Crazy old bike prices.....

This one is way cheaper than I’ve seen most of them lately. This is what I started riding sportbikes on. Man, I miss the loud colors and graphics!!
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Turbo-Torch said:
Biggest downside to vintage low production bikes is finding parts. It's crazy how a really nice bike can be worth far more parted out.
I was 11 when I read about the Honda CX500 Turbo in my dad's 1981 Popular Science magazine. In 2002 I bought a 7K mile 1 owner pristine example. 22 years later I still own it and when I get too old to ride, I'll keep it just to look at it.
A year later, I also tracked down and bought the ultra rare CX650 Turbo. While they may be average off the line for a small twin due to compression, both bikes have ungodly roll on performance, even the 500 killed the 1100 Katana. 500 has lag and comes on like a beast making it quite dangerous even after you get through the learning curve. 650 has no lag at all, and it takes one hell of a modern bike to beat it from 40 to 140 mph. Both are also limited on top end due to gearing, 130 for the 500 well into the red band at 10K rpm, and the 650 (taller gearing) might squeak out 150 while trying not to float the valves. Really wish Honda gave them a 6th gear.

Plenty of technology under the skin with fail safes...if the ECU can't take over there will be another sensor. The '82 500 (actual build date '81) has sequential EFI, 3 map Denso computer (self diagnosing with LED bank on body), runs at 19.3 PSI of boost on 93 octane and has no intercooler.
'83 650 (673cc) got a drop in boost to 16.7 PSI but a bump in compression. Also a weight loss going from the 500's fiberglass fairings to thermoplastic.
Both are also push rod V-Twins (4 valves per cylinder), so I get the added bonus of rubbing that into to Harley guys after decimating them.

Once the body is off, it's like working on a cyborg. Honda had special trained mechanics that worked on them. Price was $5K in '82 and '83 and Honda supposedly sold them at a loss, they were more of a "look what we can do" bike. And a lot of the technology made it into their cars years later, which is great because a number of sensors and items like fuel pumps are compatible. The 650 can get some decent money these days, I've seen them go over $20K for extremely nice examples.

Oh, and these two bikes were designed by different teams at Honda and share next to no parts!

View attachment 1686449

View attachment 1686450



View attachment 1686451
Click to expand...
Total respect boss!
 
Turbo-Torch said:
Biggest downside to vintage low production bikes is finding parts. It's crazy how a really nice bike can be worth far more parted out.
I was 11 when I read about the Honda CX500 Turbo in my dad's 1981 Popular Science magazine. In 2002 I bought a 7K mile 1 owner pristine example. 22 years later I still own it and when I get too old to ride, I'll keep it just to look at it.
A year later, I also tracked down and bought the ultra rare CX650 Turbo. While they may be average off the line for a small twin due to compression, both bikes have ungodly roll on performance, even the 500 killed the 1100 Katana. 500 has lag and comes on like a beast making it quite dangerous even after you get through the learning curve. 650 has no lag at all, and it takes one hell of a modern bike to beat it from 40 to 140 mph. Both are also limited on top end due to gearing, 130 for the 500 well into the red band at 10K rpm, and the 650 (taller gearing) might squeak out 150 while trying not to float the valves. Really wish Honda gave them a 6th gear.

Plenty of technology under the skin with fail safes...if the ECU can't take over there will be another sensor. The '82 500 (actual build date '81) has sequential EFI, 3 map Denso computer (self diagnosing with LED bank on body), runs at 19.3 PSI of boost on 93 octane and has no intercooler.
'83 650 (673cc) got a drop in boost to 16.7 PSI but a bump in compression. Also a weight loss going from the 500's fiberglass fairings to thermoplastic.
Both are also push rod V-Twins (4 valves per cylinder), so I get the added bonus of rubbing that into to Harley guys after decimating them.

Once the body is off, it's like working on a cyborg. Honda had special trained mechanics that worked on them. Price was $5K in '82 and '83 and Honda supposedly sold them at a loss, they were more of a "look what we can do" bike. And a lot of the technology made it into their cars years later, which is great because a number of sensors and items like fuel pumps are compatible. The 650 can get some decent money these days, I've seen them go over $20K for extremely nice examples.

Oh, and these two bikes were designed by different teams at Honda and share next to no parts!

View attachment 1686449

View attachment 1686450



View attachment 1686451
Click to expand...
A guy I know who owns a motorcycle training business has a few CX turbos including the 650....I believe he had something to do with Honda as he had a few prototype bikes as well which I have never seen offered to the public...

