Future Optimism: 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo

During the early 1980s, the future was a bright and amazing place to be. The world was full of optimism that technology would solve all of our problems and provide us with transportation that eclipsed the cave man cars and bikes of just a few years ago. And during this time manufacturers pulled out all of the stops to try to deliver on the promised land, including the concept of 1 liter power in a package half the size. Enter the turbocharger; all of the Big Four dabbled in the concept of atmospherically-boosted intake for better power and smaller displacement. And while all the Big Four delivered turbocharged goods, the reality was not exactly the same as the promised vision.

1983 Honda CX650 Turbo for sale on eBay

Honda offered not one but two techno sleds during this time: the original CX500 Turbo, followed by the radically remade CX650 Turbo only one year later. One year after that, the wastegate opened up and the boost party was completely over. But for those few years, Honda raised the stakes at the technological poker table to a level unmet by any other manufacturer. Utilizing the existing CX platform with a beefed up bottom end, Honda engineering computerized fuel injection and a raft of sensors to ensure that reliability was as prominent as horsepower. The Buck Rogers bodywork and paint was specific to the model, as were the multiple “Turbo” badges that festooned the final package (including the large “obruT” decal on the front of the fairing). The CX650T delivered power – and most importantly gobs of torque – just as the prophets had promised. But with that performance came complexity, weight (more than 600 lbs of it) and a high price tag. Turns out the buying public was more interested in an affordable future – and a significant number of bikes were left unsold.

From the seller:
Up for sale is a 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo. This bike was never sold by the Honda Motorcycle Company so there is NO TITLE. EBay does not have an option for “no title” so it was listed as “clean” but just to be clear there is NO TITLE for this machine. EBay does not allow a decimal point in the stated mileage category so it was listed with “2” miles, in actuality it has 2.6 miles and we show this in the photos. This bike is NEW OLD STOCK with 2.6 miles on the odometer, it has never had fuel inside the tank and has never been started.

This bike is one of 500 bikes that was donated by Honda to the Vocational trade school donation program and still has the decal showing this on the tank. It was never sold and was intended to be destroyed therefore Honda never issued a title for the bike. This bike is a true survivor in stunning condition. The only flaw I see is a small scratch in the paint on the right side tail piece by the grab bar. Total production numbers for the 1983 CX650 Turbo was 1777 worldwide. Out of the 1777 about 1025 of them were imported into the USA and only 500 were part of the vocational program through Honda.

More from the seller:
This is one of the 500, a super rare piece of Honda History. You may likely never get an opportunity to purchase a machine of this rarity or significance again in your lifetime. We obtained this bike from a museum where it was on display since 1992 after being donated to the museum by the vocational school. Before this the bike was in storage since the early ’80’s at the college, it was never used in their training program, it is an unmolested time capsule. We have the provenance documentation from the museum showing this chain of ownership and it will be conveyed to the new owner.

The sad fact is that the Honda CX650 Turbos are extremely rare today primarily because there was little interest from the buying public. Honda invested untold amounts of money to engineer a solution that did not really solve a problem that people were willing to spend money on – not when there were plenty of adequate motorcycles for less than half the cost. With little demand, Honda shut down production after only one year – and struggled to get rid of the remaining bikes. A large portion were simply donated to automotive/technical trade schools to be used as learning tools. Honda received some brand recognition, likely a significant tax deduction, AND got rid of expensive leftover inventory. These bikes were donated without title as if they had been destroyed, and were never intended to hit the road. Most of them by now have been parted out.

The valuation of Honda Turbos has definitely been on the rise, but the ascension has been gradual (to say the least). Low mile Turbos in good to excellent condition seem to have maxed out in the $10k range as of late, which is definitely an improvement to past financial performance of the model. Today’s bike, a school donated machine with fewer than 3 miles has spent its life in a museum, and looks the part (as in a never started, never ridden “new” motorcycle). In fact, it looks better than it should given its age. However in the past these “school bikes” have been the less desirable of the Honda models due to the fact that they were not intended to be titled. Perhaps being the most rare of the one-year only model will make them more popular with collectors, but we have not seen that in the past. If you have a take on this subject, please hit up the comments and share your thoughts. Regardless, the Buy It Now price is significant for a Turbo. You can check out all of the details here. Good Luck!!

MI