to elevate the GPz to the top of the 1/4 mile time sheets, Yamaha phoned in an low-buck entry branded as a Seca, and Honda dumped a significant portion of their inventory on “technical schools” in an attempt to recoup their investment and train the next generation on Big Red products.

Todays example of the CX650 Turbo – a one year only model for 1984 (George Orwell puns notwithstanding) – is one of those previously dreaded “school” bikes. These were examples meant to train future mechanics on the complex systems of the modern motorcycle, and were never intended for consumer consumption (check out the sticker on the tank). While each had a VIN number, none were released with a title, and each of these bikes were written off as crushed, destroyed or otherwise parted out. Very recently we have started to see an influx of these school bikes as more rare than the average CX650 Turbo, which may indeed be true. It is still early days to determine the impact this may have on the collector, as Turbos are still not really considered collector bikes (yet). However the price curve is on the rise and we have seen some high water marks eclipsed in the last year or so. This one has an opening bid of a relatively high $18k, so it will be interesting to see how the market responds. Check out all of the details here, and Good Luck!!