I remember the turbo craze, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.....

It's nice to see you have a couple survivors.....
 
Turbo-Torch said:
Biggest downside to vintage low production bikes is finding parts. It's crazy how a really nice bike can be worth far more parted out.
I was 11 when I read about the Honda CX500 Turbo in my dad's 1981 Popular Science magazine. In 2002 I bought a 7K mile 1 owner pristine example. 22 years later I still own it and when I get too old to ride, I'll keep it just to look at it.
A year later, I also tracked down and bought the ultra rare CX650 Turbo. While they may be average off the line for a small twin due to compression, both bikes have ungodly roll on performance, even the 500 killed the 1100 Katana. 500 has lag and comes on like a beast making it quite dangerous even after you get through the learning curve. 650 has no lag at all, and it takes one hell of a modern bike to beat it from 40 to 140 mph. Both are also limited on top end due to gearing, 130 for the 500 well into the red band at 10K rpm, and the 650 (taller gearing) might squeak out 150 while trying not to float the valves. Really wish Honda gave them a 6th gear.

Plenty of technology under the skin with fail safes...if the ECU can't take over there will be another sensor. The '82 500 (actual build date '81) has sequential EFI, 3 map Denso computer (self diagnosing with LED bank on body), runs at 19.3 PSI of boost on 93 octane and has no intercooler.
'83 650 (673cc) got a drop in boost to 16.7 PSI but a bump in compression. Also a weight loss going from the 500's fiberglass fairings to thermoplastic.
Both are also push rod V-Twins (4 valves per cylinder), so I get the added bonus of rubbing that into to Harley guys after decimating them.

Once the body is off, it's like working on a cyborg. Honda had special trained mechanics that worked on them. Price was $5K in '82 and '83 and Honda supposedly sold them at a loss, they were more of a "look what we can do" bike. And a lot of the technology made it into their cars years later, which is great because a number of sensors and items like fuel pumps are compatible. The 650 can get some decent money these days, I've seen them go over $20K for extremely nice examples.

Oh, and these two bikes were designed by different teams at Honda and share next to no parts!

View attachment 1686449

View attachment 1686450



View attachment 1686451
Click to expand...
I use to have a 1983 Suzuki GS 1100E that was stock except for a Super Trap exhaust 4 into one system on it. One day a guy with a CX 650 Turbo said he wanted to race and we even put $20 on the outcome. I think it was a roll race. Anyway, I walked him and was surprised how close it was. My best 1/4 mile time at a drag strip on that bike in the Salt Lake City area ( 4500 ft elevation ) was an 11.80 et.

One of the best looking CX 650 Hondas was the "Custom" they made in black. I worked in sales at a 4 brand Japanese store in Roy Utah during that time and remember a lot of those cool rides. The only picture I could find.
www.ebay.com

Vintage 1983 Honda CX650 Custom (CX650C) Motorcycle Collectible Playing Card | eBay

YOU ARE ONLY GETTING THE ONE (1) CARD PICTURED. Good Condition.
www.ebay.com
 
Zerks said:
I use to have a 1983 Suzuki GS 1100E that was stock except for a Super Trap exhaust 4 into one system on it. One day a guy with a CX 650 Turbo said he wanted to race and we even put $20 on the outcome. I think it was a roll race. Anyway, I walked him and was surprised how close it was. My best 1/4 mile time at a drag strip on that bike in the Salt Lake City area ( 4500 ft elevation ) was an 11.80 et.

One of the best looking CX 650 Hondas was the "Custom" they made in black. I worked in sales at a 4 brand Japanese store in Roy Utah during that time and remember a lot of those cool rides. The only picture I could find.
www.ebay.com

Vintage 1983 Honda CX650 Custom (CX650C) Motorcycle Collectible Playing Card | eBay

YOU ARE ONLY GETTING THE ONE (1) CARD PICTURED. Good Condition.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...
Hi. K
I raced the Yamaha one with my GPZ 750/1100/1460. I lost for $50.00 then won for $50.00 2 times. He called his ace turbo rider I lost for $100.00 2 times. Them I pulled out $500.00 i said lets go again. I won by 1/2 bike. One of my friends was at the end of tje 1/4 mile he sais you are coasting acrost the line. I just smiled. By the end of summer no one would race me. I one time gave a 440 Road Runner a 15 car head start and won by 1/2 fender. The bike with a dlick and a preped track ran a best of 7.60 at 172 MPH.
 
