This article appeared in Cycle magazine's January 1989 issue, the tenth anniversary of Honda's introduction of the CBX. Cycle ceased publication in 1991. Click on the pictures to view full-size versions (requires a Javascript-capable browser).

Honda's CBX has enduring appeal, a remarkable occurrence for a 10-year-old standard production Japanese motorcycle. There's a CBX club (the International CBX Owners Association); ads for the bikes appear in Hemming's Motor News, the collector's bible, and well-preserved examples typically park together at major motorcycle events. The CBX has managed to escape oblivion, the final resting place for almost all Japanese motorcycle models. But why?

First, the CBX is a superb street bike. Its operation is crisp and precise, and all controls are linear and predictable. Its ergonomics make the bike a natural fit for American-size riders. The 1000cc six-cylinder has power everywhere, its CV carbs make that delivery seamless, and the engine is vibrationless. Its magic works independent of speed. The bike need not run WFO to be enjoyed -- just squiring that big beautiful engine down the road at sane speeds is satisfying.

The 1979 CBX was a rolling billboard for Honda. It signalled a renewed commitment to motorcycling from a company that had been busy establishing itself as a major car builder. The 400 and 500cc fours, introduced earlier in the 1970s, were wonderful bikes, but other motorcycle manufacturers had gained a lot of ground on Honda through the decade. By 1978 Honda needed a knockout bike that would make motorcyclists gasp. Though the CBX project involved the parallel development of a four, Honda chose the six-cylinder machine for sheer impact.

In the final analysis, critics called the CBX a magnificent miss. The six got plenty of attention, but landed smack in the middle of a Superbike war where the 600-pound juggernaut was outmaneuvered almost from the outbreak of hostilities.

Superbike certification was composed of several tests: quarter-mile elapsed time and trap speeds, dyno-tested horsepower, and racetrack behavior. The CBX passed two of these tests, and with a vengeance (nothing else was as powerful or as fast). But the six's high-speed handling on the racetrack was marginal, and the bike could not be made substantially better by adding aftermarket performance equipment. Improvements only revealed underlying weaknesses. More power and better suspension underscored the CBX's embedded flaws -- weight, width, and a frame that was, politely, merely adequate.

Furthermore, "appearance" customizing worked no better on the CBX than "performance" modifications. Despite its bulk, the out-of-crate CBX was a tour de force of motorcycle styling. The rendering of each element was carefully controlled to ornament and exalt the six-cylinder centerpiece. Unlike the Suzuki GS1000 and the Kawasaki Z1R, whose basic and blocky styling encouraged owners to select aftermarket wheels, seats and bars, the Honda's refined lines and surfaces could only be marred by afterthought items.

PAGE:	Home	Tests	1	2