1983 Honda Other

JH2RC1604DM000181

Clear

“The CX-650T is a top gear roll-on superstar, Delivering acceleration in the 80 mph to 140 mph range That even today’s superbikes have trouble matching. Whacking open the Throttle feels like making a jump into hyperspace, And this monstrous urge is coming from a (30) year- old 650cc pushrod V-twin!” Classic Bike Rider, December 2001 Here is one of the finest condition Honda CX650 Turbo’s one is likely to ever come across. The CX650T I am offering here is the same exact bike I provided to Motorcycle Classics magazine for the photo shoot and write-up featured in the May/June 2009 issue. With the sale of this bike, I will include a mint, un-circulated copy of that issue. This is an extremely rare motorcycle. By all accounts, between 1000-1100 of these were imported to the US in 1983. It is also well documented that about 600 of those were routed to schools and dealer training programs, ostensibly never to be allowed to be registered. Since the bikes were given to the programs at no cost, schools signed an agreement with Honda that when the school was done using them, they were to be defaced and destroyed, not put back on the market. So, only about 400-500 of these bikes were ever sold in the US in 1983. But how many are still operable, in any condition, today, thirty-one years later? The most accurate estimate may be gleaned from the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Statistical Annual. Figures are based on “operability rate,” which takes into account the number of motorcycles retired from service, or scrapped, as years since they were new increase. Using the composite average for all bikes, applied to the 400-500 unit sales figure of CX650T’s sold in the US, it is very reasonable to extrapolate that fewer than 50 extant examples of CX650 Turbo’s exist in the US today. That estimated 50 examples will be found in varying mechanical and cosmetic conditions, the majority, of course, bearing all the marks and signs of a 31 year old machine. But not Thor, the specimen I am selling here now. Thor appears to have managed to escape the cosmetic ravages of the last 31 years. Since I’ve owned him, he has seldom suffered a hose washing, basking instead in the luxury of waterless hand detailing after every, single ride. Call me anal retentive, but nothing escapes the eye when going over every square inch of a bike after every ride. And one is rewarded with a machine in the condition this one is in. So, did I keep him in bubble-wrap whenever I was not detailing him? No, in fact this bike is even more of a rarity in that it is a show bike … that gets ridden! A sublime sport-tourer even today, I do not hesitate taking it on weekend rides and summer tours. Two years ago I left California and toured to New Mexico and back on it without a hiccup. I’ve taken him on a tour over the Colorado Rockies, where the fuel injected, turbocharged engine just scoffs at the 12,000+ foot high mountain passes! When I bought Thor ten years ago, he had 17,400 miles on him. Now he has 41,135 miles, and is 100% ready for many more. Registration is current through July 12, 2014, and I have clear title. The VIN is JH2RC1604DM000181. “Off boost, the CX650T chuffs its way down the road Like a mildly tuned 650 twin. On boost, It accelerates like an F-4 being blasted off the Flight deck of the USS Enterprise by a steam catapult.” Rider, October 1983 Not only is Thor cosmetically in excellent condition, mechanically he is wanting for nothing. I do all my own work on my CX650 Turbos. Service has been performed religiously, sometimes to an anal-retentive “T,” as many of the service interval “bullets” I perform more frequently than Honda suggests. There are no known mechanical problems with the bike, and no drivability issues. He runs like a Swiss, er… Japanese watch. I have all my service records and notes with extremely detailed dates, mileage and service or repair performed. Oil has been religiously changed with filter every 2000 miles. Clean oil is The Key to keeping the turbocharger happy and long-lived, along with always letting the engine idle-down for a couple minutes after a spirited run, to allow oil to cool the turbocharger bearings and oil passages. It may appear as if Thor has just been pulled out of a crate, but he is ready for you to ride home, because he is always in a state of readiness for me to ride. The bike comes with the original leather-bound Owners Manual in near-mint condition. It has been kept in its plastic holder under the right side cover, wrapped in a plastic baggie, so road vibrations have not caused abrasions of the leather. Also included in the same holder is the original Honda tire pressure gauge that came with the bike, a rarity in itself. In the tool box is included the original Honda tool kit sold with the bike, complete in its original bag. Even the feeler gauge is still there in its clear window pouch on the side of the tool bag, used to set the gap between front brake caliper bracket and disc. “The bike would fling itself forward, turbocharger whistling, And you could easily mistake the blur of passing Scenery for the blur of a Doppler shift as you reached Terminal velocity.” Cycle World, January 1987 The paint on the body work – fairing, bonnet, side covers and rear cowl – is all original. No plastic has been repainted. There is no fading, even of the red decals. Except where noted here, the paint and clear coat condition is in excellent to mint condition. On the left red fairing decal, there is a nick in the decal about 5mm x 2mm. It has been touched up with a red paint of very close match. It is basically invisible from arms length away, and even closer, one has to really look to see it. In the same area of the red decal on right fairing, there are two nicks in the