HONDA CX 500 TURBO (1981-1982) Specs, Performance & Photos

In 1981, the Japanese motorcycle maker introduced the Honda CX 500 Turbo, a tourer motorcycle part of the CX series. The CX 500 Turbo was the first motorcycle produced with a turbocharger.

The Honda CX 500 was a mid-range tourer motorcycle manufactured by Honda from 1978 to 1986. The bike was powered by a longitudinally two-cylinder V-twin engine with four overhead valves per cylinder that sent the power to the rear wheel via a five-speed manual transmission and a shaft drive.

The motorcycle was considered particularly reliable and was the first motorcycles to use tubeless tires. It was also known as "manure pump" and was manufactured in many versions.

The bike's visual department was complemented by standard features, such as a half fairing with a rectangular headlight, a small windscreen, a one-piece dual seat with passenger grab handles, a dual blacked-out exhaust system, and six-spoke gold-finished wheels.

For suspension, the motorcycle packed a 37 mm adjustable Showa telescopic fork on the front with 130 mm of travel and an adjustable Pro-Link shock absorber mounted on the rear, providing excellent handling capabilities.

As for power, the 1981 Honda CX 500 Turbo had installed a 497cc four-stroke liquid-cooled V-twin turbo-charged engine underneath its half fairing, boasting 82 hp at 8,000 rpm and 79 Nm (58 lb-ft) torque at 5,000 rpm.