1981 Honda CBX

The CBX wasn’t the first production six-cylinder bike (that honor belongs to the Benelli Sei), but it quickly became the standard as a naked superbike with an intoxicating soundtrack. The model debuted in 1979 a decade after Honda forever changed the motorcycling world with the CB750, and the CBX promised another revolution. Honda had also developed a four cylinder 1000cc engine that produced nearly as much power for the CBX but instead thankfully went ahead with the six cylinder version gifting the motorcycle world another gem of Honda engineering.

It was big and brutal – the engine just by itself weighed 233 pounds, while the whole package was just under 600 pounds wet. For the last two years of production (1981 and 1982) Honda decided the CBX had a better chance of success in the market as a sport-tourer. The motor was detuned but everything else got beefier – the frame was strengthened to support the installation of a fairing and hard luggage. To cope with the extra weight Honda also added bigger dual front brake discs, 39mm air forks, and a Pro-Link monoshock.

The CBX was actually quite advanced for its time and was not exactly designed to be easy to work on, removal of the carburetors for example, required the exhaust to be removed and the engine titled forward to gain access. It may have been the bikes size and complexity that found many of them tucked away into a corner and stored for many years untouched and unridden only to be snapped up by sharp eyed collectors years later, in most cases with low miles or none at all!

This example is VIN: JH2SC0602BC301417. The seller states: “I acquired it from first owner who bought it in the crate from a honda dealer in 1989. I have a CBX magazine article about it. I owned it since 2017 and had Lowborne Garage out of Rochester, NY who did the restoration. I have the paperwork from 2 years ago, it had 600 miles on the engine, original chrome and original paint.”

During their ownership, the seller has covered 5,000 thousand miles. The odometer shows 38,072 miles.

The seller states: He is selling the bike due to health issues preventing him from riding.

Maintenance:
The seller states: “The bike has been fully restored. Top end, new pistons rings, carbs rebuilt, valves lapped to seats in head, the restoration paperwork shows maintenance costs of $17,000 for the restoration work. I replaced the front rotors, but did not notice they are both ‘left side’ rotors. The fitment seems fine, but visually you can see the difference.”

Modifications:
Kawasaki Alternator

Rifle Windshield

Backrest

Luggage Rack

Inside of the tank:

It is riding on Metzeler tires with date codes of 3016 and 3016.

The sale includes 1 ignition key.

Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album in the “Photos” tab for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:

Currently located in Bozeman, Montana, this Honda is offered on a clean Montana title.

Have any CBX stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!