There Are A Ton Of F1-Sounding Honda CBX Motorcycles For Sale Right Now
When the Honda CBX Super Sport launched in 1978, it was briefly the fastest motorcycle in the world, winning over reviewers with its speed but failing to captivate the buying public. Despite that, this is a classic motorcycle worth considering, and I just found a huge number of them for sale. If you’ve ever wanted a motorcycle that sounds like a Formula 1 car, now is a good time to do it.
I’ve been in love with the Honda CBX ever since a reader introduced me to them in 2018. The engine, the pipes, the sound and the looks are everything that I love about old-school Japanese motorcycles. I’ve seen them pop up for sale every now and then but usually in small numbers. Last year, a treasure trove of them appeared on GovDeals and now, just in time for summer, here are a bunch of them for sale right now.
The 1970s and 1980s were a time when motorcycle technology flourished. Manufacturers pulled more power out of their engines by way of higher cylinder counts and occasionally, forced induction. The Honda CBX was one of those creations. Its 1,047cc six had 24 valves and six carburetors, and it cranked out 105 horsepower. And despite its appearance, the engine was just two inches wider than the CB750 of the time.
It’s unclear just how many of these were made, with the best guess coming from the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club at 38,079 units built in Japan and 3,150 models built in America. What is known is that sales weren’t great, leading to some of them ending up donated to tech schools. Today, they’re an increasingly popular classic.
Now, onto the latest treasure trove! One of these just sold on Bring a Trailer for $9,100 yesterday. But don’t fear because Bring a Trailer is running another CBX auction at the same time with a different end date. If you have the cash, here’s a 1979 with just 2,900 miles on its odometer, and it’s currently bidding at $6,900 with two days to go.
It’s quite the looker, but if you’re looking for something original this one may not be for you. Commenters have noted that the included exhaust comes from a newer bike, as does the engine and instrumentation. That may suggest that a restoration or repair happened to the bike, but the seller doesn’t know its history.
Craigslist has a few of them currently for sale, with the cheapest being this 1979 CBX for $8,500. This one is your classic Craigslist ad featuring few pictures and an extremely brief description. And that description is the infamous “ran when parked,” but it’s said to have been stored dry. So maybe you’ll get lucky and just have to throw a battery and some gas in it.
There are two more for sale on Craigslist, including this running and riding 1979 CBX for $15,500. It comes in red with wires to match and what appears to be non-factory pipes.
And if you want more features, here’s a 1981 CBX for $15,000. This one comes with wind protection, cases and even a shop manual. The seller says that it was stored under a cover since 1988 and is in mostly original condition. It’s had some maintenance and period-correct pipes installed. It’s also just across the border in Canada, so the exchange rate does work in your favor.
There are even more for sale on Facebook. How many? I found seven for sale within 500 miles of me in various states of condition. I then found six more within driving distance of New York City. The numbers drop sharply out west. I found no running examples in Texas, for example, and just a few in California.
I can’t remember how many of these that I last seen for sale all at the same time, but it was fewer than this. Sadly, the only cheap one that I’ve found is in pieces. But if this is a dream motorcycle for you as it is for me it looks like there are a lot of options out there. And if you do buy one or have owned one, send me an email at mstreeter@jalopnik.com because I’d love to hear your experience with it.
