Description
Additional photos of this CX500 Turbo Project are available here for your perusal.
Depending on how you define “production”, Kawasaki was the first motorcycle manufacturer to roll out a turbocharged motorcycle. But as this OddBike article points out, Kawasaki’s effort was more of a quasi-aftermarket creation, and it wasn’t well-thought out either. Honda’s CX500 Turbo is more deserving of the ‘first production turbo bike’ title, as it truly started the forced induction craze of the early 80s.
Hindsight has shown that turbos were not meant to be, as manufacturers were later able to get big power out motors without that pesky turbo lag. Still, as a piece of history, this is a fascinating motorcycle. Fun trivia: the turbocharger has 51mm rotors that spin over 200,000 rpm!
Thanks to the tiny turbo, the 498cc engine produced 82 horsepower, which got the bike up to 128 miles per hour. This was up from the base CX500’s 50 horsepower. But the turbo wasn’t the end of the modifications – this bike also got upgraded with digital ignition, Pro-link rear suspension, and evolved Comstar wheels.
This example (VIN: JH2PC0305CM000078) is part of the estate sale that you’ve probably seen us mention on Instagram.
The odometer shows 14,911 miles.
Scott (our service manager) took a look at it and states that it does fire up, but it has a bad fuel pump and clogged injectors. The inside of the fuel tank is also in poor shape from sitting with bad gas.
Cosmetically, the bodywork is in decent shape though it’s missing one inner fairing trim panel near the dash.
Have any questions about this listing? Let us know in the comments below!