White05 said:
This one is way cheaper than I’ve seen most of them lately. This is what I started riding sportbikes on. Man, I miss the loud colors and graphics!!
View attachment 1686452

View attachment 1686453
Click to expand...

I love those!
They are classic, and yeah, all the colors of them through the years, the black/gray, and the Smokin' Joe Camel were 2 of my favorites.
I have really had to resist buying one on several occasions!
They are excellent wheelie machines too.
 
doge said:
makes me wish i'd kept my old bikes now
Click to expand...

I think we all do, but if you've ever owned more than 2 at one time, the upkeep becomes a headache.
If you have a few friends that like to ride regulary, it isn't so bad, but otherwise, they just tend to sit.
2 bikes works out well, and they need to be different, so you ride each for a different type of riding.
I have a Gsxr1k and a Goldwing.
You'll find quite a few guys here with their Busa and some sort of cruising or touring bike as well.
 
sixpack577 said:
I think we all do, but if you've ever owned more than 2 at one time, the upkeep becomes a headache.
If you have a few friends that like to ride regulary, it isn't so bad, but otherwise, they just tend to sit.
2 bikes works out well, and they need to be different, so you ride each for a different type of riding.
I have a Gsxr1k and a Goldwing.
You'll find quite a few guys here with their Busa and some sort of cruising or touring bike as well.
Click to expand...
Amen to that.....

One bike is so much nicer to own.......and store.....
 
sixpack577 said:
I love those!
They are classic, and yeah, all the colors of them through the years, the black/gray, and the Smokin' Joe Camel were 2 of my favorites.
I have really had to resist buying one on several occasions!
They are excellent wheelie machines too.
Click to expand...
I do have a few non-purchase regrets though....I had the opportunity to buy a Walter Wolf 250 Gamma and a 500 Gamma as well as an RZ500R at one point but the darned bike shop burnt down before I could make the decision for the 250 and 500 Gammas....

The RZ500R was over at the Yamaha shop where I took my RZ350 and RD400 Daytona for stuff once in a while....both were plentiful in those days and nobody even looked twice at them....as I already had 5 bikes and was a single guy living in military barracks, I thought getting yet another bike was unwise so I didn't buy it......although I could have got a rock bottom, basement killer deal on it as it was sitting in the showroom forever.

If I knew then what I know now.....
 
Bumblebee said:
I do have a few non-purchase regrets though....I had the opportunity to buy a Walter Wolf 250 Gamma and a 500 Gamma as well as an RZ500R at one point but the darned bike shop burnt down before I could make the decision for the 250 and 500 Gammas....

The RZ500R was over at the Yamaha shop where I took my RZ350 and RD400 Daytona for stuff once in a while....both were plentiful in those days and nobody even looked twice at them....as I already had 5 bikes and was a single guy living in military barracks, I thought getting yet another bike was unwise so I didn't buy it......although I could have got a rock bottom, basement killer deal on it as it was sitting in the showroom forever.

If I knew then what I know now.....
Click to expand...

Yep
I bet there were more CBR600 F1, F2, and F3's around here than anything at one point, and in every color.
I saw a stock Smokin' Joes on Markerplace earlier this year, $3k obo, it even had the mudflap...that was so hard not to go and get, lol.
They are great little bikes, nothing special, but I guess it was just the era of wild color schemes, and even though they weren't the fastest 600's of ths day, they were comfortable, and did everything well.
A friend had a black/gray F3, and it wheelied so easily, lol...but I can still see bringing home a Smokin' Joes.
Funny the simple things you miss as you get older.
 
My first one I bought was a kz1000ltd, had 29smoothbores and a rc engineering 4-1 pipe. Sounded tough, looked tough, loved it. Kept it 8yrs in various configurations (1170, 1260, stretched, etc) and miss it all the time, nothing like that rawness. But I’d never ever buy another one lol hellllllllll no.
 
I must admit I like power, and every bike I bought throughout the years had more and more. My old GS750 had about 35HP from memory, my Kawasaki Z 1000 Z1-R had 90HP, which I thought was great until I rode a GSX 1100efe. There were others not worth mentioning, then the ZZR1100 with 147HP, good I though, this is it! Until that Gen1 busa overtook me like I was standing still... Where does it all end? Then my Gen II Busa came along with 172HP, and for the first time I felt that I had more than I could handle, I was grateful that the throttle didn't open wide unless I rolled my wrist over the top first. Yes, at last I felt totally satisfied, I had it all, more than enough. Later I sold that bike, then got the bmw rr with 200 friggin HP!

