1983 Honda Other

JH2RC110XDM007224

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You are bidding on a low mile, rare 1983 Honda CX650 Custom motorcycle. Honda only made these bikes one year and only made around 1,700 of them. The first bike that I owned in college was a 1983 Honda CX650 Custom identical to this one and I bought this from the original owner a few years ago when it only had about 4,000 miles on it. He bought it new, maintained it meticulously and rode it once or twice a year for short rides, and then covered it up and kept it in his garage. This bike has now crossed over that 30 year old threshhold and will only continue to appreciate in value. I originally bought it as an investment intending to keep it in the garage but the thing is such a joy to ride and draws so much attention that I have kept it full of fluids and take it out on nice days for short rides from time to time. As you can see from the photos, the bike is in excellent condition. I have been careful to not ride it too much as I wanted to keep it as fresh as possible however, the bike is an absolute joy to ride. It starts and runs like new. As you can see by the condition of the seat alone, this bike has been well looked after. The bike does not have any major flaws. There are some small spots of rust for instance on the kickstand. There are some small blemeshes here and there that would be expected for a 30 year old bike but are all repairable by someone who knows how to put these bikes back into perfect factory condition. The chrome looks great on it and the original decals are still in great condition. You can see in the photo, on the left side of the bike, that the small lower cover is missing. This was an inherent problem with these bikes back in the day. That particular cover often fell off or the tabs broke on them and owners lost them. I have been on the look out for a replacement and have been told there are companies out there that can make them custom. Very minor aspect of the bike. I have ridden this bike to "bike night' events. Whether to a bike nite or to Walmart on an errand, the bike always draws attention, especially by guys who were age 19 to 25 in the early 80's and remember these classic cruisers. If a former CX650 owner see's it, they always rant and rave about its condition and the fact that there is still one of these out there that is clean and is being ridden. I have been on various Classic Honda websites and talked with others about the bike and I have been told by many that there are alot of Honda enthusiasts and collectors out there who would really love to have a clean CX650 in their collection. Therefore, I am putting this up on Ebay at pricing that I have researched is fair for a clean, classic, rare bike like this. It took me over a decade of looking before I happened across this bike when I bought it. Good luck in the bidding and please email me if you have any questions or you need me to take additional pictures of the bike. These bikes are disappearing so you won't see an auction like this very often in the future. I watched Ebay for a decade from a clean one to show up. A bit of History on the CX Series: From Wikipedia: The Honda CX series motorcycles, including the GL500 and GL650 variants, were developed and released by Honda in the late 1970s, with production ending in most markets by the mid 1980s. The design included innovative features and technologies that were uncommon or unused at the time such as liquid cooling, electric-only starting, low-maintenance shaft drive, modular wheels, and dual CV-type carburetors that were tuned for reduced emissions. The electronic ignition system was separated from the rest of the electrical system, enabling the motorcycle to be push-started and ridden in case of a total electrical system failure. Engine The CX series motorcycles feature a crankshaft configuration aligned longitudinally with the axis of bike, sometimes called a "flying" V-twin, because the cylinders point up on either side of the motorcycle but are not symmetrical. The CX was the first V-twin motorcycle that Honda ever built. Honda built a prototype CX350 but it was never released to the public. In that version the cylinders did not have the characteristic 22 degree twist.[1] Initially conceived as having a full 90 degree angle between the cylinders like the similar Italian Moto Guzzi machines, early testers reported that the prototypes were too smooth. Also, the carburetors, which projected directly rearward from the cylinders, tended to interfere with the knees of riders. Subsequent engine designs had their V-angle tightened somewhat to 80 degrees, and the heads twisted inward at the rear by 22 degrees. An innovative design places the crankshaft above the transmission, with both in the same housing. This keeps the engine short but quite tall. The engine design combines a 10.0:1 compression ratio and 9,650 rpm redline with overhead valves and a camshaft nestled at the base of the V between the cylinders. There are four overhead valves per cylinder, with unique forked rocker arms acting off each pushrod. The engine runs well on 87 octane petrol. It delivers nearly 50 hp (37 kW) at 9,500 rpm with high low-speed torque characteristics. Moto Guzzi, with their contemporary V50 Monza, delivered 48 hp at 7,600 rpm. This was from an aircooled, 2-valve 90° V-twin. This Guzzi model is little known outside Europe, so a direct comparison with Honda's CX500 is possible only on paper or amongst motorcycle enthusiasts.[2] The cylinder bores are cast in the crankcase which complicates the overhaul process although many examples have gone 200,000 miles or more without any major engine work. Transmission The transmission spins opposite the engine crank to counteract the engine torque's tendency to tip the bike slightly to one side when the throttle is opened or closed. The gear shift lever is moved with the usual up-down motion of the left foot, but instead of rocking in a forward-backward motion as on regular bikes, it moves left-right. This difference is transparent to the rider, however, and requires no change in shifting technique. It also means that it is not possible to adjust foot peg and gear lever setup when personalizing riding position. Power is transferred via an enclosed splined driveshaft with one universal joint. The shaft drives a bevel gear to which the wheel is joined via a cush-drive, which absorbs and dampens driveline shocks and vibrations. The bevel drive spins in an oil bath, and a zerk fitting is provided for greasing the shaft bearing. This reduces the motorcycle's maintenance costs. Wheels The original Com-Star wheels combine the flexibility of spoked wheels (without the maintenance burden) with the strength and tubeless characteristics of one-piece wheels. This was one of the first production motorcycles to be equipped with tubeless tires along with the CBX six. Honda introduced the Com-Star wheels a year or so earlier on the CB250T/400T Dream as well as on the CB750F2 and GL1000 Gold Wing, although these featured standard rims that demanded inner tubes to be used. Chassis Early versions had conventional suspension, consisting of hydraulically damped telescoping front forks and dual coil-over shocks at the rear. Later versions had air-assisted forks and featured Honda's Pro-Link monoshock rear suspension. US bikes (except GL500I, GL650I and Turbo) were equipped with a single front disk brake whereas all other bike possess dual front disk brakes. Models after 1980 sport dual piston calipers replacing the single piston caliper of the earlier models. For the Turbo and Eurosport models the rear drum was replaced with a dual piston caliper and disk. All models feature steel tube frames with a large backbone, with the engine used as a stressed member. The dual shock models use a single tube backbone whereas the later Pro-Link models employed a triple tube backbone. Later models are blessed with larger front forks and a factory installed fork brace which provides a noticeable improvement in handling. CX650 Custom Variant The CX650 Custom was a one year model produced in 1983 for the US market. Its unique cruiser type styling sets it apart from all other CX variants. The frame is completely different, and the styling was marketed to accommodate the American desire for the low stretched look of American cruiser bikes. Its semi chopped fork, tear drop tank, low seat and truncated exhaust gave it a very rakish and appealing look. However, it was very similar in styling and price range to the 750 Shadow and Honda elected to have only one cruiser bike in that class, thus the reason for its short model life.