decal about a fingernails width each, both touched up, and again, both are unremarkable, and from arms length away nearly invisible. On the lower section of right fairing, where the exhaust header bulge is located, there are a few areas of minor abrasion through the clear coat; again, very minor, and only visible upon close inspection. The only other paint condition which deviates from excellent to mint condition is in the clear coat of the rear cowl. For some reason, the clear coat over the red decal on the rear cowl of these bikes had a tendency to want to separate along the edge of the decal. It can go years with no issue, then just one incident of overnight dew sitting on the clear coat along that edge can cause it to separate. This happened to me on a camping tour where I opted to not cover the bike one evening. The solution was to immediately dry it, and when I got home carefully remove any loose, flaking clear coat and reseal the edges of the damage with Honda clear coat touch-up paint. This halts the progression of the lifting, and prevents further infiltration of moisture along the decal edge in the future. The final result is nearly invisible, and even then, only upon close examination, but I include it here because I’d want to know up front if I was buying the bike. I don’t want your expectations to be met when you come to look at the bike. I want them to be exceeded. “The problem with the CX-T is that it’s impossible To resist constantly dipping into the boost. And anytime You light up the boost gauge on this bike, Speed limits become a joke.” Cycle Guide, march 1983 The exhaust header and mufflers have been repainted to closely match the OEM paint job. There is only very minor oxidation on a few of the aluminum bits, only worth mentioning in the interest of full disclosure in case a prospective buyer is expecting no oxidation whatsoever on a 30 year old bike. You will not be disappointed. The front brake master cylinder cap has a bit of the usual minor paint peeling around its edge from being exposed to brake fluid. The frame paint condition is very good, with no rust to speak of. The only anomaly to mention is the emissions label on the frame below the left side cover was given to me by the previous owner in a separate Ziploc bag, as it had fallen off. The lower left corner is missing. I provide it on a cardboard in a Ziploc bag in case you want to reattach it. The gas tank labels were removed by the previous owner. All other labels that I know of are still there, including windscreen, TRAC labels and 600 mile service label. “The Honda is a pussycat in town. Once the engine hits the boost, however, the CX turns into an absolute animal with stunning mid-range punch… At all rpms, when power comes on the boost it arrives suddenly, forcefully and unmistakably…In roll-on contests from 60 mph against the Superbike King, the Suzuki GS1100, the Honda easily jets away. That, friends, makes the CX650T the all-time roll-on champ.” Cycle, October 1983 Mechanically, the bike has been kept near-stock condition. What has been visibly added or altered can be easily returned to stock, if so desired. A few non-visible items are not stock, as noted below. 1) The keys are not OEM, although the key set – ignition, glove box, gas cap and helmet lock – are all keyed the same. 2) The previous owner had replaced the stock stator at 15,000 miles with a Willy’s rewind. I did not trust its longevity any more than OEM, so I replaced the stator 7,000 miles ago, as preventative maintenance, with a NOS early-model Electrex unit I had on the shelf. These were made back when their stators were actually manufactured in Europe, and I have observed and come to trust their longevity in CXT’s. The early Elextrex stators are proving to soldier on indefinitely. I have almost 40,000 miles on one in another CXT. They do not fail frequently like the Honda OEM stators do. The starter clutch springs were replaced at the same time, as preventative maintenance. 3) Hand grips are non-OEM. 4) The headlamp bulb is now powered through dual relays behind the headlight assembly. Power is drawn directly from the battery via heavy-gauge fused wire, instead of traveling through wire harness wimpy-gauge wire and resistance-laden ignition switch, hi/low beam switch, etc. The result is a significantly brighter headlight. The installation is not visible, and headlight function is not altered from stock. Only noticeable is a brighter headlight and an audible relay “click” when turning on the ignition or switching between high and low beams. My electronics education and experience ensures the installation and connections were done to a professional standard. I have performed this mod on all the CX Turbo’s that I have owned, and the setup has proven 100% reliable over the twenty-two years I have collectively owned CXT’s with this mod. 5) I replaced the 3P stator connector when I bought the bike. A problem area on these bikes, I checked it for melting when considering the bike, and the connection was actually smoking after I test rode the bike! Some folks go to the extreme of removing the connector out of the equation entirely and soldering the wires together. I opt for replacement of the connector with an OEM 3P connector and pack the lugs with dielectric grease to keep water out and prevent corrosion, followed with regular inspections when servicing the battery. One thing I do to each lug to further insure against corrosion and resultant heat buildup is to flow a little solder between each copper lug and the incoming wire at the crimp. 