Now I really knew I had more than I could handle, and the throttle was a short twist to boot! When I say more than I could handle I mean I couldn't just twist the throttle wide open anywhere but a big straight, and even then I had to be careful, had to lock my knees in and all that. There was no old-days laissez faire where you could just open it wide and laugh into the wind. I'd lost something along the way, a sort of riding freedom if that makes any sense? And there is no going back either, my Tenere has 70HP and I can crack that wide but it's just slow and aside from dirt riding is almost predictably boring. So now I ride happily, but always on the edge, always that battle to not twist the throttle Too much or else I might have a bad day. I guess I exacerbate it by riding in a gear one lower than you might, wanting to have the power handy in an instant if someone does something stupid. So for me the Power Evolution has ended, ended long ago.


evo.jpg

 
Oz22 said:
I must admit I like power, and every bike I bought throughout the years had more and more. My old GS750 had about 35HP from memory, my Kawasaki Z 1000 Z1-R had 90HP, which I thought was great until I rode a GSX 1100efe. There were others not worth mentioning, then the ZZR1100 with 147HP, good I though, this is it! Until that Gen1 busa overtook me like I was standing still... Where does it all end? Then my Gen II Busa came along with 172HP, and for the first time I felt that I had more than I could handle, I was grateful that the throttle didn't open wide unless I rolled my wrist over the top first. Yes, at last I felt totally satisfied, I had it all, more than enough. Later I sold that bike, then got the bmw rr with 200 friggin HP!

Now I really knew I had more than I could handle, and the throttle was a short twist to boot! When I say more than I could handle I mean I couldn't just twist the throttle wide open anywhere but a big straight, and even then I had to be careful, had to lock my knees in and all that. There was no old-days laissez faire where you could just open it wide and laugh into the wind. I'd lost something along the way, a sort of riding freedom if that makes any sense? And there is no going back either, my Tenere has 70HP and I can crack that wide but it's just slow and aside from dirt riding is almost predictably boring. So now I ride happily, but always on the edge, always that battle to not twist the throttle Too much or else I might have a bad day. I guess I exacerbate it by riding in a gear one lower than you might, wanting to have the power handy in an instant if someone does something stupid. So for me the Power Evolution has ended, ended long ago.


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I can relate, as I think that you can never have enough straight line power, lol, every day rideability does go away.
I've been riding since I was 12, for 35+ years now, and learned dirtbike wheelies on day one, thanks to my bmx bicycles, lol.
I love to wheelie every bike that I get on, and not power wheelies, actual balanced and controlled wheelies.
My 180+whp Gen2 was one of the smoothest and easiest bikes that I ever wheelied before or since, and Gsxr1k's have been my favorite since '02
I keep a friend's '18 Gsxr1k since he got it new in 2019.
Stock, that bike is a colasull let down, 99mph wide open in 3rd gear.
Let the mods begin.
I put on a full M4 exhaust, Sprint air filter, and Carbon Smith velocity stacks, and he took it to Moore Mafia for an ecu flash and dyno tune.
I then installed 520 chain/sprocket conversion(525 stock) and lost over 2 lbs of rotating mass. Along with ceramic wheel bearings, and ceramic transmission and output shaft bearings.
Oh my.
This thing has a monster of a 1st gear, and has more acceleration speed than I can belive.
Moore Mafia, great as the tune is, are famous for their lightswitch like on/off throttle response, very twitchy, fine for drag racing, but not street friendly.
This is the only bike that I ever struggled to wheelie...for having too much power and too quick a throttle response.
Sure, it can be done, as I have, but the power level is so much, I have to be Very careful with what I'm doing, and it just wants to run away and take off.
I love the acceleration, and will never complain about it, or more power, but there does come a point where over 190whp on 420lbs becomes a bit much for what I want to do with it, and I have to be cautious ripping curves, as I have had it power wheelie several times while being leaned over pretty far.
It's a blast to ride, and I can handle it fine, but it is alot other than straight line runs.
I never thought I would ever say that either, but my old school '03 Gsxr1k with 160ish whp is alot more fun doing the same riding, other than going straight.
Apparently I have lived long enough to have run out of skill, but my Goldwing will still carry the front wheel about a foot high for a little ways, lmao
 
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