"What an experience," he recalls. "After the first ride most of the journalists were muttering to each other about how It wallowed all over the place. No-one wanted to offend the assembled Honda management parading their flagship. And it did wallow.

"One long, fast bend on the circuit was a succession of bumps and the CBX would flex and twist alarmingly although it was stable in a straight line. We eventually mentioned this to the man from Honda UK who said it was probably just suspension settings. Anyway, he messed about with the rear shocks and went out for a few quick laps. He came back looking decidedly pale.

"The weight of the engine - set as far forward as Honda could make it - meant the back brake would lock up under heavy braking. Spectacular stuff that had small Japanese marshals leaping up from behind the Armco waving warning flags for our own safety!

"To be honest, I never thought I was going to crash and it was certainly an exciting and fast bike to ride but I know many people who rode it and frightened themselves. Backing off only made the wallowing worse. You just had to keep the throttle steady and grip tightly with your knees.

"This was all related in various reports, of course and the CBX was a sales flop. Honda even reduced the price after the first year (much to the annoyance of early buyers) so there are not many originals about.

"I loved the bike. It had a lot of character amid a range of aircooled fours. To my mind they ruined it by making it a 'tourer'. We had the first one on long term test from Honda UK at MCN and it ran perfectly. I could have bought it with only three or four thousand miles on the clock for £800. Like a fool, I didn’t.