6) Another weak spot in the electrical path was the 4P starter relay connector. Inside the connector is a redundant shunt. The two lugs going to the shunt would bear the full brunt of the total charging system load, and eventually they would fry and the bike just died. Honda’s solution, per service bulletin, is to perform a simple wiring mod on the red wire before it enters the 4P connector, eliminating the shunt and two connectors entirely. I’ve performed this mod on every CX Turbo, including Thor. 7) The tires are non-stock. The front is Metzeler ME88, the rear ME880. There is useable tread on both, though the rear will be due for replacement within 2-3K miles. 8) Battery is non-stock, and was replaced last in August 2010. It was initialized properly before being put into service, and has always been kept on a Battery Tender when the bike is parked. 9) The OEM 650 starter motor has been replaced with a CX500 starter motor, which performs much better than the 650 starter motor, and is visually almost identical. The 650 motors were garbage and could cause all sorts of nasty ripple-down effects, all the way to the crankshaft. I have the original starter motor if you want the bike for show purposes. 10)The oil temperature dipstick is non-stock. 11)Installed on the dash is a digital voltmeter/clock/temperature gauge. Visually, it fits in nicely with the rest of the dash. I considered removing it for sale of the bike, but it really does provide useful voltage information, nice to know when using electric clothing. It also has a black ice warning. In any case, if you so desire, the unit is easily removable without causing damage, as it is attached with adhesive Velcro, not screws. 12)The turbo waste gate has a small helper springs added to bring lift back within spec. Over the years, the diaphragm spring loses strength, and boost begins to bleed off sooner than designed. Using Honda lift specifications at a specified boost pressure, I sourced an appropriate spring and fastened it at the appropriate point along the shaft to bring the waste gate lift back to stock spec. One does not realize how much performance is gradually lost from prematurely bled boost pressure due to a weak waste gate spring until it is restored with the addition of the helper spring! 13)The OEM foam air filters would turn to dust and simply be ingested by the engine, allowing unfiltered air to enter the irreplaceable turbocharger compressor. Before this happened to Thor, I replaced the air filter element with an oiled gauze filter material wrapped around the filter cage. I also shimmed the cage up at the rear to correct an alignment problem most owners don’t even realize, which also allows unfiltered air and grit to enter the compressor. 14)Zerk grease fittings have been installed on all Pro-Link suspension bushings to ease lubrication. This reduces the regular needed lubrication of these points from a half-day ordeal to a two minute job with a grease gun. 15)As may have been noticed in a couple of the pictures, the intake manifold setting mounts were modified with threaded screws to hold the two halves together, as the rubber had come unbonded. Recently those were replaced with OEM mounts, so no more screws. “The Honda’s huge power surge is breathtakingly fun, and reduced turbo lag makes the 650 a joy to ride fast.” Cycle, October 1983 The gold anodized doohickey seen near the left passenger footpeg is a preload adjuster for an aftermarket Hagon rear shock. This will be removed for sale of the bike, and the bike will have the original OEM shock with its original low miles installed. The shock holds its air and does not leak oil. The water pump mechanical seal was replaced 1,735 miles ago. It had just begun to weep. I’ve never allowed my leaking water pump seals to continue leaking, as this can eventually cause engine speed sensor failure. The following are records of last standard services performed. Mileages are listed as mileage since last service: 1) Oil & filter – 1,135 miles ago. 2) Air filter – cleaned and oiled 1,735 miles ago. 3) Spark plugs – replaced 7,245 miles ago; cleaned and gap checked within spec less than 50 miles ago. 4) Valve clearance checked/adjusted at current mileage last week. 5) Coolant – replaced 1,735 miles ago – Nov 2012 w/ Honda HP coolant. 6) Final drive oil – 1,635 miles ago. 7) Brake fluid – front and rear replaced 6/2012 8) Steering stem – torque checked 835 miles ago. (No center notchiness) 9) Pro-Link suspension lubed – 835 miles ago. “Powering down back roads at middle RPM, the Turbo simply owns the road. It lunges from corner to corner In a rush that even the monstrous Suzuki GS1100S Katana can’t equal.” Motorcyclist, July 1983 If you have dreamed of owning one of these rare machines, to experience its inimitable turbo surge of midrange power and torque, or if you’ve never heard of it, and appreciate a 31 year old gleaming show bike which people frequently will ask you, “Is that a new Honda model?” then don’t hesitate to snatch up this extremely rare example in near-original and excellent condition. Not only will you not be disappointed, you will be flabbergasted when you see him, and in nirvana when you take him home and ride him. I have had a twenty-two year love affair with these CX650 Turbos, never once tiring of the riding experience in all those years. Alas, it is time to thin the heard, and pass this bike on to someone else who lusts after it as much as I did all those years ago, and give it a similarly loving home. If this describes you, get in touch. Terms: $500 deposit within 48 hours of auction close. Balance of winning bid must be paid in cash in person, bank to bank wire transfer, or certified funds (with verification) only within 7 days of auction close. Sorry, no COD or PayPal. I have email access only once each day, in the evenings, so please be patient, as I will answer all questions. Thank you. “The CX650T is a splendid touring bike, and its Fear-inducing mid-range power elevates it To Grand Touring status.” Cycle, October 1983